Chapter 227 - 216: I’m Here! 1
The police showed Jared Thorne the search warrant, then rushed in with their team.
Their objective was clear. They went straight upstairs and saw that Georgia Thorne’s door had been chained shut.
An officer grabbed the heavy chain and turned back to Jared Thorne. "What’s the meaning of this?"
Jared Thorne couldn’t manage a smile anymore. He was frowning, his forehead beaded with sweat.
’It’s over, it’s all over,’ he thought. ’This time, it’s not just Elliot Sheridan taking action. That mysterious man who took Georgia will definitely not let us off the hook either.’
The police carefully surveyed Georgia Thorne’s room and had someone take numerous photos.
When they were done, they added, "Please hand over Georgia Thorne’s cell phone."
Jared Thorne didn’t dare object. He hurriedly had Hayley Sullivan fetch Georgia Thorne’s phone.
After the police left, Jared Thorne thought he could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but then Elliot Sheridan’s secretary, Owen Sawyer, arrived.
Owen Sawyer hadn’t come alone; he had brought Byron Shaw.
"Mr. Thorne, I’ve heard so much about you," Byron Shaw said with a gentlemanly smile.
But Jared Thorne’s face suddenly went deathly pale, and cold sweat broke out on his back.
Over the past six months, Byron Shaw’s reputation had skyrocketed. There wasn’t a person in Portmire who didn’t know of him.
His words alone were enough to strike fear into the hearts of many.
"Attorney Shaw, what brings you here? To what do we owe the..."
Having just dealt with the police, Jared Thorne was already exhausted. Now, an even more formidable figure had appeared, and he stepped forward with a fake smile.
Byron Shaw’s smile vanished. His expression turned serious as he said, "I’m here on behalf of my client to serve you with a letter from my firm."
Byron Shaw was no ordinary lawyer; not just anyone could hire him.
Rumor had it that Elliot Sheridan had once tried to hire Byron Shaw as his company’s chief legal counsel, only to be flatly refused.
"This... A letter from your firm... Attorney Shaw, what is this all about?" Jared Thorne was sweating in panic. It was one disaster after another, and all because of Georgia Thorne.
"Mr. Thorne, are you telling me you don’t know what you’ve done to my client?" Byron Shaw threw the letter on the floor and turned to leave.
The house felt empty again. Jared Thorne collapsed onto the sofa, utterly crestfallen, his face pale with disbelief.
Hayley Sullivan was also in a panic. She couldn’t believe all this trouble was being caused over one person, Georgia Thorne.
After leaving the Thornes’, the police handed the phone directly to Owen Sawyer and also gave the photos taken at the scene to Byron Shaw.
Byron Shaw frowned as he looked at the iron chain on the doorframe. There was no doubt they had locked Georgia Thorne up.
"Attorney Shaw, our president asked me to thank you on Miss Thorne’s behalf!"
"No need!" Byron Shaw cut him off. "Where is she? I need to see her."
"Our president said that if you wish to take Miss Thorne’s statement, it will have to be another day. Miss Thorne is in very poor health and needs to rest," Owen Sawyer said.
"Then notify me when she’s better!" Byron Shaw gestured dismissively and got into his car.
His secretary in the front seat glanced back at him. "Attorney Shaw, are we really going to file a lawsuit for Miss Thorne?"
"You don’t need to concern yourself with this matter!"
’Of course we’re filing suit,’ he thought. ’But not for Elliot Sheridan.’
Grace Wagner grew even more confused. Byron Shaw was certainly treating Georgia Thorne well.
Meanwhile, Georgia Thorne had woken up after a nap and was drinking porridge.
She didn’t have much of an appetite, and after two mouthfuls, she didn’t want any more.
Georgia’s body still ached, but she didn’t want to tell Elliot and make him worry, so she kept it to herself.
"I really don’t want to eat anymore," Georgia said, shaking her head. Elliot put down the spoon and didn’t force her.
"If you feel any pain, tell me. Don’t just endure it, okay?"
Georgia nodded. Still unaware of what had happened at the Thorne residence, she asked, "By the way, how did you know I was in trouble at my family’s house?"
At the mention of this, Elliot’s expression soured. "I was about to ask you. What did Jared Thorne do to you? What drove you to jump from the building?"
Georgia was taken aback when she heard the words "jump from the building."
"I wasn’t trying to jump!"
"Then how did you fall from the upper floor?"
Georgia clutched her hair. "I was locked up. The only way out was the window."
"I did consider jumping at first, but I regretted it as soon as I sat on the windowsill and looked down. Besides, Selena had already arrived to find me by then, so I definitely wasn’t thinking of jumping. I was trying to get back inside, but then I heard Erin Irving’s voice, and it scared me so much my foot slipped, and I fell."
So, it couldn’t be classified as her trying to jump; she had simply fallen by accident.
Elliot’s brows furrowed in anger. "If you hadn’t had the idea to jump in the first place, you wouldn’t have fallen! Georgia, do you have any regard for your own life?!"
He was angry that she treated her own life so carelessly. Had she ever thought about what would happen to those left behind if something happened to her?
Georgia knew he would be angry, but there was nothing she could do.
’No one can predict an accident.’ There was no arguing with that.
Instead, she lowered her head and pretended her body ached. "My body hurts a little!"
"Where?" Elliot, who had just been angry, saw her double over with a pained frown and rushed to her side. "Should I go get a doctor?"
There was a hint of panic in his voice. His anger vanished instantly, replaced by anxiety.
Georgia was indeed in pain, but seeing Elliot so worried about her made it hurt a little less.
"No, it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt so much now!" Georgia grabbed Elliot as he was about to call for a doctor, tugging tightly on his sleeve. "Just stay here with me!"
Elliot sighed. Only after confirming she was really okay did he sit back down.
Georgia immediately grabbed Elliot’s fingers. "Don’t be angry anymore. I promise nothing like this will ever happen again!"
Her eyes were bright and sincere as she looked at him.
Elliot finally let out a soft sound of agreement. He couldn’t bear to stay angry with her.
Receiving his approval, Georgia relaxed and squeezed his hand tighter.
He squeezed back.
’As long as he’s not angry!’
In the afternoon, Owen Sawyer came by, bringing Georgia’s cell phone with him.
When Georgia asked how he knew she was in trouble, Elliot explained, "Your phone was off whenever I called. I had a terrible feeling, so I asked Selena Sheridan to go to the Thorne residence to find you."
And she had arrived just in time to witness the terrifying scene of Georgia falling from the upper floor.
After they got married, Elliot, fearing someone might harm Georgia, had required her to keep her phone on 24/7 and to always answer his calls.
There had never been a problem before, but yesterday, when there was no word from her at all, Elliot had grown uneasy.
Georgia recounted the entire ordeal to Elliot, secretly watching his expression the whole time.
Just as she expected, his face was dark.
Georgia’s leg was in a cast, making it difficult for her to move. Elliot had a nurse bring a wheelchair for her.
Georgia recuperated in the hospital for a few days, and the pain in her body finally started to subside.
She had many scrapes, but she didn’t mind them; they were covered by her clothes, so no one could see them.
The only thing that bothered her was that her face also had several cuts.
’I wasn’t pretty to begin with, and now my face is ruined. I’m even uglier.’
Georgia worriedly looked in the mirror every day. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she would ask Elliot if he found her repulsive.
Elliot, curled up on the sofa, would say, "No matter what happens to your face, you’ll always be the most beautiful person in the world to me!"
Hearing these comforting words, for some reason, made Georgia feel a bit strange.
’I only have a few scrapes on my face. It’s not like I’m horribly disfigured.’
Georgia had been in the hospital for two or three days now, and Elliot had spent every night on the sofa.
Her heart ached for him. She wanted him to go home to sleep, or at least share the bed with her.
But Elliot refused, insisting she needed to rest and recover properly.
’He couldn’t sleep a wink when I made him sleep on the sofa at home,’ she thought. ’He definitely isn’t sleeping well here either.’
Georgia’s heart ached for Elliot. During the day, she could see that his eyes were bloodshot.
"Honey, are you sure you won’t come up?" Georgia couldn’t sleep. She turned over with some effort and looked at Elliot lying on the sofa.
The sofa was too small to accommodate him.
’Two people squeezed into one bed has to be better than him uncomfortably curled up on the sofa.’
Elliot didn’t make a sound, feigning sleep with his eyes closed.
He also wanted to hold Georgia and sleep, but she was injured, and he was afraid that he might accidentally hurt her in his sleep.
After waiting a while and seeing no movement from Elliot,
Georgia climbed out of bed, throwing back the covers to get up.
One leg was broken, but the other was fine.
Georgia felt around for her slippers and put them on, preparing to hop stealthily over to Elliot.
However, the moment she put on her slippers, the man on the sofa noticed.
"What are you doing?!"
Georgia froze and looked toward Elliot, who was now sitting up.
"I..." ’I want to sleep with you!’
That’s what she wanted to say, but she lost her nerve when it came time to say it.
Elliot stood up, turned on the light, and swept Georgia up into his arms.
"If you need something, call me. Don’t move around on your own! What if you fall in the dark?!" Elliot said to her in a harsh tone.
"But I have you!" Georgia blinked at him, quickly wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
It was only because he was by her side that she dared to be so bold.
Elliot looked down at the little woman in his arms. A faint blush seemed to color his handsome face, though it was hard to tell for sure.
He snorted. "And what if I’m not here!"
Elliot carried Georgia and gently placed her back on the hospital bed.
"Let go!" Elliot leaned over her, his gaze locked on her face.
Georgia tightened her grip, shaking her head. "No. You have to sleep with me!"
"Be good. Listen to me. Your body hasn’t recovered yet!"
"I won’t!" Georgia stubbornly kept her arms around his neck, murmuring in his ear, "You’re not me, so how would you know if I’m still in pain or not? If you won’t sleep in the bed with me, then I’ll just go sleep on the sofa with you. What’s the difference? We’ll be sleeping either way!"
After a brief stalemate, Elliot, finding himself completely helpless against Georgia, finally agreed.
"Let go. I’ll go turn off the light!"
"How do I know you’re not trying to trick me?"