Chapter 144 Mr. Brown Inspects
"Thalia."
"What's up?" Thalia and Evelyn had just finished their day and were about to part ways when Chase blocked her path just as she reached her car.
The way Chase showed up with such force didn't look like he was here to catch up with her.
Chase glanced at Evelyn, then turned his gaze to Thalia. The Thomas family had recently gained favor with someone important, and their business was thriving and flourishing. Soon they'd become a pillar of Emerald City - not someone to mess with.
But Chase also knew that Evelyn and Thalia's relationship couldn't be broken up with just a few words.
"Want to grab a drink?"
Thalia figured Chase couldn't do much to her anyway, so she nodded and they found a nearby outdoor café.
After ordering coffee, Chase was about to say something when Thalia looked down and her round-neck t-shirt loosened a bit, revealing crimson marks. Anyone who'd been around the business world long enough knew exactly what those marks were.
Those were clearly marks left after sex, weren't they?
Seeing Chase staring at her neckline, Thalia followed his gaze, her eyes darkening. Just as she was about to get angry, she heard Chase say: "I heard William took your case?"
"Your information is pretty slow."
As Thalia spoke, she reached up to adjust her collar.
The more Thalia acted this way, the more Chase felt she was trying to cover something up.
"I'm really curious what method you used to convince William."
Thalia felt Chase's words were somewhat grating. Her slender fingertips tapped the cup: "Guess..."
"Hayden spoiled you so much, pampered you, would've plucked the stars and moon from the sky for you. If he knew you'd do such dirty things for a bit of money, do you think he'd be angry enough to wake up?"
Hearing Chase's words, Thalia leaned forward, propping her chin up as she looked at him: "You know me - I have everything except a sense of shame. Do you think a few words from you will make me feel guilty?"
"You're really underestimating me."
"Don't you feel any guilt?"
"Do you?" Thalia shot back. Seeing the server bringing coffee, she paused, then continued after the server left: "Everyone knows what's going on. Why are you playing dumb?"
After shutting Chase down, Thalia leaned back in her chair and leisurely sipped her coffee.
Chase was about to say something when he saw Thalia's phone on the table light up.
A puppy avatar stood out prominently. Thalia glanced at it, frowned slightly, and smoothly hung up the call.
Chase didn't care about other things, but that number's digits really made him think.
He'd pulled strings trying to find William's private number, and after half a month, people finally told him: "Don't know the full number, but I heard Mr. Brown's phone number ends in four nines."
"Already got the guy and now you won't even answer his calls?"
"Since you're so kind, why don't you just give me all your assets?"
"You..."
The phone Thalia had just hung up rang again. William's repeated calls made Thalia lose patience. She put down her coffee cup, stood up and looked at Chase: "If you came to test me, don't bother."
"Thalia..."
Chase's goal wasn't achieved - he definitely wasn't willing to just let Thalia walk away.
He was about to chase after her when he saw Thalia stop in her tracks. She looked at another person standing in the café and laughed mockingly: "What a coincidence. Is this what they call family fate?"
"Ms. Mitchell..."
Eleanor's assistant called out softly. Eleanor raised her hand to stop what she was about to say, handing her bag to the assistant: "Wait for me outside."
Eleanor's assistant looked at Thalia and Chase with some wariness.
The assistant wanted to say something, but seeing Eleanor hadn't moved, she stopped.
After all, Emerald City wasn't their territory anymore. Since coming back this time, the Mitchell family had been hitting walls everywhere.
Just now, they'd been rebuffed by William. They'd arranged to have dinner with the Jackson family, and seeing they had time to spare, wanted to find a place to sit.
They hadn't expected to run into Thalia and Chase.
Thalia sat back down. At the round table, the three of them each took a side. Thalia leaned back in her chair, the same cup of coffee in front of her. The server handed Eleanor a menu. She ordered an Americano and returned the menu.
Looking at Thalia again, she saw her looking down, sending a message.
For a moment, the three of them sat in silent tension.
"What's up?"
William: "Where are you?"
"Having coffee"
William was angry on his end. He stood in the living room of Maple Grove Villas, cigarette in hand, with Fallon and several servants beside him, being silently crushed by William's oppressive mood.
William held the cigarette at an angle between his lips, eyes narrowed, both hands frantically typing on his phone: "Having coffee at 6:30? What, is Mrs. Brown planning to go to the bar wide awake?"
"Want to! Would you agree?"
William pulled the cigarette from his lips and laughed coldly. He exhaled smoke, put the cigarette back between his lips and continued typing. Watching from behind, Fallon thought that if he didn't already know what kind of person William was, just looking at this scene would make him think William was a thug.
"Then you better contact the hospital to arrange a prosthetic limb for you!"
Holding her phone, Thalia looked at these words through the screen and somehow felt her legs itch. She reached down to touch them, and from the corner of her eye, saw Eleanor and Chase both coldly watching her.
She casually tossed her phone into her bag: "What?"
"Recently there's been a lot of talk in Emerald City, saying you and Walter are together again."
Thalia: ...Never heard of it.
She'd been too busy lately - where would she have time to pay attention to this?
Besides, anyone who knew her should know that if she and Walter met in this lifetime without stabbing each other, that would already be pretty good.
"People's mouths are their own. If they want to spread rumors, there's nothing I can do."
Eleanor wasn't a busybody, but she wasn't Thalia's enemy either. She opened Facebook, scrolled to a post, and handed her phone to Thalia, indicating she should look.
Thalia took the phone skeptically and glanced at it. That one glance truly shocked her.
"The person in the photo is wearing the same makeup as you, the same clothes, striking the same pose, hugging the same man, and most importantly, this person looks about sixty percent like you. Thalia... your life is really colorful."
She knew Eleanor must have had a reason for voluntarily sitting down to have coffee with them, but she hadn't expected the reason would involve her.
No wonder that woman looked somewhat surprised when she saw her last night. She hadn't had time to think about it carefully.
So this was why.