Chapter 514 Love Triangle
When the familiar scent of sandalwood reached Thalia, despair crashed over her like a tide she had no strength left to fight.
Her hand clutching William's coat didn't know whether to let go or hold on.
Let go? William would definitely make her life miserable when they got back.
With so many media reporters present, getting caught would only deepen her troubles.
Within moments, the whispers in the venue faded to silence. The man gripped Thalia's shoulder, steadying her on her feet.
His gaze fixed on Gregory with guarded warning. "Gregory, you okay?"
William had seen it clearly - when Gregory had reached out to grab Thalia just now, his movement was too hasty, and he'd knocked his hand against the small table in front of him.
At a glance, his hand was an angry red, beads of blood welling from the wounds.
Gregory looked down at his hand, letting it hang by his side, and said slowly, "It's nothing."
The man glanced at his wound, unmoved."Crossing the line always leaves a mark — on others and yourself. Gregory should have that wound treated soon; if it festers, it will become far worse trouble than this."
Gregory understood - William was warning him to give up on Thalia soon, or else his feelings would harm himself, and getting out wouldn't be as simple as just getting hurt.
A tense silence stretched between the two men in the recording studio, with Thalia trapped in the middle, barely daring to breathe.
Speak up? She'd offend William.
Stay silent? Gregory would seem too innocent.
The suffocating atmosphere pressed down over the recording studio, sending a prickling unease crawling across Thalia's scalp.
"I appreciate the concern. A few scrapes are part of growing up. But you, Mr. Brown — forcing what was never yours to take rarely ends well. Mind yourself."
William smirked with a mocking response, "Have you tried it?"
To William, Gregory's words reeked of jealousy.
William was being arrogant.
Gregory's arrogance had twisted the truth beyond recognition. Watching Thalia's silence, the scene painted itself convincingly — a domineering CEO strong-arming a female celebrity who had no say in the matter.
"Thalia..." Gregory called out softly.
Hearing her name, Thalia felt desperate.
She had prayed William's attention would land anywhere but on her — yet Gregory had to go and pull her straight into the spotlight.
The moment Gregory spoke, William's grip around Thalia's waist tightened with brutal force — her breath caught, her face draining of color as pain shot through her.
"Gregory, if you want to rescue lost girls, find someone else. My woman is none of your business." With that, William turned to leave with Thalia in his arms.
Cruelly enough, Thalia's legs had long since gone numb from standing. When William wrenched her around, she nearly crumpled straight to his feet.
Worried, Gregory watched from behind as Thalia's legs gave out, his heart jumping to his throat.
William, unmoved by her state, slid his hands beneath her arms and swept her up in one swift motion.
His hostility was palpable, barely containing his suppressed rage.
"Isla, what is happening?" Luca had been watching from the sidelines for some time, but only found the courage to speak once William and Thalia were gone.
Hearing this, Isla was at a loss - she didn't dare speculate about the situation.
"Just check on Gregory!"
The moment the main parties were gone, whispers broke out all around them.
"What's happening?"
"A love triangle?"
"Thalia's so lucky! Both William and Gregory like her - what incredible luck!"
"Don't talk nonsense if you want to stay in this industry!"
The gossip stopped there, but people's curiosity didn't.
...
"My waist is breaking."
In the car, Thalia tried to break free from William's grip.
The instant she stirred, his hand pressed firmly against her waist, pinning her in place. His eyes bore into her with sharp scrutiny. "Didn't you say this show had no intimate scenes?"
"I was talking about the show I'm currently filming."
"What about the previous one - didn't you see it yourself?"
"Thalia!" William's jaw tightened, his gaze cutting into her with barely contained displeasure.
"Can't you tell? Gregory likes you."
"Plenty of people like me. Should I avoid every single one of them? William, people who know me know I'm innocent, but those who don't might think I did something to betray you."
"Gregory and I share a perfectly normal working relationship. You're reading far more into it than there is." Thalia pushed his hand from her waist and rubbed the spot herself.
"You know full well Selene has ulterior motives, yet you keep her close all the same — why is that?"
"Mr. Brown..."
"Get lost..."
Finn had barely opened the car door before the man's furious shout cut him off.
He shrank back with a guilty wince and quietly pulled the door shut, not daring to utter a word.
Thalia broke into a cold sweat under William's pressure.Carrying her out of the building had already stirred up enough of a scene. Lingering any longer would only make things worse for her.
"I was wrong..."
Thalia saw no point in inviting conflict — knowing when to bend had always been one of her greatest strengths.Just as she was about to apologize, she saw William pull out his phone and call Angelina.
He snapped, "Fire Selene. Now."
Angelina said, "What's gotten into you? What did Ms. Smith do to you now?"
"Either she goes, or you both go. Your choice." William hung up.
Angelina stared at her phone for a long, unmoving moment. Daniel caught the look and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Mr. Brown told me to fire Selene."
Daniel clicked his tongue. "What's there even to think about? The man has lost all reason — love has made a fool of him."
Angelina was speechless.
Watching William like this, Thalia realized he clearly had no intention of letting her off!
"Fine, I'll keep my distance from him from now on. Don't be angry."
"Good boy, let me kiss."