Chapter 79 He Wants Much More Than Just Thalia's Body
William wasn't exactly a saint.
Rumors about him in Emerald City were as plentiful as the sea.
Thalia quickly realized she had tangled with someone way out of her league.
She watched William approach, her face pale, stepping back slowly.
"I tried to tell you from the start, Ms. Smith, that I was on your side, but it seems you didn't appreciate it."
William couldn't stand Thalia's fickle nature, chasing one person today and another tomorrow.
Her indecisive, changeable, and unfaithful personality was something he was determined to correct one day.
Thalia understood now; William was dissatisfied with her performance.
She chuckled, "What do you mean by that, Mr. Brown?"
"You're given everything, yet you don't appreciate it? Do you want not just my body, but my heart too, Mr. Brown?"
Thalia moved closer to William, "Are you in love with me?"
"You didn't agree at first, and now you're forcing me. William, if you dare betray me, I swear I'll use every word I've ever learned to curse you out."
"Ms. Smith, you can try. Let's see who loses more."
Thalia: .......
William stood there in the open, pulling out a handkerchief to gently wipe his lips, speaking in a tone uncharacteristically gentle for him, "Thalia, let's make a deal. I guarantee no one will take the inheritance from you."
"Mr. Brown, have you forgotten your nickname in Emerald City? Making a deal with you is like asking me to run naked in public."
William chuckled lightly, "I don't have such perverted hobbies as Ms. Smith, but if you want, I can watch."
"Get away," Thalia reached out to push him, but William grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms.
"You—"
"How about you two come inside? The neighbors are watching, and it's not a good look," Grace's voice as she pushed open the gate made Thalia shiver.
It felt like being caught by her parents while dating in school.
"Don't go in," she glared fiercely at William.
William obediently stood still at the gate.
Grace gave Thalia a sidelong glance, "Guests are guests. Come in, William!"
"Thank you."
Thalia: ..... "William?"
"Mom..."
"Shut up," Grace knew whatever Thalia was about to say wouldn't be good, so she cut her off.
Thalia: ..........
In the living room, Grace dismissed the servants and sat on the couch, looking at William, growing more fond of him the longer she looked.
"William, you and Thalia were schoolmates, right? She wrote you a love letter once, and I gave her a good scolding for it."
Thalia almost choked on her drink.
William gave her a half-smile, "I didn't know Thalia and I had such a connection."
"Yes, if I had known, I wouldn't have scolded her back then."
"Is there nothing else to talk about?" Thalia frowned in displeasure.
"I heard William hasn't agreed to take our case. Is there something you're worried about?" Grace got straight to the point, leaving Thalia stunned.
She stared at Grace, dumbfounded.
William nodded, "Ms. Smith's offers have been too shallow."
What William wanted was more than just Thalia's body.
Thalia laughed angrily, "Mr. Brown, you're so noble to call money shallow. If it's so shallow, why don't you give all your money to me? I'm a shallow person."
"That's not impossible," William nodded.
"Tell me, what do you really want?"
William looked at Thalia with a smile. She wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but she thought she saw a hint of affection in his eyes.
"To make you Mrs. Brown."
Thalia: ...... "You might as well let my mom beg on the streets!"
She still had her career in entertainment, and without the inheritance, she could still survive by being frugal. Whether Grace was poor or not had nothing to do with her.
She couldn't possibly sell out her marriage for Grace's financial stability.
Even a dog wouldn't do that...
"Okay."
William: ......
Thalia: .......... "Mom, have you been breathing too much air? What do you mean by 'okay'?"
Grace looked at Thalia, "It means you can marry Mr. Brown."
Thalia laughed in disbelief. Grace was as unreliable as ever, "If you like him so much, you marry him. Don't drag me into it."
"If you need a husband so badly, my dad is about to die. Let him be your stepdad."
William almost choked on his coffee.
He looked at Thalia in shock.
Turning a husband into a stepdad?
Thalia's thought process was too unpredictable for most people to follow.
Thalia patted William's back, "Don't be fooled by my mom's age. She takes good care of herself. Whenever we go out, people think she's my sister. She's actually in her forties but looks like she's in her thirties. So, Mr. Brown, how about it?"
William pushed Thalia's hand away, "Have you told Grace how many times we've slept together?"
Thalia: ....... What!
"Any normal man would have a hard time accepting that."
"Are you normal?"
"I'm normal," William affirmed.
"A normal person wouldn't threaten to tell Chase where my dad is, Mr. Brown. Pulling up your pants and not recognizing people, you're almost the epitome of a jerk. And you call yourself normal?"
Grace's eyes tightened at Thalia's words.
She looked at William more intently.
"Thalia, step outside for a moment."
"For what?" Thalia was unhappy, "Are you two planning to sell me off?"
William reminded her, "Human trafficking is illegal."
Grace pushed Thalia to the door.
Thalia reluctantly went outside, keeping an eye on the house, but unfortunately, Hayden had spent a lot of money on soundproofing when designing the house. The soundproofing was excellent.
She could see them talking but couldn't hear a word.
Inside, Grace, with her experience, could clearly see what William felt for Thalia.
Not yet thirty, successful, the king of the legal world in Emerald City, and a typical wealthy man.
Keeping a woman on a string but not letting her go only meant one thing.
"I'll be blunt. Thalia's been influenced by her father in matters of love. She's a bit slow to realize feelings and might not see what Mr. Brown wants."
"Mr. Brown, do you want her to be your mistress?"