Chapter 467 Returning to the Hotel
"Give me my phone."
William knew better than to refuse and handed Thalia her phone.
Thalia took photos of these things and sent them to Eleanor.
She also sent a voice message: [Ms. Mitchell, the Mitchell family's wedding really lets just anyone in, huh.]
Soon, Eleanor's message came back: [Is it possible that Mr. Brown is just too popular with women?]
Thalia couldn't be bothered to argue with her and tossed her coat to William. "Let's go back to the hotel."
Downstairs in the banquet hall, it was lively and bustling.
Thalia and William left directly through the hotel elevator.
"They left?" Yosef had just walked up to Eleanor's side. Hearing someone ask, he nodded.
"What about the one upstairs?"
"Still there."
Eleanor's gaze swept around the venue. She saw Steven exchanging pleasantries with people. Her eyes landed on him, and before she could look away, Sean beside him caught it.
Eleanor nodded slightly as a greeting.
"Where's Michael? Didn't he come?"
"Steven wouldn't let him show his face at this kind of social event."
Eleanor turned around and cursed.
"Go ahead! I'm going to find Raymond."
In the crowd, Boone was toasting with Elowen and Raymond. Eleanor walked over to greet them.
"Mr. Carter, let me have a word with Raymond."
Boone looked at her and nodded.
"Thalia just had a run-in with Dione."
Raymond's eyes widened in shock. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he roughly understood what that meant. "I need to make a call."
As Raymond left with his phone, he saw Jacob coming down from the third floor, heading into the banquet hall, straight toward Selene.
Instantly, Raymond's alarm bells went off, but since he had more pressing matters at hand, he didn't investigate further.
........
Thalia had just arrived at the hotel. She got some ice, wrapped it in a towel, and gave it to William. "Hold this yourself. I need to make a call."
William was unusually obedient today. Thalia's forceful and domineering manner seemed like something he'd been waiting for all along. He didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable; on the contrary, he rather enjoyed it.
After Thalia finished her call, William finally said, "Why are you contacting the media?"
"To expose the relationship between you and your birth mother."
The man's gaze tightened as he looked at Thalia with probing eyes. "Even if your birth mother doesn't have much real power, your stepfather is in a high position. While it might be difficult for them to destroy us, they certainly have the means to trip us up. Now that we've made an enemy of her, she definitely won't let us off easily. Anyway, might as well go all in. Rather than wait for her to come after us, we should expose everything first."
"I don't care about my reputation at all. I don't believe she doesn't care about hers either."
"She's a big shot in Regal City after all. If she dares to mess with you, I'll dare to let people know her true nature—abandoning her husband and child, being unfaithful, leaving the poor for the rich—and let the world condemn her."
Hearing Thalia's indignant speech, William pressed the ice pack back to his face.
Eleanor was right. Thalia's shamelessness was a strength anyone should learn from.
"Why are you staring at me?" Just as Thalia finished asking, the doorbell rang.
She glanced at William, who put down the ice pack and went to answer the door. Thalia moved into the hotel room.
The suite's living room faced the door directly. If someone saw her, it would surely cause trouble.
"Mr. Brown, Mr. Raymond Carter sent me to find Ms. Smith."
Raymond's person?
The man's expression was serious and cold. "She's not here. What's the matter?"
The person at the door didn't insist, probably following Raymond's instructions. "Mr. Raymond Carter said that in Regal City, if Ms. Smith needs anything, she can contact him."
The man pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to William. "This is his contact information. In Regal City, if Ms. Smith encounters any inconvenience, she can contact him directly."
William had long known that Raymond was good at hiding. All these years without showing any edge wasn't because he truly had no ability, but because he hid it well enough.
Money is the key to the door of power. Over the years, the Carter family had closely monitored his accounts, making it impossible for him to move. Thalia's help was undoubtedly pulling someone out of a hellish quagmire.
From Raymond's perspective, that was a life-saving favor.
Although William didn't care who Thalia gave money to, he roughly understood what was going on.
The man took the note, acknowledged it, and closed the door.
"Is Raymond your man now?"
"Of course," Thalia took the note and saved the phone number in her contacts.
Remembering something, she called Raymond.
In front of William, she gave some instructions.
On the other end, Raymond confirmed repeatedly. "Are you sure you want to get involved in the matter between William and his birth mother?"
"Let me tell you, his birth mother is now the wife of someone in power. Even her smallest move can shake Regal City."
"Steven at least climbed to a high position back then. Even though he's retired, his status and position remain. But William's birth mother has been suppressing the Jimenez family. In just three years, she's brought down a family that the Jimenezes spent forty or fifty years building up. If you get involved, there's only harm, no benefit."
"Just do as I say."
Raymond wanted to persuade her further, but hearing Thalia's tone that brooked no argument, he swallowed all his words.
"Let me remind you, I just saw Dione's people making contact with Selene."
"Selene?"
"Yeah."
Thalia suddenly felt like she was shooting herself in the foot. Had she just handed Dione a knife to use against herself?
After hanging up, she looked at William with her phone, her naked disdain completely unconcealed.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just feel like hitting you."
..........
Selene looked at Jacob, her eyes showing some fear. She didn't know who this person was, but seeing him approach so aggressively, he probably didn't come with good intentions.
"Ms. Peterson, I heard you have a close relationship with Mr. Brown?"
"Which Mr. Brown?" Selene asked, mustering her courage.
"The new elite of Emerald City, William."
"That's just gossip and rumors. Why are you looking for me?"
Jacob laughed, official and distant. "Ms. Peterson, you may not know this, but Mr. Brown's birth mother is now the wife of someone in power in Regal City. She heard you're her future daughter-in-law and specifically sent me to check on you."
Selene was stunned. Someone in power? Could it be the one who recently took office?
Instantly, Selene felt that William's humiliation last night was nothing. The son of a high-ranking official, and himself a new elite of Emerald City, William had gathered all the trump cards together. If she could latch onto such a person, it would mean a lifetime of wealth and glory.