Chapter 489 You Can Have As Many Times As You Want
"I'm going out for a bit."
"Where to?"
"To catch a cheater!"
Grace was speechless.
Someone like William always played the whole long game. How could he sacrifice long-term benefits for a moment of pleasure?
That day, Thalia didn't have John drive her. The spa center where William was staying wasn't a place just anyone could enter. It was discreet and heavily guarded, frequented by top figures from all walks of life. Any scandal that leaked out could be devastating.
As her car turned from the Smith Villa onto the main road, Thalia stopped at a red light. Leaning back in her seat, she glanced at the rearview mirror. Just as she was about to look away, she noticed a black Volkswagen behind her.
She adjusted the mirror and checked the license plate.
She'd felt someone following her since leaving the spa. Looks like she was right.
The light turned green. Thalia drove slowly along the side of the road, and the car behind maintained a steady distance.
Clearly, they were after her.
Not wanting them to know she'd noticed, Thalia drove to the outskirts and called Finn.
"Don't tell William. Just come yourself."
"Okay..." Finn hesitated, figuring if Thalia said so, it probably wasn't too serious.
He drove to the location.
After driving around in circles for a while, Thalia decided it was enough. She found a parking spot on the street, put on a cap, got out, and entered a supermarket.
In the crowded space, her tail started to panic, looking around frantically as if searching for something.
Thalia watched their movements through a reflective glass, slipped out of the crowd, showed herself briefly, and headed straight for the restroom.
Her follower went in after her.
Thalia turned into the restroom, crossed her arms, and leaned against the wall, watching the man who'd been following her walk past.
"Looking for me?"
The man turned around to see Thalia leaning against the wall with a lollipop in her mouth and a baseball cap on, watching him. Alarm bells went off in his head.
The restroom ahead was a dead end. In an instant, he turned to run. But just as he took two steps, the fire exit door leading to the restroom swung open, and a man in a black coat kicked him, flying back.
Thalia watched the man get kicked back and clicked her tongue. "That's rough!"
The man saw Thalia shaking her head with the lollipop in her mouth, then looked at the menacing figure ahead. In less than a second, he scrambled up from the floor, trying to grab Thalia to use her against William.
But before he could get up, Thalia kicked him in the face. The rhinestone buckle on her flat shoe cut his face, blood streaming down.
"Want to grab me? Do I look easy to bully?" Thalia stepped out from the corner, only to see it wasn't Finn who'd come, but William.
She raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "How come you're here? Weren't you at a business dinner?"
"Business dinners can always be continued. Come here."
Thalia walked closer and caught the smell of cigarettes and alcohol on him, mixed with a woman's perfume.
"Your date tonight has good taste. That's a custom-made perfume."
William glanced at Thalia, his large hand wrapping around hers. "Wasn't it you who recommended it to Angelina?"
When Thalia and Angelina were together, they'd talked about everything from spa treatments to weight loss. They hit it off so well they were practically best friends. What was the big deal about using the same perfume?
Thalia asked, "No other women?"
"Of course, there are other women at business dinners, but what are you worried about?"
"Thalia, if you're really worried, we can have sex when we get home."
Thalia was speechless.
"As many times as you want."
"Shut up!" Thalia shoved her lollipop into William's mouth, stopping his dirty talk.
"Mr. Brown, we have a problem."
Finn, who'd been guarding the fire exit, suddenly pushed the door open, looking urgent and flustered. "A bunch of reporters just flooded in at the entrance."
Thalia froze. Had they been set up?
So this man was just the advance guard, and the real show was waiting for them?
"Finn," William glanced at the man on the floor. Finn understood, grabbed the man by the neck, and dragged him into a stall in the women's restroom.
He knocked him out with one slap.
Outside, Thalia looked at William, a thought flashing through her mind for a second—maybe this was William's doing.
When William looked over, he caught Thalia's expression and understood. "It wasn't me."
"I knew you weren't that stupid."
William was speechless.
He said, "Since we're here anyway, let's shop."
"I'll be on the front page tomorrow."
"Better to avoid trouble. I'm not afraid of gossip, but I don't like it when it affects my business."
William nodded, understanding.
He pulled out his phone from inside his suit jacket and made a call, exchanging pleasantries for a bit.
He hung up after getting to the point.
Within two minutes of hanging up, the mall's PA system started clearing people out. "Due to electrical maintenance, the mall will close for repairs in fifteen minutes. Guests still in the mall, please exit in an orderly fashion. We welcome your next visit."
"Your property?"
"A client's," William said with a slight smile, leaning against the wall looking at Thalia.
..........
"Who exactly tipped us off about an exclusive here?"
"How should I know? Someone tipped you off, so you came."
"They said if we come up empty, they'll pay us double. What are you worried about?"
"An exclusive on Thalia? Didn't she already have that scandal with Mr. Brown? What other exclusive could there be? Someone's playing us, right?"
"Yeah, I'm worried there's someone inside we can't afford to mess with."
"What if Thalia's two-timing? Wouldn't that be explosive news?"
"She's already got Mr. Brown, why would she need another man?"
"Did Mr. Brown actually confirm it?"
For people in this line of work, getting exclusive information wasn't hard, but whether they could publish it was another matter. They didn't want to make a wasted trip. If they couldn't publish, not only would it be pointless, but they might offend someone.
Brian got out of his car outside, about to enter the supermarket, when he heard what these people were saying. He cleverly stood at the entrance and made a call. "Mr. Brown? Yes! The police are on their way. Yes! Leave the reporters to the police."
"I understand."
Brian's voice wasn't loud, but loud enough to be heard. The murmuring in the crowd stopped. Everyone watched Brian's back, and someone recognized him.
"Mr. Brown's special assistant."
"Could it be..."
"Would you dare publish news about Mr. Brown?"
No one answered, but everyone knew.
William wasn't someone to mess with, and the Celestia Group even less so. Any one of them could make their lives difficult.