Chapter 218 I Listen to You, So Do You Like Me?
The destructive power of the phrase "I'm different from your dad" seemed to completely overturn all of Thalia's growth over the years.
William was practically telling her to wipe her eyes clean and see that not everyone in this world was a scumbag like her father.
"What if your wife was someone else?"
William looked up at her, his eyes dark, his tone icy: "You really are stubborn!"
"I'm just asking! If what you give me is the same as what you'd give anyone else, then I don't want it."
William casually tossed the towel onto the coffee table. Although Thalia hadn't lived here in a long time, some of her things were still in the villa. She'd occasionally have John and Isla come back to get stuff, so things were fairly clean. William adjusted the legs of his loungewear and sat on the coffee table, looking at her: "Thalia, you want unique love on one hand, and divorce on the other. Do you think that makes sense?"
"Well, isn't it because..." Thalia wanted to say something, but seeing Amara there, she held back.
Amara got it—her presence was cramping Thalia's style.
She tactfully left through the villa door and saw Finn directing people by the community river.
"Because what?" William continued: "Because of the rules I set?"
Thalia muttered: "Well, yeah."
"Ms. Smith is so obedient!"
Thalia was annoyed. Hearing William's sarcastic tone, she lost her temper, stood up and tried to go find Amara. She'd barely taken two steps when William grabbed her arm and pushed her back onto the sofa.
"Thalia, even kids know nothing comes for free. If you want wholehearted, unique love, you have to give something too. This marriage can't be all me giving, right?"
William looked at her, speaking each word deliberately.
Thalia's mind was crystal clear. Being Hayden's daughter all these years, if she'd been even slightly unclear-headed, those illegitimate children would've stolen Hayden away long ago.
Grace had told her since childhood to win Hayden's heart. She'd been fighting with men for a full twenty years.
William's routine of "you can have money but not love"—she could counter that in a heartbeat.
"William, our marriage was transactional from the start. If you want to love me, go ahead. If you don't, I won't force you. Don't make it seem like I'm waiting for your charity. Whether I give or not depends on my mood. But whether you love me or not—what's that got to do with me?"
Thalia touched his earlobe, her voice lilting upward, especially pleasant.
"Let me put it this way—if Mr. Brown's heart wants to love me, can you control it? Men! Don't be so uptight."
William laughed in exasperation. Thalia's point was: you can love me, but that's your business. As for whether I love you—depends on my mood.
If you love me, I won't object, but you can't demand I love you back.
And I firmly believe you'll love me so deeply you'll overlook the fact that I don't love you.
Was this something a human being would say?
"Mr. Brown, the marriage certificate does have legal force, but it can't control my soul. I like obedient men."
Thalia gently rubbed William's earlobe, over and over, as if playing with a treasure.
William reached out and held Thalia's palm, looking down with a soft laugh: "Am I not obedient enough? Mrs. Brown tells me to go fast and I go fast, tells me to go slow and I go slow, tells me to touch and I touch, tells me to lick..."
"You pervert, shut up." Thalia's ears turned red from William's words, glaring at him in embarrassment.
William pulled away the hand covering his mouth: "Am I obedient?"
Thalia stayed silent.
William continued: "So it seems..."
"Obedient, obedient, obedient."
"I'm obedient, so do you like me?"
Thalia: ...she'd been trapped again.
With a calculating man like William, if you blocked one path, he'd find every way to open a second one. He'd never let you get what you wanted.
Playing mind games, she was no match for William.
Thalia refused to give in: "What's the benefit of liking you?"
"Endless money, endless men. Is that enough?"
"Mr. Brown is so shameless, do your employees know?"
William chuckled softly. Just as he was about to say something, the doorbell rang.
Amara stood at the door with a grave expression, looking at William: "Finn sent word—the police said they found the person, but he's dead."
William's expression changed instantly.
"Let's go see."
Thalia went upstairs to change into clean, practical clothes and went with William to the location.
"Boss," Finn walked over, handing them masks.
Thalia put on her mask and walked over, crouching down to touch the body, but was stopped by Amara: "Don't touch it."
"Wait for the medical examiner."
"Where's Ethan?" William asked Finn.
As soon as he asked, Ethan arrived, wearing a police uniform with a medical examiner following behind.
"Based on the body temperature, this happened about five minutes ago."
"The injuries on the body weren't fatal. The fatal wound is on the neck."
Ethan listened to the medical examiner's analysis and glanced at William: "Silencing a witness?"
"Have you offended someone recently?"
Thalia shook her head: "Not to this extent! Could it be the Wood family?"
"If the Wood family wanted to kill me, they would've done it already. No need to wait until now!"
Thalia rejected her own theory.
"Did you lose something?"
"No, he was looking for something, but hadn't found it yet when I showed up."
Ethan's gaze fell on William. Seeing the latter's eyes darken slightly, Ethan understood and looked at Thalia: "Then we'll take this person back today. It's getting late—leave the rest to us?"
"Fine." William agreed to Ethan's suggestion.
Thalia was stunned. Fine? Just like that?
She looked at William with some confusion.
"Need a medical examiner? I can help." Amara was enthusiastic, seeming very interested.
Ethan waved her over, signaling her to follow.
...
"Why hand it over to them?"
"You want to get involved?" On the drive back, Thalia sat in the passenger seat looking at the man holding the steering wheel.
"I can't get involved?"
"You can, but think about it—you're a celebrity, I'm a businessman. If we really got involved, what impact would it have on us? Mrs. Brown, I fought my way up to where I am now—was it so I could handle everything personally?"
William's series of questions left her speechless.
"Then..."
Thalia was about to say something when there was a violent screeching of brakes.
A woman rushed out from the roadside flower bed.