Free Web NovelChapter 153: Chapter 149: The Money I Borrowed From You Back Then
"Who?" Owen Sawyer asked instinctively.
The moment the word was out, he wanted to bite his tongue off and slap himself hard across the face.
’What a stupid question!’
"It wasn’t Miss Thorne who brought it. It was her roommate."
Elliot Sheridan’s face darkened several shades more. His predatory gaze could have bored two holes straight through Owen Sawyer.
There was a saying, "Serving a king is like accompanying a tiger." He never used to think much of it.
But ever since Georgia Thorne came into the picture, that saying couldn’t be more true.
Owen Sawyer was a competent secretary. Even without his boss’s orders, he knew to find out Georgia Thorne’s whereabouts at the earliest opportunity.
When he checked, Owen Sawyer nearly fell out of his chair. ’She went abroad?’
Not quite daring to believe it, he asked for confirmation. The person on the other end gave a firm "yes," and a moment later, a file popped into his inbox.
He clicked it open and gave it a quick scan. A nine o’clock flight this morning, headed for Akashima Kaelan.
’She must have arrived long ago.’
This was all done in complete secrecy, catching everyone off guard.
In fact, Georgia Thorne had only told one person about her trip abroad: Nancy Hughes.
The internal line rang. It was Elliot Sheridan, summoning him.
With a look of tragic resolve, Owen Sawyer locked his computer screen and left his office.
’What was that saying again? Whether you die sooner or later, you still die. Might as well go out with a bang.’
"President Sheridan."
Elliot Sheridan looked up at him, his expression cold. The anger on his face had vanished, making him seem like a completely different person from the one who had erupted in the conference room earlier.
’Could it be that Miss Thorne no longer has any effect on the president?’
Owen Sawyer wondered silently, then heard Elliot Sheridan say, "Bring me this year’s financial report!"
"Understood."
He quickly turned and left, simultaneously wondering whether he should tell Elliot Sheridan about Georgia Thorne’s trip.
For his own safety, Owen Sawyer decided to observe for a day before making a decision.
However, for the entire afternoon, Elliot Sheridan did nothing but work.
There were no unusual mood swings. Aside from his outburst in the conference room, he was perfectly normal the rest of the time.
During a video conference with a client, the corners of his mouth were even turned up slightly, suggesting he was in a good mood.
’Did I get it wrong?’
’Is Miss Thorne not important to him, making anything related to her irrelevant?’
Elliot Sheridan was focused, diligently handling his work. It was his assistant who kept spacing out.
Elliot Sheridan took the pen in his hand and tapped it forcefully on the desk. "Secretary Sawyer, if you’re feeling tired from work, I can approve some time off for you to rest at home!"
"N-No, that’s not necessary!" Caught spacing out, Owen Sawyer gave a dry laugh, then put on a serious expression, telling himself to focus on his work and not let his mind wander.
"Tell me my evening schedule."
"This evening, you have a dinner engagement with the chairman of Apex."
Elliot Sheridan grunted an acknowledgment. After dismissing Owen Sawyer, he took the check out of his drawer.
Georgia Thorne’s handwriting surfaced in his mind. ’Thinking she can get rid of me so easily, just by leaving Portmire!’
’Akashima... what an irritating place.’
The night was deep. The clamor of the big city and the dazzling, bizarre glow of neon lights formed a vibrant and beautiful nightscape.
Portmire had changed so much in the last ten years, imperceptibly transforming into a prosperous metropolis of towering skyscrapers.
The dinner with the chairman of Apex was set at The Concord Hotel. The moment Elliot arrived and saw the young, beautiful girl sitting next to the chairman, he instantly understood what was going on.
"President Sheridan, a pleasure! This is my daughter, Mindy Lowell."
"Hello, Lowell. Miss Lowell, a pleasure." Elliot Sheridan flashed a charming smile, and then they all sat down together.
Throughout the dinner, Chairman Lowell continuously praised his daughter in front of Elliot Sheridan, clearly intending to introduce Mindy Lowell to him and trying his best to set them up.
"How old is Miss Lowell this year?" Elliot Sheridan asked gently, his gaze fixed on Mindy Lowell’s fair, sweet face.
In his mind, Georgia Thorne’s face appeared again. The girl before him, Mindy Lowell, couldn’t compare.
A man like Elliot Sheridan—strikingly handsome, from an elite family, and exceptionally capable—was the top choice for any woman.
Almost no one could resist Elliot Sheridan’s mature, sensual, and captivating aura.
The aforementioned Mindy Lowell was no exception. She quickly glanced up at the man before her before shyly lowering her head.
Mindy Lowell spoke demurely, "I just turned twenty this year."
Her hands, hidden beneath the table, nervously clutched the fabric of the dress on her lap.
’Elliot Sheridan is asking about me. Does this mean he’s interested in me too?’
At this thought, the young woman’s heart began to race. She couldn’t help but look at the man before her with delight.
But when her eyes met his dark, sinister gaze, the joy that had just begun to burn in her heart was utterly extinguished by his chilling stare.
Seeing the corners of his mouth turn up slightly in a smile filled with coldness, Mindy Lowell felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet, freezing her to the bone.
His sensual, thin lips moved slightly. "Miss Lowell is so young and beautiful. I’m sure you have plenty of young men pursuing you, just like my niece, Selena."
With a single sentence, he had relegated Mindy Lowell to the status of a younger generation.
Mindy Lowell’s face was a mask of embarrassment, her smile frozen on her fair features. She had no idea how to respond.
Mindy Lowell’s father’s intentions were all too obvious. He wanted to offer up his daughter to gain certain benefits.
Elliot Sheridan was not a lecher. He wouldn’t even deign to give a second glance to women who threw themselves at him like Mindy Lowell.
After the dinner engagement ended, Elliot Sheridan walked out, unbuttoning his suit jacket. He took it off and tossed it into Owen Sawyer’s hands.
"Throw it out! And add Ivan Lowell to the blacklist," Elliot Sheridan said, his dark eyes heavy as he settled into the car.
Owen Sawyer acknowledged the order. He looked down at the suit jacket draped over his arm and tossed it into a nearby trash can.
If that Ivan Lowell had come to discuss business sincerely, instead of resorting to such underhanded methods, Elliot Sheridan might have been willing to discuss a partnership.
Offering him a woman was indeed one of Elliot Sheridan’s biggest taboos.
Elliot Sheridan sat in the back seat, closing his eyes to rest.
’The president hasn’t shown any unusual behavior all day. It’s really strange.’
’Could it be that Miss Thorne really has no place in his heart anymore?’
In a classroom in Zennor, Georgia Thorne sat in a middle row, listening to the person on stage give a lecture.
This lecturer was very famous in Akashima. It seemed every lecture he gave was filled to capacity.
The classroom, which could hold over 200 people, was packed with attendees.
She had been here for almost half a month, and all she felt was out of place.
This place was different from her home country. Everywhere she looked, there were unfamiliar tall buildings, unfamiliar sounds, and unfamiliar faces.
She was trying hard to adapt to life here, but whenever she heard people around her speaking Akashiman, she missed home terribly.
By the time the lecture was over, it was already past seven in the evening.
Outside, fat snowflakes were falling, and a thick layer of snow already covered the ground. Some people were having a snowball fight, while others were building snowmen.
It was the first time Georgia Thorne had seen such a heavy snowfall, and it was breathtakingly beautiful.
Portmire was a city where it felt like spring year-round. Georgia Thorne had lived in Portmire for over twenty years and had never once seen heavy snow.
Around eight o’clock, Georgia Thorne returned to her apartment.
Before she even opened the door, she could hear the mingled voices of a man and a woman coming from inside.
Michelle Shields had only been here a few days before she met an Akashiman man.
Their relationship progressed quickly. After knowing each other for just a week, she brought the Akashiman man back to their apartment.
That day, she had just come back from outside and opened the door to see a man and a woman tangled together on the sofa. The sight had scared her so much that she’d hastily run back out.
She was an adult; she understood perfectly well what was happening between the man and the woman.
Georgia Thorne frowned, went back downstairs, and found a nearby café to sit in.
She glanced at the time. It was only eight o’clock. That man probably wouldn’t leave until midnight again tonight.
Since arriving in Akashima, she rarely thought about matters back home.
Occasionally, she would call Nancy Hughes to chat.
Nancy Hughes would ask what places she had visited in Akashima, but Georgia Thorne couldn’t give an answer.
She hadn’t gone anywhere.
She had, however, found a job to fill her free time.
It was at an art studio. She had been drawn inside by a reproduction of Van Gogh’s "Sunflowers" displayed by the entrance.
The atmosphere inside the studio was very pleasant, and there were quite a few children there.
The owner of the studio was a middle-aged man, probably in his forties.
His name was Shawn Ford, and he was a true Zennor local.
The students all liked to call him Teacher Ford.
When she chatted with him a bit about the "Sunflowers" painting by the door, she discovered they had a lot in common.
Georgia Thorne and he hit it off almost instantly, feeling like they should have met sooner.
Since then, Georgia Thorne would come to the studio in her spare time to help teach.
Georgia Thorne had also met Shawn Ford’s wife.
The two were very much in love. Mrs. Ford would come by every day to bring Shawn Ford lunch.
After getting to know Georgia Thorne, she would sometimes bring an extra portion for her as well.
Georgia Thorne sat in the café until midnight, then called Michelle Shields.
Michelle Shields said her boyfriend had left, so Georgia Thorne packed up her things and returned to the apartment.
The sound of running water trickled from the bathroom; Michelle Shields was taking a shower.
Georgia Thorne’s brow furrowed. The moment she stepped inside, she smelled the lingering scent of sex in the air.
She strode over to the window, yanked back the curtains, and opened the window as wide as it would go.
Outside, the heavy snow was still falling. White snowflakes drifted into the warm room, instantly melting into water.
Michelle Shields came out drying her hair and shivered from the cold air in the room.
She saw the wide-open window, with large flakes of snow blowing in from outside.
With a shout, she ran over and slammed the window shut. "Georgia Thorne, are you crazy?! Why would you open the window when it’s freezing?"
Georgia Thorne, who had been sitting on her bed, shot to her feet. "Michelle Shields, you’re not the only one living in this apartment. I live here too. Please consider other people’s feelings. And please, don’t bring your boyfriend here again."
"Why can’t I bring my boyfriend over? We didn’t sleep in your bed, and we didn’t use any of your things. What right do you have to tell me I can’t bring him here?"
