Chapter 195: Chapter 185: Didn’t You Say You Were Just Going to Sleep? (1)
Nancy Hughes clutched her wildly beating heart, trailing timidly behind Elliot Sheridan. Elliot poured himself a glass of water and took a few sips, as casual as if he were in his own home.
Elliot turned around and saw the curiosity and thirst for gossip on Nancy’s face. "Georgia Thorne and I are married," he explained.
"Oh, oh, congratulations, President!" Nancy said with a wide smile, going along with his words.
She was so nervous she misheard, thinking he’d said he and Georgia Thorne had just gotten back together.
It wasn’t until something felt a little off that she snapped her head up. "President, what did you just say?"
"Georgia Thorne and I went and got our marriage license today," Elliot repeated patiently.
It was a total bombshell!
Nancy’s eyes widened in shock. ’Georgia Thorne just went from hell straight to cloud nine.’
When Georgia Thorne woke up, she found Elliot Sheridan wasn’t in the room. She sat up and pulled her collar closed; Elliot had tugged her clothes open while she was sleeping.
Exiting the room, she saw Nancy Hughes sitting on the sofa, idly waving a cat teaser toy as she watched TV.
Hearing the door open, she turned and glanced at Georgia Thorne. "You’re awake."
"Um..." Georgia Thorne looked around but couldn’t see any sign of Elliot Sheridan.
’Could Elliot have left already?’ she wondered. ’Did he run into Nancy?’
But looking at Nancy again, she was sitting on the sofa, as calm as if nothing had happened.
"Um... when did you get back?" Georgia Thorne asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I came back right after work. It’s not like you don’t know my schedule."
Nancy Hughes turned her head and blinked emphatically at Georgia Thorne, tilting her head to one side.
"What’s wrong? Is something bothering your eyes?" Georgia Thorne asked with concern, completely baffled by Nancy’s blinking and head-tilting.
Nancy Hughes was about to die from impatience. She whispered, "Is it true that you and Elliot Sheridan got married?"
"Uh... you know?" Georgia Thorne blushed and nodded.
Just as Georgia Thorne was about to ask Nancy how she found out, a sound came from the balcony.
The man who had been missing walked in and placed his phone on the table.
’He didn’t leave?’
She glanced over and saw Nancy Hughes sitting bolt upright, watching Elliot Sheridan with a meticulously proper expression.
’Okay, no wonder she seemed a little off!’
"You’re awake?" Elliot Sheridan sat down beside Georgia Thorne, putting his arm around her shoulders.
Georgia Thorne hummed softly in acknowledgment and discreetly tried to remove his hand from her shoulder.
’Nancy is sitting right here!’
But the man simply tightened his arm around her shoulder, acting as if they were alone. "Did you sleep well?"
"Mhm."
’The two of them are being all lovey-dovey over there. Have they considered there’s another person in this living room?’
Nancy Hughes felt like crying but had no tears. She could guarantee she wouldn’t stare, but she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t overhear their conversation.
’Getting married really is different,’ she thought. ’They’ve started flirting so openly. It’s a full-on public display of affection, just to torture us singles.’
Nancy Hughes put down her cup. "Uh, I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll just be in my room."
Nancy Hughes fled the living room at top speed, only letting out a sigh of relief once she’d darted into her room.
In the living room, Georgia Thorne gave Elliot Sheridan a shove. "You scared Nancy away!"
Elliot Sheridan snorted. "This wouldn’t be an issue if you just moved in with me."
’No matter what,’ she thought, ’he’s always trying to find a way to get me to move in with him.’
Not wanting to deal with him, Georgia Thorne pushed him away and got up to go to the kitchen.
Elliot Sheridan didn’t stay for dinner. While Georgia Thorne was cooking, he received a phone call from his mother.
She said there was something important and that he needed to come home.
Elliot was standing next to Georgia Thorne when he took the call. Sharon Ennis didn’t say what it was about, but she sounded genuinely anxious.
"No goodbye kiss?" Elliot Sheridan stood at the door, holding Georgia Thorne’s wrist. His dark eyes burned into hers, their meaning obvious.
Georgia Thorne felt shy, but she knew Elliot Sheridan was the type who wouldn’t give up until he got what he wanted. She hesitantly pressed her body against his, placed her hands on his shoulders, and stood on her tiptoes to give his lips a quick peck.
"There, now you can go!"
A kiss that was as brief as a dragonfly touching water. That alone was enough to displease Elliot Sheridan, but combined with Georgia Thorne’s tone, it sounded like she couldn’t wait for him to leave.
"That’s it?"
’What else did he expect!’
Georgia Thorne resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Desperate to get this difficult man out the door, she suddenly had an idea.
Tugging on his sleeve, she looked up at Elliot Sheridan’s handsome face with sparkling eyes and called out sweetly, "Hubby!"
’That should satisfy him now!’
Sure enough, the man’s furrowed brow relaxed, and a look of pleasure spread across his face. His dark eyes, which reflected Georgia Thorne’s face, held a hint of a smile.
It was that very smile that gave Georgia Thorne a bad feeling.
She hurriedly tried to push him away. "Okay, you should go... mmph..."
Her body, which had just pulled away, was yanked back into his arms, and her soft lips were captured in a kiss.
He pulled back, his lips brushing against her ear, every nerve in his body taut with desire. "I really want to take you home with me!" Elliot Sheridan said, and he meant it. If not for certain circumstances, he would have loved to declare to the entire world that Georgia Thorne was his wife.
"You should get going!" Georgia Thorne’s small, warm hand rested on Elliot Sheridan’s chest. She was blushing, too shy to look up at him.
"But it’s our wedding night. Are you really going to be so heartless as to kick your husband out?"
"Then what do you want to do?" Georgia Thorne looked up, her eyes filled with innocence. "Hubby, I know you’re the best!"
"Hmph! If you know I’m the best, then don’t you dare go looking for other men again!"
’Great,’ she thought. ’We’re back to this again!’
Separated on their very first day of marriage.
Elliot Sheridan reluctantly twirled a strand of her long hair. "Stay home and be good for me, you hear?"
"I know. Drive safe."
’He wished he could shrink Georgia Thorne, stick her in his pocket, and take her with him.’
「At the dinner table」
’She still couldn’t get over her boss suddenly appearing in her home. More than that, the oppressive aura Elliot Sheridan gave off made it hard for her to breathe.’
"So, you guys really, truly got married?" Nancy Hughes asked again, still uncertain.
Georgia Thorne nodded. Nancy dropped her chopsticks, clutched her chest, and gasped, "Oh my god, what a dramatic plot twist!"
"Does anyone else know you’re married?" Nancy Hughes asked.
"No, just a few friends."
"Georgia, I told you you’d snag Elliot Sheridan eventually! One moment you’re the jilted bride, and the next you’re Mrs. Sheridan. I bet every woman in Portmire is dying of envy!"
So many people in Portmire admired Elliot Sheridan. Even after he announced his impending engagement, hordes of sexy, alluring women would still throw themselves at him every day.
The most eligible bachelor in all of Portmire had just quietly married some woman. The news would probably shock everyone speechless.
"Quick, tell me, tell me! How did you two end up getting married? Who proposed?" Nancy Hughes asked, her face a mask of pure gossip.
Unable to resist Nancy’s gossipy fervor, Georgia Thorne recounted the whole sequence of events.
After listening, Nancy Hughes slammed her hand on the table. "But you said you were going to the concert alone!"
"I didn’t think he was going to drag me to the marriage registry today!"
Things had moved so fast. In the blink of an eye, their relationship was official.
Having gotten nothing done all day, Georgia Thorne set up her easel again after dinner.
She spread her design sketch on it, picked up her palette, and began to paint.
She put in her earbuds, and with thunderous, ear-splitting rock music blasting in her ears, she picked up her paintbrush.
The painting process was slow. Georgia Thorne sat in front of her easel for three or four hours at a stretch.
A slender figure in a pure black strapless gown. Layers of sheer gauze were wrapped around it, one over the other, creating a voluminous look while still offering a transparent glimpse of the legs beneath.
The surface of the dress was sewn with golden beads, creating a heavy-metal feel that was perfect for a rock-and-roll style.
Taking off her headphones and setting down her brush, she looked at the finished piece and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Four days remained. Now for the actual design work.
When Georgia Thorne was in Akashima, she had learned the most about illustration from Seraphina Goldsmith. The two of them would often compete to see who could draw the fastest. Then, in the last month, they would each pick what they considered their best work from their previous sketches and turn it into a piece of clothing.
One piece, which had taken a month to complete, was entered into a competition by Seraphina Goldsmith and had unexpectedly won an award and a cash prize.
Georgia Thorne finished cleaning up, took a shower, and went to bed.
She scrolled through her phone and saw that Elliot Sheridan had sent her many messages.
Georgia Thorne hurriedly replied, "I was just working on my design draft. Did something happen at your family’s home?"
Elliot Sheridan came out of the shower. His phone, which was on the table, vibrated twice.
He read the message and immediately called her.
"What competition?"
"It’s a competition my professor recommended me for. If I place in the top three, not only is there prize money, but I can also get a job at Nathan Rhodes’s company."
"Nate?" Elliot Sheridan frowned. "Georgia, if you want to work at Nate’s company, you could have just told me. Or better yet, I’d rather you come work at my company!"
Elliot Sheridan hoped for the latter; that way, he could see Georgia Thorne both at the office and at home.
"No!" Georgia Thorne refused flatly. "I want to get in on my own merit."
"Georgia, you..."
"Alright, it’s getting very late. You should get some sleep!"
Before Elliot Sheridan could say another word, Georgia Thorne quickly ended the call.
’That man is too silver-tongued,’ she thought. ’He could argue that black is white and win.’
After Georgia Thorne hung up, a voice message came through.
"What a shame to have to spend our wedding night hugging a pillow," Elliot Sheridan’s voice said, full of melancholy.
Georgia Thorne smiled, her cheeks puffing out. She replied, "I’ll make it up to you tomorrow!"
"Really? At my apartment?"
Comments