Chapter 381: What a White Lotus

Chapter 381: Chapter 381: What a White Lotus

Claire’s eyes were full of tender affection. She directed her words at Estelle, but her gaze was fixed on Nathaniel. She felt that Estelle was beyond reasoning with, but surely Mr. Sloan would understand. After all, Estelle had made her scene; it was about time she cooled off.

"Mr. Sloan..."

Seeing that Nathaniel remained silent, Claire doubled down. Believing that men always preferred gentle, virtuous women who prioritized the bigger picture, she bit her lower lip softly. "Evan’s words earlier might have been a bit harsh, but he didn’t mean them. If Estelle had lost, I would be persuading Evan to back down right now. Mr. Sloan, transferring shares is a major matter. Evan’s shares were given to him by Grandpa. If they are just handed over to Estelle like this, I’m afraid Grandpa and the board members might take issue with her..."

"Whether they take issue with Estelle is her business. What does it have to do with you?" Nathaniel’s expression was nonchalant. "Miss Yeats, I have ears. I can hear exactly what you are implying. You simply want to mock Estelle in front of me, claiming she’s unpresentable and snatching Evan Yeats’s shares. But wasn’t Evan the one who brought up these shares as a bet? Or perhaps, Evan proposed it just to vent your frustration for you?"

Claire’s expression froze. She left her mouth hanging open for a long moment, unable to utter a single word. The guests began murmuring among themselves.

"Claire is so two-faced. Does she really think we can’t tell?"

"Maybe she actually thought Mr. Sloan wouldn’t pick up on it. After all, this is how she always acts in the Yeats Family."

"I don’t get it. Mrs. Sloan picked a horse without offending anyone, but Claire just had to go up and claim Mrs. Sloan knew nothing about riding, forcing her to give up the horse. Then, after embarrassing herself, she egged Evan and those rich heirs on to back her up. Now that she’s lost, instead of reflecting on her own actions, she’s making snide remarks, calling Estelle greedy."

"Seriously... I can’t even wrap my head around this logic. Who is the greedy one here? Such a phony."

Claire clenched her fists tightly, barely maintaining her gentle facade as her features twisted in anger. "I-I didn’t... That’s not what I meant..."

"It’s good that’s not what you meant," Nathaniel replied. "I hope Mr. Yeats honors his promise soon. Estelle, let’s go."

Estelle couldn’t hold back a laugh. She thought, "Hahaha... Nathaniel has such a sharp tongue."

Once the three of them left, Claire realized everyone around was staring at her. Tears instantly spilled from her eyes. "Evan, do you also think everything is my fault...?"

Evan had indeed been harboring some resentment toward Claire, but seeing her now, he panicked. "No, Claire, please don’t cry. I didn’t mean that..."

"That’s right, Claire. It’s not your fault. It’s Estelle’s fault for being so insidious and cunning! She tricked us out of our things!"

"Exactly! How could anyone blame you? You didn’t know anything! You were just doing what was best for Estelle. Who knew she would bite the hand that feeds..."

Before he could finish, Young Mr. Rhodes’s phone rang. It was his father calling.

"You disgraceful son! What the hell did you do?! How dare you offend Mr. Sloan! Don’t you know we have an ongoing partnership with Evernight International?!"

Young Mr. Rhodes was defiant. "I just didn’t like Estelle. What does that have to do with Mr. Sloan...?"

"You idiot! Estelle is Mrs. Sloan! What do you mean, what does it have to do with Mr. Sloan? What made you think Mr. Sloan wouldn’t care about his wife?! Are you trying to get us all killed with your ignorance?! Go apologize to Mrs. Sloan right this instant, and transfer that Crestwater Villa under her name!

"If she doesn’t forgive you, I’ll pretend I never had you as a son! You neglected your family and the company just to please a woman, and now the whole family is scrambling to clean up your mess. Are you happy now?! Leaving the company to you would ruin it! Go be lovey-dovey with your two-faced little brat!"

CLICK. The call ended. Young Mr. Rhodes instinctively looked at Claire. He wondered what his father meant. Had he... revoked his inheritance rights?

"I’m so sorry, Young Mr. Rhodes. This is all my fault. It’s all my fault..." Claire collapsed in a fit of tears. "I’m sorry. I didn’t know Estelle would scheme against me. I thought she was kind. I never expected to drag you into this. I’m truly sorry..."

Young Mr. Rhodes parted his lips but couldn’t find the words. The next moment, the rest of the wealthy heirs also received calls from their respective families. Their expressions drastically changed.

"Making an enemy of Mr. Sloan over a woman..."

"Can’t you get things straight? No matter how unpresentable Mrs. Sloan might be, she’s still the Miss Yeats acknowledged personally by Old Mr. Yeats..."

"Throwing away your future for Claire Yeats..."

"Get lost..."

Evan’s phone rang as well. "Evan, Grandpa has ordered you not to leave the Yeats Villa and to sever all contact with Claire. Otherwise, you’ll be expelled from the Yeats Family immediately."

"Brother, I..."

BEEP BEEP BEEP. The line went dead.

Everyone turned to look at Claire. She was still crying and shaking her head. "I didn’t know Estelle would act like this. I’ll go beg for mercy on your behalf. I’m sure Estelle will forgive everyone for the sake of our sisterly bond..."

"Claire!" someone suddenly roared in anger. "What do you mean, ’forgive us’? You were the one who offended her! Why are we the ones taking the fall while you get to play the saint?!"

Claire looked like a helpless, fragile little flower. "I’m not..."

Young Mr. Rhodes immediately shielded her. "Foster, why are you yelling at Claire?! Estelle is the petty one! What did Claire do wrong?!"

Young Mr. Foster thought of his father’s words. Looking at Claire’s "I don’t know anything" act, he suddenly let out a cold sneer. She was the one who insisted on competing, and she was the one who claimed to be wronged. Did she really have no idea why everyone was giving Estelle a hard time? Now that Estelle had retaliated, Claire was hiding behind others with that fragile look on her face. She really took everyone for a fool!

"Mr. Rhodes, be her lapdog if you want! You brainless idiot. No wonder your family gave up on you!" Young Mr. Foster turned and walked away, followed by several other heirs.

Yet, there were still those like Young Mr. Rhodes, who couldn’t fathom why his father blamed Claire or why everyone was saying Claire was at fault. To them, Estelle was clearly the aggressive one. Losing so many of her devoted lapdogs at once, Claire’s face twisted with rage. Her chest tightened, and she fainted right on the spot.

"Claire!"

"Claire!"

Meanwhile, Estelle had gone to another riding arena and enjoyed a relaxing ride on her horse.

Liam Sloan quietly sidled up to Nathaniel. "Brother, you’ve got a sharp tongue."

Nathaniel’s eyes were nonchalant. "Do I?"

Liam nodded. "You do. Just look at how you left Claire totally speechless..."

Before he could finish, his phone rang. It was a call from his celebrity friend, who sounded incredibly gossipy. "Hey, is that matter settled? I saw the chairman of Young Mr. Rhodes’s family being interviewed by reporters, saying Young Mr. Rhodes has lost his inheritance rights. Damn, you move fast."

Liam was confused. He thought, "Wait, that wasn’t my doing..."