Free Web NovelChapter 147: Chapter 143: Nathan Rhodes Was Once My Girlfriend
The argument between the two brothers instantly made the happy atmosphere at home stiff and tense again.
Elliot Sheridan drove off and called Dylan Heston, asking him to come out for a drink.
When Dylan Heston got the call, he was secretly surprised. It was still broad daylight; what was there to drink about?
When Dylan Heston arrived at the private bar room, the table was already littered with empty bottles.
The moment he walked in, the oppressive atmosphere told him Elliot was drinking his sorrows away again.
Drinking with just the two of them was no fun. Luckily, he’d been smart enough to call Ethan Fletcher ahead of time.
Elliot Sheridan had a decent tolerance for alcohol. He wasn’t drunk; in fact, his mind was exceptionally clear.
Dylan Heston sat down and picked up an open bottle. "What’s with you today? Who was brave enough to mess with a tiger and piss you off?"
"Cut the crap!"
Elliot Sheridan shot him a cold glance as Dylan Heston clinked his bottle against his.
He had just taken a sip when he saw Elliot chug the rest of his bottle.
He drank so quickly that the amber liquid spilled from the corner of his mouth, trickling past his bobbing Adam’s apple and soaking into his white collar.
’He’s in a really bad mood tonight, that’s for sure.’
Dylan Heston took a leisurely sip. It had been a long time since he’d seen Elliot drink this desperately.
By the time Ethan Fletcher arrived, Elliot Sheridan had already left, leaving only Dylan Heston in the private room.
"Where is he? Don’t tell me he drank himself under the table and had to be carried out!"
Ethan Fletcher kicked an empty bottle at his feet, sending it clattering away.
"He was perfectly clear-headed when he left."
"How lame. He calls me out for drinks, then takes off." Ethan Fletcher sank into the soft, comfortable sofa and tutted. "Something’s off with him today, isn’t there?"
"You know something?"
"What could I possibly know!" Ethan Fletcher waved his hand dismissively. "But I did see that little girlfriend of his today, getting pretty close with Byron Shaw."
"Byron Shaw? The lawyer?"
"Yeah, that’s the one!" Ethan Fletcher took a sip of his drink. "I just saw the two of them having dinner together a little while ago!"
Dylan Heston began to understand why Elliot was acting so strangely today.
Meanwhile, Georgia Thorne had just left the restaurant and was about to hail a cab home.
"Let me give you a ride home."
"No, that’s okay. I can..."
Before she could finish, Grace Wagner pulled up in front of them and rolled down the window halfway. "Attorney Shaw, Miss Thorne."
"Get in. I’d worry about you going back alone."
Byron Shaw opened the car door. Seeing that Georgia Thorne hadn’t moved, he said, half-jokingly, "What’s this? Still on your guard around me? I’ve already told you the deepest secret I’ve been hiding!"
With a stern expression, Georgia Thorne hesitated before finally getting into the car.
Byron Shaw had invited her to dinner today to apologize.
He could tell she was furious about what happened last time, so he had made a point of inviting her to dinner to apologize and make amends.
When Georgia Thorne saw the text message, she had no intention of going. She deleted it immediately, pretending she’d never seen it. But who would have thought that Byron Shaw would actually show up in person, waiting for her downstairs at her office.
’I must be on a real streak of bad luck lately,’ she thought. First Zane Lennox, then Justin Sullivan, and now Byron Shaw.
At least interacting with Byron Shaw felt relatively natural.
As a lawyer, his greatest asset was his eloquence.
Every sentence seemed as if it had been weighed a thousand times in his mind, delivered so perfectly that Georgia Thorne was left with no reason to refuse.
Especially when, at the end, Byron Shaw told her bluntly, "Nathan Rhodes used to be my girlfriend."
’So that’s why they made a bet after they broke up? To see who would live a better life, who could find a new partner first?’
’The tabloids were full of rumors about Nathan Rhodes and Elliot Sheridan. Byron Shaw couldn’t stand seeing them happy, so he sought me out.’
’And as fate would have it, Elliot and I used to be a couple, too.’
Grace Wagner drove steadily, and the car was completely silent.
Several times, Grace Wagner couldn’t resist glancing at the two of them in the rearview mirror.
They didn’t even exchange a glance.
One had his eyes closed, resting, while the other stared out the window.
The car stopped in front of Georgia Thorne’s apartment building.
Georgia Thorne opened the door, said goodbye, and got out.
Byron Shaw sat quietly, not moving.
Since Byron Shaw gave no command, Grace Wagner didn’t drive away.
Georgia Thorne took a few steps away, then turned back and tapped on the window.
The window rolled down. "Attorney Shaw, you’re just lying to yourself."
There were no lights on in the car, leaving Byron Shaw’s face in shadow, but his dark eyes seemed to glitter brightly.
Byron Shaw merely hummed in response to Georgia’s words.
"I hope you’ll do your best on the case tomorrow, Attorney Shaw. Goodbye!"
After saying her piece, Georgia Thorne walked away.
Byron Shaw sat quietly for a while, only telling Grace Wagner to drive off after he saw a light turn on in the apartment.
Downstairs, a black car was parked in a dark corner.
The man inside stared fixedly ahead, his eyes bloodshot.
The cigarette pinched between his fingers burned down to the filter, yet he didn’t seem to feel the heat on his skin.
’How long have I been waiting here? Almost an hour? And she was with another man the whole time.’
Byron Shaw was no ordinary man. His first case after returning to the country had been a major political dispute.
The client who had hired him was an influential political figure, and had generously gifted him a car with a special license plate.
His sharp, dark eyes narrowed as the sedan passed by. ’Is he really involved with Georgia?’
’Georgia may have said she wanted to break up, but I never agreed. So it doesn’t count.’
’I was just giving her some time to cool down.’
But while he was giving her time to cool down, he’d had someone report her daily activities to him.
Lynn Thorne was in the middle of a lawsuit with Finn Sutton, and Byron Shaw was her lawyer.
A top-tier lawyer who commanded million-dollar fees—and wasn’t even guaranteed to accept a case—was actually representing some nobody.
’Saying he was doing it out of the kindness of his heart, to see justice done? Who’d believe that?’
He flicked away the cigarette butt and pulled out his phone to call Georgia Thorne.
Georgia Thorne had just gotten out of the shower. She was planning to dry her hair and go to sleep.
After a long day, she was utterly exhausted.
Her phone, still in her jacket pocket, started ringing. Georgia Thorne took it out and glanced at the screen.
Her body went rigid when she saw the name flashing on the screen.
The call was from Elliot Sheridan. Her hand clenched around the phone.
The phone kept ringing. Lynn Thorne, who had come out for a glass of water, gave her a strange look. "Your phone’s ringing," she pointed out. "Why aren’t you answering?"
Georgia Thorne mumbled an "oh," her eyes fixed on the flashing screen as her heart began to pound.
A moment later, the phone in her palm started ringing again.
Georgia Thorne quickly stepped outside. She looked at her phone; it was still Elliot.
Staring at the screen, she answered the call with a stiff finger.
"Come outside!" The man’s low growl came through the speaker. She could feel his rage even through the phone.
Georgia Thorne’s mind went blank. ’He’s outside?’
She subconsciously walked to the window and looked down. The street below was dark and empty.
She straightened her posture. "Elliot, if you have something to say, say it on the phone."
"I’ll give you three seconds to come out."
"Elliot, you..."
"Three... two..."
Before Georgia Thorne could find the words to rebuke him, she heard him counting down on the other end of the line.
"One!"
As the cold number rang out, a knock sounded at the door.
Georgia Thorne immediately looked toward the door, nearly dropping her phone in shock.
’This man... Is he insane?!’
Shuffling in her slippers, she rushed to the door and peered through the peephole at the man outside.
Lynn Thorne wasn’t asleep yet. Hearing the knock, she called out from her room, "Georgia, was that a knock at the door?"
"No, I just bumped into something!"
Georgia Thorne lied, afraid the man outside would knock again. She immediately opened the door and rushed out.
"Elliot, are you insane?!"
Georgia Thorne deliberately kept her voice low, hissing at the man before her.
Elliot grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his embrace. "I’m telling you, you’re not allowed to see other men without my permission!"
’He really is insane, coming here in person like this.’
Georgia Thorne tried to push him away, but against Elliot’s strength, her struggles were as futile as an egg hitting a rock.
She balled her hands into fists and beat against his shoulders. "Elliot, let me go!"
"Let you go? Not a chance. I never agreed to break up, so we’re not broken up!"
His large, hot hand tangled in her damp hair, cupping the back of her head and pulling her toward him as he lowered his head to kiss her lips.
Georgia Thorne was powerless to struggle as he forcefully pushed her against the wall.
He knew he wasn’t drunk, but looking at Georgia’s bright, youthful face and her vibrant body, he couldn’t resist the urge to claim her.
To make her completely his.
In fact, that was exactly what he did, and he felt no regret afterward.
Her bright, clear eyes were glistening, tears welling at the corners in a silent accusation of his actions.
Georgia Thorne wiped away her tears and, while he was momentarily stunned, shoved him away with all her might and ran back into the apartment.
The door slammed shut, and the sound-activated light in the stairwell flicked on again.
It illuminated the tall man’s frame, casting a dark shadow on the floor.
Elliot turned and leaned back against the wall.
He narrowed his dark eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the door.
Finally, he turned and left.
In Nancy Hughes’s room, she watched Georgia Thorne crying with her knees hugged to her chest and patted her shoulder comfortingly.
"Don’t cry. You should get some sleep."
’Honestly, that whole scene earlier really scared me.’
’I was just heading to the kitchen for some water and saw the front door ajar. I thought someone had just forgotten to close it.’
’But then I accidentally saw... that passionate scene.’
’It made my face flush and my heart pound. I forgot all about the water and just fled back to my room.’
’The hallway was dark, so all I saw were the silhouettes of a man and a woman pressed tightly together. How could I have seen Georgia struggling?’
’I thought they had gotten back together. Who knew that a moment later, Georgia would come back in tears?’
Nancy pieced it together in her mind. ’Elliot must have come looking to get back together. Georgia probably refused, so he got angry and kissed her by force, and then she ran back in here crying.’
