Chapter 391 I Will Make You Beg for Mercy Under Me One Day
"Are you sure you want to go?" William's hand on her waist hadn't let go.
Thalia looked at him with some surprise. "What? I can't go? I'm not good enough to handle your family's business?"
William was covered in sweat. Thalia had just woken up, looking clean like a little princess fresh out of the bath. William couldn't bear to get his stinky sweat all over her, so he let go. "What I mean is, if you step in to solve this, the Jimenezes will very likely find out about our secret marriage. Aren't you afraid they'll come after you once they know?"
"Or make our relationship public?"
Thalia adjusted her sitting position and looked at him. "If he comes after me, won't you handle it? If he wants to go public, can't you shut it down?"
William had wanted to push Thalia to give him an answer, but...
Her two questions turned the tables completely.
She threw the problem back at William, leaving him somewhat at a loss for how to respond.
Thalia added, "Or are you saying you'd actually love it if everyone found out about our secret marriage when I'm standing up for your family?"
If their secret marriage became known at a time like this, wouldn't William become some heartless, ungrateful scumbag?
William had already cursed Thalia hundreds of times in his head.
Furious inside but gentle and smiling on the surface, William said, "They don't have that ability."
Thalia nodded. "There you go then."
"Give me your hand."
"What for?" Though puzzled, Thalia still reached out her hand.
William had run 3 miles early in the morning, thinking he'd feel refreshed, but after this exchange with Thalia, he felt frustrated and stifled.
He grabbed Thalia's hand and wiped it all over his face.
Thalia snapped, "You jerk, you're covered in sweat."
"William, you come back here. I promise I won't kill you."
The bathroom door closing was her only response.
Thalia looked at the sweat on her hand, wiped it with a few tissues in disgust, found it wouldn't come clean, and reluctantly got up to go to the bathroom.
As soon as she pushed the door open, she saw William completely naked.
Thalia looked, her face flushing, but still brazenly walked in pretending nothing was wrong.
While turning on the faucet to wash her hands, she casually asked William, "William, if I took nude photos of you and sold them, how much could I get per picture?"
William didn't stop showering, glanced at Thalia with her back to him, and spoke nonchalantly. "What do you think I could make if I sold news of your secret marriage to the media?"
"Thalia, I'm warning you, be a good person, or the day you reach the top as Best Actress will be the day your secret marriage gets exposed."
Thalia replied, "Has our relationship gotten this weak? I know you don't love me, but I didn't know you didn't love me this much."
"You've really broken my heart. Whatever." Thalia turned off the faucet, shook her hands, and sighed dramatically. "We're just in a temporary marriage anyway. I don't expect you to love me much. I'm only after your body, not your love. I'll get love from someone else later."
The sound of running water stopped instantly. Thalia glanced through the mirror at the man behind her, still covered in body wash suds.
Otherwise, she should have run away by now.
"Get it from who?"
"None of your business. Anyway, not from a useless man like you."
The shower door was pulled open.
The bathroom door was slammed shut.
William watched helplessly as Thalia slipped out of the bathroom like a snake.
And pulled the door closed.
"Thalia, if you've got guts, open this door."
"I won't."
"You remember this - one day I'll make you beg for mercy beneath me."
...........
"You're awake? Did you sleep well?"
Amara had slept through the night at the police station. The warm autumn sun shone through the station's main entrance into the room.
She was blinded by the light reflecting off the floor tiles. Just as she turned over, the sudden greeting nearly scared her off the chair.
"Why are you here? Did you break the law too?"
Amara was startled by Thalia. "William won't help me, or you either?"
"That's terrible, isn't it? A man like that should get a new wife."
Thalia said, "You can actually sleep in a place like this. You're really brave."
"I've slept in the morgue during my internship. This is nothing."
Amara sat up, rubbing her neck. Thalia opened the food container beside her, gestured for Amara to pull her clothes taut, and laid out breakfast items one by one. "Eat something."
"This scene reminds me of farewell meals in TV dramas."
"Can't you think of something positive?" Thalia complained.
"I'm in jail, can't help it. Tell William later not to pull strings to get me out."
"The Jimenezes just want to see him bow his head. I don't want him to bow his head."
Amara drank some milk, chatting with Thalia between bites.
"Why?" Thalia asked.
"The Jimenezes don't deserve it. How could such an evil family deserve William bowing his head? I can't bear to see him break his pride for me."
"But what if he doesn't pull strings and you get sentenced?"
"I don't care. I haven't had a break in almost five years since I started at the hospital. This would be a good rest."
Thalia thought for a moment before speaking. "Amara, that way of thinking isn't healthy. When someone works their way up to a high position, besides getting what they want, it's more about being able to protect the people around them. Whether William bows his head or not is between him and the Jimenez family, but whether he gets you out is between him and you."
"His issues with the Jimenez family are his to solve, but your relationship with him also needs proper handling. Don't say things like that anymore. If a man bowing his head can save you from jail, you should feel lucky to have such a capable man in your family."
"We're different. I can tell you love yourself more than William, but we're family. Family members love each other more than themselves."
Thalia was speechless, looking at Amara, wanting to explain, but thought better of it. No point saying anything.
"Your family situation really doesn't need you to sacrifice yourself. What you're doing will only move yourself. To outsiders, it's being presumptuous, and to William it's a psychological burden."
"Believe it or not, if it really came down to it and he had to choose between bowing his head and saving you, he would definitely choose to save you."
"Bowing his head himself, that kind of thing that hurts his pride - once it's over, it's over. I'm sure he's bowed to plenty of people climbing to where he is now. But not saving you means he has to face your parents. That's long-term torment, like dampness that gets brought up from time to time and makes you uncomfortable, like rheumatism. On rainy days, even if the rain doesn't touch you, you'll be in unbearable pain, deep in your bones."