Chapter 349 Romantic Scene at Mistwood Hill
"Not enough, Ms. Smith. You're loaded—how about chipping in?"
"Ms. Mitchell, you've got some nerve!" Thalia shot back.
Eleanor chuckled and glanced at the elevator display, showing it was heading to the 22nd floor. Midway, she pressed the button for the 20th floor. When the doors opened, the other passengers stared at her in confusion. Eleanor's tone was calm. "Sorry to trouble you all, but could you take the stairs? Ms. Smith and I need to have a private chat."
Though annoyed, no one dared to speak up—after all, this was her turf!
Reluctantly and begrudgingly, they filed out of the elevator.
As the elevator doors closed, Eleanor spoke up. "I heard the Jimenezes are making their move? William's probably about to take over Regal City. When that happens, whether you can hold onto your position as Mrs. Brown is anyone's guess. Let me give you some advice—don't get in too deep. Get out while you can."
"Thalia, for men, power is the ultimate temptation. And William's wild nature means his ambitions won't stop here."
Thalia's heart skipped a beat. Thinking about it herself was one thing, but hearing it from someone else hit differently.
Startled as she was inside, she couldn't show weakness on the surface.
"So what?" Thalia sneered. "Eleanor, you know why your life is so exhausting? Overthinking everything guarantees you'll never be happy. I just enjoy what's in front of me. So what if William leaves? It's not like I won't have other options—just like your position in the Mitchell family. You're just the most suitable one right now, not necessarily forever."
Thalia leaned in closer. "With skills like yours, it's a shame you're not out saving the world."
The elevator doors opened. Thalia stepped out, leaving Eleanor with a carefree silhouette.
Just as the doors were about to close, Thalia turned back and clicked her tongue, shaking her head with mock sympathy. "Fancy beds without you, late-night overtime always with you—how pathetic!"
Eleanor was speechless.
"What did you two talk about?" Layla worried that Thalia might have gotten into an argument with her. If the director found out, who knows what trouble it could cause.
"Building rapport," Thalia replied.
"What rapport could you two possibly have?"
"Exactly because we have no rapport, we need to build it."
Layla was speechless.
Upstairs in the top-floor lounge, Eleanor freshened up and sat at the vanity, blow-drying her hair. She noticed a message on her phone.
She opened it.
A news alert about a romantic scene at Mistwood Hill.
She clicked on it and saw the hilltop covered in stars. She froze.
Her hand stopped mid-blow-dry.
Though she wasn't certain, she had a nagging feeling this had something to do with Thalia. Could the villa on Mistwood Hill be William's private residence?
If it really was, what part of Emerald City's power structure wasn't in his hands?
Mistwood Hill required deep connections to access, plus asset verification. What did that mean? Both connections and wealth—at minimum three generations of accumulated wealth, or at least someone in the family who moved in both circles.
Business and military circles, both ways.
...
"You didn't see him? What about Vaughn?"
"I saw him at first, but after the car accident, I couldn't see him anymore."
"About the accident—did William say anything?"
Stefan shook his head. "It's been Mr. Brown's secretary contacting us the whole time. I never saw Mr. Brown himself from start to finish."
Steven sat on the sofa holding a teacup, a deep smile on his lips. "Worthy of the Jimenez family bloodline indeed—he's got some backbone. If he were really useless, I wouldn't even bother with him."
Stefan glanced at Steven, thinking that William would probably never be useless in his entire life.
Even if every other man in the world died, he still wouldn't be useless.
But Stefan didn't say this out loud.
Steven had been in that position for nearly a lifetime. Everyone fawned over him, served him, until he forgot that the world now belonged to the younger generation. Someone like William wouldn't be controlled by anyone.
"Yes."
"Mr. Vaughn Brown's education of Mr. William Brown has been very successful."
"Vaughn's been a teacher his whole life—it's what he's studied all along. Of course, he'd give his all to his own son." Steven looked down on Vaughn somewhat.
He'd always thought of him as a poor teacher. Back then, he'd chosen to marry his daughter off to him precisely because he was a poor teacher.
He'd thought he could keep him tied down for life, but the marriage lasted only two years before falling apart.
And now, he was the one being held hostage.
His dear daughter had pushed the Jimenez family to this point.
"I found out there's a business forum tonight that Mr. Brown will be attending. Should we..."
"Let's go meet him. I don't believe he'd embarrass me in front of outsiders."
...
In early autumn, the chamber of commerce held various forums—essentially opportunities for business people to network and build connections.
William usually didn't attend these events, but this time, the chamber's senior members kept asking repeatedly, making it impossible to decline.
Near the end of the workday, his mind had already flown home, thinking about how to explain things to Thalia.
Then she told him she had to shoot night scenes, which put all his thoughts to rest.
"Everyone who's anyone in business is coming. A few of the seniors guaranteed you'd attend, so it's probably packed right now."
Angelina looked at the messages in the chamber's group chat, seeing even some of the usually quiet industry veterans coming out of the woodwork. She had a pretty good idea what was going on.
The venue was chosen at a classical garden—a scenic area during the day, rented out for the evening event. Parking was limited, and latecomers were scrambling to find spots.
Some people hadn't brought drivers and could only ask in the group chat when they couldn't find parking.
"Eleanor's here too." Angelina glanced at William, who followed her gaze.
"I've been hearing rumors about the Mitchell family lately. A few days ago, Eleanor was so angry that she took people to a hotel and beat up Raymond. He didn't dare say a word."
"He only dares to throw his weight around in front of Elowen. If you ask me, if the Mitchell family had Eleanor marry Raymond instead, and he dared to cheat so openly, she'd probably break his legs and make him attend the wedding in a wheelchair."
"Get out." The car stopped at the entrance. William looked listless, uninterested in other people's gossip.