Chapter 16 William Took a Deep Drag of His Cigarette and Sealed Her Lips
The reason William came here today was because he had plans with Chase.
But clearly, those plans were off the table now.
"Heading out already? Give me a ride..."
"Thalia..." Thalia was just about to hop into William's car, hand on the passenger door, when she was interrupted.
A figure in red approached gracefully from the elevator.
"Did you hide my dad somewhere?"
"Elizabeth, you need evidence before you make accusations! Isn't this slander?" Thalia adjusted her stance and smiled faintly at Elizabeth Perez.
Elizabeth was Chase's first wife. After three marriages and divorces, Chase decided his first wife was the best and went back to living with her.
Chase enjoyed a life envied by many men—women on his arm outside and a wife and kids at home. Elizabeth, gullible as she was, listened to Chase and agreed to live together again without official remarriage, co-parenting their children.
Didn't that just give the man a get-out-of-jail-free card?
"If it wasn't for you, how could my dad, who was unconscious, just disappear?"
Thalia leaned against the car door and tossed her bag into William's passenger seat.
"Calling him 'Dad' left and right. Do you just claim every older man on the street as your dad?"
"You—"
"Need I remind you, Elizabeth? Legally, you're divorced from Chase. You're not part of the Smith family anymore. When did our family business become your concern?"
"Mr. Brown, am I right?" Thalia shot a flattering glance at William after berating Elizabeth, looking for approval.
William rubbed his forehead, not wanting to get involved in Thalia's complicated family drama. Their relationships were so tangled, you'd need a diagram to keep track.
"Elizabeth, Chase has women lined up outside. You take care of him and run the household. Haven't you thought that everything you're helping Chase earn will just be spent on other women?"
Thalia took out her phone and tapped the screen, revealing a scandalous video. It showed two people in the throes of passion, with the woman calling out Chase's name.
Thalia held the phone up to Elizabeth's face without flinching, watching her expression darken. "I recorded this yesterday. Fresh footage!"
"I'll send it to you later. No need to thank me."
With that, Thalia shut the car door.
As William drove out of the parking lot, he mocked, "Didn't expect you to have such unique tastes, Ms. Smith."
"Everyone around me is like this, Mr. Brown."
"Thalia, if you had to compare yourself to an object, do you know what you'd be?"
"What?"
"An onion. Peel one layer, and there's always another," he said, implying she had many hidden depths.
You could say she's a pampered princess, but she knows every weakness of the Smith family members. You could call her ruthless, but she maintains the image of an innocent celebrity in the entertainment industry.
William tapped the steering wheel with his slender fingers, making Thalia restless.
Thalia leaned her head on her hand, gazing at him with a mischievous smile, plotting how to win him over.
Just as she was about to flirt, William's phone rang. Chase's number?
William had seen Chase today?
"Mr. Brown, you're not playing fair," Thalia said, hanging up the call from the car's display screen with a chilly tone.
"Not sure I understand, Ms. Smith. Care to explain?"
"Entangled with me while still in contact with Chase?"
William parked the car, glancing at Thalia during the red light. "If I remember correctly, it's you who's entangled with me."
Thalia laughed in exasperation and took a selfie, posting it on Facebook: "Another delightful day with Mr. Brown! So happy!!!"
Meanwhile, in a private room, Chase was waiting for William. They had agreed to meet at seven, but it was already past eight.
William wasn't coming and had hung up on him.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Elizabeth walked in, holding her phone. "Stop waiting. Thalia won't let you get near William."
She showed Chase Thalia's Facebook post.
Chase's face darkened.
He slammed his hand on the table. "Emerald City's top ruthless lawyer, indeed."
William and Thalia really were a perfect match—a pure beauty with a heartless lawyer.
In the apartment parking lot...
William didn’t care where Thalia wanted to go; he drove straight back to his apartment.
As he got out of the car, Thalia rushed to block his way.
"Mr. Brown, if you keep playing both sides, karma will catch up to you!"
William said nothing, loosening his tie and lighting a cigarette.
"Ms. Smith, should I recommend a lawyer to you?"
"Better than Mr. Brown?"
"The second best in Emerald City," William was exhausted from Thalia's constant pestering over the past few days.
He just wanted to get rid of her.
Thalia was quick: "I only want the best, always."
William took a drag from his cigarette, and as he looked at her, he noticed Thalia was wearing a black deep V-neck dress with a sheer lace bralette underneath.
While it might be nothing on someone else, on Thalia, it was enough to make William feel a surge of heat.
He flicked his cigarette ash into the air.
The thin smoke around William's face gave Thalia a surreal feeling.
For a split second, she recalled the hotel shower scene from that night.
She had been pressed against the steamy shower glass, with William behind her...
Thalia took a sharp breath...
William, cigarette in hand, stepped closer and grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. His voice was husky. "Thalia, my patience has limits."
"Your beauty isn't enough to keep pushing my boundaries..."
Thalia didn’t back down. She hooked her arm around William's neck. "If beauty isn't enough, how about my body?"
William took a deep drag from his cigarette and kissed her, the smoke filling her lungs...