Chapter 323 - 310: You Can Stay for as Long as You Want (1)

Hannah Gardner stuck his tongue out at her and stood protectively in front of her like a brave warrior. "Ms. Thorne, was it a burglar?"

After moving in, he’d noticed Ms. Thorne was all alone. He had never seen her husband, Mr. Sheridan, either.

He was pretty bummed about not seeing Mr. Sheridan. There were so many questions he wanted to ask him.

"No, it’s the owner of this apartment," Georgia Thorne said, looking at him with amusement.

’The only man who had a key to this apartment was probably Justin Sullivan.’

"So when you see him, be polite and call him ’uncle,’ okay?"

Hannah Gardner gave her a salute!

He had been away on a business trip for some time.

"Georgia, where have you been?" Hearing the noise at the entrance, Justin Sullivan strode out quickly.

He ran right into Hannah Gardner, who had just come dashing in. Justin froze for a few seconds. "Who are you?"

"Hello, Uncle. My name is Hannah Gardner!" Hannah stood up straight and answered respectfully.

"He’s my friend’s son. He’s just staying for a couple of days." Georgia Thorne explained as she came in and changed her shoes. "By the way, what are you doing here?"

"I just got back from my business trip and came to see you," Justin Sullivan said, licking his dry lips. "Did you two go out to eat?"

"Yeah. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

"I think there are some noodles in the fridge. Do you want some?"

"Yes, please."

"Wait a moment. I’ll go make them for you now."

Justin wanted to say he wasn’t in a hurry and could wait for her to take her time.

But he was afraid his words would sound too forward, so he just watched her back as she went into the kitchen.

Hannah Gardner was a sharp one. The way this uncle was looking at Ms. Thorne was just like the way those creepy men looked at Chloe. "Uncle, do you like Ms. Thorne?"

"Let me tell you, you can’t like Ms. Thorne. Ms. Thorne already has Mr. Sheridan!"

Justin Sullivan chuckled. "How do you know they’ll be together forever?"

"Why don’t you consider siding with me? I’ll buy you a lollipop, how about that?" Justin Sullivan ruffled Hannah’s hair.

Hannah didn’t like people touching his head and shook it off. "Uncle, I’m not a little kid. How could you try to buy me off with just one lollipop!"

Hannah snorted with disdain and held up ten fingers. "Uncle, if you buy me *this* many lollipops, then I might consider it!"

"Deal!"

A bowl of noodles was ready in no time. Justin Sullivan finished it in one go, his appetite whetted. He even felt like having another bowl.

"I’ll be staying in Portmire for a while. I’m not going back anywhere," Justin Sullivan said.

Georgia Thorne hummed in acknowledgment. "I’ve troubled you enough. I’m moving back tomorrow."

"So soon?" Justin Sullivan was stunned.

"I’ve been here a long time. Anyway, thank you for letting me stay here all this time."

"Are you moving back in with him? Have you two made up?" Justin Sullivan was getting anxious. He didn’t want Georgia to go back to living with Elliot Sheridan.

’The only reason they would live together again was if they had reconciled.’

"He’s my husband. I have to move back sooner or later. I just came out here to clear my head," Georgia Thorne said after a pause. "Besides, if I stay at your place for too long, people will inevitably start to gossip."

"But didn’t he have a child with another woman? You’re still going back to him after that?" Justin Sullivan looked at her. "I can stay with the Sullivan Family. You can live here as long as you want!"

"Really, there’s no need."

Georgia Thorne insisted again and again, and there were some things he couldn’t bring himself to say to her just yet.

"So when do you plan on moving back? Have you told him yet?"

"Not yet. I want to surprise him."

Justin Sullivan was speechless.

’A surprise, huh? He’d like to see what kind of surprise this would be.’

Georgia Thorne had told Justin Sullivan a white lie. She had no immediate plans to move back in with Elliot Sheridan.

She had thought things through, but it was precisely because she was clear on her own thoughts that she knew there were other things she needed to take care of first.

First thing in the morning, Georgia Thorne called Byron Shaw.

Naturally, Byron Shaw didn’t refuse her request. An hour later, he picked her and the child up.

As Byron Shaw drove, he brought up various topics to fill the silence.

Many of them were about her physical condition, and Georgia Thorne answered each one.

"You really haven’t recovered your memories yet?"

"No."

"I see."

Byron Shaw seemed to be very busy. After dropping them off at an apartment and leaving a set of keys with her, he left in a hurry.

A few minutes later, there was a noise at the door. Georgia Thorne assumed it was Byron Shaw returning, but was surprised to see Naomi Shaw standing in the doorway.

Naomi Shaw had been vacationing abroad for a while, partly to clear her head and partly to avoid Carter Sheridan.

She had already rejected the man’s advances, but to her surprise, he didn’t give up and even followed her overseas.

Left with no choice, she had to come back to continue hiding from Carter Sheridan.

Seeing Georgia Thorne suddenly appear in Byron Shaw’s home, Naomi Shaw was naturally thrilled. "Georgia, what are you doing here?"

Hannah Gardner lifted his head from the sofa. "Ms. Thorne, who is this lady?"

Georgia’s expression was one of unfamiliarity. "Excuse me, who are you?"

Naomi Shaw’s face went pale. "You don’t recognize me? I’m your..."

The word "mother" died on her lips. She figured Georgia wouldn’t want to hear it.

"I’m sorry, I was in a car accident recently and don’t remember a lot of things. If you’re here to see Attorney Shaw, he just stepped out."

"How could you have been in a car accident?" Naomi Shaw asked anxiously. "So you don’t remember me at all?"

She shook her head. "I’m sorry, may I ask who you are?"

"I’m Byron Shaw’s older sister... and also your mother," Naomi Shaw said awkwardly.

Georgia Thorne’s reaction wasn’t as emotional as one might expect. She looked at her calmly. "My husband has mentioned you. I just didn’t expect you to be so young."

Naomi Shaw forced a smile and brought the groceries into the house. "I bought a lot of food today. What would you like for lunch? I’ll make it for you."

"Make an extra serving. I have a friend coming over later."

"Okay!"

Georgia wasn’t rejecting her like she had before, which was definitely a good thing for Naomi.

’Perhaps, by spending time together, they could gradually become like a normal mother and daughter.’

Naomi Shaw was a gracious host to Georgia, personally pouring her tea and bringing over a plate of cut fruit. "This fruit was just bought. It’s very fresh and sweet. Have some!"

"Thank you."

"You two go ahead and eat. I’m going to start on lunch."

After Naomi went into the kitchen, Hannah Gardner, who was sitting beside her, whispered in her ear, "Why is your mom so enthusiastic toward you?"

"I’m not sure either."

"I’m so jealous of you," Hannah said glumly, precisely spearing a piece of apple with his fork and taking a fierce bite.

Around noon, Chloe Gardner rushed over. "Why did you move?"

Today was the day of the final competition. After lunch, the two of them headed out.

Hannah Gardner shamelessly insisted on going with them, saying he wanted to see the world. He clung to Chloe’s leg and refused to let go.

Finally, after Chloe laid down three simple rules, Hannah was allowed to leave with them.

The finals began at two in the afternoon, and Georgia Thorne arrived early.

A staff member invited them to a private dressing room, where a makeup artist got to work on Chloe first.

Georgia Thorne stood by, offering suggestions. "Could you please change her eyeshadow to a true red? And make it a bit more alluring."

The makeup artist gave her an "OK" gesture. "You’re here for the finals, right?"

The makeup and styling took half an hour in total, especially since the hair didn’t require much work—it was just left to drape messily over her back.

Chloe Gardner twisted her stiff neck. "Every time I get my makeup done, I feel like my neck is going to fall off."

"Alright, hurry up and get changed," Georgia Thorne said, shoving the clothes into her hands and pushing her into the changing room.

There were ten finalists in total, including Georgia and her colleague from the same company, Laura Chase, along with eight others from different companies.

Every contestant was brimming with confidence. Vivian Sawyer arrived to cheer her on.

"I almost got crushed! There’s a huge crowd of reporters outside," Vivian Sawyer said, sitting down on the sofa and taking a sip of water, her face flushed red.

"That’s normal. The sponsors for this competition like to make a scene."

"Yeah, and you should have seen the smug look on Laura Chase’s face when she was being interviewed. It was like she’d already won the championship."

The finals would start with a runway show, after which the designers would explain the inspiration or design concept behind their model’s outfit from backstage. Finally, a panel of five judges would give their scores.

These five judges were said to be internationally renowned designers, and rumor had it one of them was from Akashima.

At 1:45, a staff member came to inform them that it was time to gather backstage.

Georgia Thorne walked behind, giving Chloe Gardner a few last-minute instructions. They would be heading to different backstage areas.

Hannah Gardner tugged on Georgia’s sleeve. "Can I go in with Mom?"

"Your mom will be out soon. Don’t worry."

Hannah said, "Oh," then gave Chloe a rare compliment. "Chloe, you know, when you’re not talking, you actually look pretty beautiful."

Chloe was speechless.

Chloe looked utterly exasperated. ’Was that supposed to be a compliment?’

Georgia Thorne and Hannah Gardner went backstage, where the other contestants were already gathered.

A staff member saw her. "Miss Thorne, please come draw a number."

Georgia Thorne drew number six, meaning she would be the sixth to present.

Everyone sat around chatting. The contestant who drew number seven was very nervous, sitting beside Georgia with her head down, constantly tugging at her clothes.

Georgia handed her a bottle of water. "No need to be so nervous."

The girl, who wore large-framed glasses, gave her a shy smile. "Thank you."

Up ahead, the competition had already begun. The host was on stage, and after a little while, a staff member called the first contestant out.

Looking toward the entrance, the first contestant’s figure disappeared behind the curtain.

Up front, Laura Chase happened to glance back, shooting Georgia Thorne a provocative look. The corner of her mouth curved into a mocking smile before she turned back to chat with the person next to her.