Chapter 118: Chapter 118: I Have a Boyfriend Now (Part 1)
"Is that so? And what if she finds out about what you did all those years ago?"
"All those years ago? What things?" Joanne Donovan looked at him innocently. "Elliot, what are you talking about? I don’t understand!"
Elliot let out a cold snort. ’Her acting is flawless, enough to fool anyone.’
"Sorry, but I have no interest in this dinner. You can carry on however you please."
He tossed the butt of his cigarette into the trash and strode out without a second thought.
Fuming, Joanne raised her voice and called his name from behind him, but Elliot didn’t even turn around.
Once she was alone, her sweet smile vanished, replaced by a face twisted with resentment.
’Who was that little slut he was just on the phone with? He looked so gentle!’
Joanne dialed a number. "Check Elliot Sheridan’s schedule for tonight."
A few minutes later, the person on the other end replied, "President Sheridan is scheduled to have dinner with Amanda Thorne at seven tonight."
’Amanda Thorne! That bitch again!’
Joanne hung up in a rage. ’It seems she wasn’t humiliated enough last time!’
Her perfectly manicured nails dug into her flesh, leaving deep, crimson crescent marks.
The woman who had been with Elliot for three years was suddenly cast aside for no reason. She’d thought it was for real, which had allowed her to let her guard down.
’And now they’re back in touch, even having dinner together?’
’After dinner, the next step will be getting a room and hopping into bed, won’t it!’
She had to admit, Elliot was incredibly cunning. To think he’d go to such lengths for Amanda Thorne.
Inside the private room, Quincy Rhodes was enthusiastically chatting with Miss Sheridan.
When she saw Joanne enter alone, she asked, "Where’s Elliot?"
By the time Joanne entered, her face was already a mask of gentle, perfectly composed smiles. "He said something important came up at the company, so he had to leave."
Hearing this, Miss Sheridan’s expression hardened. "That boy is getting more and more thoughtless. It’s rare for an old woman like me to come out for a meal, and he won’t even stay to keep me company!"
"It’s a good thing for young people to be ambitious. You should try to be understanding, ma’am."
Miss Sheridan huffed, a little annoyed. She might be old, but she wasn’t senile.
’A man must first and foremost be successful in his career.’
’Her grandson was a success, and he brought glory to the Sheridan Family.’
"Forget it. Since he’s not here, let’s eat," Miss Sheridan said, picking up her chopsticks and motioning for them to begin.
Joanne and Quincy exchanged a look, and Joanne gave her mother a slight shake of her head.
The hospital room was as silent as stagnant water. Other than the sound from the television, neither of them spoke.
Selena kept her head down, her mind completely focused on Georgia. She wanted to ask who had just called her.
After ten minutes of silence, Georgia’s phone rang. It was Elliot.
A single, clear command from Elliot: "Come out."
Georgia answered softly and stood up. "Selena, something’s come up, so I’m going to head out."
Selena watched her. Just as Georgia reached the door, she called out, "I want to ask you something!"
Georgia stopped in her tracks. "What is it?"
The question had been weighing on Selena’s mind ever since she saw that bashful look on Georgia’s face during her phone call. She couldn’t help but wonder.
’Was the person on the other end of the line Justin Sullivan?’
"What exactly is your relationship with Justin Sullivan?" Selena asked aloud.
"The first day you two met after coming back, you acted like you didn’t know each other. But a few days later, Justin Sullivan was calling you his niece."
"And that time at the Thorne family dinner, the way Justin looked at you wasn’t right. It was the way a man looks at a woman—full of affection."
"And then, when he grabbed your hand, I was still trying to deny that voice in my head."
’It’s impossible. Justin is Georgia’s uncle.’
But in her fear, she’d overlooked a crucial detail.
Georgia and Justin Sullivan were not related by blood.
"Whether you believe me or not, we just have a normal uncle-niece relationship now. Nothing more," Georgia said, taking a step forward and noticing Selena’s reddened eyes.
She could understand what Selena was feeling. She’d been through something similar herself.
"I did use to like Justin, it’s true. But that’s all in the past. There’s no chance of us ever getting back together. I have a boyfriend now, and I love him very much. We’re very happy."
As Georgia spoke about her boyfriend, the happiness and bashfulness in her eyes looked genuine.
Georgia’s words made Selena suddenly recall Georgia’s boyfriend, Zane Lennox.
Zane was an outstanding guy, and he was good to Georgia.
’He’s so considerate. It’s no wonder Georgia would fall for him.’
"Selena, I just hope we can still be best friends, just like before." As Georgia spoke, her own eyes grew moist, remembering how Selena always stood up for her whenever she was bullied in the past.
You couldn’t just erase those memories. The two of them had laughed together and cried together.
She could still see it all so clearly.
Selena didn’t say a word, just watched her quietly, her tear-filled eyes trembling with indecision.
’Elliot was right about one thing—Justin would never love her back. But Georgia... Georgia was still here.’
Georgia wiped away a tear. "I’m going to go. I’ll come see you another day."
Georgia picked up her bag and turned to leave.
She had just reached the door when her phone rang. It was Elliot. "Walk to your left. A silver-gray car, license plate..."
Following Elliot’s directions, Georgia went out the door, took a few steps to the left, and saw a sapphire blue Porsche parked at the intersection. The license plate was the one he’d just told her.
She hurried over, opened the door, and got in. "You got a new car?"
"Yeah, a friend gave it to me a couple of days ago. I was in a good mood today, so I decided to take it for a spin."
Elliot took her hand, stopping her from buckling her seatbelt just yet.
With the car’s interior light on, he cupped her cheek with his handsome hand, turning her face toward his. His eyes were deep and intense.
His voice was husky. "You’ve been crying? Did she give you a hard time?"
"No!" Georgia slapped his hand away, not wanting him to look at her.
’I did cry a little bit while we were talking, but my eyes can’t be that red.’
’This man’s eyes are ridiculously sharp; he can even tell that much.’
"She didn’t give you a hard time? Then why did she make you go fetch water? Since when did she learn to order her elders around?"
Elliot snorted. Georgia’s ears turned red, and she shot back, "Don’t be ridiculous! What do you mean, ’elder’?"
’I’m more than a month younger than Selena!’
"She calls me her uncle, and you’re my girlfriend. If that doesn’t make you her elder, what does? What, would you rather have her call me ’brother’ instead?"
Elliot raised his voice, his dark eyes fixed on her.
Georgia was speechless. ’Even if you gave Selena a hundred times the courage, she’d never dare call him ’brother’.’
"Didn’t you say it would be half an hour? How did you get here so early?" Georgia quickly changed the subject.
"The dinner was boring, so I just came over."
"Then who was that woman on the phone?" Georgia asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
"Joanne Donovan." Elliot didn’t hide anything from Georgia. "Joanne was trying to be manipulative. I wasn’t happy about it, so I left."
’Besides, he’d much rather have dinner with Georgia.’
Georgia gave a sullen "mhm" and said bluntly, "She’s your fiancée."
Elliot pinched her cheek, then slid his hand into her hair, pulling her head toward him. "Getting jealous again?"
"I’m not..."
Before she could finish, his lips were on hers, silencing her.
The sight of her made Elliot want to take her right then and there.
Her voice was as soft as silk. "Didn’t you say we were going to get dinner?"
