Chapter 363: What Are You Thinking?

Chapter 363: Chapter 363: What Are You Thinking?

Nathaniel Sloan caught the underlying meaning in Mrs. Yeats’s words. He wouldn’t delve into what she was truly thinking for the time being, but he could certainly use her statement to his advantage.

Though he didn’t understand why a mother would intentionally direct public backlash onto her own son, that wasn’t for him to worry about.

He said coolly, "Old Mrs. Yeats, although there’s been a massive misunderstanding, and we feel great pity for Mr. Lockwood and Miss Yeats, I will still proceed with the collaboration."

No one knew that he, Nathaniel Sloan, was Mr. Lynch, so he had no reason to hold back.

At that moment, President Sherman stepped forward to speak on Nathaniel’s behalf.

"Old Mrs. Yeats, if we didn’t want to collaborate, we wouldn’t have traveled all this way. Now that the truth is out, we know Mr. Silas Lockwood has no surviving family, but he is a son-in-law of the Yeats family, and his wife, Eleanor Yeats, is the eldest daughter of the Yeats family.

"As it stands, we can only continue discussing this collaboration with the Yeats family. What do you say, Old Mrs. Yeats?"

The directors and managers of the Branch of the Yeats Group had rushed over. Upon arriving and hearing this, they breathed a massive sigh of relief.

They had been terrified of offending Mr. Lynch and causing him to pull his investment. Perhaps the main Yeats family didn’t need it, but the branch certainly did. Moreover, if Mr. Lynch left right after arriving, it would be a humiliation for the Yeats Group. Securing the collaboration was the best possible outcome.

However, they did not hear a response from Old Mrs. Yeats.

Old Mrs. Yeats’s face twisted into a fierce scowl, her eyes wide with rage. She wanted nothing more than to scream that she refused—she absolutely refused!

She had always looked down on Eleanor. What did Eleanor amount to? Her father had died ages ago, yet the old man had insisted on raising her, letting her eat the Yeats family’s food and spend their money. Didn’t Eleanor know that once her father died, she was no longer a Yeats? She should have been kicked out a long time ago!

Later, Eleanor and Silas Lockwood’s reputation had overshadowed that of her own son, yet her son refused to fight for his standing. He even said it would be perfectly fine to hand the position of Family Head to Eleanor.

Perfectly fine?! How could a woman like Eleanor ever become the Head of the Yeats?! But her son actually called her prejudiced, claiming that Eleanor was exceptionally capable and that gender shouldn’t disqualify her from leading the family.

She had finally waited long enough for Eleanor to die, allowing her son to successfully become the Family Head, but then they actually wanted to track down Eleanor’s daughter!

The Yeats family was hers! She was Old Mrs. Yeats, and she would not allow these filthy wretches to tarnish the family!

And yet, Quentin Yeats... her first grandson, who had been raised by his father and grandfather, also believed that the Yeats family owed its current success to Eleanor’s late father. What a joke! It was utterly ridiculous!

Thank goodness for Evan Yeats...

Evan wasn’t close to Quentin, nor was he close to his father or grandfather. He had been raised by her since he was little. Like her, he believed Eleanor deserved to die, and now, he believed Estelle Lockwood deserved to die too.

That was why Old Mrs. Yeats doted on Evan the most.

If the collaboration could have boosted Evan’s reputation, she naturally would have been thrilled. But that was clearly impossible now. If the deal went through, every time it was brought up in the future, people would think of Evan and talk about how he had usurped a dead person’s belongings.

So, Old Mrs. Yeats wanted no part of it!

Otherwise, how would Evan ever inherit the Yeats family? How would he ever push Quentin aside to take his place?

Just as she was about to speak, Mr. Sherman spoke up coldly.

"Old Mrs. Yeats, you’d better think this through. Mr. Lynch is only being this polite to you and Mr. Yeats—two thieves—entirely out of respect for Miss Eleanor Yeats’s family.

"If you refuse the collaboration, Mr. Lynch will simply help Miss Estelle Lockwood reclaim her parents’ belongings. And our Mr. Lynch is a reasonable man. The one who offended him and Miss Lockwood is Evan Yeats, so the blame naturally won’t fall on Young Mr. Yeats.

"If there’s no collaboration, Mr. Yeats will be the only one to suffer. Old Mrs. Yeats, you have fifteen minutes to think it over."

The shareholders and executives of the Branch of the Yeats Group could no longer hold back.

The branch had actually been given to Evan by the family because he couldn’t inherit the main Yeats family. These executives’ futures were tied to Evan; whether they lived in wealth or poverty rested entirely on his decisions.

Now, presented with such an incredible opportunity, they naturally weren’t going to let it slip away for the sake of their own interests.

So, they all looked toward Evan.

"Mr. Yeats, refusing this collaboration means nothing to gain and everything to lose! Mr. Lynch isn’t holding a grudge right now. As for Estelle, all you need to do is offer a sincere apology. You’re all family—she couldn’t possibly refuse to forgive you, right?" one executive pleaded.

"Exactly!" another chimed in. "You can put your pride aside for now, but if the collaboration is gone, it’s gone for good! Do you know how many people out there are just waiting to see you become a laughingstock? Do you know how many people are lining up to work with Mr. Lynch?"

"Mr. Yeats! Take my advice!" a third urged. "If this blows up and Miss Estelle takes you to court, you’ll be branded with the crime of usurping someone else’s inheritance. This won’t end well!"

"If we collaborate now, none of that will happen," someone else added. "But if you refuse, Estelle can simply take the painting back and collaborate with Mr. Lynch herself!"

The directors weren’t stupid. When there had been benefits to reap, they naturally kept their mouths shut, but now that they were at a critical juncture, they didn’t hesitate to speak their minds.

Evan stumbled, his face turning deathly pale as he swayed on his feet.

He stared at the endless stream of messages flooding his phone. His reputation, his status... all ruined!

But, if he could just secure the Branch of the Yeats Group, who would even remember this incident once he became the powerful Head of the Yeats in the future?

And Mr. Lynch could very well be his springboard!

Yes, the collaboration. The collaboration had to happen!

Evan steeled his resolve. "I understand... I will... find an opportunity to apologize to Estelle... Mr. Lynch, let’s continue with the collaboration..."

Having said that, his chest tightened and his vision swam. He felt as if he could pass out at any moment. All his glory, his privileges, his pristine resume—it felt like they were all being stripped away from him...

He was going to be reduced to just "Mr. Yeats" and "Quentin’s younger brother" once again.

He was so bitter...

"No, absolutely not!!"

Evan had chosen to swallow his pride, but surprisingly, Old Mrs. Yeats grew agitated. She screamed hoarsely, "I don’t agree to this!!

"You all said Eleanor is a Yeats, which means she is Evan’s family! This isn’t even a big deal, so why are you blowing this out of proportion?! I bet you’re all just jealous of my Evan! How is Evan supposed to show his face in public if you do this?! I don’t agree! I absolutely refuse!!"

The room fell instantly silent. Everyone stared at Old Mrs. Yeats in stunned disbelief. It was as if they couldn’t comprehend why the wife of the former Family Head would lose her mind over such a minor matter.

Nathaniel suddenly let out a scoff, and the surroundings grew even quieter.

The man’s voice was frigid. This was a question he wanted to ask, not just for himself, but on behalf of Estelle, Eleanor, and Silas Lockwood.

"Old Mrs. Yeats, you don’t agree?

"I’m very curious... what exactly is going on inside your head?"