Free Web NovelChapter 170: Chapter 165: We Broke Up Before I Went to Akashima
This world was just too full of men who could lie with a straight face, and the two standing before her were perfect examples.
’She didn’t even know what a Napoleon was, all right!’
Georgia Thorne forced a laugh but still agreed. "Mr. Irving is right."
She secretly tried to pull her hand away from Zane Lennox’s, but he only gripped it tighter. "Pardon me, but I need to have a word with my friend."
Zane Lennox dragged Georgia Thorne away without waiting for Erin Irving’s consent.
He didn’t let go of her hand until they reached a deserted spot.
"Erin Irving is not a good man! Why the hell are you getting mixed up with him?!"
Zane Lennox glared furiously at the woman before him. She had left for half a year without a word.
She seemed to have had a grand old time by herself in Akashima for the past six months.
With her new sense of style and different haircut, he had almost failed to recognize her at first glance.
"My company is in talks to partner with him!" Georgia Thorne twisted her throbbing wrist. "Thank you for your help just now."
Not wanting to engage with Zane Lennox any further, Georgia Thorne turned to leave as soon as she’d thanked him.
Zane Lennox grabbed her again. "Where are you going!"
"Back to the private room, of course. I’m still on the clock!"
Georgia Thorne replied as if it were obvious, then glanced down at his hand, silently telling him to let go.
Zane Lennox pretended not to see her glance. "No," he said flatly. "Erin Irving is a dangerous man. You can’t go near him. Call your boss and tell them something came up and that you can’t go back."
Georgia Thorne found his commanding tone ridiculous.
"Zane Lennox, who do you think you are to me? Why on earth should I listen to you?!"
"I’m..."
"Don’t tell me you love me. I don’t buy that nonsense!"
Georgia Thorne shot him a sharp look, her words striking a nerve.
He furiously flung her hand away. "Do whatever you want!"
’A single misstep leads to a lifetime of regret. That idiom was practically written for him.’
Georgia Thorne stood under the lights, watching him slowly depart, and breathed a sigh of relief.
’Good thing Zane Lennox was so concerned with his pride; otherwise, he would have been truly difficult to shake.’
When Georgia Thorne returned to the private room, Erin Irving had already readily signed the contract.
It was as if nothing had happened. But as Georgia Thorne was offering a final toast to Erin Irving, she heard him whisper in her ear, "Next time we have the chance, I’ll have to introduce Miss Thorne to my Napoleon."
Georgia Thorne was so startled her legs went weak. She could only flash a feeble smile at Erin Irving.
After the dinner party ended, Georgia Thorne was sober, but she was acutely aware of how strongly she smelled of alcohol.
She walked along the road for a stretch, letting the wind disperse the scent.
A car followed her at a discreet distance, but Georgia Thorne never noticed. She walked the length of a full bus stop before getting on the bus.
Zane Lennox followed Georgia Thorne, not driving away until he had watched her enter her apartment building with his own eyes.
When Georgia Thorne got home, she took a shower, collapsed onto her bed, and fell asleep almost instantly.
「Weekend」
A single story dominated all the entertainment news in Portmire, big and small.
The CEO of the Sheridan Group was set to be engaged to the heiress of the Donovan Family next month.
The heiress of the Donovan Family—wasn’t that Joanne Donovan?
Georgia Thorne read the news report. In an accompanying interview, both parties personally confirmed their engagement for the following month.
Someone had even leaked photos of their families dining together at a hotel. In one picture, Joanne Donovan looked glamorous and radiant in Elliot Sheridan’s arms.
Georgia Thorne stared at the photo, an inexplicable tightness seizing her chest. They looked like a match made in heaven in the picture. ’So they ended up together after all.’
A wave of misery washed over her, but the tears wouldn’t come. She warned herself not to cry. She couldn’t.
She should have seen this ending coming from the moment he first brought up breaking up.
’A man of his noble status... how could he possibly end up with an illegitimate child like her?’
’It was all just a game. Now she was just someone he’d grown tired of.’
The entertainment news was full of pictures, not just from the hotel but also of them overseas.
She suddenly understood why, in the couple of weeks since her return, she hadn’t heard a single piece of news about Elliot Sheridan.
Of course. They had gone on vacation to Atollara together.
She knew it would hurt to keep looking, but she couldn’t help but want to see more.
She swiped to a picture of them in Atollara. In one photo taken on the beach, they were locked in a passionate kiss.
The longer she looked, the heavier the ache in her heart became, until it was difficult to breathe.
She shut off her phone and set it aside.
She burrowed under the covers, only realizing she was crying when she felt the pillow grow damp beneath her cheek.
Georgia Thorne didn’t wake up until noon.
When she opened the door, Nancy Hughes was standing on the other side, her hand raised in midair, poised to knock.
