Free Web NovelChapter 171: Chapter 165: Broke Up Before Going to Akashima (Part 2)
When she saw Georgia Thorne, her hesitant expression immediately gave way to a brilliant smile. "Hey, you’re awake!"
News this big had the whole city in an uproar, with everyone talking about it.
Nancy Hughes wouldn’t have missed it.
"Georgia, are you...?"
"I’m fine. We completely broke up long before the trip to Akashima!"
Just as Nancy Hughes was hesitating, wondering how best to bring it up, Georgia Thorne cut her off.
Her voice was agitated, her tone rising. "I don’t care who he gets engaged to! It has nothing to do with me!"
Nancy Hughes muttered a dejected "Oh." Georgia’s emotional reaction was expected, but still, something about her words seemed off.
She felt like Elliot Sheridan really liked Georgia. She recalled hearing office gossip after her video call with Georgia that night—that Elliot had gone to Akashima on a business trip.
Georgia liked to post photos on social media, and Nancy had checked; Georgia happened to be traveling during that exact time.
The timing lined up perfectly with Elliot’s business trip. Nancy had always assumed they had gotten back together.
Hearing the bathroom door SLAM shut, Nancy Hughes scratched her head. ’How can I not understand this?’
「In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since she returned.」
The buzz around Elliot Sheridan and Joanne Donovan’s engagement refused to die down. Even though the news had broken two weeks ago, people still brought it up daily.
Aside from the day she found out, when she had broken down and cried uncontrollably, Georgia Thorne had kept her composure remarkably well.
After hearing it so often, her heart had grown numb.
A week ago, she had submitted her resignation to Nicole Kane.
The two of them happened to quit at the same time, which naturally sparked gossip among their colleagues.
Nicole Kane was jumping ship to a bigger company. Was Georgia Thorne following her?
Nicole Kane said cheerfully, "It’s a good thing to have a dream to chase."
Georgia Thorne nodded, a bright smile on her face.
’From now on, I want to chase my own dream.’
After quitting her job, Georgia Thorne didn’t rush to find a new one. Instead, she let herself completely relax.
The design drafts for her school submission had already been finished back when she was in Akashima.
Georgia always carried a sketchbook with her. Sometimes, when inspiration struck, she would immediately capture it with her pen.
Bit by bit, she had already filled four of them.
But while packing her luggage, she discovered there were only three sketchbooks left. The most important one was gone!
Though she had packed in a hurry, she was sure she had packed everything she was supposed to.
’Could I have forgotten to put it in my suitcase?’
With no other choice, Georgia Thorne locked herself in her room for two days and redrew a design draft from scratch.
After pulling two all-nighters in a row, Georgia was completely exhausted. She collapsed onto her bed and slept straight through until morning.
Georgia had just woken up when she got a call from Lynn Thorne, telling her to hurry back to the Thorne family home.
From Lynn’s anxious tone, it sounded like something major had happened.
Georgia quickly washed up, threw on a jacket, and rushed over to the Thorne residence.
In early June, the temperature in Portmire was already high, and the sun beat down relentlessly.
Georgia got out of the car and ran the rest of the way to the Thorne family home.
The moment Georgia Thorne stepped into the house, Hayley Sullivan rushed over as if she’d seen a savior, grabbing Georgia’s hands. "Georgia, the hope of our Thorne family rests on you alone!"
"What?" Georgia was bewildered. The feeling of Hayley Sullivan clutching her hands was incredibly strange.
She tried to pull her hands away, her gaze shifting to Lynn Thorne, who stood to the side.
Lynn shook her head at her, indicating she didn’t know what was going on either—she had just followed Hayley Sullivan’s orders to call her.
"Your father is waiting for you in the study. Hurry up and go in!" Hayley Sullivan forcibly pushed Georgia into the study.
Georgia had absolutely no idea what was happening as she was forced into the room.
Inside the study, Jared Thorne was alone.
He sat at his desk like a statue, his brows knitted in deep thought, as if he had encountered some major crisis.
He didn’t even notice Georgia enter. His right hand rested on the desk, his index finger tapping erratically against the surface.
The study’s bright lights were on, illuminating the mess of white papers scattered all over the floor.
Georgia called out, "Dad!"
Only then did Jared Thorne raise his head. His cloudy eyes were bloodshot; he looked like he hadn’t slept well for several nights.
He looked so different from the spirited man he used to be; the Jared Thorne before her now was utterly haggard.
"Have a seat."
Georgia sat down, wondering what could have possibly happened to make him so worn out.
’Back when the Thorne family was on the verge of bankruptcy,’ she thought, ’Dad had never been this anxious.’
