After he finished speaking, Jane Winters stood in stunned silence for a long time.
It wasn’t until Estelle Lockwood was on the verge of speaking up that Jane finally lowered her head. "You are the current Mr. Lynch. Lynch passed the mantle of ’Mr. Lynch’ to you."
Nathaniel Sloan nodded.
Estelle felt a lump in her throat, as if something was stuck there, unable to go up or down.
Nathaniel’s voice was hoarse. "...She said the identity of Mr. Lynch would never disappear; it would be passed down. It would become a symbol. No one needs to ask about the true identity of the Mr. Lynch of the charity foundation, but whoever assumes the title must fulfill their responsibilities.
"Therefore, no one knows the identity of the previous Mr. Lynch. And now that I’ve taken over, no one knows my identity either. Or rather..."
Nathaniel paused. "...the outside world doesn’t know that there is a new Mr. Lynch."
The public still assumed Mr. Lynch was a man in his fifties or sixties who founded the charity foundation thirty years ago, and that he was still the one controlling it today. Outsiders had no way of knowing there had been a succession.
Jane was, after all, the founder of a top-tier luxury brand. She was incredibly smart. Under what circumstances would Lynch hand over the identity of ’Mr. Lynch’ to someone else?
"May I ask, what was Lynch’s true identity?"
When they had first befriended Lynch, she had seemed very sensitive about her background and never spoke of it. She had said that one day, she would definitely break free from that identity, but... but...
Tears welled up in Jane’s eyes. "Did she finally manage to break free from the identity she hated so much?"
Nathaniel and Estelle fell silent simultaneously. The atmosphere grew deathly quiet. Neither of them spoke.
Jane seemed to understand. "She didn’t, did she?"
"Her name was Miranda Lancaster," Nathaniel replied. "She was the daughter of the Lancaster family, Chairman Lancaster’s eldest daughter. When she met you... she hadn’t yet founded the foundation, hadn’t yet married into the Sloan family, and hadn’t yet been trapped in a gilded cage for the rest of her life, only to pass away amidst the schemes of others."
Jane closed her eyes.
She had been abroad for years, had lost contact with Lynch, and knew nothing about the Lancaster family. But hearing Nathaniel put it that way, she knew it couldn’t be anything good. Miranda Lancaster had married into the Sloan family, Nathaniel was also from the Sloan family, and Lynch had left the identity of Mr. Lynch to Nathaniel...
"Are you Lynch’s son?" Jane asked.
Nathaniel didn’t deny it. "It’s a bit complicated."
Jane stayed silent for a long time before finally saying, "When you have time, take me to visit Lynch’s grave."
"I will," Nathaniel agreed.
After that, Jane left alone. No one saw her again until the banquet ended.
Jane sat in a daze in the loft. When they had first met, the girl—who was nearly thirty years younger than her—had been a cheerful and lively youth. Jane could tell back then that Lynch’s family background didn’t seem great. Now she realized it wasn’t that her family was poor, but rather that she was unloved in the Lancaster family.
Despised by Old Mr. Lancaster, abused by a wicked stepmother, and targeted by a vicious illegitimate younger sister, how could Miranda have lived a good life?
Yet, she had remained cheerful and radiant. Every time Jane saw her, it brought her joy. Jane had truly treated her like a younger sister, even a daughter.
But thirty years ago, communication wasn’t as advanced as it was now. Once some people lost contact, they would never see each other again for the rest of their lives. It wasn’t that Jane hadn’t returned to look for her, but at the time, the charity foundation had been in a state of hiatus. Now, it made sense—Nathaniel had been too young to take over back then.
That was when Jane lost contact with Miranda, never to find her again. Miranda used to say she would definitely break free from the Lancaster family and the life she despised, but... she never got the chance.
When the banquet finally ended, Estelle said her goodbyes to Ms. Winters before leaving.
Nathaniel stood beside her. "Ms. Winters probably needs some time to process everything."
"Earlier, you mentioned someone from the charity foundation was here. What was that about?" Estelle asked. "Logically, since the invitation was sent to you, no one else from the foundation should have received one."
Nathaniel nodded. "He claimed that a family member received an invitation but couldn’t make it, so they asked him to attend in their place, but..."
He couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t that simple.
Nathaniel changed the subject. "Chase Lockwood should be your biological grandfather."
Estelle nodded. She had mostly figured out the situation within the Lockwood family.
Chase Lockwood and Old Mr. Lockwood were biological brothers. Chase was outstanding, while Old Mr. Lockwood was mediocre. Thus, after their parents passed away, Old Mr. Lockwood constantly pressured Chase to leave the family. Out of sheer jealousy, he even had Chase’s name struck from the family registry.
As for her own father...
Her grandfather probably hadn’t wanted her to bear the burden of hatred. He wanted her to grow up happily, so he had kept many things from her. But she did know that her grandfather’s son—her biological father—was an exceptionally outstanding man. Her father had married for love, wedding the daughter of a wealthy family. As for where her parents were now or whether they were even still alive, Estelle had absolutely no idea.
Despite finally learning about her heritage, she had yet to even catch a glimpse of her parents.
Nathaniel spoke again. "Young Mr. Yeats sought me out today. Reading between the lines, he seemed to be hinting that you have deep ties to the Yeats family."
Estelle raised an eyebrow. "That’s strange. How could I possibly have any connection to the Yeats family?"
Nathaniel slowly looked up. "Estelle, you know your father came from the Lockwood family, but what about your mother?"
Estelle paused, stunned.
"She has always been a mystery. You don’t know her name, and even your grandfather isn’t clear on the details. And now, the Yeats family has come knocking." Nathaniel asked, "Have you ever wondered why Quentin pays so much attention to you? Why he would reprimand Claire Yeats for your sake? Could your mother be connected to the Yeats family?"
Estelle’s mind went blank for a moment.
"Quentin has already sought us out, so this matter is practically certain. But whether you want to return to the Yeats family is entirely up to you. If you don’t want to go back, I will definitely protect you," Nathaniel said.
"The Yeats family is much more complex and massive than the Lockwood family. Their wealth and status are unimaginable. In a family like that, adding or losing a single person can send shockwaves through the entire clan. Furthermore, if you return, you would be part of the direct lineage, with the right to inherit their shares and estate. You can imagine how many eyes would be on you.
"Moreover, the Yeats family has spoiled Claire over the years. Although the Yeats family’s reputation is starkly different from the Lockwood family’s, it might just be a facade. I can’t be sure if they would treat you with genuine sincerity or if they’d just become a second Lockwood family.
"As for Claire, she already considers the Yeats family her own possession. She naturally believes she is the rightful Miss Yeats. She will undoubtedly be on guard against your return. When it comes to targeting you, she is very likely to become a second Noelle Lockwood."
Nathaniel analyzed all the pros and cons for her. "Estelle, I can only offer you my advice. Ultimately, the decision is yours to make."