Chapter 198: Chapter 188: Why Haven’t You Come Out Yet, Part 1
Georgia Thorne smiled perfunctorily.
Amidst Selena Sheridan’s chatter, Elliot Sheridan drove to a restaurant.
Selena Sheridan walked ahead with her arm around Georgia Thorne, while Elliot followed behind them.
Hearing the sound of a phone call from behind, Georgia turned to look back.
Elliot waved, signaling for the two of them to go inside first, indicating he would be right there.
"Second Uncle, hurry up!" Selena Sheridan’s voice was sharp and high as she happily pulled Georgia into the private room.
Selena took charge and ordered a lot of dishes. After putting down the menu, she noticed Elliot still hadn’t come in. "That’s weird. Where’s my Second Uncle?"
"Maybe he has some urgent work business to deal with."
"Hmm, that’s possible!" Selena stroked her chin. "My Second Uncle has always been busy. I’ve never seen him take a break! And now he’s getting on in years but still hasn’t found someone to marry. He’s actually quite pitiful, you know!"
Georgia felt a bead of sweat form. While Elliot was more than a dozen years older than them, ’getting on in years’ seemed a bit much.
’When I look at Elliot, I think he’s great,’ she thought. ’He has the mature, sexy charm of a real man.’
"Sigh, I wonder if my Second Uncle has anyone he’s interested in. You have no idea how over-the-top my grandma is. She actually said she wanted to introduce one of my friends to him!" Selena looked horrified. "My grandma is so desperate for a daughter-in-law that she’s even targeting my friends!"
"Well, it’s not that bad. Your Second Uncle is a good guy!" Georgia found herself defending Elliot instinctively.
"My Second Uncle is great, sure, but he has a terrible temper and he’s so moody. I can’t just ruin my friends’ lives like that!" Selena stuck out her tongue. "Besides, my friends are all my age, more than ten years younger than him. If they really got together, would I have to call my friend ’little stepmom’ in the future? I could never accept that!"
Selena shook her head forcefully. She really couldn’t accept something like that.
Georgia didn’t know what to say anymore and just laughed awkwardly.
’If Selena knew her friend had already gotten a marriage certificate with her uncle, would she be able to accept me?’
Elliot finally came in from outside after all the dishes had been served.
He naturally sat down next to Georgia, which made her jump like a frightened bird, her face instantly paling.
She shot a sideways glance at the man. ’Didn’t we agree to keep a two-meter distance!’
’At this distance, Selena will get suspicious!’
After hearing Selena’s opinion on one of her friends getting together with Elliot, her heart was racing with even more panic.
’I need to put some distance between myself and Elliot, to keep Selena from getting suspicious.’
Georgia sat ramrod straight in her chair, her nerves stretched taut.
Across from them, Selena was chattering away excitedly, asking Georgia about how she’d been lately while eating.
Selena had been traveling for a while, so she hadn’t had time to pay attention to what was happening in Portmire.
Therefore, she didn’t know about the recent news concerning Georgia.
"Oh, nothing much. Same old, same old!"
Georgia chuckled dryly, not daring to mention Zane Lennox in front of Elliot.
Under the table, the man’s palm slowly started caressing Georgia’s knee.
Georgia was wearing an over-the-knee skirt. She felt the man’s hand lift the hem, his hot palm pressing against her bare skin.
Georgia’s neck went stiff as she turned to look at the man beside her.
Her eyes widened in shock. This man was actually touching her knee under the table.
He was even... Georgia’s eyes nearly popped out of her head, but he showed no change in expression.
His face was impassive, as if he weren’t the one doing such a lecherous thing.
Georgia was about to have a breakdown. She never thought Elliot would be so audacious.
Feeling his fingertips trace a path up her skin, inch by inch, Georgia frantically reached down and pressed his hand still through her skirt.
"Georgia, are you even listening to me?!"
"What?"
Georgia looked blankly from Elliot’s face to Selena’s. Flustered by Elliot, how could she possibly pay attention to what anyone else was saying?
Elliot spoke up from the side. "Selena, no one is stopping you from going out to have fun, but don’t try to persuade others to go with you."
’Especially not *my* person.’
Selena puffed out her cheeks unhappily. "Second Uncle, it’s more fun with more people!"
"No!"
"..." ’My Second Uncle is so mean!’
’But I can always talk to Georgia about the trip in private.’
Elliot removed his hand from Georgia’s knee, only to grab her wrist and start kneading the palm of her hand.
Georgia tried to pull away several times, but couldn’t break free.
It wasn’t until the meal was properly underway that Elliot released her hand, allowing Georgia to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Georgia could barely taste the food. She was terrified Elliot would pull another surprise attack on her, and even more scared that Selena would discover their secret.
An agonizing hour finally passed.
Elliot said he had a social engagement that afternoon and told them to get home on their own.
Selena held up her hand and gave him an "OK" sign, clearly wishing her uncle would leave as soon as possible.
Georgia felt the same. She was afraid if Elliot stayed a moment longer, their relationship would be exposed.
The main thing was that Elliot was just too bold, daring to touch her right under Selena’s nose.
Georgia was truly afraid of him.
Elliot got into his car. Standing beside Selena, Georgia waved at him. "Mr. Sheridan, goodbye."
She only glanced at Elliot for a second before lowering her gaze to her own toes, wishing he would just drive away.
Elliot frowned. Hearing Georgia call him "Mr. Sheridan" left a bad taste in his mouth.
’We’re married, and my own wife is calling me uncle.’
In the end, he drove off without another word. As the car sped away, Georgia patted her chest in relief.
Selena turned back to her. "Come home with me. I brought you a ton of gifts."
Georgia grabbed Selena, who was about to start walking. "Wait, where did you say we’re going?"
"My place!"
"Um, can I not?"
"Why not?" Selena asked, confused. "It’s not like you’ve never been to my house before. What’s there to be afraid of? Let’s go!"
Selena
Cheerful as ever, she grabbed Georgia’s hand and hailed a taxi by the roadside to head back.
The entire way back, Georgia prayed that no one from the Sheridan Family would be home. That way, she wouldn’t have to see Elliot’s parents.
The taxi stopped in the courtyard. Selena dragged her suitcase into the house and, while changing her shoes, shouted, "Grandpa, Grandma, Mom! I’m back!"
Sharon Ennis had a habit of taking an afternoon nap and had just laid down.
Hearing the noise, the housekeeper came out of a room. "Miss, you’re back!"
Selena acknowledged him. "How come I don’t see my mom and the others?"
A short while ago, Carter Sheridan had announced his divorce from Hillary and had even brought another woman to the house.
This had thrown the Sheridan Family into turmoil. James Sheridan was so angry he disowned his son. Carter Sheridan had been living outside with that woman ever since, while an infuriated Hillary had gone back to her family’s home.
After Selena went abroad to travel, she had originally planned to come back, but she received a call from Elliot. After a brief chat, Selena went off to travel to another city instead.
Selena had grown up in a happy and harmonious family; the sudden news of her parents’ divorce would surely be something she couldn’t accept.
Everyone in the Sheridan Family doted on their precious young lady, Selena. Following James Sheridan’s wishes, they decided to hide it from her for a while. It wouldn’t be too late to tell her when the time was right.
All the household staff were also forbidden from talking about it.
"The Madam went out with friends to relax. The Old Madam is still taking her nap."
"Then when is my mom coming back?"
"That, I’m not sure!" The housekeeper shook his head and changed the subject. "Miss, you must be tired from your journey. Why don’t you go to your room and rest first."
"Okay. When Grandma wakes up, tell her I’m back!"
"Yes, Miss!"
The housekeeper nodded repeatedly.
Selena picked up her suitcase and went upstairs.
Selena had brought back many gifts for her from abroad, mostly small trinkets.
The two friends chatted away, and before they knew it, evening had fallen.
At one point, Sharon Ennis came up to check on them.
Georgia immediately stood up, ramrod straight, and greeted Sharon Ennis nervously.
"Hello, Mrs. Sheridan."
Sharon Ennis quite liked Georgia. The young woman was fresh-faced and pretty, and she was good friends with her granddaughter.
"You two have fun. I’ll have someone start preparing dinner."
"Oh no, no, you don’t have to. I... I have to head back soon," Georgia said, waving her hands dismissively.
"Don’t go! I just got back, and you’re not even going to stay?" Selena linked her arm through Georgia’s. "Georgia, we’re best friends!"
"Really, you don’t have to. I..."
"It’s rare for Selena to be back, so please stay. It’ll make things more lively," Sharon Ennis added, also trying to get her to stay. Now Georgia found it impossible to refuse.
She could only nod obediently. "Alright."
"Then you two keep chatting. I’ll go downstairs and have the staff get started," Sharon Ennis said happily.
Georgia had just been pulled back down by Selena when the phone in her pocket buzzed.
A text from Elliot came through. "Why aren’t you out yet?"
Around four in the afternoon, Elliot had texted her, saying they would go out for dinner together that evening.
He had already made a reservation for six. Who knew something else would come up in the meantime.
When Selena wasn’t looking, Georgia secretly replied to Elliot’s text. "I can’t get away. Why don’t you go eat by yourself?"
After sending the text, Elliot had been preparing to drive from the office to the Sheridan residence to pick up Georgia.
Now, Elliot sat in his car, frowning at Georgia’s message. Her second text immediately followed. "Selena and your mom are both insisting I stay. It’s really hard to refuse, so..."
The rest of the meaning was self-evident.
Elliot tossed the phone onto the adjacent seat and slammed his foot on the accelerator, driving forward.
Facing the Sheridan Family now, Georgia was incredibly nervous.
Especially with Sharon Ennis. She didn’t want to leave a bad impression on her mother-in-law.
Even if the woman didn’t even know she had a daughter-in-law.
Five minutes later, the sound of a car engine being cut off came from the courtyard.
Georgia heard the noise from outside. "Sounds like someone’s back."
"Probably my dad," Selena said dismissively.
A moment later, Sharon Ennis called out Selena’s name from outside the door.
Selena answered, "You sit tight for a bit. I’ll go see what my grandma wants."
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