Chapter 331 - 318: I Have Something to Do, Don’t Wait Up

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it’s that I don’t need a bodyguard!"

"I’m sorry, but I was hired by President Sheridan. If you don’t require my services, you can ask him to dismiss me."

Sam Yates was a man who radiated an air of utter seriousness.

’When did Elliot Sheridan send this man to follow me?’ She truly hadn’t noticed a thing.

Georgia Thorne couldn’t get rid of him, so she could only let him wait outside the studio.

As soon as she returned to her studio, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

She hesitated for a few seconds before answering. The voice of a reporter came from the other end. She hastily apologized and hung up.

The number of reporters downstairs was growing. Georgia Thorne glanced down and finally understood why celebrities hated the press.

As noon approached, the quiet crowd of reporters below suddenly erupted, their excited voices drifting up.

Georgia Thorne walked to the window and glanced down. Someone was getting out of a flashy, bright red sports car.

The person took off their sunglasses, looked up, and met Georgia Thorne’s gaze, flashing a bold smile at her.

Erin Irving was clearly used to such scenes. He was a celebrity in his own right, constantly pursued by admirers.

He faced the swarm of reporters with calm composure, cleared his throat, and skillfully deflected their fervor. "My friends, I’m delighted you could all come to Miss Thorne’s studio in person."

"Mr. Irving, is it true you’re investing in Georgia Thorne’s new studio?"

"If we recall correctly, you previously said Miss Thorne plagiarized Yulia Upton’s work. What is your attitude toward Miss Thorne now?"

...

Erin Irving’s appearance was a complete surprise to the reporters. The fact that he and Georgia Thorne were connected was an even more explosive story.

"My attitude toward Miss Thorne was the same as yours. At first, I was also deceived by Miss Upton. Who knew that Miss Thorne was the real victim!" Erin Irving put on a guilty expression.

"So, Mr. Irving, you..."

"I know you all want to interview Miss Thorne. There’s no need to rush. When the press conference is held, I will naturally invite all of you!"

"Does that mean you’ve hired Miss Thorne, Mr. Irving?"

"No, no, you can’t put it that way. Miss Thorne and I are partners."

With his deft touch, Erin Irving easily dismissed the reporters who had been waiting downstairs for over two hours.

When he came up, he had even brought a bouquet from the flower shop downstairs. "Pink roses. Do you like them?"

"No woman dislikes roses, but they’re not for me." Georgia Thorne glanced at them and asked curiously, "How did you get rid of that mob of reporters downstairs?"

"Simple!" He snapped his fingers. "I told them you’re holding a press conference the day after tomorrow in the afternoon, and they can ask you any questions they want then."

"...They believed you?"

"It’s not that they believed me, it’s that this press conference is really going to happen!" Erin Irving looked around the room. "I estimate this place should be renovated in another two weeks!"

"How is that possible!" This place needed at least another month to be finished.

"Nothing’s impossible!" He turned around. "For the next two days, you just focus on how to handle the press conference. Leave this place to me!"

「Two days later」 The press conference was held at the Irving Group.

As the studio’s investor and largest shareholder, Erin Irving sat beside Georgia Thorne.

Facing the reporters below the stage, he gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, leaned in, and whispered in Georgia Thorne’s ear, "Don’t be too nervous. I’ve already made arrangements."

"Oh, really? Did you plant your own people among the reporters?" Georgia Thorne shot him a sarcastic look. Erin Irving cracked his neck and said vaguely, "You never know!"

The press conference went very smoothly. The questions were basically the ones Erin Irving had prepped her for, with answers he had provided. Aside from one or two reporters who went off-script with a couple of outrageous questions, even those were handled by Erin Irving.

However, toward the end, a reporter asked about her relationship with Elliot Sheridan.

Georgia Thorne paused, subconsciously glancing at Erin Irving beside her. He had his head tilted, listlessly fiddling with his fingers.

She looked up and smiled calmly. "I’m sorry, today’s press conference is for questions related to my work. My husband and I are a private matter."

"Then, Miss Thorne, are you aware of what’s happened to your husband, Elliot Sheridan? We heard he’s suspected of murder and is currently being held at the police station. Did you know about this?" the reporter pressed on rapidly.

Police station?

It felt like a sledgehammer had slammed into her chest. Georgia Thorne froze. "What!"

"Miss Thorne, you didn’t know?"

She shook her head, bewildered. "I don’t know!"

’This has nothing to do with the questions Erin Irving gave me. It’s about Elliot.’ She whipped her head around to look at Erin Irving.

He showed no significant change in expression. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he had already known about the reporter’s question, or perhaps he was just used to handling such sudden developments.

She was suddenly bewildered. Beneath the table, she clenched her fists, almost standing up to leave right then and there.

The reporter seemed to want to ask more, but with a single look from Erin Irving, the moderator quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "This concludes today’s press conference! Once Miss Thorne’s personal studio is established, we welcome you all to come and show your support!"

As they were leaving the conference hall, Erin Irving suddenly said, "Actually, I’m also quite curious about your current situation with your husband. Didn’t you move out of Elliot Sheridan’s place?"

"I didn’t think Mr. Irving was one for petty gossip. It’s really not like you." Georgia Thorne stopped walking. "My husband and I had a small disagreement. It’s nothing serious."

"Is that all?"

"What else would it be?"

"I heard Quentin Chase had Elliot Sheridan’s son. And that you two are on the brink of divorce?"

"It seems you enjoy asking questions you already know the answers to, President Irving."

Erin Irving smiled faintly. "Some things I need to confirm personally to be at ease."

"In that case, you must not have any close friends."

"No, I think you and I get along quite well, Miss Thorne."

"Wrong. We’re not friends. We’re just in a boss-subordinate relationship."

"Miss Thorne, you wound me by saying that!"

Georgia Thorne gave a faint smile and changed the subject. "I’m heading to the studio first."

"Alright, off you go." Erin Irving watched her leave, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Georgia Thorne could no longer keep up her pretense in front of Erin Irving. She quickened her pace and walked outside.

She took out her phone and turned it on. Seven or eight text messages popped up, all from Sharon Ennis.

"Hello, Mom, it’s me! ...Where are you? I’m on my way!"

On the other end of the line was Sharon Ennis’s crying, her choked sobs interspersed with James Sheridan’s concerned voice.

Georgia Thorne hurried outside, hailed a cab, and headed for the police station.

Inside the bustling police station, an officer led her into an office.

In the office, Sharon Ennis was crying on Hillary’s shoulder. The other two were nowhere to be seen.

Georgia Thorne quickly walked over and hugged Sharon Ennis. "Mom, Elliot will be fine."

Georgia Thorne sat down, and as she listened to Sharon Ennis’s tearful account, she finally understood the whole story.

’He really did go out that night on business. No wonder he left in such a rush.’

At an out-of-town construction site, a worker had been accidentally hit by a pile of steel rebar, fallen from a tall building, and died instantly.

This construction project was personally approved by the government and was a key project for the year.

But unexpectedly, halfway through construction, something like this happened.

As the person in charge of the project, Elliot Sheridan had to go there himself. His first priority was to console the victim’s family.

That day, Elliot Sheridan had visited the deceased’s wife. He assured her that they wouldn’t be shortchanged a single cent on the related compensation. At the time, the wife had seemed to agree, and the matter was considered settled.

But who would have known? No sooner had Elliot Sheridan left her home than news came that the victim’s wife was dead.

The victim’s wife had been stabbed to death with a kitchen knife. A neighbor, an older woman, found her collapsed in her home. By the time she was rushed to the hospital, she had already died from excessive blood loss.

When the police investigated the victim’s home, they found that the only fingerprints on the kitchen knife were Elliot Sheridan’s.

Therefore, Elliot Sheridan was taken into custody at the police station as the prime suspect.

The story had broken just moments before Georgia Thorne’s press conference, which was why she hadn’t known about it until a reporter brought it up.

After a while, James Sheridan returned from outside.

Sharon Ennis shot to her feet. "How did it go? Can we bail Sharon out?"

James Sheridan shook his head. "The police said this project involves the government and must be thoroughly investigated. Elliot is a person of intense interest. Until there’s a conclusive result, we’re only allowed to visit."

"How could Sharon kill someone? I want to see the chief! My Sharon is innocent!" Sharon Ennis struggled to leave but was held back by Hillary and Georgia Thorne. "Mom, don’t get excited! Mom! Mom!"

Sharon Ennis was extremely agitated. Unable to bear the mental and emotional blow of her own son becoming a murder suspect, she fainted.

"Dad, you should take Mom home first. I want to see Elliot," Georgia Thorne said softly.

In the visitation room, Elliot Sheridan sat before her, dressed in a worn, wrinkled prison uniform. One hand was cuffed to a pipe on the table to prevent him from harming others.

Elliot Sheridan had been brought to the police station this morning, and before that, he had already gone two full nights without sleep.

On one hand, he had to pacify the other workers on the construction site; on the other, he had to console the deceased’s wife.