The Triplets My Ex Never Knew About

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Do We Have a New Dad? Who Is It?

Estelle Lockwood and her two children didn’t see Nathaniel Sloan.

After she spoke, Mia and Zachery were silent for a moment before speaking with the maturity of little adults.

"Mommy, we’re not little kids anymore! A dog couldn’t have left a mark like that. It was obviously a person!"

Estelle Lockwood’s face flushed red, and she slowly closed her eyes.

’What on earth have her two darlings been watching?’

Zachery’s eyes darted around. "Does that mean you have a man now, Mommy? Is he our new daddy? Is our new daddy handsome?"

Estelle Lockwood felt like she was about to faint. "..."

She forced herself to remain calm. "Darlings, there’s no new daddy. A dog really did bite Mommy’s lip... It was the one Chapman keeps in the backyard, named Snowy. You remember him, right? Mommy was playing with Snowy yesterday and he nipped me."

Chapman did, in fact, have a small white dog.

Zachery didn’t believe her for a second. "Mia, do a reading and find out where the person who bit Mommy’s lip is."

Estelle Lockwood froze. Nathaniel Sloan raised an eyebrow slightly, curious to see how she would explain her way out of this one.

’Is she going to say I’m a dog?’

Mia immediately nodded, pulled out three copper coins, and began her divination.

Five minutes later, Mia said dejectedly, "Zachery, something’s wrong. The divination says the person who bit Mommy... uh, no, the dog... is right here in Imperial Crest! It looks like it really was Snowy!"

"Here in Imperial Crest?" Zachery was also hugely disappointed. ’Who in Imperial Crest would bite Mommy? It couldn’t be Chapman, it couldn’t be Ms. Riddle, and it couldn’t be Christian... so that only leaves...’

"BOO-HOO-HOO! Our new daddy is a dog!"

Nathaniel Sloan closed his eyes as a vein throbbed at his temple.

...

After much persuading, Estelle Lockwood finally managed to placate her two darlings and get ready to leave for Rosalind Garden.

When she got downstairs, she saw the doctor from the previous night eating breakfast in the dining room, but Nathaniel Sloan was nowhere to be seen.

Estelle Lockwood frowned. ’That bastard. His injuries haven’t gotten worse, have they? He’s not backing out today, is he?’

’That’s not an option. Signing the documents, finalizing the contract—everything for Rosalind Garden had to go through Nathaniel Sloan. I can’t afford any delays.’

"Where’s Nathaniel Sloan?" Estelle Lockwood asked Chapman.

Chapman glanced at Zane Grant and said guiltily, "Mr. Sloan... he’s sick."

Estelle Lockwood didn’t notice Chapman’s odd behavior. "Sick? Even if he’s sick, he needs to get up. Is he going to pull through or not? Dropping the ball at such a critical moment."

Zane Grant nearly choked on his steamed bun.

’He was deliberately testing this woman. If she really was Mrs. Sloan, shouldn’t she show at least a hint of concern upon hearing that Nathaniel was sick?’

Besides, even though Zane Grant hadn’t been in the country five years ago, he’d still heard some of the rumors about Mrs. Sloan.

—Timid, gentle, and obedient.

How was that in any way similar to this woman named Yara Lockwood?

"Ahem, Miss Lockwood," Zane Grant couldn’t help but interrupt. "Nathaniel is fine. He just had to take an urgent international conference call for Evernight International. He needs to make a key decision, so he’s in a meeting upstairs. He should be done in about ten minutes."

Estelle Lockwood relaxed.

Zane Grant asked, intrigued, "Miss Lockwood, why aren’t you asking who I am?"

Estelle Lockwood glanced at him, seemingly baffled. "Why would I need to know who you are?"

Zane Grant cleared his throat. "I’ve been good friends with Nathaniel for years. I know a lot of things about him. Aren’t you the least bit curious?"

’In the past, whenever Noelle Lockwood wanted to get closer to Nathaniel, she would always try to butter him up, his friend, hoping to find a way to get nearer to him.’

’Zane Grant had grown used to it.’

But to his surprise, Estelle Lockwood was silent for a long moment before suddenly letting out a cold laugh. "Curious about Nathaniel Sloan? Hah."

Zane Grant: "...?"

’What was that "Hah" supposed to mean? Was she mocking him or Nathaniel?’

But Zane Grant didn’t dwell on it. Nathaniel had said that Yara Lockwood was Christian’s private doctor, and Christian’s health had indeed improved significantly lately.

But they were heading to Rosalind Garden, so he would be taking care of Christian for the next few days.

...

Half an hour later, Estelle Lockwood and Nathaniel Sloan departed on schedule for Rosalind Garden.

In the car, Nathaniel Sloan’s gaze swept over her.

Estelle Lockwood’s lips were pressed into a thin line, her eyes closed as she rested. She probably hadn’t slept well the night before, and she was feeling a bit carsick.

Rosalind Garden was in the suburbs of Crestfall, more than a two-hour drive away. Estelle Lockwood clutched her stomach, her face pale.

Nathaniel Sloan frowned. "What’s wrong?"

After what happened last night, Estelle Lockwood had no desire to speak to him, nor did she want to show any vulnerability in his presence. "It’s none of your business."

But despite her words, her complexion grew increasingly ashen.

"Miss Lockwood, we have a packed schedule today. If you keep pushing yourself now and can’t hold up later, then as your business partner, I’ll have to question your commitment to this collaboration."

Estelle Lockwood’s lips tightened into a firm line.

"Pull over," Nathaniel Sloan ordered the driver.

The car pulled over to the side of the road. Estelle Lockwood rolled down the window, pressing a hand to her chest in silence.

She remained silent, partly because she didn’t want to engage with Nathaniel Sloan, and partly because... the motion sickness was so awful she didn’t have the energy to speak.

Estelle Lockwood was looking listless when she suddenly heard a car door open. She instinctively turned her head and saw that Nathaniel Sloan had gotten out.

’Why is he getting out? We haven’t reached Rosalind Garden yet, have we?’

Estelle Lockwood watched Nathaniel Sloan walk further away. Her mind was too muddled, and she couldn’t be bothered to think too hard about it. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Suddenly, something refreshingly cool touched her cheek.

Estelle Lockwood looked up, dazed.

The man’s long, well-defined fingers were holding a cup of iced lemonade and a blister pack of pills.

"Motion sickness pills. Take one. We’ll rest for a bit before we get back on the road."

Estelle Lockwood struggled to focus, trying to comprehend what he was saying.

’Motion sickness pills? Lemonade?’

Her brain hadn’t quite caught up, but she took them automatically and had a sip.

She had always suffered from motion sickness; it hadn’t improved one bit over the years. Back then, she’d always liked to have a few sips of iced lemonade whenever she felt carsick.

’But... how did Nathaniel Sloan know that?’

Estelle Lockwood shook her head sharply. ’It must be a coincidence!’

"I’m fine now. We can go."

Nathaniel Sloan’s gaze was profound. He watched her for a long moment before finally looking away and instructing the driver flatly, "Drive."

’He knew Estelle Lockwood suffered from motion sickness. And he knew she liked to drink lemonade when she felt sick.’

His gaze fell on her swollen, red lips. By tacit agreement, neither of them mentioned the previous night.

’Refusing to admit it... Hah.’

...

「An hour later」

They finally arrived at Rosalind Garden.

The motion sickness medicine had helped, and Estelle Lockwood no longer felt so ill, but her spirits were still low.

Nathaniel Sloan got out of the car first, then walked around to the other side to open the door for her.

Noelle Lockwood, who was waiting at the entrance to Rosalind Garden, saw the scene unfold. Her expression turned venomous, and she gritted her teeth.

She knew many business elites would be at Rosalind Garden today, so she had made a point of showing up in her capacity as Nathaniel Sloan’s fiancée. The others didn’t dare question it, and had even let her stand front and center to welcome him.

And what was the result? She saw Estelle Lockwood and Nathaniel Sloan getting out of the same car!

Noelle Lockwood forced a smile and stepped forward to take Nathaniel’s arm. "Nathaniel, you’re here! It must have been a long drive. Please, come in."

Nathaniel Sloan narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Before Noelle Lockwood could answer, a pot-bellied executive stepped forward from behind her. "President Sloan, Mrs. Sloan came especially to deliver some documents."

Estelle Lockwood tilted her head up slightly and raised an eyebrow. ’Mrs. Sloan?’

Noelle Lockwood’s expression was gentle and graceful as she gave a shy smile, as if staking her claim.