Chapter 151

On the way to the hospital, Thalia returned calls to Victoria and Charlotte, assuring them not to worry. Reaching the hotel, she spent some time with Katie before dinner. Glancing at her watch, Thalia suggested, "Shall we grab some dinner?"

"Yes, let's," Katie agreed.

"What would you like to eat?"

Katie smiled. "I'm not fussy."

"Let's have a look at what's nearby, then."

After dinner, Thalia said, "You should submit your CV to the firm through the normal application process."

"I will."

"Have you found anywhere to live yet?" Thalia asked.

Katie replied, "Not yet."

Thalia nodded. "I'll help you look into some options."

Katie quickly waved her hands. "Don't trouble yourself, Thalia. I can manage."

"Don't be silly. You hardly know London, and I don't want you getting ripped off."

"Well…" Katie hesitated. "If you're sure it's no bother."

"Of course not," Thalia checked the time. "Let me take you back to your hotel first. I've got some—shortly."

"Sure."

After dropping Katie at the hotel, Thalia immediately drove to Ashcroft Group headquarters. At half-past five, employees likely hadn't left for the day, meaning Drake was probably still in the office. Just as she parked outside the Ashcroft building, her phone rang with an unknown number.

In fact, when Thalia had first turned on her new phone, she'd noticed several calls from unknown numbers but had paid them little attention. The phone rang several times before she answered: "Hello?"

"Thalia, you finally picked up. Where are you? Are you okay? Did Malfoy hurt you?"

It was Drake's voice. Thalia's grip tightened on the phone as a surge of rage coursed through her. Suppressing her fury, she replied coldly, "Me? Thanks to you, I nearly died. As it happens, I'm right outside your office building. Come down and let's have a chat."

"You're outside my building?" Drake sounded disbelieving.

Thalia responded impatiently, "Stop wasting time. Just come down."

Drake quickly replied, "Okay, sure. Wait for me in the lobby. I'll be right down."

After hanging up, Thalia walked to the lobby and sat on a sofa. Before Drake appeared, she encountered another familiar face. Sienna was wearing a cream-colored Chanel suit, carrying a white LV handbag with light blue patterns. Her outfit was strikingly similar to Thalia's, and even her hairstyle was identical.

Thalia didn't recognize her immediately, merely noting that the woman's style strongly resembled her own. Looking closer, she realized with interest that the woman was Sienna. What was this about? Was she copying Thalia's style? Thalia frowned. Sienna was imitating her? It felt as though something unpleasant was stalking her.

Sensing her gaze, Sienna turned, hesitated, and frowned.

"Thalia Winters?" Alarm bells instantly rang in Sienna's mind as her expression darkened. She walked over and demanded, "What are you doing here?"

Seated on the sofa, Thalia looked up at her with a casual, mocking tone: "Well, if it isn't you. I saw you earlier and thought you were my sister or something. Why have you started copying me? Playing the doppelgänger game, are we?"

Sienna's face paled. Quickly composing herself, she responded defensively, "Copying you? God, you're so full of yourself. Why would I need to copy you?"

Thalia scrutinized her from head to toe. Then, suddenly, she let out a derisive laugh.

"What's so funny?" Sienna asked, irritated.

"I just remembered a story," Thalia replied with a contemptuous glance. "Have you ever heard of the ugly woman who tried to imitate the beautiful one's frown, Miss Quinn?"

Sienna's face turned green with anger. Of course, she knew that story.

"Thalia Winters, I've met conceited people before, but you really take the cake. What, is this style your patent? Only you're allowed to dress this way?"

Thalia looked at her with amusement. "The style isn't my patent, of course. I understand, Miss Quinn. It's just a coincidence that your outfit resembles mine, your hair resembles mine, your makeup resembles mine, and even your perfume happens to be the same as mine. Correct? It's all just a happy accident. You're certainly not copying me, just a massive coincidence."

Sienna's expression turned extremely unpleasant. She was about to retort when a male voice interrupted.

"Thalia!" Drake's excited voice rang out. Sienna froze. Thalia's face darkened as she coldly regarded Drake. Sienna glared at Thalia. "You're here for Drake? Thalia, you guys broke up forever ago. Why are you still chasing after him? That desperate for male attention, huh?"

Thalia laughed coldly. "You think everyone's like you, picking up rubbish and treating it like treasure?"

Drake approached just in time to hear this comment. Thalia had called him rubbish, which did cause him a small pang of disappointment. But it didn't matter. He was used to it. He knew that given his past treatment of Thalia, "rubbish" was actually quite mild. He was self-aware enough to recognize this.

"Thalia, I'm just glad you're safe," Drake said as he reached her, his expression gentle, his eyes full of lingering affection.

This remark immediately angered Thalia. She abruptly stood from the sofa and slapped him across the face. The sharp, resounding slap was jarringly out of place in the lobby. The few passersby all turned to look, and the receptionists cast curious glances their way. Drake was rather handsome and always well-dressed. Some female employees, including the receptionists, harbored secret crushes on him. Seeing him get slapped, the receptionist was stunned. If she hadn't feared losing her job, she would have recorded this dramatic moment to show the other employees upstairs—their CEO being slapped by a woman was quite the spectacle.

"Thalia Winters, are you out of your mind?" Sienna cried out, clearly distressed, when she recovered from the shock of seeing Drake slapped. Sienna pulled Drake toward her concernedly. "Drake, are you okay? Let me see your face."

Drake had turned his head with the force of the slap. After a moment of stunned silence, he brushed Sienna's hand away and met Thalia's gaze.

Drake asked with a wounded expression: "What's the matter, Thalia?"

Thalia's voice was icy, radiating a palpable chill. "You called the police?"

Drake replied: "Yeah, I did. I heard you'd been kidnapped. I was worried about you, thought something bad might happen."

Thalia's face flushed with anger as she coldly demanded: "How did you know I'd been kidnapped by Malfoy? Was it Grace who told you?"

Chapter 152