Free Web NovelChapter 150: Chapter 146: For a Heartbreak
Georgia Thorne huddled under the covers, not saying a word. Elliot Sheridan’s words were still fresh in her mind.
He had said that it wasn’t a breakup until he said it was.
Nancy Hughes, seeing she wasn’t reacting, thought she was asleep. She poked her twice through the blankets. "Asleep?"
"No!" Georgia Thorne’s voice was muffled.
"I thought you were mad at me for what I said!" Nancy Hughes shifted, letting in a draft of cold air. "I’m not trying to lecture you, but back when you and Elliot..."
"Nancy, there’s something I need to tell you!"
Georgia Thorne cut her off before she could finish.
"I wasn’t finished... Go on, what is it?" Nancy Hughes paused, then said.
"I’m going to Akashima."
"For a business trip?"
"Something like that."
"When?"
"This Friday!"
"Great! ...Wait, that’s not right. Isn’t Friday your sister’s second trial hearing?"
Nancy Hughes clicked her tongue. Georgia Thorne continued, "I’ll be in Akashima for half a year!"
"Oh! Wait, what did you say!"
Nancy Hughes shot up in bed, ignoring the cold, and reached out to switch on a yellow bedside lamp.
"This was decided a month ago. I just never had time to tell you!"
"Bullshit! You sleep in the same bed with me every night, and you call that ’no time to tell me’? You just didn’t want to say it!" Nancy Hughes glared at her angrily.
If she remembered correctly, one month ago was exactly when she and Elliot Sheridan had broken up.
"Be honest. You want to go to Akashima because of Elliot Sheridan, don’t you?"
Georgia Thorne didn’t deny it. "I need you to keep my trip to Akashima a secret. Don’t tell anyone else."
"Not even your sister?"
"Right."
Nancy Hughes was speechless. Going to Akashima all by herself, a place where she knew no one and nothing, and for half a year at that.
She hadn’t breathed a word of it, planning her future journey while keeping everyone in the dark.
Although Nancy Hughes was angry that Georgia Thorne had hidden this from her, she kept her secret and didn’t tell a soul.
It was already Tuesday. After midnight, it would be Wednesday. How many days were left?
On Wednesday, she went to work and attended a meeting.
Her team members found out she was going to Akashima for a training program and were green with envy.
This was a very prestigious training program, a joint Sino-Akashiman venture with a famous Akashiman company.
The main draw was the chance to go abroad.
They could be envious all they wanted, but there was nothing they could do about it.
After all, who could compete with her powerful backers? She’d already conquered several men.
Georgia Thorne knew everyone was secretly gossiping about her, but she didn’t pay it much mind.
’Getting serious about it would mean I’ve already lost.’
Before going to Akashima, she would have a two-and-a-half-day vacation.
Georgia Thorne worked all morning, then received a call from Justin Sullivan.
After hesitating for three seconds, she answered the phone.
"Are you free? I’d like to meet up."
Justin Sullivan asked cautiously from the other end of the line.
A daze came over Georgia Thorne. She had never heard him sound like this. It was as if their roles had been reversed.
Back when she had a secret crush on him, she had been a bundle of nerves, her feelings a complex mess. It was the kind of feeling where you wanted to look at him forever but didn’t dare to.
Now, between them, it seemed she was the one who was more at ease.
"Sure."
Justin Sullivan seemed not to have expected Georgia Thorne to agree so readily. For a moment, his tone became uncertain, as if he wasn’t sure if the person on the other end of the line was really her.
"So, now? Or... when?"
"Tomorrow. I’m... I’m a bit busy with work today."
"Okay. Tomorrow at seven p.m. at the Grandview Hotel. How does that sound?"
"Okay!"
Her gentle voice came over the phone. He then said goodbye and hung up.
Even after hanging up, he remained uncertain for several minutes.
This time, Georgia Thorne actually hadn’t avoided him.
In a Japanese-style private room, Justin Sullivan sat on a tatami mat, gazing at his phone after ending the call. He traced Georgia Thorne’s name on the screen over and over.
His trembling finger caressed the screen, the pad of his thumb stroking her name as if it were her face.
Nearly ten minutes later, the door to the private room slid open. An assistant announced, "Attorney Shaw is here."
Justin Sullivan’s smile immediately vanished, his brow sinking slightly. "Show him in."
The assistant gestured for the person outside to enter. The man outside said a word of thanks and stepped inside.
The person who entered was none other than Byron Shaw.
The temperature inside the private room was high; a wave of warmth greeted him the moment he stepped in.
Byron Shaw walked in with a cultured smile, taking off his suit jacket and draping it over a nearby chair. "My apologies for keeping you waiting, Manager Sullivan."
"Not at all. I always arrive early. You’re right on time, Attorney Shaw." Justin Sullivan lifted the celadon-glazed porcelain cup before him and took a sip of sake.
Byron Shaw sat down on the floor, narrowing his eyes as he studied the young man before him. "I wonder, for what reason has Manager Sullivan invited me here today?"
"Can’t you guess?" Justin Sullivan set down his cup and sat up straight, his posture formal.
"I am merely a lawyer. Manager Sullivan and I don’t normally interact, so it must be either personal business or professional business." Byron Shaw glanced up at the man, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. "Could it be that Manager Sullivan has sought me out to file a lawsuit?"
Everyone knew the Sullivan Family produced few male heirs. This Justin Sullivan was the son Silas Sullivan had with another woman in his early years.
In recent years, Silas Sullivan’s health had been deteriorating. It seemed he wouldn’t last many more years, so under duress, he had urgently summoned Justin Sullivan back from his studies abroad.
"Attorney Shaw, you’re only half right." Justin Sullivan pushed a yellow folder across the table to Byron Shaw. "Here’s the information."
Byron Shaw smiled and leaned back. "My apologies, Manager Sullivan, but my schedule is completely full at the moment. If this is urgent, you’ll have to find someone else."
"I hear you have two principles when accepting a case, Attorney Shaw. You don’t take cases that don’t interest you, and you don’t take cases without money. And yet, I also hear you’ve recently taken on a divorce case pro bono. Logically speaking, that case shouldn’t meet either of your principles. I’d like to ask, what was your purpose in taking it?" Justin Sullivan’s analysis was sharp. ’There must have been some reason; otherwise, he would never have taken such a case.’
Byron Shaw gave a gentle smile, poured himself a full glass of sake, and took a drink.
The Akashiman sake burned as it went down his throat.
"Attorney Shaw, why don’t you take a look? Perhaps you’ll change your mind after you see what’s inside."
Byron Shaw smiled without a word, his gaze falling to the yellow folder by his hand. He then looked up and met the inscrutable eyes of the man across from him.
When the meal was over, just before leaving, Justin Sullivan said warmly, "I will await your good news, Attorney Shaw."
Byron Shaw showed no expression, but he took Justin Sullivan’s folder with him as he left.
Once in the car, Byron Shaw tossed the file aside.
He closed his eyes, his breathing growing short and ragged. Soon, the car was filled with the smell of alcohol.
Grace Wagner drove steadily, her eyes drifting to the man in the back seat time and time again.
Ever since the last incident, Grace Wagner had swallowed all her questions and didn’t dare to ask.
Georgia Thorne took a day off at home to pack. She just organized a few outfits; she wouldn’t need anything else.
Bringing too much would just be a burden.
She was home alone. Georgia Thorne looked at her desk. ’Strange, where did all the photos go?’
She even checked under the desk, but saw nothing.
She didn’t have many pictures with her mother. Her mother hadn’t liked having her picture taken, so photos of the two of them together were even rarer.
When Jared Thorne had brought her to the Thorne Family, that one photo was all she had left. She’d put it in a frame for safekeeping.
So much time had passed. She felt that if she didn’t look at the photo, she would forget what her own mother looked like.
In the evening, Justin Sullivan called again, asking if she was still coming to Grandview.
His tone was just as cautious as before, as if he was afraid she would back out.
Georgia Thorne gripped her phone. "Justin Sullivan, I’m not the kind of person who goes back on her word. If I promise something, I follow through."
Her soft voice was firm with every word. Justin Sullivan’s heart skipped a beat, and he could only reply with a quiet "Mhm."
He understood the meaning behind Georgia Thorne’s words. She was accusing him of not keeping a promise he made back then.
He hung up the phone and, agitated, lit a cigarette.
The phone on the table rang again. He picked it up almost instinctively, but when he saw it wasn’t a call from Georgia Thorne, the light in his eyes instantly dimmed.
"Hello? What is it?"
At seven o’clock, Georgia Thorne arrived at the Grandview Hotel on time.
Inside the private room, Justin Sullivan was already seated.
"Sorry, I’m late."
"I was just early."
After the brief, distant exchange, an awkward silence lingered between them.
Georgia Thorne gave a gentle smile. "Shouldn’t we order?"
Justin Sullivan looked at Georgia Thorne, finding her a bit strange today.
He couldn’t put his finger on it, but she seemed much more composed around him than before.
Justin Sullivan knew about the sordid, secret relationship between Georgia Thorne and Elliot Sheridan. He hadn’t exposed it, not because he wanted them to be together, but because he didn’t want Georgia to be branded with the shameful title of "mistress."
Silas Sullivan already had a hard time accepting the idea of Georgia Thorne marrying him; Justin didn’t want to create more obstacles for their future.
It had been a long time since Justin Sullivan had eaten a meal alone with Georgia Thorne like this, and his thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to the past.
In the past, Georgia Thorne’s mother had always liked to have him stay for dinner.
Georgia Thorne’s mother was an excellent cook, the sort of gentle and virtuous woman who made you feel an incredible warmth whenever you were in their home.
His gaze on Georgia Thorne deepened. "You used to love this."
He picked up a piece of pork rib with his chopsticks and placed it in her bowl.
Georgia Thorne didn’t refuse. "Thank you."
The meal seemed to last for a century, and yet also as if only a few minutes had passed.
"How have you been lately? Are you okay?" Justin Sullivan finally spoke.
The private room was by the window, with a huge floor-to-ceiling glass pane that offered a clear view of the city at night.
Having spent so many years in Portmire, it was the first time she had seen such a beautiful nightscape.
Georgia Thorne took a sip of water. "Are you asking about me and Elliot Sheridan?"
"I..." Justin Sullivan clenched his fists. He desperately wanted to know how she had gotten involved with Elliot Sheridan.
