Chapter 92 Have You Ever Seen a Bed Partner with Benefits Do One Day Work and Seven Days Rest?
"Enjoying having two guys chasing after you?"
Two guys chasing her?
Thalia almost laughed out of sheer frustration. She pushed William away slightly, her hand still on his waist. "Do you even know what it's like having two guys chase you, Mr. Brown?"
"We don't have any kind of relationship. We're not even a steady couple. And you're talking about two guys chasing me? Isn't that ridiculous?"
"Not even a steady couple?" William's handsome face frowned, his eyes boring into Thalia's as if trying to read her mind.
"Have you ever seen a couple that only meets once a week?"
William: ...
Thalia was in a foul mood. After a long, exhausting day at work, all she wanted was a good meal, but these people had to ruin it.
What a drag.
"Let go. I want to go home."
Leaving the restroom, Thalia headed to the front desk and asked for a bottle of water.
Just as she twisted the cap open to take a sip, she spotted Quentin and Winter walking in from a distance.
Clearly, they were here to see her.
Before Walter came back, the Hayes family folks never bothered her. Now that Walter was back, they all showed up.
How interesting.
Thalia took a leisurely sip of water, leaning casually against the counter with a smirk, waiting for them to come over.
"Ms. Smith."
"Thalia."
Quentin and Winter spoke in unison.
Thalia raised an eyebrow, looking at them with some confusion. "What's up?"
"It's about the diamond necklace. We hope to discuss it with you again," Quentin said, trying to sound calm and businesslike, but it was clear he wasn't very good at it.
"What do you mean?"
"The necklace went missing because of us. Can we settle this with compensation?"
Thalia let out a sarcastic laugh. "Compensation? How much?"
"If we go by the auction price from two years ago, I'm definitely losing out. Auction items are priceless, and the $5 million from two years ago is worth way more now. If I just name a price, won't people think I'm taking advantage of you?"
"In my opinion, the best solution is for you to return the necklace to me. That way, I won't feel cheated, and you won't think I'm taking advantage of you."
Quentin looked troubled, still trying to come up with a response.
Thalia saw the difficulty in their eyes and spoke sweetly, "Or did you give the necklace to someone?"
Winter's face stiffened.
Looking at Thalia with some surprise, the young girl couldn't hide her emotions. Thalia took another sip of water.
"How about this? I won't make it hard for you. Two years ago, last year, and this year, the value increases by $5 million each year. You can buy the necklace for $15 million, and we'll call it even."
"If it's less, I won't feel it's fair. If it's more, it'll seem like I'm bullying you. Meeting in the middle is the best solution. Or, you can just return the necklace to me."
Quentin felt a chill down his spine. $15 million was no small amount.
But they were in the wrong, and Thalia's proposal was hard to argue against.
Quentin had no choice but to agree.
Winter was trembling with anger. If they had just returned the necklace, it would have been fine. But Lyra gave it away, and now they had to pay $15 million. How could she not be mad?
"Can you stop Lyra from messing with my stuff? Now we have to fork over $15 million."
"Enough," Quentin snapped. "No one mentions this again. Stay away from Walter."
"The whole of Emerald City wants to stay clear of him, and you're cozying up to him, even going with that woman to the hospital for a check-up? Are you out of your mind? Walter doesn't even go with his own woman and kid, but he takes you. What do you think that means? Is she carrying your child?"
Winter choked up, her anger flaring even more.
She hadn't been close to Walter before. It was only after Walter got engaged to Thalia, and Thalia was so generous, that she started hanging out with Walter.
...
In the restaurant, Thalia leisurely finished her bottle of water, tightened the cap, and tossed it towards the trash can.
It missed and rolled to William's feet. He glanced at Thalia, then at the bottle by his feet, bent down, and threw it into the trash can.
Thalia thought William would use this chance to mock her, but to her surprise, he didn't.
William threw the bottle away and walked towards Thalia. She pulled out some wet wipes from the counter and handed them to him.
Not far away, Angelina stood with her arms crossed, watching William and Thalia. She turned to Marie with a fake smile. "Ms. Wilson, don't you think Mr. Brown and Ms. Smith make a cute couple?"
Marie: ...
Elon: ...
Was she doing this on purpose?
Knowing she was trying to set up Elon with Thalia, and still asking this in front of everyone?
...
The next day, Thalia headed to the set. The TV show was kicking off its official shooting this week.
Thalia practically lived on set.
It was tough for her, balancing acting and keeping an eye on things in Emerald City.
On the way to the film city, Isla was driving while Thalia, chin in hand, scrolled through her phone. She saw someone post a selfie on Facebook, the woman smiling brightly, wearing a stunning diamond necklace.
"Isn't that the diamond necklace you bought at the auction last time?"
Layla recognized it immediately. Thalia had even asked Hayden to help her get it!
She thought Thalia really liked the necklace, but just days after buying it, she gave it to Walter's cousin.
What a waste!
"Yep," Thalia responded lazily.
"Why is it on her neck?"
"It's a long story," Thalia briefly explained how Winter gave the necklace away, and she happened to see it on social media and decided to mess with them.
Layla was stunned, giving Thalia a thumbs-up. "You have a brilliant mind for business."
"It's just a necklace. Giving it away is one thing, but asking for it back isn't my style. But... Winter was so shameless."
Thalia had been so good to Winter, giving her all sorts of designer bags, clothes, and skincare products. Now Winter was accompanying Walter's new fling to prenatal check-ups and got caught.
Wasn't she asking for trouble?
"I'm not interested in business. I just want to conquer men and have them conquer the world for me."
"Why don't you just say you want to conquer William?"
Layla thought Thalia might as well have William's name printed on that statement.
Thalia: ... "Not all men are dead."
"True, but right now, the only man around you capable of conquering the world is William."