Chapter 452 Approaching Good News
"Mr. Carter, what's in it for me?" Right now, Thalia wasn't a celebrity, she was a businesswoman.
Rather than trading words with Raymond, she preferred to know what benefits Raymond could offer her. After all, this guy had everything except money.
"Three percent above bank interest, plus five favors."
"Ms. Smith, how does that sound?"
Thalia twirled the teacup with her fingertips, her movements casual and somewhat dismissive. "So you're saying I'm a loan shark now?"
"Who complains about having too much money?" Raymond planted his golf club on the ground, looking at Thalia with a teasing gaze.
Sunlight from the golf pavilion's glass roof fell on Thalia's face, making her already delicate features even more radiant, like a peony blooming in late autumn, elegant and magnificent. A woman like this, no wonder William was so entangled with her.
Thalia met Raymond's gaze directly, took a light sip of tea, and nodded. "True."
"Is Raymond inside?"
"Ms. Mitchell, please wait, let me go in and let him know," the staff member outside blocked her path, looking uncomfortable.
Seeing Elowen's somewhat evasive eyes, Raymond was indeed inside, but there was someone else with him! If she went in now, wouldn't all hell break loose?
If a fight broke out, the service staff would probably be the ones to suffer.
"Wait for what? Why should I wait?" Elowen pushed past them and went in. Before the staff could react, the door to the private room was pushed open.
Raymond stood in the sunlight wearing a white athletic outfit and a sun visor, swinging his golf club. Elowen looked around and, seeing the room was empty, felt somewhat puzzled.
Elowen walked past the sofa toward Raymond. After just a few steps, she noticed the tea set with a cup bearing bright lipstick marks.
Instantly, Elowen exploded like a cat with its fur standing on end. She rushed over and grabbed Raymond's arm, glaring at him furiously. "Are you messing around with women again?"
Raymond looked at Elowen's hand gripping his arm, her nail-polished fingertips digging into him, causing a slight sting.
"I'd like to, but she won't give me the chance."
The moment those words came out, Elowen exploded.
The man she couldn't have, couldn't win back, was being this humble with someone else?
Elowen laughed bitterly, looking at Raymond with resentment and grievance.
After a long silence, she threw out one sentence. "Raymond, you're pathetic."
Raymond lowered his head and chuckled, speaking indifferently. "Aren't you too?"
Elowen's heart felt like it had been stabbed with a knife, raw and exposed.
...
"That was quick? I haven't even finished one game," John and Isla said, seeing Thalia come out with her phone, unsure whether to go in or leave.
Thalia sat down and smoothed her skirt. "It's fine, can I still go in?"
"Sure, play a game before we leave."
Since there was nothing urgent, and Thalia wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere, sitting in the car enjoying the autumn sun seemed nice. But mainly, she was waiting for someone.
"See that red Mercedes up ahead? Pull up next to it."
"Isn't that Elowen's car?" Isla glanced at the car, somewhat surprised.
Could Elowen be inside?
Thalia came to see Raymond. Elowen came to see Raymond.
Parking next to her now—wasn't that like rubbing salt in the wound?
"Smart. Pull over."
John obediently drove over and parked right next to Elowen's car.
As soon as the car stopped, game sounds started. Thalia usually played games to relax, and today she happened to join a match.
When Elowen came out of the golf club, she saw the business van parked next to her car. The Mercedes logo and Thalia's license plate made it instantly recognizable.
She walked to the car and looked in, seeing John looking at his phone.
Elowen turned to leave, then suddenly wondered if the woman meeting Raymond could be Thalia.
A moment later, instead of opening her car door, she slammed it shut and walked over to knock on the window. The driver's window didn't open, but the rear window rolled down.
Thalia's languid gaze swept over her. "What is it?"
A woman's intuition and attention are always unique. The moment Thalia spoke, Elowen noticed the lipstick on Thalia's lips—exactly the same shade as on the teacup next to Raymond.
"It was you?" Elowen was stunned, staring at Thalia, unable to process it.
"What?"
"The woman with Raymond just now—was it you?"
"What do you think?" Thalia blinked and asked back. "Ms. Mitchell, about to get married and still here catching cheaters? How embarrassing!"
"Thalia..." Elowen wanted to retort, but seeing Thalia slowly rolling up the window, she stood outside furiously kicking the car.
She frantically pulled at the door handle, but it wouldn't open.
"Ms. Smith, if making people die of anger required compensation, you'd probably go bankrupt pretty soon."
...
"Are you planning to go up and deliver documents? Want me to take them up for you?"
The person called suddenly snapped back to attention, looking at Selene, somewhat startled. "No need, these documents aren't for Mr. Brown."
Selene's intentions were too obvious—everyone at the Celestia Group was on guard against her!
Deliver documents? Wasn't this just looking for a chance to get close to William?
If she succeeded, he'd probably be out of a job tomorrow.
Hearing such blunt words, Selene's expression turned gloomy.
Seeing the supervisor get on the elevator, she didn't dare say anything and turned back into the office.
"Having a good father really does help."
"Right! Other people work to make a living; she works to find a man."
As soon as Selene entered, warning coughs sounded in the office, and everyone stopped talking.
For half a month straight, Selene didn't catch a glimpse of William. She arrived early and left early every day, trying to run into him in the parking lot, but always came up empty.
Before long, Selene's painstaking efforts became the talk of the entire Celestia Group, and even people outside started gossiping about it.
William got teased a lot at business functions.
First Scarlett, now Selene—William's high-quality admirers were known throughout half of Emerald City's social circle.
Even Harper and Vaughn were asked by colleagues at school if there was good news coming soon in the family.