Chapter 215 Does Mr. Brown Agree to Separate from Me?
"Scarlett, let me tell you something. If people find out that after all this time, I'm still letting you show up in front of me, don't you think I look weak? I'm giving you respect, so you better take it! Don't push me to the point where you can't even leave your house."
"What? You want to deal with me the same way you dealt with Emma?"
"Thalia, I'm not Evelyn, and I'm not that stupid."
Thalia listened to her ranting and let out an annoyed sigh. "So noisy."
"You..."
Thalia reached out, grabbed an unpeeled banana from the fruit plate, and shoved it directly into Scarlett's mouth, pinning her down on the lounge chair.
Scarlett struggled to escape, but Thalia held her shoulders down so she couldn't move.
"Want to say something? Go ahead, keep talking."
The gagging sounds continued for several minutes, and Scarlett's mouth was filled with the taste of banana.
She glared at Thalia viciously, wanting to yell at her, but then saw her calmly pick up another banana, and immediately shut her mouth.
"Still want to talk? If not, get out."
Scarlett didn't dare to go against Thalia. In a real fight, she'd be the one losing. She scrambled out of the coffee shop.
Layla saw Scarlett crawling out and kindly made way for her.
"Nice, you're starting to reason with people now."
Thalia ignored Layla's teasing and checked the time. "Let's go!"
"Where to?"
"To eat! It's rare to have time off."
There were plenty of upscale restaurants nearby. Since William hadn't called her, it meant he didn't need anything, so she could enjoy herself.
The two chose a sushi restaurant with screens separating the tables. "Evelyn hasn't asked you out lately?"
"She's abroad, coming back next week."
"No wonder you have time to eat with me." Layla knew that unless absolutely necessary, Thalia didn't want to see her. Seeing her meant talking about work.
Thalia threw her a flirtatious look, as if saying Layla was smart.
Emerald City was full of hidden currents. Among businesspeople, some chased fame, others profit, pursuing each other endlessly, never missing any opportunity.
The waters beneath Emerald City were never clean.
Thalia had known this since childhood. When she was young, Hayden was in his career's rising phase. So many powerful guests watched her grow up, and so many powerful guests were never seen again—countless.
She and Layla had just finished ordering when she also asked for a coffee.
Layla teased her, "Drinking coffee this late at night, planning to go back and have sex with Mr. Brown all night?"
The coffee in Thalia's hand suddenly didn't seem so appealing. Under the warm yellow light, her face turned red.
"We're a legal married couple. Is that any of your business?"
"It's not my business, but please ask Mr. Brown to spare the area above your neck. I'm really worried you'll get exposed sooner or later."
Thalia: ...
"Ms. Smith, a gentleman asked me to bring you this bottle of wine." Before Thalia could respond, a server wearing white gloves came over with a bottle of wine. Just from the way he held it, you could tell it was expensive.
"A gentleman?"
"Yes."
"Which gentleman?"
"He said his last name is Ward," the server told Thalia.
Rainey? Thalia understood. William had told her that Alfonso was Rainey's guy, so this bottle of wine probably wasn't just a simple gift.
She smiled and declined, "I'm sorry, it's not convenient for me to drink today. Please return it."
"Should I pack it for you to take?"
Thalia took a sip of water and glanced at the server. "Return it, thank you."
Her tone was polite but carried a hint of command.
The server was intimidated by her gentle yet firm words.
"Who was it?"
"Rainey."
"Is he trying to get on your good side?"
Thalia put down her water glass and leaned back. "Sort of!"
"Why?"
Thalia briefly explained what happened that night. Layla was shocked. "You're saying Alfonso is someone Rainey brought up?"
"Yes."
"So he knows he offended William? That's why?"
"Probably."
Rainey wasn't just a big shot in the entertainment industry—he was a giant, backed by government officials, holding countless good resources.
He had connections with international directors, not to mention domestic best actors and actresses. Regular people could only reach investors at Alfonso Matthew's level.
To network further up required real capability.
"Is William really that powerful?"
Layla still found it hard to believe. Everyone wanted to reach the top. So many people without real ability boasted about themselves, inflating their worth. If William was really that capable, why was he being so secretive?
Thalia clicked her tongue. "Maybe?"
After they finished eating and left, the restaurant manager came up and handed her an envelope. "Ms. Smith, someone asked me to give this to you."
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure. They just said to give it to you and then left."
Thalia took the envelope and felt it—there was paper inside. She accepted it and only opened it after getting in the car. She pulled out an A4 sheet—it was a check for Jam tomorrow, with the check wrapped inside the A4 paper.
...
Thalia slapped the check and A4 paper on William's desk. His gaze shifted from the computer files. He pushed up his blue-light blocking glasses, his eyes moving from her face to the Jam tomorrow on the desk.
"Rainey gave you this?"
"Yes, I ran into him at dinner today. First he sent wine, then a check."
William pushed back his chair and stood up, took off his gold-rimmed glasses, picked up the check from the desk, and tossed it into the shredder. "My wife doesn't need money from other men."
"How generous of you, Mr. Brown."
Thalia gave him a thumbs up.
William chuckled and walked toward her. "Someone's been looking into you lately. Did you know?"
"Gregory?"
William patted her head. "Not so dumb after all. Remember to stay away from him."
"I wasn't planning to get involved with him anyway. But you're telling me to stay away—what do you mean?"
"Ever heard of the Lopez family? He likes you, which is dangerous for you."
Thalia: ...
"He'll find out sooner or later that I live in Mistwood Hill, so there's no point hiding it." Thalia wanted to find somewhere to lie down for a bit. Looking around, she realized there was nowhere to sit in William's study.
She didn't want to look at his work on the computer, so she turned and went to the living room.
"Aren't you afraid your pure and innocent female celebrity image will be ruined?"
"I am! Will Mr. Brown agree to separate?"
Hearing this, William let out a cold laugh. "Dreaming before you've even gone to sleep?"
He approached, looking down at Thalia, trapping her in his arms. "Besides, even if I were willing to separate, would Mrs. Brown be willing? Who was it last night holding onto me, not letting me get out of bed, saying she wanted me to make love to her?"