Free Web NovelChapter 97: Chapter 97: He Will Come Looking for Me Next Time
Georgia Thorne returned to her room and breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he was already gone by the time she got back.
She took a shower and went to bed, needing to rest up for work the next day.
Her body was exhausted, but her mind was wide awake. A nerve in her head was stretched taut, causing a sharp pain.
She closed her eyes, and the image of a crying Selena Sheridan filled her mind. When she opened them, she thought of Justin Sullivan, the palm of her hand still tingling with a phantom numbness.
Her mood was, to put it mildly, at rock bottom.
She tossed and turned in bed, only managing to fall asleep as dawn broke.
If Nancy Hughes hadn’t called her, she probably would have been late for work today.
She hurriedly put on some light makeup to make her face look less haggard.
After arriving at the company, Nicole Kane called her into her office.
Georgia Thorne thought it was about something important, but Nicole Kane cut straight to the chase. "What’s your relationship with Mason Morgan?"
Her relationship with Mason Morgan was awkward. Georgia couldn’t explain it, so she just pressed her lips together and said nothing.
"For this afternoon’s collaboration, Mason Morgan specifically requested you." Nicole Kane shifted her position, crossing her arms and studying Georgia with an intrigued gaze. "So, I’m very curious about the relationship between you two."
Mason Morgan’s status was nothing to scoff at. Wherever he went, people were basically fawning over him.
In all the years she had known Mason Morgan, Georgia Thorne was the first person she had ever seen him speak to with such a respectful tone.
’First, Georgia Thorne has some kind of dirt on him. Second, either Georgia herself or the power behind her is something Mason Morgan fears, which is why he’s trying to curry favor.’
Georgia Thorne was Jared Thorne’s illegitimate daughter and was not favored in the Thorne Family. Her older sister, Amanda Thorne, had long since made that public knowledge.
Georgia Thorne and Mason Morgan logically shouldn’t have had any contact, and it was unlikely he had any dirt she could hold over him. The only remaining possibility was the latter.
’Someone powerful is backing Georgia Thorne, someone Mason Morgan holds in awe.’
There weren’t many people like that in Portmire; you could count them on both hands.
Her scrutinizing gaze swept over Georgia Thorne. "You can go now."
"Okay," Georgia replied, biting her lip.
’Mason Morgan... specifically requested me?’
’Could it be he’s still not over what happened last time?’
Georgia felt a vague sense of fear. She didn’t want to go. Last time, she had just been incredibly lucky to run into Elliot Sheridan.
Georgia felt that every single thing that had happened to her recently had put her in a terrible mood.
’With this string of bad luck, maybe I should go to a temple on the mountain to pray another day.’
Around noon, Georgia realized she’d gotten her period, and waves of pain radiated from her lower abdomen.
Feeling awful, she rested her head on the desk, staring listlessly at the date. ’It seems like my cycle is off again!’
An indolence seeped into her bones, and she closed her eyes, wanting to sleep.
Counting the days, she realized National Day was just a week away. She could take a long break then and get some proper rest.
She dozed off at her desk for a little while before Nicole Kane called her out to accompany her to the meeting with Mason Morgan.
Seeing Mason Morgan made Georgia a little nervous; she was afraid he would try something.
In reality, nothing happened. Mason Morgan was respectful to her from beginning to end.
Just before they were about to leave, Mason Morgan took her small, fair hand and whispered in her ear, "Miss Thorne, I’ll be in your care from now on. And please ask President Sheridan to look after me as well."
Mason Morgan’s voice was very, very soft, so only the two of them could hear.
Georgia’s hand stiffened. She looked up at Mason Morgan, but he had already released her hand. His expression was cold, as if he hadn’t said a thing.
’Mason Morgan knows about my relationship with Elliot Sheridan, and he clearly knows what happened that night.’
’To Elliot Sheridan, I must be an important person, or he wouldn’t have had him step in.’
Nicole Kane turned back and saw Georgia standing there in a daze, staring motionlessly at Mason Morgan.
"Georgia, we should go!" Nicole called out, reminding her.
Georgia snapped out of it, murmured an "oh," and quickly caught up to Nicole.
The drive back was silent.
Nicole Kane drove, glancing at Georgia in the rearview mirror for the umpteenth time, her suspicions growing.
Georgia looked pale, partly because of her menstrual cramps and partly because of everything that had happened over the past few days.
Selena Sheridan was in a bad mood. After breaking up with Justin Sullivan, she couldn’t lift her spirits and kept calling Georgia to ask for updates.
Georgia could only say that she hadn’t found him yet and hadn’t had a chance to see Justin Sullivan recently.
After Selena gave a dejected response from the other end of the line, she changed the subject. "Where are you? It’s so noisy on your end!"
"Where else would I be? At home, of course!" Selena Sheridan glanced at Quincy Rhodes and the mother-daughter pair of Joanne Donovan, who were chatting with Sharon Ennis in the living room, and spoke with distaste. "Have you seen the recent news about my uncle?"
Georgia hummed in agreement. ’How could I not know?’
"It’s that woman from the headlines, Joanne Donovan! She came to my house today with her mom, and right now they’re talking to my grandmother!" Selena had no goodwill for any woman who used headlines to tie herself to her uncle.
"I’m so frustrated. I can’t believe this engagement thing is actually real! Right now, Joanne’s mom is talking to my grandmother about it—an engagement from seven or eight years ago! And it was just a verbal agreement. Who would even take that seriously!"
Georgia’s heart sank, as if pricked by a needle, making her feel even worse.
Joanne Donovan had said it herself during a press interview: they had gotten engaged eight years ago, but she had to go abroad for her studies.
Georgia had originally thought she was lying to the media, but hearing it from Selena Sheridan now, it had to be 100% true.
’Elliot Sheridan is an engaged man, and I actually got involved with him.’
Georgia’s head throbbed even more. Nancy Hughes’s words felt more and more true.
’Do these rich playboys just love toying with people like this?!’
Georgia felt incredibly wronged. She quickly hung up the phone before her voice could betray her feelings.
She turned off the light and burrowed under the covers.
Lately, she had been calling Elliot Sheridan every day, but his phone was always turned off.
’The next time he picks up, I’m going to break up with him.’
She wouldn’t be the other woman in a relationship, nor would she be a homewrecker.
’A man like Elliot Sheridan,’ she thought, ’is out of my league.’
She silently warned herself to retreat now, before she fell in too deep.
Every morning, she would habitually take out her phone and call Elliot Sheridan.
This time, instead of the automated operator’s voice, the long, drawn-out RING of a connecting call sounded.
The call finally went through.
Georgia mentally counted a few seconds before the call connected. Elliot Sheridan’s deep voice came from the other end.
His tone was extremely displeased. "Who is it?"
She glanced at the time. It was seven o’clock. He liked to sleep in, so he should have still been asleep.
Elliot Sheridan had a terrible temper when he first woke up and hated being disturbed in the morning, but she couldn’t worry about that now.
"It’s me. I want to see you."
There was a subtle nasal tone in Georgia’s voice.
Even she couldn’t understand why.
There was a moment of silence on the other end. Elliot Sheridan rolled over and propped himself up on his pillow, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had just returned from a business trip and was exhausted.
If this call had been from anyone but Georgia Thorne, he would have definitely cursed them out and hung up.
But because it was Georgia, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
"I’m at the apartment. Come over."
"Okay."
Georgia hung up and called Nicole Kane to ask for half the morning off.
She took the bus and rushed to Elliot Sheridan’s apartment.
She had to resolve her relationship with Elliot Sheridan as soon as possible.
