Chapter 269 - 258: Have You Two Made Up?
"I heard from Dylan Heston that Elliot is sick. Is that true? Have you two made up?"
"I’m not sure either!" Georgia Thorne said, shaking her head. "I misunderstood a lot of things about him and I want to make up, but ever since he woke up, he’s been constantly sarcastic and mocking. It’s like he’s on something!"
Georgia Thorne was the type to admit when she was wrong. She knew she had misunderstood Elliot, and she was ready to own up to her mistakes.
But Elliot never gave her the chance. He’d been cold to her ever since he woke up, leaving her no opportunity to say anything.
Nancy Hughes burst out laughing. "You’re probably the only person in the world who would dare say Elliot is ’on something’!"
Georgia Thorne was already frustrated. "But it’s the truth! If he’s not on something, then what is it?"
"Charlotte Thorne, I’m not trying to criticize you, but you two have been together for so long. How have you not picked up on this stuff by now?" Nancy Hughes began to explain. "Why is Elliot being so sarcastic? It’s because you were making a scene about getting a divorce. If you hadn’t brought up divorce, would he be acting like this? When it comes down to it, it’s about his pride! He’s only acting this way because he knows he has you wrapped around his finger. Next time you see him, just ignore him. He’ll come to you on his own, you’ll see."
"Really?"
"We’ve been best friends forever, you don’t trust me?" Nancy Hughes nudged her shoulder. "Just listen to me. I guarantee you two will make up."
Georgia Thorne said, "...Make up?"
"Of course! You don’t actually want to divorce him, do you?" Nancy Hughes warned her. "Georgia, don’t be foolish. Even as a divorcé, your husband would be a hot commodity. If you divorce him today, there’ll be a line of women wanting to marry him stretching from here to the other side of the Atlantic by tomorrow. By the time you decide you want him back, he might not even give you a second glance!"
"..." Georgia Thorne shot her a look. "Are you even my friend?"
"Of course I am! I’m only warning you because I know how this will end. Don’t ignore the advice of your elders, or you’ll be the one who regrets it!"
"Alright, alright. Why don’t you, my ’elder,’ hurry on back to your own office and get to work!"
Georgia Thorne shooed Nancy Hughes away, then sat at her desk in a daze.
What Nancy said made sense.
After work, Georgia Thorne stopped by the supermarket before heading back to Elliot’s apartment.
She hadn’t been home in a long time, but nothing had changed.
The moment she stepped into the apartment, she heard a meow.
Georgia Thorne turned to see Blue leap off the sofa. Its chubby body bounded toward her, rubbing against her ankles while letting out a series of loud meows.
Georgia Thorne crouched and gently squeezed its cheeks. "I haven’t seen you in a little while, how did you get so fat!"
Blue clearly remembered her. It nuzzled her palm affectionately, its eyes, as brilliant as a starry sky, looking up at her before meowing again.
Probably because it hadn’t seen Georgia in so long, Blue was exceptionally clingy. Wherever Georgia went, Blue followed.
Georgia eventually fed it some cat food. Once full, Blue obediently went back to its special spot to sleep.
Elliot had stomach problems, so Georgia made some millet porridge, letting it simmer on low heat. Then she went into the bathroom to gather the toiletries and personal items he needed.
’He’s really treating me like a maid.’
By the time she finished packing, the millet porridge was just about ready.
She had just poured it into a thermos when a demanding call came from Elliot.
He was in a terrible mood. "Where are you? Why aren’t you here yet?"
Georgia Thorne screwed the lid on and put the thermos in her bag. "I’m almost at the hospital. Just wait a little longer!"
Hearing her answer, Elliot seemed satisfied enough and hung up.
Georgia Thorne left, juggling several bags.
Usually, the bus was easy to catch, with one coming every ten minutes or so. But for some reason, she stood at the bus stop for nearly twenty minutes today without a single one showing up.
She decided to take a taxi to the hospital. Just as she got in the car, another urgent call came from Elliot. "Are you crawling at a snail’s pace? How are you still not here?"
His tone grew increasingly nasty. Georgia couldn’t help but remember what Nancy had said about a man’s pride, so she made an excuse to placate him. "There’s traffic. I’ll be there in a bit!"
Georgia did end up arriving late, because she really did get stuck in traffic.
Elliot’s face was livid. He sat with a jacket draped over his shoulders, his gaze fixed motionlessly on the television screen.
Georgia placed the items on the bedside table. "I brought everything you asked for. And here’s the porridge I made."
Elliot didn’t say a word, his eyes never leaving the screen. "If you don’t want to eat it now," Georgia said, "you can just leave it. I’ll have the nurse heat it up for you in the morning."
Ever since Georgia had entered the room, Elliot hadn’t so much as glanced at her, let alone spoken a single word.
Georgia finally stood up. "Well, if there’s nothing else, I’m going to head back."
She grabbed her bag and walked toward the door, silently counting in her head to see how many seconds it would take for Elliot to finally speak to her.
’One, two, three, four...’
Just as Georgia’s foot crossed the threshold of the doorway, the man on the bed finally erupted. "Who said you could leave? I haven’t had my porridge yet!"
Georgia turned back. Elliot’s expression was grim as he glared at her.
"Well? Get over here!"
A small smile played on Georgia’s lips. She was now certain this was just a man’s pride at work.
She opened the thermos. The porridge was still the perfect temperature. She had eaten a little before she left, so she wasn’t hungry. She poured a small bowl for him. "Here, eat up."
Elliot took the bowl and slowly began to eat. Georgia noticed a pile of documents on the bedside table; some Elliot had already gone through, and some he hadn’t.
’He’s sick, but he still can’t put his work down. Being a CEO is really no job for an ordinary person.’
Elliot finished the porridge. "You were thirty minutes late."
"There was traffic."
"Thirty minutes late means you stay and keep me company for an extra thirty minutes."
"..."
Georgia was stunned for a moment, not expecting him to say something like that. She snuck a peek at Elliot out of the corner of her eye and noticed that the tips of his ears were a little red.
"Fine."
Georgia picked up the bowl to go wash it, but Elliot grabbed her by the wrist. "Let the nurse wash it later. Watch TV with me."
It was still that same documentary. After watching for a little while, Georgia started to feel drowsy and began to nod off.
Elliot looked at her, wondering what on earth she did at the company to be so tired. He frowned, lifted the covers, and got out of bed.
He draped his jacket over her. Georgia’s head was tilted to the side, one hand propping up her cheek as she slept soundly.
She didn’t stir at his movement. Seeing that she looked uncomfortable sleeping in the chair, he simply lifted her and placed her on the bed.
He gazed at Georgia’s face, then reached out to stroke her cheek. Georgia stirred in her sleep. "Blue, stop it."
When Georgia woke up, it was already nine o’clock at night.
She groggily rubbed her eyes. If it weren’t for the smell of disinfectant, she might have thought she was in her own bed.
She shot up in bed and looked around. Elliot was standing by the window, talking on the phone.
’How did I just fall asleep like that!’
Rubbing her groggy head, Georgia got out of bed just as Elliot was coming back in from the window.
She glanced at the time and let out a huge yawn. "It’s getting late. I should head back."
"It’s too late. It’s not safe for you to go back alone."
"It’s fine, I’ll just take a cab."
Georgia took a step to the side, but Elliot moved to block her way, his face dark. "Stay here tonight. I won’t be able to rest easy otherwise."
Georgia was about to ask what he had to worry about when Elliot suddenly pushed her back onto the bed.
She struggled, but he only deepened the kiss.
"If you don’t agree, we can just spend the night like this. You’re pretty soft, anyway."
"Get off me!"
Flustered and angry, she heard him murmur, "I want you. What should I do?"
"Elliot, get up!"
Elliot didn’t move. His lips brushed against her neck as he spoke. "Georgia."
To call Elliot a rogue would be no exaggeration.
In the end, however, Elliot did let Georgia leave.
He made a call and had Owen Sawyer come pick her up and take her home.
The minutes ticked by. An old movie played on the television.
Elliot’s attention was fixed on his phone, though the screen remained dark.
He kept turning it on to check it, then just staring at the dark screen. His fingers tapped restlessly against the glass, his patience wearing thin.
The movie cut to a commercial break, and his phone finally buzzed. It was a call from Owen Sawyer.
"Spit it out!" Elliot snarled, ’Don’t tie up my line!’
On the receiving end of the scolding, Owen Sawyer was utterly confused, wondering how he had managed to offend Elliot. He said hurriedly, "I’ve already dropped Madam off at home!"
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. The moment Owen Sawyer finished speaking, Elliot hung up.
Owen Sawyer stared at his phone, more baffled than ever.
’What a pointless waste of time.’
After getting back to the apartment and taking a shower, Georgia realized she was a little hungry.
She opened the refrigerator, but it was completely empty.
After rummaging through the cabinets, she finally found a pack of instant noodles and made herself a bowl.
She picked up her phone, wondering why Nancy hadn’t replied to her yet, only to tap the screen and discover the battery was dead.
She plugged it in, and as soon as it turned on, a message from Nancy popped up, asking if she was free to hang out.
After reading it, she sent a reply. "Some other time!"
’Her relationship with Elliot was so ambiguous right now. On what grounds could they go out together? Besides, he needed to rest.’
After sending the message, Georgia took a bite of her noodles, then went to wash the bowl.
When she came back, her phone was ringing on the bed. It was a call from Byron Shaw.
Earlier that evening, he’d gotten a call from Elliot, who claimed that he and Georgia had made up. Not trusting Elliot’s side of the story, Byron had called Georgia specifically to ask. "Elliot says you two have made up? You’re not planning on getting a divorce anymore, is that right?"
"...Er," She had completely forgotten she’d asked Byron Shaw to help her with the divorce.
Now she was at a loss for words. Georgia fell silent on her end of the line. "Well..."