Chapter 312 How Strong is Your Willpower?
"What happened to your hand?"
"Let me see."
Thalia knelt on the bed with her long hair loose, tugging at William's shirt.
She'd barely undone two buttons when her hand was caught. "Thalia!"
"What? Don't tell me you got scratched by some other woman fooling around and don't want me to see?"
William's lips pressed down as he looked at Thalia, his mood not exactly cheerful. "Is that really what you think of me?"
"In my eyes, of course, you're not that kind of person. But you have to know—you're way too popular!"
"Never mind being single—even if you were married, there'd still be plenty of women trying to throw themselves at you. You have to understand, the slightest gesture from you means a lifetime of wealth and luxury for them."
"So?" William shot back, his voice hard and flat.
"Take it off. Let me see."
"So in your mind, I'm someone with that little self-control?" William's tone was light and airy, but when it reached Thalia's ears, she froze for a moment.
Someone like William, who was all about action—if there was really nothing wrong, he'd definitely just strip to shut her up. But here he was, dodging and deflecting! Eighty percent chance that something fishy was going on.
Thalia paused, then pulled at the corner of her mouth, a faint smile spreading. "Your self-control?"
They were both already in bed—if she wanted to do something, it would be easy.
And on this hazy morning that couldn't decide whether to rain or not, with perfect timing and circumstances, Thalia reached out and pushed him down onto the bed, sitting directly on his lap.
Her soft, delicate hands went everywhere—except his arm.
She touched him until William's breathing grew heavier, and he spoke through gritted teeth, holding back his anger. "Thalia."
"William, you can get hard even when it hurts this much—what does that say about your self-control?"
William's eyes darkened. With a stern face, he pressed Thalia's shoulders and pushed her down onto the bed, pinning her there as he loomed over her. "Playing with me?"
"Is it illegal to play with my own husband?"
"William, you'd better tell me the truth." The woman's slender fingers traced circles on his chest. "Michael already came to find me. What if he offers me some kind of favor and I think it's pretty good—maybe I'll sell you out."
"Husband and wife are supposed to be one. You hide things from me, I hide things from you—do you think you're playing others, or are others playing us?"
Thalia was crystal clear in her mind. No matter how long her marriage with William lasted, no matter whether they loved each other or not, they were now tied to the same camp—they were on the same side.
If they had internal conflicts, knowing full well that someone outside was scheming against them, it would only harm both her and William, with no benefits.
If the two of them became divided, in the end, it would only benefit others.
That Michael was clearly not someone to mess with.
But she couldn't quite figure out what he was really after. In this situation, if she and William weren't united, it would more or less play into his hands.
"Thalia, would you let others play you? Michael can't gain any advantage from you. You two are the same type of person."
Thalia laughed. "You're comparing me to him?"
Michael was nothing more than a discarded piece from the Jimenez family, while Thalia would never allow herself to be in that position.
Thalia pulled back her hand. After their little tussle, her clothes were already a mess—her robe disheveled, her slip dress barely hanging on. She was about to reach up to adjust her bra strap when William pulled it aside and lowered his head.
A scream rang out in the bedroom.
Mistwood Hill was located on Emerald City's highest mountain, with excellent greenery and natural fresh air. If you didn't close the windows at night, you'd likely wake up in the morning to birdsong.
And on this morning, the chirping of insects and birds in the yard harmonized with the lingering, melodious sounds from the bedroom into a symphony.
In the morning, Fallon went upstairs to clean. Just as she reached the entrance and was about to step into the living room, she was startled by the weak moans coming from inside.
Instantly, Fallon held her breath and hurriedly turned to leave.
.........
"Mr. Jimenez, we checked. Ms. Smith doesn't have any schedule recently. She just finished filming and is taking a break."
"Why is Gregory still in Emerald City?" The show was over—why hadn't he returned to Regal City? Could the rumors be true that he was interested in Thalia?
"Gregory has always been pretty laid-back. He's often stayed in a place for a while after finishing filming before. It's not unusual."
The Lopez family didn't keep a tight rein on Gregory, probably because they knew he wasn't the type to mess around.
Over time, being favored in the Lopez family with no one to control him, he'd become quite free-spirited.
Michael sat by the hotel's floor-to-ceiling window in his robe, looking at the city streets below, holding a glass of red wine and swirling it absently, giving off a lazy, detached, almost broken air.
But in reality, being detached was the least fitting description for him.
"That tallest building across the way is the Celestia Group?"
"Yes, we're on its back side now."
"Tell me, William—what makes him so special?" the man murmured. What made it so that he never suffered the Jimenez family's torment as a child, and then as an adult, Steven was so eager to bring him back?
The person beside him glanced at him, not knowing how to respond.
"Have our people gotten in?"
The latter's expression looked troubled as he shook his head. "No. William is extremely guarded. The trusted people around him are all those who've been through life and death with him. Even if ordinary people get in, they can't get close to his inner circle."
"I don't believe he's truly that impeccable."
..........
Thalia lay sprawled on the bed, letting William clean her up, her eyes on the gauze on his arm. Probably from the exertion just now, the gauze had a red ring on it.
"The Jimenez family did this?" Thalia asked.
William replied, "Yes."
"You're not planning to fight back?"
"Do you think I should fight back?"
Thalia propped herself up on her elbow, watching William go into the bathroom, then turned on her side to keep watching him. "You think you don't need to?"
"Wouldn't it be more satisfying to watch them fight among themselves, suspect each other, then fall apart?"
"Men are the most vicious!"
William knew that broken mouth of Thalia's never had anything good to say.
"Get up."
"Why? My bed can't live without me."
"Suit yourself. If you want a gift, get up. If you don't want a gift, keep lying there."
"I'm getting up!"