Chapter 339 - 326: We All Saw the News 1

Sylvie was slumped over the desk, looking like all the life had been drained out of her.

Felix Sinclair said, "Look at you, what a chicken!"

"Then you do it!" Sylvie shot back, and Felix Sinclair immediately fell silent.

As it turned out, the two of them had been worrying for nothing.

Georgia Thorne acted as if nothing had happened, working just as she always did.

Under Sylvie’s careful observation, Georgia Thorne showed no unusual behavior or emotional distress.

Over the next few days, the studio took on several new clients.

One of them happened to be someone they had just met a few days ago.

The workload was heavy, so Georgia Thorne delegated some of the tasks to Sylvie and Felix Sinclair, telling them they could discuss any issues that came up.

For one client, however, Georgia Thorne took the order form and went to see them in person.

Sam Yates drove. The destination was a high-end apartment building downtown.

"Wait for me in the car. If I’m not out in an hour, give me a call."

Sam Yates started to go in with Georgia Thorne, but she stopped him.

Sam Yates nodded. "Alright."

"Miss Rhodes, it’s me."

Quincy Rhodes’s face appeared on the intercom screen. With a CLICK, the electronic lock on the door disengaged.

’For Quincy Rhodes to seek her out... that was truly a surprise.’

"Miss Thorne, hello." Quincy Rhodes opened the door and ushered her inside.

"Please, call me Georgia," she said as she entered and swapped her shoes for a pair of slippers.

Quincy Rhodes clearly knew how to enjoy life. The apartment was lavishly decorated, exuding extravagance at every turn.

"Mayor Rhodes, you..."

"We’re at my home, please don’t call me Mayor. I’ll call you Georgia, and you can call me by my name as well," Quincy Rhodes said with easy grace, handing her a glass of water.

’Call her by her name? I couldn’t possibly.’

"I’m sorry, I’m not quite comfortable with that. I’d better just call you Mayor."

"Mayor Rhodes, what style of clothing do you prefer? Or perhaps, what kind of event are you preparing for?" Georgia Thorne took out a notebook and pen, ready to get to work.

"A suit would be best. I’m about to take office, and I’ll need a new outfit or two for giving speeches, don’t you think?"

Georgia Thorne was taken aback for a second before saying, "Congratulations."

’If I remember correctly,’ she thought, ’the election results haven’t even been officially announced, yet Quincy Rhodes is already preparing her victory speech outfit.’

"Thank you."

Quincy Rhodes wanted a woman’s suit that would project an image of a sharp, capable professional.

Georgia Thorne had done considerable research into professional womenswear. She jotted down Quincy Rhodes’s requirements in her notebook and then took her measurements.

Before leaving, Georgia Thorne glanced around the apartment. "Mayor Rhodes, do you live here alone?"

"I do."

"I’m sorry, but would it be alright if I used your restroom for a moment?"

"Of course. It’s right over there."

"Thank you."

’Quincy Rhodes claimed to live alone, but the apartment was filled with items for two people—specifically, for a man and a woman.’

The sound of rushing water filled the room as she turned on the faucet, washed her hands, and walked out.

"Thank you."

"You’re welcome. Take care, Miss Thorne."

The moment the door closed, the smile vanished from her face. She turned and stepped into the elevator.

She settled into the car and looked up from her phone. "Let’s go to the hospital."

"Yes, ma’am," Sam Yates said, pulling the car away from the curb. He then asked, "Ma’am, did anything happen back there?"

"No."

’It wasn’t exactly ’nothing.’ At the very least, she’d discovered one thing: Quincy Rhodes seemed very concerned about Elliot Sheridan’s current situation.’

’When she’d asked about Elliot, Quincy’s expression had grown visibly solemn, taut with tension.’

’Quincy Rhodes seemed to care deeply. She was even probing, as if trying to determine whether Elliot was just putting on an act.’

Sharon Ennis’s health had improved considerably, but her emotional state remained fragile.

She had mistaken Miles for her own son, but that was only because she loved her child so dearly.

In the hospital room, Quentin Chase and her son were keeping Sharon Ennis company.

Perhaps because Miles looked so much like Elliot Sheridan as a child, looking at the boy brought Sharon Ennis a small measure of comfort, as if she’d found an emotional anchor.

"Mom, are you feeling any better?" Georgia Thorne asked, walking over to her.

"What does it matter if I’m better or not? Elliot..."

At the mention of Elliot Sheridan, Sharon Ennis grew agitated, her eyes welling with tears and turning red.

"Mom, please don’t be like this. If Elliot knew you were in this state, he would be heartbroken. None of us wanted this to happen," Georgia Thorne said, wrapping her arms around Sharon Ennis, hoping to offer some comfort.

Sharon Ennis managed a faint sound of acknowledgment, but the tears flowed ceaselessly. Her silent weeping was painful for Georgia Thorne to watch.

Quentin Chase joined in trying to console her. "You have to take care of your health, too."

As she spoke, she prompted her son, "Miles, go talk to Grandma. Tell her a joke."

Miles was very obedient. He leaned in close to Sharon Ennis and actually started telling her jokes.

Having made her pinky-promise with him beforehand, Miles racked his brain and told a few jokes. "Grandma, I finished my jokes, so you’re not allowed to cry anymore!"

Sharon Ennis was in no mood to laugh, but she couldn’t bring herself to reject the child’s kind gesture, and she did manage to stop crying.

’Miles is a kind-hearted boy, really,’ Georgia thought. ’He’s just too guarded and wary of people.’

Georgia Thorne looked at Quentin Chase, who was sitting across from her. "There’s something I’d like to discuss with you. Could you step outside with me?"

Quentin Chase was visibly taken aback, but she nodded.

"Miles, Mommy’s going out to buy something for Grandma. Your job is to keep her happy, understand?"

Miles gave her a little salute and turned back to telling Sharon Ennis jokes.

The hospital was bustling with people.

Georgia Thorne found a less crowded area. "Have a seat."

The two had never spoken directly before, so Quentin Chase couldn’t guess what Georgia Thorne wanted.

"Miss Chase, is it alright if I call you that?"

Quentin Chase shook her head. "Quentin is fine."

Quentin Chase looked at Georgia Thorne. Facing this woman who was nearly a decade her junior, she found that she was the one who was nervous.

"What are your plans for the future? Do you intend to stay here with your son, or will you leave?" Georgia Thorne asked, getting straight to the point.

The blunt question caught Quentin Chase completely off guard. She had thought about leaving before, but then all of this had happened.

"I haven’t decided. I’ll probably stay here," she answered after a few seconds of hesitation.

’Before, I didn’t want to stay because I was afraid Elliot would think I had ulterior motives, that I wanted to ruin his relationship with Georgia. There’s no chance of that now.’

’But since he’s here, she and her son would stay here too.’

"Have you thought about getting married again?"

"...N-no," Quentin Chase stammered.

Georgia Thorne looked at the nervous Quentin Chase. She could see it clearly in her eyes—the love she held for Elliot Sheridan. It was something that could never be erased.

’I don’t want to ignore it, and I can’t ignore it.’

"I have a friend who’s a lot like you, raising her son all by herself. Life is hard. Even if you can manage for now, what will you do when you’re older and your son has his own family? You have to be responsible for your own future, not just the present. A woman can’t go it alone forever; it’s exhausting trying to handle everything by yourself." Georgia Thorne paused. "Someone I know... she just got divorced not long ago. It’s incredibly difficult for her to raise her child alone. But then, she met a man who is exceptionally good to her. If you were to meet a man like that, you should marry him. Don’t wait. You’ll only regret it later if you do."

Quentin Chase had been raising her son alone for a long time, and many people had tried to set her up with men.

The matchmakers saw she had a child, so the men they introduced were all from the bottom of the barrel. She had met a few, and some of them even said they wouldn’t accept her son.

’She wanted to find a man to build a life with, too. But if that man wasn’t the one she truly wanted, what was the point?’

Georgia Thorne was the first person to ever put it that way—to tell her to find a man who would be *good* to her.

"And you?"

"Me?" Georgia Thorne let out a wry laugh. "If I found another man, that would be adultery. If he ever found out, he’d probably break out of prison just to come and settle the score with me."

’That jealous man... he used to get so upset even when I just hired a male intern.’

’She knew it was impossible, but she couldn’t help but hope for it anyway.’

’Thirty years. It’s such a long time.’

At that moment, Quentin Chase was overcome with envy for Georgia Thorne. She envied her for having Elliot Sheridan’s love, a love that gave her such confidence.

Her envy curdled into jealousy. "Don’t you mind?"

"What?"

"Don’t you mind that Miles exists? He’s my son with Elliot!" The words burst out of her, uncontrolled. Only after she’d shouted them did Quentin Chase realize she must be going crazy.

Jealousy was a venomous weed, growing wild in her heart. She was so, so envious of Georgia Thorne—how she wished she could be in her place.

"How could I not mind? I’m not that magnanimous." ’There was one thing she didn’t understand,’ Georgia thought. ’Did Quentin Chase know that Miles was actually Carter Sheridan’s son?’

’It seems she doesn’t.’

"..." Quentin Chase was left speechless.

"Before the paternity test results came back, I told Elliot that if Miles was his son, we would get a divorce. I had forgotten so much back then... when I remembered it all later, I was sick with regret. Eventually, I came to think that it wouldn’t matter even if the child was his. After all, I was the one who came into his life late. It wasn’t his fault, and it wasn’t anyone’s fault. If only I had met him sooner, become a part of his life sooner, then maybe things wouldn’t have ended up like this."

’What was that saying? It’s a shame we didn’t meet sooner.’

"I actually had a child once, too. But it wasn’t meant to be. In any case, the child is always innocent."

"...Did Elliot really kill someone? I can’t believe he’s that kind of person."

"I don’t believe it either. But that was the verdict."

Elliot Sheridan was in the prime of his life. To go to prison for thirty years... by the time he got out, he would be in his sixties.