Chapter 352 IP Address in Mistwood Hill
"The IP address is in Mistwood Hill."
"Where?"
"Mistwood Hill."
Eleanor looked surprised. She reached out her hand. "Let me see."
"Are you sure it's accurate?"
"The tech team analyzed the data. It should be right."
"Should be right?" Eleanor looked at the person with furrowed brows.
A suspect had already flashed through her mind. At a time like this, she needed certainty, not "should be" or "shouldn't be."
"Ninety percent sure."
"Cancel all my evening appointments," she was going to confront this person.
Thalia was sprawled on the couch in William's office, half asleep, when she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I forgot to tell you—I messed with Eleanor last night. If nothing goes wrong, she'll be coming to find you. Don't blow your cover when the time comes."
"What did you do?"
"Did some things that won't bankrupt her, but will really annoy her."
"Like what..."
"Got some people to block her company entrance completely, bribed some media to spread rumors."
William felt he couldn't get any truth out of Thalia's mouth. At times like this, he chose to check social media instead. When he searched for the Mitchell Group, he only saw company news—not a trace of any negative news.
The man's fingers moved away from the keyboard. "What rumors?"
"Scandals! Quite a few of them."
"Did she provoke you?" The fact that Eleanor and Thalia didn't get along was already common knowledge throughout Emerald City. Everyone knew it, and Eleanor had always known Thalia's temper—she hadn't dared to provoke her all these years.
"Does deliberately sabotaging our marriage count?"
"Is it easy for us to build some feelings? Can a marriage where love comes after the wedding survive her kind of troublemaking and lies? If she dares to upset you, I have plenty of ways to deal with her."
William's expression turned serious. "So you're holding a grudge because of what happened last night? That's why you did this today?"
"Yeah!" Thalia admitted openly.
William was speechless.
At closing time, the still-drowsy Thalia clung to William's arm like an octopus, groggily entering the private elevator to go down to the basement level.
"Mr. Brown, Ms. Mitchell is waiting for you in the parking garage downstairs."
"Who?" Before William could say anything, Thalia woke up first.
The groggy person instantly perked up.
"Eleanor."
"My prediction was spot on." Thalia tidied her hair in the elevator mirror, like a hen about to fight, straightening her feathers before battle.
All were to deliver a fatal blow to her opponent when they met.
Thalia's polished and upright demeanor in front of outsiders made William wonder countless times what her true face really was.
Just moments ago, she'd been like a wilted octopus.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"What if you lose to Eleanor one day?"
"Why would I lose to her?" Thalia found it amusing. "I don't have anyone to please, I'm not bound by family, I won't sacrifice myself for family interests in the future, and I'll never live to please anyone. But she's different from me. She was born to be a puppet, a chess piece cultivated by the Mitchell family. If she doesn't wake up, she'll become the next Zephyrine."
"She thinks the Mitchell family did her a favor, so she's grateful to them, so she should give up her dreams, should prop up the Mitchell family's declining business, should obey her family's every command, should put up with them."
"The prices she works herself to death negotiating at dinner tables aren't even as much as what Elowen spends on a single bag."
"Ridiculous. Don't compare her to me. I look down on her."
The elevator doors opened, and Thalia stepped out first.
There was still some distance from where the elevator stopped to the parking garage. Thalia stood in the lobby, looking at the person standing outside the parking area.
Arms crossed, she looked at Eleanor casually. "Looking for William? Bad timing—I got here first."
Seeing Thalia's smug expression, Eleanor understood a bit. "So it was you?"
"What?"
Eleanor leaned against the car and let out a mocking laugh. "Thalia, you really don't listen to advice, do you?"
"In this life, I only listen to one person's advice."
Eleanor raised her chin. "Let's hear it."
"Money."
Eleanor was furious and nodded repeatedly.
The day after this incident, the Mitchell Group's vice president brought people to the floor where the crew was filming. "Ms. Mitchell is treating everyone to coffee."
The crew members' faces lit up, and they all said nice things to express their thanks.
The vice president and his people distributed coffee to everyone present, except Thalia.
The vice president added unnecessarily, "Ms. Smith, Ms. Mitchell says you don't deserve to drink her coffee."
Thalia cursed in her head, 'Damn it! Eleanor, you bitch.'
"Thalia, have mine. I already had some this morning."
A new actor in the crew, who usually got along well with Thalia and had received her guidance, was worried that Thalia would be embarrassed and offered her coffee.
Thalia shook her head. "No need, but thank you."
Sure enough, as Thalia expected, the director came over soon after and earnestly advised her to maintain good relationships with people.
After all, they were dependent on others now. Although they had signed a contract, it was best not to create unnecessary conflicts.
Thalia was inexplicably lectured.
In less than an afternoon, news that Eleanor and Thalia's relationship was strained spread throughout the entire crew.
Thalia was so angry she laughed, sitting on the toilet in the bathroom, rubbing her temples.
"Where's Raymond been lately?"
"Why are you asking about him? Since when do you have the leisure to care about that Playboy?"
"Just tell me."
"He's set up camp at Aurora Tower. Didn't they say a few days ago that Elowen went to catch him cheating but didn't catch him and got humiliated instead?"
"Go find him, send women his way, and arrange a situation where Elowen and Eleanor run into it."
Evelyn stopped her work. "Did they provoke you again?"
"More than that..." Thalia gritted her teeth and spilled everything that had happened recently.
Evelyn thought about it—this was doable. "Eleanor's been buried in company work lately. If something happens in front of a client, she definitely won't let it slide."
"Let's do it."
"I'll arrange it."
Thalia hung up the phone. Just as she was about to get up, through the bathroom stall door, she saw a pair of men's dress shoes outside.
Her heart tightened—this was the women's restroom.
She silenced her phone and calmly took a photo of the outside.
Then she sent Layla a message.
"Thalia..."
"I'm here." She opened the stall door and went out, checking each stall one by one, but saw no one.
"Someone there?"
"Yeah, look." Thalia handed her the phone.
Layla gasped. "A pervert?"
"If it's just a simple pervert, that would be easy..."