The Triplets My Ex Never Knew About

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Nathaniel Is Jealous

Estelle Lockwood struggled. "That’s not my home."

Nathaniel Sloan gently clasped her wrist. "Stop making a scene. You’re Christian’s doctor. If you’re not coming home with me, where do you plan on going?"

Estelle Lockwood’s struggles ceased. She found it almost funny.

’Was Nathaniel Sloan actually, genuinely inviting her ’home’?’

’It was, admittedly, a novel experience.’

’After all, Nathaniel Sloan never used to care whether she came home or not.’

Estelle Lockwood rubbed her wrist and said nonchalantly, "I’m an adult. I don’t need Mr. Sloan’s permission to decide where I stay for the night."

She finished speaking and flashed a brilliant smile. "Mr. Kingston, thank you for a lovely evening. It’s still early, would you like to come in for a bit? I heard you have a fondness for timepieces. As it happens, I bought a mechanical watch from the last century on my last trip abroad."

Jasper Kingston smiled warmly. "Then it would be my pleasure."

Nathaniel Sloan: "..."

Nathaniel Sloan forced his eyes shut. He took two seconds to compose himself before opening them again, an inexplicable sourness and anger spreading through him.

’She completely ignores me, yet she invites Jasper Kingston into her room for a ’chat’ in the middle of the night?’

"Does Miss Lockwood have any sense of time? It’s midnight, and you call that ’early’?" Nathaniel Sloan said coldly.

Estelle Lockwood frowned slightly.

She only wore her heart on her sleeve when she was drunk, so both men could clearly see her displeasure.

"It’s none of your business. So what if it’s midnight? Mr. Kingston doesn’t mind. When you’re talking business, who cares about the time?"

Estelle Lockwood wasn’t sure where this sudden flare of temper came from. The sight of Nathaniel Sloan was simply irritating, and on top of that, she was still on edge about not having secured the contract with the Kingston Group.

Fueled by the alcohol, she pursed her lips in annoyance and started pulling Jasper Kingston toward her room.

"Ah—Nathaniel Sloan!"

Before she had taken two steps, a strong force yanked her wrist. Nathaniel Sloan wrapped an arm around her waist, spun her around, and pulled her into the guest room, shutting the door on Jasper Kingston.

Jasper Kingston frowned. "Nathaniel, open the door. Miss Lockwood is drunk."

Nathaniel Sloan replied coolly, "She’s my family’s doctor. I’ll thank you not to concern yourself."

Estelle Lockwood tried to open the door but was pulled back again by Nathaniel Sloan. Terrified of leaving a bad impression on Jasper Kingston, she took a deep breath. "Mr. Kingston, I’m fine! You can go on back. Please, get some rest."

Two minutes later, the sound of footsteps receded, and the hallway fell completely silent.

Estelle Lockwood finally let her composure drop, collapsing unceremoniously onto the sofa.

Nathaniel Sloan watched as she dropped all pretense right in front of him. His gaze was placid, but his words were sharp and biting.

"So desperate to maintain your image in front of Jasper Kingston? You even went so far as to research his hobbies."

Estelle Lockwood rolled her eyes at him. "That’s right. He’s a potential partner. Of course I’m going to cater to his interests."

Nathaniel Sloan’s figure was half-hidden in the shadows, his expression unreadable as his eyes flickered. His tone was laced with an ambiguous sarcasm.

"It’s just a business deal, not a contract to sell yourself. Was it really necessary to stoop so low? Drinking so much, and with anyone who offered?"

Estelle Lockwood couldn’t see the profound emotion in his eyes; all she heard were his words, and they made her furious.

"What do you mean, ’stoop so low’? You can’t do business without drinking! For Star Group to establish itself in this country, I have to partner with the Kingston Group. They have countless options, so what choice do I have but to try my hardest?"

’Star Group had smooth sailing abroad, but she was a stranger to the domestic fragrance market. She needed the Kingston Group’s help to break in. Otherwise, why would she be sucking up to its leader? Was she a masochist?’

’How could Nathaniel Sloan twist a legitimate business negotiation into something so sordid? Accusing her of being a hostess, of debasing herself...’

Perhaps it was the alcohol. Her head was spinning, and the temper she usually kept suppressed came surging to the surface.

’Why does Nathaniel Sloan look down on me? Isn’t it just because he’s always comparing me to Noelle Lockwood?’

’It was like this in the past, and it’s still the same now! Noelle Lockwood is the untouchable, celestial fairy on a pedestal, while I’m just the country bumpkin scrambling for a meal.’

’And that same fairy has the gall to pull a Marie Antoinette and ask, "Sister, why do you work so hard?"’

Estelle Lockwood’s face was flushed, and her voice rose with indignation. "Besides, even if I were stooping that low, it would be none of your business! Do you think everyone is like Noelle Lockwood, able to get whatever they desire with a mere wave of the hand? I don’t have that luxury!"

Nathaniel Sloan: "..."

For a moment, he couldn’t follow her train of thought. ’What does Noelle Lockwood have to do with any of this?’

Having vented, Estelle Lockwood felt a bit better. A wave of drowsiness washed over her, and she rubbed her cheek against the sofa, apparently planning to fall asleep right then and there.

A dark glint flashed in Nathaniel Sloan’s eyes.

’They’re just too similar.’

’If Yara Lockwood was intentionally imitating Estelle, could she replicate even these unconscious, drunken expressions so perfectly?’

Nathaniel Sloan stood there in silence for a while, then, as if compelled by some unseen force, he leaned down.

"Miss Lockwood, you don’t necessarily have to suck up to Jasper Kingston."

Estelle Lockwood couldn’t even be bothered to open her eyes.

Nathaniel Sloan let out a low chuckle. "Besides the Kingston Group, you have a better option. Me, for instance."

’A better option... Nathaniel Sloan?’

Had Estelle Lockwood been sober, she would have weighed her options and concluded that, as a raw material supplier, Nathaniel Sloan was indeed the superior choice.

But right now, Estelle Lockwood was drunk.

And drunk people aren’t known for their logic.

"You?"

She cracked open her eyes, looking Nathaniel Sloan up and down. Then, with a tone dripping with three-parts scorn, three-parts contempt, and four-parts feigned indifference—the classic voice of a domineering CEO—she spoke.

"Heh. You’re not up to my standards."

’Did Nathaniel Sloan think he was such a great catch? She wasn’t interested five years ago, and she certainly isn’t interested now!’

Letting out a sharp, satisfied sigh, Estelle Lockwood flopped back down and passed out. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

Nathaniel Sloan had waited all that time, only to be hit with a "You’re not up to my standards." He almost laughed in exasperation.

’Fine. Just great. She’d rather get drunk fawning over Jasper Kingston than accept a partnership with me.’

’He should just leave the woman here to fend for herself.’

He was about to walk out the door when a thought stopped him, and he turned back.

’...Why was he arguing with a drunk? If he really abandoned her here, she’d hunt him down tomorrow to settle the score, guaranteed.’

Having convinced himself, Nathaniel Sloan moved to carry her to the bed. But as soon as he touched her, he felt the unnatural heat radiating from her body. His expression darkened at once.

...

「Six in the morning.」

"Her temperature is too high. She needs a shot to bring the fever down..."

"Go tell Mr. Sloan."

"I wonder who this Miss Lockwood is to him..."

"Stop gossiping. Do you want to lose your job? How dare you comment on Mr. Sloan’s private life."

’So noisy.’

A sharp pain in her stomach made Estelle Lockwood’s eyes flutter open in irritation. But instead of a hotel ceiling, she was met with the sight of several nurses gathered around her.

"Miss Lockwood, you’re awake? Is your stomach bothering you? You should try to drink less in the future."

"Miss Lockwood, you have a persistent high fever. The oral medication isn’t working, so you’ll need an injection."

The alcohol hadn’t completely worn off, and combined with the fever, Estelle’s mind was a groggy mess. Upon hearing the word "injection," she shrank back under the covers.

Just then, Nathaniel Sloan walked in carrying some medicine. He lowered his gaze to the person in the bed.

Her eyelashes trembled, making her look like a small animal hiding from a predator.

Nathaniel Sloan’s eyebrow twitched. He looked down at her. "What are you doing?"

Her head ached from the fever, and her mind was too muddled to think straight. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind: "I’m pretending to be asleep."

She said it with absolute, unapologetic conviction.

Nathaniel Sloan chuckled, waved for the nurses to leave, and then walked over to her bedside.

"Why are you pretending to be asleep?"