Quentin Thorne glanced at Sienna Thornton thoughtfully, then took a sip of the tea before him.
Sienna Thornton was extrely nervous as she watched him, and at that mont, she realized she had a desire for power.
This feeling, like a hook, suddenly pierced the serene atmosphere she had spent over a decade constructing.
The atmosphere broke, and the taste of power rushed in, quickly consuming the once tranquil oxygen...
Sienna Thornton held her breath, waiting for Quentin Thorne to speak.
Quentin Thorne set down the teacup.
"Director-General Linton has high hopes for Annie, after all, Annie is the talent he personally discovered and nurtured. He also promised he would do everything to help Annie. But..."
Simon Forrester’s heart sank as he heard this, and he hurriedly held onto Sienna Thornton’s clenched fist.
His big hand enveloped her small fist.
"Annie’s strongest competitor is the head of the Investnt Law Office. This person shares the sa academic background as Annie but has ten more years of experience in the Treaty and Law Departnt. And he has received many comndations from the ministry, even participating in drafting laws related to foreign investnt, greatly contributing to the ministry’s managent of foreign investnts."
The person Quentin Thorne was talking about, Sienna Thornton also knew; they worked in the sa building, seeing each other often. The person was indeed very outstanding, Sienna knew then that she probably didn’t stand a chance.
Simon Forrester asked, "And what about this person’s performance in negotiation consultations?"
"Interestingly, although he is an expert in law, like Annie, he is not as familiar with WTO rules and international trade laws as Annie is. Therefore, he has hardly handled negotiation consultations."
Simon Forrester breathed a sigh of relief, his hand wrapped around Sienna Thornton’s little fist, twisting it in several directions as he turned to her with a smile, "We’ve still got a chance, don’t be discouraged."
Quentin Thorne smiled and patted Sienna Thornton on the shoulder, "So Director-General Linton gave you this case mainly to let the ministry see your brilliance. This ti, you must try your best!"
"Okay!"
.
After dinner, Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester sat in the living room chatting with Quentin Thorne, while Auntie King was tidying up the kitchen, and linda Linton was resting in her room.
After chatting with his daughter and son-in-law for a while, Quentin Thorne said he had sothing to discuss with linda Linton and went into her room.
Sienna Thornton, sharp-eared, noticed that he hadn’t locked the door, but had closed it securely.
She whispered to Simon Forrester, "Why don’t you go listen at my mom’s door to what they’re saying?"
Simon Forrester didn’t even think about it, "No!"
Sienna Thornton, a bit annoyed, gently slapped his hand, then went up herself.
But after a while of listening outside the door, she still didn’t hear what was being said inside. Frustrated, she returned to the living room, muttering, "The door shouldn’t have been made so soundproof in the first place."
Simon Forrester: "..."
Sienna Thornton sat in the living room for a while, planning that if they still hadn’t opened the door in ten minutes, she would go over under the pretense of needing sothing and knock.
Seeing her unable to sit still, her bottom like a spinning top, Simon Forrester laughed, "Enough now, even if old Thornton wants to date our mom..."
Before he could finish, Sienna Thornton pinched his mouth shut, even pulling it outward, making him look like a duck.
She glared at him, their eyes eting, and whispered, "Don’t jinx it! Ian Grant hasn’t been gone long, don’t put our mom in a spot to be talked about!..."
She nagged Simon Forrester, her fingers grasping his lips, until Quentin Thorne ca out, and she quickly released Simon Forrester’s mouth.
Simon Forrester awkwardly adjusted his hair, sat up straight, and pressed his lips, reddened from Sienna Thornton’s grip, looking toward Quentin Thorne.
Quentin Thorne, with a cheerful expression, ca over, sat down opposite them, as if he had sothing important to announce.
Sienna Thornton started to feel nervous again.
The next second, Quentin Thorne said, "Annie, I plan to reconcile with your mother. I just proposed to her, and she agreed."
"No way!" Sienna Thornton’s lips trembled as she shouted instinctively, without any hesitation.
Quentin Thorne wasn’t surprised, calmly looking at her, he said, "Annie, I know what you’re concerned about. I initially struggled with this issue too, which is why I took half a month to revisit the places your mother and I once went together."
Sienna Thornton shook her head, "No, you have no idea what I’m concerned about. If you did, you wouldn’t announce such an outrageous thing today!"
But Quentin Thorne acted as if he hadn’t heard her, continuing, "I’ve been back with your mother for a year and a half now. During this ti, we’ve gotten along very well. But because I was never a free man, I had to restrain myself. Until Ian Grant fell ill, I had to cut off eting with your mother to take care of her and for her sake... The Grant Family separated and your mom back then. I’ve been more than considerate towards Ian Grant, so you needn’t worry about what the world thinks of your mother. Life is short; live for yourself."
He actually wanted to say that during those four-plus months of avoiding eting with linda Linton to care for Ian Grant, he always had linda on his mind. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have always started every call to Sienna Thornton with, "How’s your mom lately?" and ended with, "Take good care of your mom."
But these words, he was too embarrassed to say in front of their daughter and son-in-law. So he lightly expressed his genuine feelings for linda without owing anything to Ian Grant, ending with a heartfelt ssage.
Later, even Simon Forrester joined in persuading Sienna Thornton, who, irritated by the two of them, stomped off to her room in a huff.
Passing by linda Linton’s room, she saw through the slightly open door that linda was smiling, looking at her extended left hand.
On her ring finger was a rather large diamond ring.
Perhaps unsure how to face linda Linton falling in love again, Sienna Thornton went to work early the next day.
The following month, she was so busy working overti every night and on weekends that she and Simon Forrester moved back to the fourth floor of the design institute.
She kept in touch with Auntie King daily, knowing that Quentin Thorne visited linda Linton now and then for dinner, then left after watching so TV.
Quentin Thorne was trying to gradually integrate into linda Linton’s life, and Sienna Thornton understood. Rationally, she didn’t accept her parents reconciling now, but emotionally, she knew she shouldn’t stop two lonely elders from comforting each other.
Mina Thorne had married, leaving Quentin Thorne alone in a big villa, certainly lonely; and although linda Linton had Auntie King for company, she often seed to be in a daze, likely feeling empty too.
Coincidently, Sienna Thornton was busy with work and couldn’t find the ti to sit the old folks down for a calm talk. A month later, she returned triumphant with her team from Valois, and Simon Forrester told her that her parents had officially reconciled, and Quentin Thorne had even moved to The Springs Residences.
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