Chapter 455 Discussing Your Personal Conduct Issues
"Selene! She's been camping out at the company. Now it's not just people at the Celestia Group who know about this - everyone in Emerald City knows!"
Amara was seriously gossiping with Thalia. Seeing her unmoved, she kicked off her shoes and knelt in front of Thalia, practically ready to poke her forehead to wake her up.
"Thalia, this isn't Scarlett we're talking about. Aren't you worried your husband's going to be stolen away?"
"Everyone in Emerald City knows about this now. They're practically ready to give Selene the title of Mrs. Brown."
Hearing Amara's indignant tone, Thalia blinked and poured herself a cup of hot tea, wanting to warm up.
"You're still drinking tea? How can you drink at a time like this?" Amara took the cup from her hand. "Stop drinking."
Thalia smacked her lips. "You won't even let me drink tea!"
"Your husband's about to be gone, and you're still in the mood for tea?"
"Look at William's arrogant personality - who else besides a shameless person like me could stand him? When other girls approach him, he can criticize them, starting from the origins of humanity all the way to the present. Come on! Him cheat? No way! Someone with William's extreme obsession with cleanliness might have thoughts on a spiritual level, but physically and spiritually, he wouldn't allow himself to do it."
Amara was speechless.
Seeing her frozen, Thalia reached out and took back the teacup.
"Besides, would he dare cheat? Isn't he afraid his dad would break his legs?"
Amara fell silent again.
"That's enough," Thalia never believed William would be interested in Selene - a girl fresh out into society who hadn't been beaten down by the real world yet, with no scheming skills, no feminine charm. You could call her innocent and naive, but she managed to stir up a storm across the city, making everyone think she and William were having an affair.
In summary, Selene wasn't even on Thalia's radar as a romantic rival.
William would have to be blind to be interested in someone like that.
"However..." Thalia thought of something and continued. "William really didn't handle this well. Can't let him off the hook."
This last sentence brought some clarity to Amara, who had been doubting herself.
Her focus wasn't on William cheating at all - it was on how Thalia would deal with him.
Amara instantly perked up. Thalia understood - Amara just wanted to watch the drama unfold!
...
"Steven came to see me. He said you agreed to return to the Jimenez family."
"Temporarily," In the study, William sat across from Vaughn, the kettle before them boiling, steam rising.
"Steven is all about profit and sucking up to the powerful. For his own gain, he'd sell out his own family. When dealing with him, stay alert. Back then, he sent your mother to Emerald City purely for his own career advancement. If you meet your mother, don't go against him. Even if there's no mother-son bond, she at least gave birth to you." Vaughn had been gentle and peaceful his whole life, never making enemies.
Even now, he isn't saying a single bad word about her.
"All these years, you've never hated her?"
Abandoning husband and child, running away, not asking about them once in over thirty years - and yet Vaughn was still speaking well of her.
"What's the point of hate? It doesn't solve problems; it only creates more. What imprisons us is never external circumstances, but our own emotions. I hope you understand this too."
"I do," William handed Vaughn a cup of tea, knowing that continuing this conversation would lead to the main topic.
Vaughn pushed William's hand away and patted the armrest of the sofa. "I know you've got the Jimenez family situation under control. Now let's talk about your personal conduct."
The classic teacher conversation style - care first, then criticize. William had learned plenty from Vaughn over the years.
Just this conversational technique alone made many executives at the Celestia Group wary.
"With Thalia's temper, you still dare to mess around outside. If Thalia had a gentle personality, wouldn't you be even more reckless?"
"Wouldn't dare."
"So you're admitting you messed around outside?"
"No. Bringing Selene into the company was a business strategy. As for the rumors outside, they're completely baseless."
"Then why don't you clarify?"
"In time," William sipped his tea, his expression calm, his entire demeanor exuding complete control.
Vaughn was about to say something when they heard a loud crash from upstairs, like something breaking. Father and son exchanged glances and almost simultaneously stood up and headed upstairs.
In William's study, Thalia stood in front of the bookshelf looking at the shattered pieces on the floor, somewhat annoyed. Her distressed expression deepened when she heard footsteps behind her.
"What happened?" The man's urgent voice rang out.
Thalia glanced at the glass shards on the floor, then at William. "I accidentally broke your trophy."
A week into sophomore year, Thalia spotted the stunningly handsome William on the school field and launched a crazy pursuit of him.
But unexpectedly, she - a seasoned player in love - kept failing with him, which made her seriously doubt her own charm. She went home feeling down, and when Hayden noticed and asked about what happened, he gave her advice.
He said this: "To deal with this kind of poor person, you just need to show concern when his self-esteem is damaged."
So, to help her get the guy of her dreams, Hayden orchestrated a scholarship scheme - giving monetary rewards to top students. That day, William received the most money.
Thalia couldn't relate to the feeling of being recognized in front of over a thousand students, receiving a trophy and cash, but to this day, she still remembered that William's expression that day was terrible, as if he'd been publicly humiliated.
After the ceremony, the principal asked him to give a speech. William stood on stage and spoke clearly.
Thalia still remembered those words.
"I study hard not to receive money from certain people, nor to win trophies, but because I know what I'm pursuing. I'm donating Mr. Smith's money to the school - there are people who need it more than I do. As for this trophy, I'll keep it. I'll use it to constantly remind myself not to become like certain people."
This past event had long been forgotten, but when Thalia opened the study door today, she saw it.
The urge to destroy it was particularly strong.