Free Web NovelChapter 24: Chapter 24: Hasn’t Disappeared Yet
On the surface, his words sounded quite reasonable. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Georgia Thorne lowered her head, scoffing inwardly.
’This sanctimonious hypocrite. He was the one who demanded I call out his name last night. When I didn’t, he tormented me relentlessly. He wouldn’t let me go, not even when I was crying.’
’I just want to tear off that phony mask of his and see how he keeps up the act.’
’But that was just a thought. I didn’t have the guts to actually do it.’
Their conversation had nothing to do with her.
After sitting downstairs for a little while, Georgia Thorne made an excuse and went upstairs.
Hayley Sullivan didn’t try to stop her. In fact, she couldn’t wait for her to leave.
The moment Georgia Thorne left, Elliot Sheridan’s eyes darkened, and he shot up from the sofa.
"Apologies, I just remembered something came up. I’ll have to take my leave."
’The conversation was going so well. Why did he suddenly turn cold?’
Hayley Sullivan and her daughter were completely baffled and scrambled to their feet. ’Did we say something wrong? Did we make Mr. Sheridan angry?’
"Amanda, what are you standing there for? Go walk Mr. Sheridan out." Hayley Sullivan shot Amanda a meaningful look and gave her a little push.
Pushed by her mother, Amanda Thorne stumbled into Elliot Sheridan’s back. "Apologies, I lost my footing."
Back in her room, Georgia Thorne heard the commotion downstairs. She walked over to the window and pulled open the curtains.
She hadn’t turned on the lights, so her gaze fell clearly on the handsome pair downstairs.
She silently drew the curtains shut.
’That’s the best excuse, the most perfect one.’
As she sat quietly on the bed, the phone in her pocket suddenly rang.
It was a call from Elliot Sheridan.
She braced herself and answered the phone.
She heard Elliot Sheridan’s voice on the line. "I never shortchange my women. I can give you anything you want, materially speaking. But I also need you to understand something. I like my girls well-behaved. Got it?"
After a long silence, Georgia Thorne felt the hand gripping her phone begin to go numb.
She replied, "I understand."
After hanging up, Georgia Thorne turned her phone off completely.
Being well-behaved was part of the deal from the very beginning.
As long as Elliot Sheridan wanted her, she would be a very, very good girl and stay by his side.
Today, she had gained a deeper understanding of what that meant.
When Elliot Sheridan said "well-behaved," he meant that when he was involved with other women, she was expected to look the other way.
Georgia Thorne had no interest in Elliot Sheridan’s private affairs. All she wanted was to live her own life in peace.
Until she could stand on her own two feet, all she asked for was a life without too much drama.
Georgia Thorne’s first choice was Portmire University.
And, to her surprise, she actually got in.
She instantly felt that she was one step closer to her dream, and one step closer to that person.
In the time leading up to the start of the semester and its military training, Georgia Thorne went to Elliot Sheridan’s apartment every few nights.
She wasn’t sure if you could call their relationship "good."
Something always felt off, yet Elliot Sheridan treated her so well it was almost unbelievable. It was as if the man who had called to warn her that night wasn’t him at all.
To that end, Elliot would wear her out so completely each time that she’d forget all about it.
When Selena Sheridan found out she’d been accepted to Portmire University, she was thrilled and dragged her out for a celebratory meal.
She was genuinely happy for her and even insisted on taking her to campus on her first day.
On registration day, Selena Sheridan accompanied her.
Owen Sawyer was driving, which Georgia Thorne found a bit strange. Selena Sheridan had her own driver.
When she asked about it offhandedly, Selena Sheridan said nonchalantly that her driver had something come up, so she’d just called Secretary Sawyer.
"I’m so jealous! I’ve never even been on a university campus before!" Selena Sheridan said, linking her arm with Georgia’s and looking all around at the students everywhere.
There were freshmen and upperclassmen trying to recruit them for various clubs.
"Whoa, that guy’s cute!" Selena Sheridan suddenly exclaimed, pointing ahead. "Georgia, you should go for it!"
By the time Georgia Thorne looked over, he was already gone.
"...I’m not really looking to date right now."
"Georgia, are you dense? College is for falling in love!"
Georgia Thorne didn’t dare tell Selena Sheridan about the awkward relationship she had with Elliot Sheridan.
’If I told her, we might not be friends anymore. She might look down on me for the rest of her life.’
As long as she was with Elliot Sheridan, she had no intention of dating anyone.
She registered on the first day and went to her dorm, a double room. Her roommate’s name was Nancy Hughes.
She was a very cheerful girl who, despite having just arrived, had already met a lot of people.
She already knew her way around campus, explaining that she’d done a ton of research beforehand. Getting into Portmire U was her dream.
In that respect, she was just like Georgia Thorne.
In early September, the sun beat down viciously. The weather was much hotter this year than in the past.
The semester began with two weeks of military training. She collected her camouflage uniform from an instructor and got to know many of her new classmates.
Georgia Thorne had enrolled in the design program.
It was a highly sought-after program, one she never thought she’d get into.
She heard they had specifically expanded enrollment by twenty students this year, and she just happened to be one of them.
Georgia Thorne knew her own limits. She didn’t believe she could have gotten into Portmire U on her own. The only explanation was Elliot Sheridan.
He was a man who could move mountains in Portmire. Getting her into Portmire U was as simple as lifting a finger for him.
The first week of military training was grueling. Many of the girls in Georgia Thorne’s squad faked heatstroke just to be carried to the infirmary.
But Georgia Thorne persevered. Her face was flushed red from the sun after training each day, and by the end of the week, her fair skin had tanned several shades darker.
In the middle of the night on the eighth day, a sharp pain jolted Georgia Thorne from her sleep.
Sharp, twisting pains wracked her lower abdomen. Her period had started.
She used the dim light from her phone to find her way to the bathroom.
The cramps were excruciating this time, as if something was trying to tear her apart from the inside. She barely slept for the rest of the night.
The pain left her drenched in a cold sweat, and she lay awake until daybreak.
’This much pain... It probably had something to do with that time Elliot held me down in the bathtub under cold water for over an hour.’
"Georgia, are you okay? Why don’t you ask the instructor for the day off?"
Georgia Thorne agreed. She had no strength to move and remained lying on the bed.
Nancy Hughes left for training with the others. Half an hour later, Georgia’s phone rang.
"Georgia," Nancy Hughes whispered over the phone, "some VIPs are here for an inspection today. The instructor said no one is allowed to take a leave of absence—even our faculty advisor is here. You’d better get over here, quick!"
Gritting her teeth, Georgia Thorne forced herself out of bed, changed her clothes, and rushed over.
She clutched her stomach the entire way. When she saw Nancy Hughes waving her over, she quickly took her place beside her.
"Once the VIP inspection is over, you can ask the instructor for leave," Nancy Hughes said, glancing worriedly at her pale face. "Can you make it until then?"
Georgia Thorne nodded. ’I should be able to last for a little while.’
The sun today was even more vicious than before. After just a few moments of standing under it, Georgia Thorne was drenched in sweat.
She could no longer tell if it was sweat from the heat or from the pain.
As she watched the procession of VIPs walk past, her vision began to blur. The man on the stage looked vaguely familiar.
Her legs felt weak, and her dizziness intensified.
Amid a wave of enthusiastic applause, Georgia Thorne finally collapsed, fainting.
"Georgia!" Nancy Hughes screamed, immediately attracting everyone’s attention.
All eyes turned toward Georgia Thorne.
The man on the stage fixed his deep, dark gaze on Georgia Thorne’s face as another student carried her away.
Even in a crowd of thousands, he had spotted her deathly pale face in an instant. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
When Georgia Thorne woke up, she found herself in Elliot Sheridan’s private apartment.
The bed retained the lingering, crisp scent of his cologne, a fragrance that was both sharp and soothing.
