Chapter 343 - 330: President Irving, Are You Going to Question My Private Time, Too?

Georgia Thorne rested outside for a bit before getting in the car to head back.

The next morning, just as Georgia Thorne arrived at the studio, she received a call from the manager of the dyeing factory. He said the pattern samples that had just been sent over were missing and asked if she could make another trip.

Everyone at the studio was out tending to their own business, so she had no choice but to go herself.

Sylvie had been the one liaising with the factory manager, so Georgia called her to ask where the pattern samples were. After grabbing them, she rushed out the door.

Sam Yates was the man Elliot Sheridan had assigned to Georgia Thorne; protecting her was his top priority. The moment Georgia left the studio, he pulled the car up to the entrance.

"Ma’am, where are you headed?"

"Perfect timing. I need you to take me somewhere, quick."

As she got into the car, Georgia anxiously rattled off the dyeing factory’s address.

When they arrived at the dyeing factory, she rushed to hand the pattern samples to the manager. "Can you fast-track the one with the gold floral pattern? The other designs aren’t as urgent."

"This isn’t a very large order. It should be done in about two or three days. When this batch is ready, I’ll give you a call first to come pick it up."

"Great, thank you!"

The smell inside the dyeing factory was overpowering, and after a few moments, Georgia found it unbearable.

Before she left, she said once more, "Thank you so much!"

"Miss Thorne, you’re too kind. If this project goes well, I hope we can work together again!"

"Of course!"

On the way back from the dyeing factory, Georgia got a call from Sylvie. "Miss Thorne, what’s the situation with the patterns?"

"Don’t worry, I’ve already dropped them off."

Sylvie let out a long sigh of relief on the other end. "God, I was so worried!"

When the car got back to the city center, on a street near the studio, she asked him to stop.

"Wait in the car for a minute. I’m just going to buy something."

"Should I come with you?"

"No need." As she spoke, Georgia was already getting out of the car and stepping onto the sidewalk.

Georgia Thorne walked a little way down the street, then glanced back. Once the car was out of sight, she picked up her pace.

’If I remember correctly,’ she thought, ’there’s a pharmacy around here.’

After a short detour, she spotted a pharmacy and went in.

Last night, after getting home, she’d carefully thought over how she’d been feeling lately.

She was always tired, couldn’t stand greasy food, and her period seemed to be a few days late.

All the signs seemed to point to one possibility.

She walked over to the aisle, quickly grabbed what she was looking for, and went to the counter to pay.

She put the item in her purse and headed back to the car.

Sam Yates sat in the car, his gaze fixed, showing no curiosity about where Georgia had just gone.

"Where to next?" Sam Yates asked, turning his head.

"Hold on, let me check my schedule." Georgia fumbled in her purse for her notebook, accidentally pulling out the item she had just put inside.

As if she’d been caught red-handed, she frantically stuffed it back into her purse.

She glanced up at Sam Yates, but his face was a blank mask.

Georgia looked down, opened her notebook, and read an address to him.

Sam Yates started the engine. He caught her distracted expression in the rearview mirror, and his brow furrowed slightly.

Georgia didn’t even stop for lunch before heading off to meet the next client.

When she came out of the client’s villa, the sun was already halfway down the horizon.

Whatever she’d eaten that morning was long gone, and her empty stomach now felt uncomfortable.

The moment she got in the car, the aroma of food hit her. Sam Yates passed a bag back from the passenger seat. "I bought you some porridge."

"Thanks!" Georgia was starving. She took the container, lifted the lid, and the warm scent made her stomach lurch with hunger.

The porridge was still hot, so he must have bought it recently. Georgia was so hungry that she quickly finished off more than half the bowl.

Her previously aching stomach was now pleasantly full. Satisfied, she cleaned up the container.

When she got back to the studio, Sylvie burst out of the door before she could even step inside.

"Miss Thorne! Miss Thorne!"

"What is it? What’s all the fuss about?"

Sylvie was panting from running so fast, a look of thrilled surprise on her face. "There’s... there’s a huge client who wants to work with us!"

"A huge client?" Georgia asked, puzzled. "Who is it?"

"Luther brought him..." Sylvie took a breath, but before she could say more, a voice from inside cut her off. "It’s me."

Justin Sullivan stepped out from the doorway. He was dressed in a black suit today, his eyes holding a soft smile meant for Georgia.

But Georgia wasn’t having it. She gave Justin Sullivan a detached smile. "Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Sullivan?"

To Georgia, Justin Sullivan’s appearance didn’t signal a major client, but an unwelcome intruder.

Georgia’s face hardened. Justin Sullivan’s smile vanished, and he said seriously, "I came to discuss a business deal with you."

"Sorry, but you can discuss this deal with whoever brought you here. I’m busy." Georgia walked into the studio with her bag. Luther intercepted her. "Georgia, I worked hard to bring in a client! Can’t you show Mr. Sullivan some basic courtesy?"

Georgia looked up and sneered, "Since when did your Chinese get so good?"

Luther’s expression froze, and he switched to English to try and reason with her.

Annoyed by his lecturing, Georgia slammed her notebook onto the table. "Erin Irving may have hired you, but I’m the boss here, which means I have every right to fire you!"

"And another thing—I don’t just take any job. It depends on who the client is!" Georgia’s eyes were fixed on Justin Sullivan. "I have the right to choose my clients."

In Georgia’s mind, Justin Sullivan was the man who had destroyed her happiness, the one who sent Elliot Sheridan to prison.

A dead silence fell over the studio.

Sylvie secretly shot a sideways glance at Felix Sinclair, who returned a helpless look. They figured Georgia and this Justin Sullivan didn’t get along.

Despite the atmosphere, Justin Sullivan seemed completely unfazed. He even stepped closer. "I know you blame me, but one day you’ll understand I’m doing this for your own good. And I will be much better to you than he ever was."

"Are you done talking, Mr. Sullivan?" Georgia looked up from her notebook. "If you are, you can leave now. I won’t see you out."

Her tone was clearly dismissive. As thick-skinned as Justin Sullivan was, even his expression soured.

"You’ll regret this sooner or later!" Jesse Sullivan stormed off, his aura radiating anger.

In the studio, everyone except Georgia stood frozen in shock. Only after Justin Sullivan had walked out did they scatter and return to their work.

Georgia picked up her pen but felt no inspiration. She tossed it down dejectedly and flipped to the last page of her notebook, where her self-portrait was still sketched.

She grabbed the pen again and, on the facing page, slowly began to sketch the profile of Elliot Sheridan’s face.

Before the end of the day, Luther came up to her, looking wronged. "You chased away our huge client! How are we supposed to stay in business?"

Perhaps thanks to Sylvie’s careful tutoring, Luther’s Chinese was becoming more and more fluent, improving by leaps and bounds as if he’d taken a miracle supplement.

Georgia closed her notebook. "If you think the pay is too low, you can ask Erin Irving to transfer you to another studio. This humble little shop can’t accommodate a big shot like you."

"Georgia, your temper has gotten so fiery. I was just making a comment."

"What, can’t handle the heat?" Georgia sneered, her icy gaze shooting toward Luther like daggers. It gave him a very bad feeling.

He gave a hollow laugh. "Of course not!"

When she got home from work, Blue had been waiting by the door for what seemed like half the day. Hearing the key in the lock, the cat immediately stood up.

The moment Georgia walked in, Blue pounced affectionately, pawing at her pant leg and meowing insistently.

"Just a minute, I’ll get you some food."

Blue let out a loud MEOW, as if to hurry her along.

Ever since she’d become a cat’s devoted servant, her days consisted of diligently feeding it, diligently keeping it happy, and diligently watching it be adorable.

After getting Blue its food, Georgia sat down to rest for a moment, then remembered something extremely important.

She immediately grabbed the item from her purse and headed for the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, Blue had finished its food, but Georgia still hadn’t come out of the bathroom.

Georgia sat on the toilet in a daze, staring at the pregnancy test in her hand in disbelief. ’My eyes must be playing tricks on me.’

’Two red lines. Did this mean she was pregnant?’

With a jolt, Georgia tossed the pregnancy test into the trash and came out of the bathroom, her expression unsettled.

She paced frantically back and forth in the living room. ’Just that one time... and it happened?’

Georgia didn’t know whether to call it good luck or bad. And of all times for it to happen, Elliot Sheridan wasn’t by her side.

Even though this was Georgia’s second pregnancy, she hadn’t felt anything the first time and hadn’t known what to watch out for. She immediately opened her laptop and searched for information for expectant mothers.

She read that home pregnancy tests can sometimes be inaccurate and that it was best to see a doctor for confirmation.

’Yes, that’s right. I have to go to the hospital.’

The excitement of being pregnant made it hard for Georgia to sleep, but knowing the baby needed her to be well-rested, she forced herself to close her eyes.

That first night of her pregnancy passed in a daze; later, she couldn’t even remember how she’d finally fallen asleep.

Early the next morning, she rushed to the hospital to get an appointment.

Registration, tests, waiting... The process felt both swift and agonizingly long.

Georgia sat on a bench, waiting anxiously, terrified that the result would be a disappointment.