Free Web NovelChapter 7: The Dead Wife
Editor: Henyee Translations
Something suddenly dawned on Estelle.
Who knew? Noelle’s son might hate her, but he’d inherited every ounce of her manipulative abilities!
Seeing that Nathaniel was about to leave, Noelle bit her lip, unwilling to give up.
"Nathaniel, I’m sorry. It was negligence on my part. I can..."
"From now on, Yara Lockwood will be responsible for Christian’s daily care. You don’t need to come over to look after him anymore. Chapman, take her back to the Lockwood family home."
After speaking to the butler, Nathaniel didn’t spare Noelle another glance. He just picked up Christian and went straight upstairs.
"Nathaniel, Nathaniel!"
Noelle wanted to chase after him, but she was covered in soup, so she was a complete mess.
She even overheard the maids whispering.
"No wonder Mr. Sloan hasn’t let Miss Noelle marry into the family after all these years. She’s so irresponsible with her own child. Who would want to marry her..."
"A child wouldn’t lie. We used to think the young boy just had a bad temper. Who would be in a good mood if they were fed things they’re allergic to every day?"
"Dr. Lockwood is more attentive than his own mother..."
Noelle’s eyes were bloodshot as she shot Estelle a vicious glare. Then, she was escorted out of the villa by Chapman, the butler.
Estelle’s red lips curled into a smile.
’Can’t take it already?’ she thought. ’The fun is just getting started. Everything you took from me five years ago... I will take it all back. Piece by piece.’
...
After Christian fell asleep, just as Estelle was about to return to her room, a man’s voice suddenly spoke up behind her.
"Dr. Lockwood."
Estelle raised an eyebrow.
"Is there something you need, Mr. Sloan?"
Nathaniel’s gaze was piercing, and his dark eyes seemed able to see through someone else’s soul. The string of Buddha beads still hung from his wrist as he said in a deep voice,
"Noelle has lived at Imperial Crest for five years, yet she didn’t know this room was under surveillance. How did you know, Dr. Lockwood?"
Estelle froze, instantly guessing what was on Nathaniel’s mind. She raised a mocking eyebrow.
"I saw the surveillance camera layout in the security office, of course. What did you think, Mr. Sloan?"
Nathaniel’s eyes darkened, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. ’Every single one of this woman’s expressions, every smile... It’s all too much like...’
The next moment, Estelle suddenly leaned in, her words laced with insinuation. "You don’t suspect that I’m your dead wife, do you, Mr. Sloan?"
Nathaniel was jolted back to reality. ’She isn’t Estelle Lockwood. Estelle was sincere and innocent. She was nothing like Yara Lockwood, a woman adept at manipulating people. Yara must have deliberately checked the camera layout and had plastic surgery to look like Estelle, all just to impersonate her!’
At this thought, Nathaniel’s expression turned cold.
Estelle sneered deep down. ’That woman is already dead. Who is he putting on this hypocritical show for?’
Estelle, who had no patience for this pretentious man, slammed her door shut. After washing up, she got into bed.
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.
Suddenly, her phone rang. It was a call from Penelope.
"So? Did you manage to move into your ex-husband’s house?" freёwebnoѵel.com
Estelle replied from her bed, "Mhm, it all went smoothly. I even got to teach that manipulative woman a lesson."
"That’s awesome! Serves her right for moving into your and Nathaniel’s marital home back then. It’s time she got a taste of her own medicine!"
Penelope added, "By the way, are you going to the Star Group banquet tomorrow? I heard that innocent little Noelle has her eye on your perfume, and your ex-husband plans to spend a fortune on it for her."
The Star Group had burst onto the scene three years ago, instantly dominating the market in the USA. Even Nathaniel’s Evernight International was eager to partner with them, but very few people knew that Star Group’s main perfumer, and one of its major shareholders, was Estelle Lockwood.
The upcoming banquet would be held to celebrate a new perfume launch, and influential figures from all circles had been invited to attend.
Estelle said nonchalantly, "If Nathaniel wants to spend a fortune, how could I not take him for a ride... Penelope, I have to go. Mia’s calling."
"OK, OK. Try to appease your little bosses."
Estelle quickly answered the video call of her two precious children. The two kids were huddled in front of the camera, their serious expressions making Estelle laugh.
"What’s wrong? Why are my babies so serious?"
Mia asked sweetly, "Mommy, did you meet your future husband at the airport today?"
Zachery and Mia both stared at her.
Estelle’s smile vanished. ’That was an unreliable prediction! The first person I saw when I turned around at the airport was Nathaniel Sloan! Nathaniel Sloan is my ex-husband. How could he possibly be my future husband?’
Estelle decided to tell them a small lie. "No."
"Oh, really?" Mia sounded disappointed. "Alright then. Goodnight, Mommy. I’ll hand you over to silly little Zachery."
Estelle spoke with her son for a few more moments, reminding them both to eat and sleep well before hanging up the video call.
However, on the other end of the line, the two kids didn’t obediently go to sleep. Instead, they huddled together, whispering about something.
With a heavy sigh, Mia lamented, "The prediction said that while the Star of Romance is in motion, villains are making a move. Could our scumbag of a dad be obstructing Mommy’s love life? I’ve heard that some men are like that—they’re very petty. They’re divorced, but they still insist that their ex-wife remains chaste for them."
Zachery rubbed his hands together eagerly. "That’s an easy problem to solve. We’ll go back to the country and stage a confrontation at that scumbag’s company. I have a plan! Mia, when the time comes, you will just..."
Mia was a little doubtful. "Really?"
’Silly little Zachery’s plan... It’ll be fine, right? We’re supposed to confront our scumbag of a dad, not become hostages! It should... It should be fine, right?’
...
Estelle hung up the phone, ready for a good night’s sleep.
Suddenly, she heard the butler knocking on Nathaniel’s door. "Mr. Sloan, your headaches are getting worse. You can’t take too much of this medicine. When you go to the Star Group..."
"Mm." freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Estelle raised an eyebrow.
’I remember now,’ she thought. ’Nathaniel has always had headaches. I used to help him manage them through his diet and aromatherapy. I treated him for two years, and Nathaniel’s attitude toward me never softened one bit. This time, I deliberately chose a scent that doesn’t relieve headaches, just to make sure Nathaniel doesn’t benefit from me at all. Serves him right. He can die from the pain for all I care!’
As she listened to the sounds coming from the master bedroom next door, she knew it was Nathaniel being tormented by his headache, unable to fall asleep.
Satisfied, Estelle pulled the covers over herself, turned off the light, and drifted off to sleep in a cheerful mood.
...
The next day, at Evernight International, Nathaniel’s expression was cold, and his lips formed a pale, tight line.
’Back when she was still here, just smelling her scent was enough to ease my headaches. I could recognize Estelle by her scent alone. That imposter, Dr. Yara Lockwood, clearly didn’t factor that in.’
His assistant, Luke White, said cautiously, "Mr. Sloan, the item you ordered has arrived. The person in question is waiting for you at the reception."
Nathaniel grunted in acknowledgment, pulling himself back from his thoughts and heading to the reception.
The assistant followed him, sighing softly. His wife’s death anniversary was approaching, and every year Nathaniel prepared a gift for her around this time.
Back then, everyone had said that Nathaniel had only married her because of the old man’s wishes—that it had been just a matter of duty. However, the people close to him had been able to see that Nathaniel was in love and didn’t even realize it.
And then, when she was truly gone...
The assistant shook his head. This year’s gift was a blue diamond necklace acquired at an auction in France and flown back on a private jet.
’I heard that his wife loved it when she was alive. It’s a shame she’ll never be able to have it now.’
"Mr. Sloan, I didn’t expect you to come in person! Such a pleasure, such a pleasure."
A middle-aged man carrying a secure case stepped forward with a fawning expression, intending to shake Nathaniel’s hand.
Nathaniel coolly stepped aside, his tone flat. "The necklace."
"Right here, right here! I heard that you plan to give the necklace to your fiancée, so as soon as I bought it, I rushed back home. You see..."
"It’s not for my fiancée," Nathaniel interrupted him. "It’s for my wife."
The middle-aged man was stunned.
"Yes, yes."
’My god, the rumors are true. Mr. Sloan really does dote on Noelle. This necklace is worth hundreds of millions.’
Meanwhile, outside the reception, two small heads quietly peeked in.
