Chapter 41 You Speak of the Flesh, I Speak of the Soul
Daniel handed his phone to William, muttering under his breath, "I told you, Thalia's just messing with you."
"She's got that male model restaurant and the board game gig. Don't get too wrapped up in it..."
"Why are you grabbing my phone?"
Daniel's sarcastic rant was cut short as William snatched the phone.
William opened the video from Evelyn and watched closely, vaguely seeing Thalia getting cozy with another guy...
Well, well, she was flirting with me yesterday, and now she's all over some other dude.
"No way! Mr. Brown, don't tell me you've fallen for Thalia?" Nicholas looked at William's tightening grip on the phone in disbelief.
He looked like a husband who just found out his wife was cheating, and it was kind of scary.
Nicholas turned to Daniel with a questioning look, and Daniel shrugged.
William was a deep thinker; his feelings for Thalia were hard to read.
"Let me tell you this, Thalia's a knockout, smart and fun too. But she's only good for being friends. Marriage? No way. Everyone in Emerald City knows Thalia's nature. Spoiled by Hayden since she was a kid, she gets whatever she wants and sees everything as new and exciting. She's playful, irresponsible, and grew up in an environment where her dad was always with different women. She's bound to be the same. I mean, you..."
Nicholas's analysis was cut short by William's icy glare, which carried a hint of menace.
Nicholas got the message and made a zipping gesture over his mouth.
William was clearly in love with Thalia and wouldn’t tolerate any gossip about her.
William, William, you're doomed.
Daniel took the phone back from William. "Give it back, I was talking."
As soon as he said that, William walked off to make a call.
Nicholas quickly moved closer to Daniel. "Are they really together?"
Daniel was nonchalant. "Haven't they been for a while?"
"You mean physically. I'm talking about emotionally."
"You think Thalia's soul would connect with him?"
Nicholas shook his head. "Even if it did, it would be temporary."
"Exactly, so what's the point of getting all worked up?"
"It's like slow-motion suicide!"
...
Meanwhile, Thalia and Evelyn were having a great time when the owner walked in with an apologetic look.
"Sorry, but we have to close up."
Evelyn was surprised. "Don't you close at 3 AM? It's not even that late."
The owner sighed, looking annoyed. "Someone reported us. The business bureau just called and said they're coming to check. They're on their way now."
"You guys better leave! The business bureau's been doing these live-stream inspections for their performance metrics, and it's ridiculous."
Thalia: ...
Evelyn: ...
In the car, Thalia leaned back in her seat, looking troubled. Evelyn, deep in thought, finally spoke up, "Are you bad luck for me?"
"Nothing ever goes wrong when I'm on my own, but with you, everything gets cut short."
"Are you blaming me? Am I cursed when it comes to men?"
"What about William? Isn't he a man?" Evelyn shot back incredulously.
"Ugh..."
Thalia didn't want to talk about William. She lazily leaned back in the passenger seat, still annoyed, when a notification popped up.
"Andrew wants to add you as a friend."
Thalia: ... "Why is he adding me?"
"Who?"
"Andrew."
"My idol! Hurry, accept it!"
Thalia put her phone down and rolled her eyes. "I can't. His fans are too intense. I'm afraid they'll tear me apart. I've already been dragged through the mud on Facebook. If anything actually happens... just think about it."
Evelyn was speechless. "Have some guts, will you? You don't care about your reputation but you're scared of his fans?"
"His fans' biggest achievement is driving people out of the scene. If I get driven out, how will I survive?"
"I'll take care of you. Stop talking and just accept it."
Thalia: ...
Seeing that Thalia wasn't moving, Evelyn grabbed her phone at a red light and added Andrew herself.
Andrew: "Hello, Ms. Smith, this is Andrew. About the guest spot on my live stream we discussed yesterday, have you thought about it?"
Evelyn's eyes widened at the mention of the live stream.
"You're going to be a guest on his live stream? Can I come?"
She was a die-hard fan of Andrew, the kind who would never stop being a fan.
This was an opportunity she couldn't miss.
"I'm not going. There's no money in it."
"Do it for me. I've been wanting to meet him for so long. You can't get a man and leave me hanging."
The phone rang, and Thalia took it from Evelyn.
"Who's this?"
"Ms. Smith? I'm your dad's... woman. We need to talk."
Thalia frowned, looking out the window as Evelyn parked the car. "Is it necessary?"
"Don't you want to know what happened between me and your dad?"
"What could it be? The usual stuff. Women like you are a dime a dozen around my dad. Do you really think I'd care?"
Thalia got out of the car and walked straight to the elevator with her bag.
As the elevator doors opened, Thalia paused.
Of all people.
William was in the elevator.
The doors started to close, but Thalia didn't move.
Until William's hand reached out from inside.
He held the doors open and stared at her, a silent standoff...
Under William's pressure, Thalia stepped into the elevator.
She heard herself say something with a cold laugh, "What right do you have to demand anything from me? Who do you think you are? Back then, you would have had to be respectful and polite to me. It's already good enough I'm not causing you trouble, and you dare come to me?"
"Your relationship with my dad? What relationship? Just adults playing with hormones. And anyway, what you two do has nothing to do with me. It's all consensual. You know exactly why you're saying this now..."