Chapter 95 How Did You Provoke Thalia Again?
In the private room, Thalia stared at William, who was lounging on the sofa.
William took a drag from his cigarette, blowing smoke towards her with a sideways glance.
Neither spoke, but the tension was thick.
"Was it Mr. Brown who spread the news?"
"Do I have that kind of power?" William flicked the ash off his cigarette into the ashtray.
Thalia laughed. Him, not having that kind of power? Who would believe that?
"Since when has Mr. Brown been so modest?"
"I didn't know Ms. Smith held me in such high regard."
Thalia wanted to say something but hesitated when she noticed Daniel and Nicholas were still there. She glanced at them.
Nicholas spoke up directly, "You two talk, pretend we're not here."
"Can't you see? Ms. Smith wants you two to leave," William said, voicing Thalia's thoughts before she could.
Nicholas, though reluctant, left the room.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Nicholas grumbled as he stepped out.
Daniel shrugged nonchalantly, pulling out his phone to play a game. "Probably the stuff you want to know."
Nicholas, feeling even more frustrated, pressed his ear against the door to eavesdrop.
After a while, he still couldn't hear anything.
Daniel glanced at him. "Don't waste your effort. Even if they were blasting music in there, you wouldn't hear a thing."
"Why would anyone soundproof a private room like this?" Nicholas muttered, annoyed.
Daniel ignored him, focusing on his game. "Wanna play?"
Nicholas grumbled but eventually agreed, "Sure."
Inside the room, Thalia took a cigarette from William's pack and twirled it between her fingers. "William, we may not be together anymore, but we were once a couple. Is it really fun to mess with me behind my back?"
"What have I done?" William feigned ignorance.
"Messing with people or with things? If it's people, I'll admit it. If it's things, I won't," William's expression darkened slightly as he spoke.
Thalia's ears reddened.
She glared at William. "Did you tell Chase my dad is at the Smith villa?"
"No," William quickly denied it.
Even if he had, he wouldn't admit it.
"Do you think I believe you?"
William took another drag from his cigarette, unhurried. "Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter."
"Are you even a man? Can't you own up to what you've done?"
"Whether I'm a man or not, haven't you already verified that? Ms. Smith seemed quite happy when she was enjoying herself with me."
William had lost it. He couldn't speak properly anymore.
"You just want me to beg you to help me with the lawsuit, don't you?"
"Forget it. I don't need those billions of dollars in inheritance. I'll find a rich man, spend his money while we're together, and take his assets when we divorce. I won't be worse off. Asking Mr. Brown for help? Not happening!"
Thalia scoffed. What kind of man wouldn't admit to his actions?
She refused to believe William had nothing to do with this.
"Go ahead, find a rich man who'll drag you to all sorts of parties you hate. Make you dance in a bikini for him. Have all kinds of weird fetishes for you to satisfy. A man like me, who listens to you, you won't find again."
"Maybe you'll even end up with a guy who reeks of body odor and makes you do whatever he wants."
"Are you disgusting?" Thalia stood up, her gaze filled with disdain.
"What's with the act, Ms. Smith? You've been in high society and the entertainment industry for so long. Don't you know how dirty it is? Do you still think you're the princess of Emerald City now that your dad is gone? Those old men have been eyeing you, just waiting to turn you into a whore."
"Go ahead, if you don't, I'll lose respect for you."
Thalia's eyes turned icy, her chest heaving with anger. "Do you think I'm scared?"
"Scared or not, you'll know if you try. Your dad's not dead yet, the Smith family hasn't fallen, but your resources in the entertainment industry are being snatched away. I'm worried for you."
Thalia's face changed.
Her recent days in the entertainment industry hadn't been great. The resources that used to line up for her were gone.
Her dad had been in a coma for three months, and she'd only managed to get a single ad from the Wilson family.
If this continued, she'd starve.
The entertainment company was on the verge of collapsing.
Fortunately, before Hayden fell into a coma, he had positioned her as a pure and innocent starlet, giving her some ad revenue to survive on, at least for a while.
"How do you know? Mr. Brown, are you keeping tabs on me, waiting for me to fail so you can kick me while I'm down?"
William glanced at her, his sharp eyes scanning her from head to toe. "Kick you? I don't have such a twisted hobby."
"At most, I just want to sleep with you."
Thalia was livid. She raised her hand, ready to throw the cup on the table at William. He casually reminded her, "This suit I'm wearing is custom-made, $1.9 million. Make sure you have the money ready before you throw anything."
Thalia paused. So what if he was rich?
"I'm thirsty. Can I have a drink?" Thalia downed the remaining half cup of coffee, trying to calm herself.
William watched her finish the coffee, his gaze deepening. "That was Nicholas's cup."
Thalia choked, looking at the cup in her hand. "So?"
"I've slept with several men. Am I afraid of an indirect kiss?"
The first lesson Thalia learned in life was to be adaptable. Otherwise, how could Hayden, with so many children, favor her alone?
William's expression changed. Whenever they met, someone got hurt.
With someone like William, who was so repressed, meeting someone as carefree as Thalia, it was obvious who would get hurt.
"True, this coffee is quite expensive. Ms. Smith, drink as much as you can while you can still afford it. You might not get another chance."
$100,000 per gram coffee beans were indeed out of most people's reach.
Thalia had been outmaneuvered by William several times today.
She was about to explode with anger.
...
"What did you do to Thalia this time? She's downstairs at the tennis court, looking for a doubles match."
Daniel almost dropped his phone when he got the call from the manager downstairs.
In all of Emerald City, only William could infuriate Thalia to this extent.