Chapter 464: A Man She Liked Since Her Teens
Thalia had barely taken a step when Gregory grabbed her wrist, his tone serious. "I don't recommend you get involved in the Jimenez family's affairs."
Seeing Thalia's puzzled look, Gregory pulled her aside by the arm. "The Jimenez family situation is far more complicated than it appears on the surface. The family has been declining over the years, and it's all Dione's doing. She's been crushing them, not enough to kill them off, but just enough to watch them barely survive. If you get involved, you'll just become the next casualty."
"As for Mr. Brown, they're mother and son. So she won't kill him."
William won't be killed, but he won't be let off easy either, Thalia thought clearly.
Gregory was trying to persuade Thalia, but in his mind, he was thinking about the relationship between Thalia and William. Finally, he added another line. "If you and Mr. Brown are close, if he's someone you want to protect, then just pretend I didn't say any of this."
Thalia's guard went up. Was he testing her?
When did Gregory become one of these people?
She hadn't heard Luca mention anything when they were gaming recently!
"If Mr. Brown dies, I'll be single for the rest of my life."
Gregory felt a chill down his spine. "Thalia..."
"You've been in Emerald City this long, haven't you heard? William is the man I've had my eye on since I was a teenager."
Of course, he'd heard, but right now, Thalia's casual tone and expression made it hard for him to tell if she was serious or joking.
As Thalia spoke, she reached out and patted Gregory's shoulder. "If anyone bullies you in the future, I'll stand up for you too."
With that, she didn't give Gregory a chance to react and pushed through the crowd in the direction William had left.
"Ms. Smith, Ms. Mitchell is looking for you."
"Who?"
"Eleanor." Thalia looked at Yosef blocking her path, her brow slightly furrowed as she sized up the person in front of her.
"Tell her I'll come by later."
"Ms. Mitchell means you should go now."
"What if I don't?"
"Ms. Mitchell means you no harm; she won't hurt you." Yosef and Eleanor were in the same boat - in other words, Yosef was completely devoted to Eleanor.
Seeing that the person blocking her had no intention of letting her go, Thalia's eyes darkened. Finally, she sighed slightly and nodded. "Let's go then."
In the third-floor lounge, Eleanor sat on the sofa in a white lace gown, playing with her phone. When she saw Thalia enter, she tossed her phone on the sofa.
She glanced at Yosef. "Go make Ms. Smith a coffee to wake her up."
Thalia said, "What do you mean?"
"You want to get involved in the Jimenez family's business? Didn't Gregory just spend all that time explaining the risks to you?"
"I'm the one risking my life, so why are you all the ones worried?"
"If you die at the Mitchell family's wedding, do you think your mom will let me off the hook?"
Thalia lowered her head and touched her earlobe, watching as Yosef handed her the coffee. She glanced sideways at Yosef with his well-proportioned features and clean-cut looks. "New secretary? Not bad looking!"
"How old are you? Where are you from?"
Eleanor was both annoyed and amused by Thalia's flippant attitude. "Come on, introduce yourself."
Yosef knew that was just how Thalia was, so he didn't take it personally. He pressed his lips together, turned, and left, closing the door behind him.
"As cocky as you are," Thalia complained.
"If you haven't heard about Dione's history, go down to the banquet hall and walk around, listen to what people say about her, and you'll know how much she hates the Jimenez family. Right now, William coming to Regal City, even if he does nothing, just his face alone is enough to make Dione lose face."
"William is the shame of her glorious life, the proof that she lost to the Jimenez family. Thalia, getting involved in this won't do you any good. You're not William, you don't have his strategic mind, so don't casually put yourself in danger."
"Are you worried about me?" After a long silence, Thalia came to this conclusion.
Eleanor was silent for a moment before saying, "I don't want you to die in Regal City."
.........
In another lounge on the third floor, a man stood at the door knocking. After getting permission, he opened the door a crack and motioned for William to enter.
When William appeared at the lounge door in a custom-made black suit, both the people inside and outside were stunned.
The two hadn't seen each other in nearly thirty years. When Dione suddenly saw William, the visual impact made her eyes turn red.
Too similar - he was practically her younger self, whether in temperament or appearance, strikingly beautiful.
But William had no memories. Dione had left before he could remember anything. It was Vaughn who had raised him through thick and thin.
Dione was less important than even a company subordinate.
Dione was immersed in her own emotions, her gaze focused. When she saw the unfamiliar emotion on William's face, she instantly snapped back to clarity.
"Come sit."
William walked over and sat across from Dione, separated by the coffee table, quite far apart.
"You're thirty this year, right?"
"Yeah."
"Is your father doing well?" Dione felt guilty about Vaughn.
Such a gentle man had ultimately become a stepping stone for her brief rest stop.
"You didn't ask me here to catch up, did you?" William cut her off.
His words were cold, without a trace of mother-son affection.
The small talk Dione had been deliberating over instantly stopped, stuck in her throat. She hadn't really come to catch up, but seeing him, seeing that face so much like her own, she couldn't help but feel an inexplicable affection for him.
After a moment of silence, Dione steadied her emotions. "I don't want you having anything to do with the Jimenez family."
The brief words carried a forceful dominance. This was an order, not a discussion.
"What gives you the right to say this to me?"
"Enemy? Or mother?"
William wouldn't let her lead him, and threw the question back at her.
Dione had been in Regal City so long that she'd grown used to everyone being respectful and obedient to her. Hearing William's counter-question, she was slightly stunned.
"We're mother and son. I don't want to become your enemy."
"The Jimenez family must die as far as I'm concerned. If you're deeply connected with them, I can't guarantee you won't get caught up in it."
Hearing this, William smiled lightly and nodded slowly. "I see. Because you gave birth to me, to avoid people talking when you eventually kill me, out of humanitarian concern, for your own sake, you felt obliged to give me a warning. Is that what you mean?"