Chapter 192: Chapter 182: My First Time Going to the Civil Affairs Bureau with a Man
’Stingy!’
’So what if I proposed to Zane Lennox? Does he have to be so hung up about it!’
Georgia Thorne huffed, reaching out to pinch the man’s cheeks and pull them into a smile. "You have to be nicer to me, or I won’t let you in bed tonight!"
"Not let me in bed? Who do you want in bed, then?" Elliot Sheridan let her pinch him, a sudden thought crossing his mind that he might have a bit of a masochistic streak.
Georgia Thorne shot him a sideways glance. "I’ll let Blue sleep with me. Blue can’t stand you!"
’That damn cat again.’
"You think a cat can replace your husband?"
"Especially in bed!"
Georgia Thorne met his arrogant gaze, her face flushing. She batted his hand away. "Drive! Just drive!"
They hadn’t eaten lunch yet, so Elliot Sheridan drove her to Ethan Fletcher’s restaurant.
Just as they reached the entrance, they ran into Ethan Fletcher on his way out.
’They got out of the car holding hands, big hand in small. Are they back together again?’
Enjoying the show, Ethan Fletcher grinned. "Well, if it isn’t Miss Thorne. Sharon, how can you just go around holding a young lady’s hand like that!"
Georgia Thorne and Elliot Sheridan had their disagreements, and Elliot was a bit arrogant, but Georgia knew she was the one in the wrong first. Once she softened up and tried to appease him, the two quickly made up.
Elliot Sheridan’s brow furrowed, unhappy with how Ethan addressed Georgia Thorne. "Call her ’sister-in-law’."
"Sister-in-law?" Ethan Fletcher glanced at a certain someone beside him. "I’m just afraid Miss Thorne wouldn’t agree!"
Georgia Thorne herself had been the one to correct him, telling him to call her Miss Thorne last time.
Facing Ethan Fletcher’s scrutinizing gaze, Georgia Thorne accepted it calmly. She turned her head to Elliot Sheridan and said with a smile, "I think ’Miss Thorne’ is just fine."
Elliot Sheridan’s brows knitted tighter. He shot Ethan Fletcher a look. "Don’t start trouble!"
Ethan Fletcher was speechless. ’I didn’t say anything, how am I starting trouble?!’
His dark eyes filled with a clear warning for Ethan Fletcher, he wrapped an arm around Georgia Thorne and led her into a private room.
"Order whatever you want. I’m going to step out and have a talk with Ethan!"
As Elliot Sheridan stood up, Georgia Thorne grabbed his sleeve. "You’re not going to hit him, are you?"
"No!" ’I just want to teach Ethan Fletcher a lesson he won’t forget!’
Ethan Fletcher’s office was in the penthouse of the Iris Tolliver building.
A certain someone was sitting on the sofa watching TV when he heard a noise at the door.
"You two made up again?" Ethan Fletcher said with a smile as he stood up.
"Yep!" Elliot Sheridan pulled two marriage certificates from his pocket. "We didn’t just make up. We’re officially married!"
"Elliot, are you insane?!" The smile vanished from Ethan Fletcher’s face. He snatched the marriage certificates and glanced at them—the issue date was today!
"I know perfectly well whether I’m insane or not. All I know is that if I didn’t marry her, I really would go insane!" Elliot Sheridan said with a serious frown.
"You really are insane!" Ethan Fletcher shook his head in disappointment. "What about your engagement to Joanne Donovan? If Erin Irving finds out you married someone other than Joanne, he’ll definitely make a move!"
"Just look at what happened to Quentin Chase, and you’ll know!" Ethan Fletcher’s expression was grave. "If you want to keep Georgia Thorne safe, you should break things off with her immediately!"
He had originally thought Elliot Sheridan was just playing around with Georgia Thorne. Who would have guessed he’d suddenly go and marry the girl?
’This is completely nuts!’
"Ethan, you don’t understand! If I don’t marry her, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Once I married her, I won’t let her suffer the slightest grievance. I’ve already made it clear to Joanne Donovan. There won’t be an engagement, and there certainly won’t be a wedding. There can only be one Mrs. Sheridan in this lifetime, and that’s Georgia Thorne!"
"Elliot... have you really fallen this deep?"
"Yes!" Elliot Sheridan affirmed without hesitation. "Keep the marriage a secret for now. We’ll announce it when the time is right."
Ethan Fletcher was speechless.
When he’d heard that Elliot had chased her all the way to Akashima, he’d already suspected Elliot was getting serious.
Even though there had been few women in Elliot’s life over the years, Georgia Thorne should not have been the exception.
But she was. Georgia Thorne had truly become Elliot Sheridan’s most special exception.
Later, he heard from Owen Sawyer that Elliot and Georgia had broken up in Akashima—and that Elliot was the one who initiated it. That had made him relax a little.
After all, Erin Irving was currently watching Elliot like a hawk, constantly looking for a weakness to exploit.
And now this. They got married just like that, with no warning whatsoever.
While everyone was still laughing about Georgia Thorne getting dumped by Zane Lennox, she had quietly become Mrs. Sheridan without anyone knowing.
How many women in all of Portmire dreamed of becoming Mrs. Sheridan? Now, their chances were all gone.
’How can they possibly hide something as big as a marriage?’
Neither Joanne Donovan nor Erin Irving were pushovers. Sooner or later, the truth would come out.
When Elliot Sheridan returned to the private room, Georgia Thorne was lying on the table, playing on her phone.
"Why didn’t you order?"
"I don’t know what to eat!" Georgia Thorne pushed the menu toward him. "You order."
Elliot Sheridan ordered a lot of food and also got one portion to go.
Georgia Thorne’s appetite had been small for the past six months. She put down her chopsticks after just a few bites.
"No wonder you’re so skinny!" Elliot Sheridan piled food into her small bowl. "Finish all of this."
"I’m already full!"
Elliot Sheridan’s face hardened. "If you don’t finish, we’re sitting here all day."
"..."
Georgia Thorne was truly full. She reluctantly picked up her chopsticks, only for Elliot Sheridan to thoughtfully ladle a bowl of hot soup for her.
"I really can’t eat anymore!" Georgia Thorne grumbled unhappily.
Elliot Sheridan tapped the rim of her bowl with his silver chopsticks, producing a crisp, pleasant sound. "You have to eat."
Georgia Thorne looked up, shooting him a mournful glance.
’He’s acting just like my mother.’
Georgia Thorne was too thin. Elliot Sheridan wanted to fatten her up.
After the meal, Georgia Thorne rubbed her round little belly. It had been a long time since she’d eaten so much.
Elliot Sheridan had someone put the take-out order into a bag.
"Who is that for?"
"You’ll know when we get there!"
Elliot Sheridan took Georgia Thorne to a nursing hospital in a more suburban area.
The hospital was a decent size, and its main advantage was the pleasant environment, which helped patients recover quickly.
"Who are we visiting at the hospital?" Georgia Thorne asked curiously, trailing behind him.
The hospital had strict entry procedures, requiring everyone to sign in.
If you weren’t a patient’s family member, you couldn’t come and go as you pleased.
"My grandfather."
Elliot Sheridan put an arm around Georgia Thorne’s shoulder. "It’s Wednesday, so we might see my grandmother too."
The only person Georgia Thorne had ever been formally introduced to as Elliot Sheridan’s girlfriend was his grandmother.
And she still remembered the assessment his grandmother had given her last time!
You could tell at a glance that Elliot Sheridan’s grandmother was a very shrewd person. Despite her age, her mind was sharp and clear.
Georgia Thorne shook her head in fear. "I’m a little scared of your grandmother."
"What’s there to be afraid of? It’s not like she’ll eat you!" Elliot Sheridan looked at her pathetic expression. "Besides, my grandfather will be there!"
That made her even more flustered. ’So I’m meeting both grandparents at once.’
Georgia Thorne followed awkwardly behind Elliot Sheridan. When they reached the door, she stopped abruptly and said in a pleading tone, "Can we come back another day?"
"What do you think?"
They were already at the door. There was no turning back now.
Georgia Thorne was forced to knock. Hearing a "Come in" from inside, she steeled herself and pushed the door open.
It was the voice of Elliot Sheridan’s grandmother.
Georgia Thorne glanced at Elliot Sheridan behind her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her straight into the hospital room.
A faint floral scent wafted through the room.
There were two elderly people, one sitting on the hospital bed and the other in a chair.
A Beijing opera was playing on the television. Miss Sheridan was humming along softly while peeling an orange.
Georgia Thorne had only met Elliot Sheridan’s grandmother; his grandfather was a complete stranger to her.
The old man on the bed had graying temples, well-defined features, and a thin, wrinkled face.
But he looked to be in good spirits, and his eyes were particularly bright and sharp.
The two elders turned and saw their grandson had arrived with a young woman, which puzzled them.
Miss Sheridan had met Georgia Thorne once before and had a decent impression of her. She later learned more about Georgia from her own great-granddaughter. ’The girl is a good girl, just a bit pitiful.’
’But didn’t I hear a while ago that this boy was getting engaged to Joanne? What’s the meaning of bringing this girl here today!’
’A smokescreen?’
Mr. Sheridan put down his teacup. "Who is this young lady?"
Elliot Sheridan pushed Georgia Thorne forward. "Grandpa, Grandma, let me introduce you. This is your granddaughter-in-law, Georgia Thorne."
"What? Granddaughter-in-law!" Both elders were stunned by Elliot Sheridan’s words.
Their eyes wide, they both stared at Georgia Thorne, scrutinizing the young woman.
Mortified, Georgia Thorne gave a proper bow and offered an awkward greeting. "Hello, Grandpa, Grandma. I’m Georgia Thorne. I hope you’ll take good care of me from now on!"
Georgia Thorne looked up, and seeing the expressions on the two elders’ faces, her smile became even more awkward.
Hearing this, Miss Sheridan hastily dropped the orange in her hand and pulled her grandson outside for a serious talk.
Her face stern, she said coldly to her grandson, "You, come with me!"
Elliot Sheridan had anticipated this. He squeezed Georgia Thorne’s hand. "Don’t worry, my grandpa is very kind."
Georgia Thorne was too nervous to hear a word he said. Beads of sweat quickly formed on her forehead as she gave Mr. Sheridan a strained smile.
The only reason Elliot Sheridan dared bring Georgia Thorne to meet his grandparents was because he was banking on their affection for him.
If he pulled a stunt like this—acting first and asking for permission later—with James Sheridan, he wouldn’t even get a chance to explain before the family discipline was brought out for a good beating.
Even Miss Sheridan, who doted on her grandson, couldn’t help but lose her temper. "What is the meaning of this? Bringing this girl to see your grandfather!"
"Grandma, Georgia Thorne is already my wife!"
"What do you mean!"
Elliot Sheridan pulled the marriage certificates from his pocket to show her. "Look, we’ve already registered our marriage!"
"..."
Miss Sheridan felt like she was going to die of anger from her grandson’s "act first, report later" stunt.
"Then what about Joanne? Weren’t you supposed to be getting engaged to her!" Miss Sheridan said, fuming.
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