Chapter 307 - 294: It Was Perfectly Fine at Home
Secretary York glanced at the phone number on the business card, finding it vaguely familiar.
He was lost in thought for a second before snapping back to reality. "Miss Thorne, take care."
They had spent so much time with Shirley Summers that it was already dark by the time they left.
Vivian Sawyer walked beside her, their shoulders nearly touching. "Miss Thorne, I wonder how much a night in this hotel costs!"
"Why? Thinking of staying here?"
"As if! I was just curious." Vivian Sawyer wrapped her coat tighter around herself. "Ever since I started working with you, Miss Thorne, every rich person I meet seems richer than the last. Tsk, tsk!"
She was just so envious. A single hotel room was nicer than her entire apartment.
Georgia Thorne and Elliot Sheridan didn’t move back to their own apartment from the Sheridan residence until after the Lantern Festival.
Sharon Ennis was furious about this and called to chew out her son. "Everything was fine with you two living at home, so why move out? Where’s Georgia? Put Georgia on the phone!"
She had called for Georgia, but Elliot had answered instead.
"Mom, don’t even think about going through Georgia. If I don’t agree to it, she won’t move back either." Elliot glanced at the woman who had just emerged from the bathroom. Her long, dripping hair hung to her waist, soaking the back of her nightgown.
Georgia had just stepped out of the shower. Her body was still radiating warmth and steam, and her fair face was flushed a lovely pink.
He beckoned to her. Georgia glanced at him, then scurried over and whispered, "Who’s on the phone?"
Elliot silently mouthed a single word. Georgia immediately shut her mouth and started drying her hair with a towel.
’Sharon Ennis was calling, and it was undoubtedly to get her and Elliot to move back in. Best to leave a thorny problem like this for Elliot to solve.’
’Honestly, living at the Sheridan residence made her feel so constrained. It was much better here, with just the two of them.’
As she was thinking, a plump little body rubbed against her ankle. "MEOW." Georgia scooped up Blue. "I haven’t seen you in a little while, how did you get even fatter!"
"Ethan Fletcher fattened him up," Elliot said. Seeing her head lowered as she petted the cat, he reached out his hand.
Blue had been dozing on Georgia’s lap, but when he saw Elliot’s hand approach, he rolled over and nuzzled his head against Elliot’s arm.
Back when he wasn’t familiar with Elliot, the cat would always hiss at him with his fur on end. Now, he’d learned how to be cute and win affection.
Elliot liked to tease Blue, and Blue would play along, pawing at Elliot’s fingers and occasionally opening its mouth to bite. Elliot would then let the cat mouth his finger, wedging it between its teeth until Blue let go.
Man and cat played this game tirelessly. Suddenly, Elliot grabbed the scruff of the cat’s neck and pinned him to the bed. Blue squirmed, unable to get up, and let out a little "MEOW."
Elliot let him go, and Blue leaped into Georgia’s arms in a panic, mewling softly.
"There, there." Georgia reached out to stroke his fur smooth, just as she heard Elliot say, "Aidan is moving from the hospital to the house."
Her hand froze mid-stroke. She looked up. "Why is he moving back home? His condition allows for that?"
’As she recalled, Aidan’s condition was extremely serious. Not only had he been in a vegetative state, but he also desperately needed a kidney transplant. How could he possibly live at home in that condition?’
’The house didn’t have the same advanced medical equipment as a hospital. What if his condition worsened again? What would they do?’
Elliot seemed to sense her worries. He pulled her into his arms and said, "His condition is relatively stable for now. William said that as long as they control his medication, living at home won’t be a problem. As for the kidney donor, we’re still doing our best to find a match. You don’t need to worry so much about him."
"..." Georgia frowned, not knowing what to say.
’Aidan needs a kidney transplant to live... so how much time does he have left?’
"So how much time does he have left?"
"It’s hard to say. As things stand, he has at least a year. But if his condition deteriorates like it did before, he might not even last a month." Elliot turned Georgia by the shoulders to face him squarely. "Aidan’s health is not your responsibility. I won’t gamble with your life."
’Aidan was important, but so was Georgia. He refused to weigh one of their lives against the other.’
’That’s why he would do everything in his power to find another compatible donor for Aidan.’
Georgia leaned against his shoulder. "Is the reason we moved out because Aidan is coming home to live?"
"I don’t want you to be put in an awkward or unfair position."
Elliot’s gaze was full of earnestness as he met her eyes, then he tilted her chin up and kissed her.
A week had passed since Georgia and Elliot had moved out.
On the weekend, Georgia had just finished her lesson at the driving school when Elliot pulled up to the entrance. "When did you sign up for this?"
"Before the New Year!" Georgia said, taking a sip of the water he handed her. "You were away on that business trip, so I figured I might as well sign up."
"How many lessons a week?"
Elliot huffed, gripping the steering wheel. "I can teach you how to drive. Why pay someone else to do it?"
Georgia stuck her tongue out and nodded obediently. "I was just worried you’d be too tired from work. I didn’t want to bother you!"
Elliot gave her a sidelong glance. Georgia smiled awkwardly and urged him to get going. "Come on, isn’t your mom waiting for us at home?"
Georgia and Elliot hadn’t been back to the Sheridan residence since Aidan returned from the hospital.
Sharon Ennis had called four or five times, and left with no other choice, Georgia finally agreed they would visit this weekend.
Georgia’s driving lesson was three hours long, so they arrived at the Sheridan residence right around noon.
Sharon Ennis was in the kitchen cooking. Her son and daughter-in-law were coming home today, so she had to prepare a wonderful meal.
Aidan’s condition was stable. Dressed in regular clothes instead of a hospital gown, he looked much more energetic, with a healthy, rosy complexion.
When he saw Elliot walk in, his voice rose happily as he called out, "Brother!"
As for Georgia, who was right behind Elliot, it was as if Aidan didn’t see her at all. Or perhaps he simply chose to treat her like thin air, ignoring her completely.
Georgia, poised and unruffled, greeted Aidan. "Hello."
Aidan snorted, his strange gaze sweeping over Georgia’s face. His look seemed to say, ’You’re a strange one. I didn’t even say hello to you, but you have the nerve to speak to me.’
He didn’t like Georgia. She was a cuckoo in the nest, usurping the place that should have belonged to his sister.
He arrogantly lowered his head and focused back on the book in his hands.
After a few seconds, Georgia suddenly spoke up. "You like this book? What a coincidence, I love it too!"
Aidan had just been wondering why this Georgia person was still hovering in front of him when she suddenly spoke.
He had grabbed the book from the study at random, but after reading a bit, he found the mystery compelling and decided to continue.
He looked up at Georgia. "I’m just browsing!"
Georgia had been about to say that she’d read it too, and how she especially loved the author’s method of deduction. She’d been on the verge of blurting out the killer’s name.
Hearing Aidan’s cold reply, she scratched her hair, feeling lost. She managed a strained smile. "It’s a really good book."
Aidan shot her a look that clearly said, ’Who asked you to butt in?’
Having been thoroughly snubbed by Aidan, a dejected Georgia went to find Elliot.
Elliot was standing outside. Just as Georgia found him, he was tossing away a cigarette.
"You were smoking again?" Georgia looked at him angrily. She was always telling him to quit, but he never listened.
Seeing her crestfallen expression, Elliot changed the subject. "Did that brat give you a hard time?"
Georgia shook her head. "No. I just discovered that Aidan and I share a common interest!"
Even though Aidan said he wasn’t interested, he was already halfway through the book. He had to have been drawn in by the plot.
"Is that so?" Elliot clearly didn’t believe her. "If he gives you any trouble, you tell me."
"Then I’d just be the villain who ruins your brotherly bond!" Georgia pouted, and Elliot pinched her cheeks. "You definitely were treated unfairly!"
Over the past week, the two of them had grown accustomed to these casual, constant displays of affection.
Elliot pressed her back against a pillar, cupped her face, and kissed her soft lips.
There, in broad daylight, the two of them were sharing a passionate moment behind the pillar.
Suddenly, a sharp cough cut through the air. Aidan was standing there, looking at them angrily, and he shouted, "Brother!"
The shout made Georgia jump, and she quickly buried her face in Elliot’s chest.
Elliot obligingly wrapped his arms around her. "Don’t be scared, it’s just Aidan."
Of course Georgia knew whose voice it was. The fact that it was Aidan was precisely why she was so embarrassed.
Georgia was mortified and flustered. She’d gotten so caught up in Elliot’s kiss that she’d completely forgotten they weren’t at their own apartment.
"Brother, I need to talk to you." Aidan, standing in the doorway, also seemed at a loss. He called out in annoyance, then turned and went back inside.
Being caught by his younger brother didn’t faze Elliot in the slightest, but Georgia was acting like a shy newlywed, too embarrassed to even lift her head.
"Aren’t you going to go in?" Georgia finally peeked out from Elliot’s embrace after Aidan had gone inside.
"I have a beautiful woman in my arms. The only thing I want to do is touch you," Elliot said, looking at her with feigned seriousness.
Georgia balled up her fist and lightly punched his chest. "Hurry up and go in, or he’ll think we were doing who-knows-what out here!"
"And what would you say we were doing?" Elliot looked at her with a serious expression, leaning closer and closer until Georgia could clearly see her own reflection in his pupils.
"..." Georgia covered her face with her hands. ’I’m so embarrassed I could die,’ she thought.
"Are you really that embarrassed?" Elliot pinched her flushed cheek. "He’s an adult. He should understand these things!"