Chapter 465 An Unforeseen Exposure
"He earns his own money," Thalassa replied indifferently.
"Yeah, right, but he's using your house and car, right? The guy's no good. He looks like a troublemaker, and he's violent. He's hit both of your brothers and about the prison thing..."
Maria's voice trailed off suddenly, realizing she had just revealed on the phone that her jail time was because of Justin.
"What about the prison thing?" Thalassa looked at her.
Maria just shook her head, "Let's not talk about it; I don't want to think about that dreadful incident for another second."
"Okay."
Thalassa acknowledged.
The meal was consumed in relative silence.
The conversation between mother and daughter was sparse.
Maria was visibly restless.
And naturally, the atmosphere was as if smothered by heavy wax.
"Look, those people are still waiting," Maria said at last, nervously hinting.
Thalassa put down her fork and looked towards Maria. "Mom, did you really listen to what I said on the phone?"
Maria nodded vigorously, "Of course, I heard every word."
"And what if you're lying to me?" Thalassa asked.
Maria paused before responding, "Then we'd sever our mother-daughter ties, but you know I wouldn't do that."
"Good, as long as you're aware," Thalassa said while rummaging through her wallet. "I've moved Dad's grave; I'll take you to visit him tomorrow."
"Okay!"
Maria's eyes followed Thalassa's every move with the wallet. After a moment, Thalassa pulled out a check.
Maria snatched it up as if afraid Thalassa would change her mind.
Thalassa wished there were cameras in the restaurant to capture Maria's greedy expression and behavior.
Maria quickly verified the amount, then placed the check in her purse, finally allowing a smile to replace her grimace.
"You said you moved your father's grave?" she asked.
"Yeah, the site had bad energy," Thalassa replied.
But before she could continue, Maria's phone rang.
She cut Thalassa off abruptly, "It's from them, probably hounding me for money. I'll run down to Chicago, handle it, and then come back. Is that okay?"
Thalassa just blinked at her softly, but before she could respond, Maria hurried out with her purse in hand.
Sitting alone in the booth, Thalassa sipped her coffee. Maria was too obvious; Thalassa had seen the caller ID—it was her husband's number, not "them."
Ah, of course... Justin was in league with those guys; they were all the same crowd.
Maria, holding the check, went down to the underground level where Justin's car was parked in a corner.
Once she got in, she handed the check to Justin with glee, "Thalassa doesn't even have it; she borrowed it from a friend. That girl is just stubborn but still looks out for her mom."
Justin glanced at the check, "Let's see if she'd give it to you without the threat of divorce," he said as he started the car.
Maria was taken aback, "Wait, I have to go back!"
"Go back?" Justin frowned. "What for?"
"I promised her I'd go back after delivering the check to have dinner with her," Maria replied.
Justin, clearly irritated, tried to soothe Maria, "Honey, we need to rush to cash this check before anything else happens."
Without waiting for Maria's consent, Justin drove off.
Maria sat there, casting a look back before ultimately choosing silence. She couldn’t leave the car, breaking the promise she had made to her daughter.
The conversation came to a standstill.
Fiona and her party arrived in Solomon very discreetly.
Today, with Darwin returning, both the upper and middle management flocked to the executive conference room.
Fiona, wearing a face mask and sunglasses, escorted Charles to the Department of Information Engineering. Unrecognized, she moved through the corridors unseen.
Once Charles was settled, Fiona headed straight to the top floor with Chicago in tow.
As luck would have it, she stepped out of the elevator only to run into Henry, who was about to enter.
Despite the disguise, Henry paused, and then recognition dawned. He stepped back, "Madam."
Fiona led Chicago out, gesturing for him to greet the man.
Chicago's voice had a charm that seemed to captivate everyone.
Henry, who was caught off guard, hesitated before the reality hit him, and he waved his hands earnestly with a mix of surprise and reverence.
Fiona smiled.
"Ah, I'm afraid I don't have clearance to enter. Could you help me with fingerprint access?" Fiona gestured toward the direction of the president's office.
Henry hurried over, his mind buzzing.
What was going on?
He had only met this lady a couple of times. Where was this strange sense of familiarity coming from?
It couldn't just be the resemblance, could it?
Yes, the resemblance... It made him think of Secretary Woods.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Charles.
Judging by the boy's age, he must have been Secretary Woods' son. After all, Mr. Solomon had been bedridden for half a year following her passing.
And Secretary Woods? She was legendary, a true child of the Carla prairies.
"Madam, I'll set you up with access and record your fingerprint; it'll make things easier for you," Henry said as he swiped his card, his tone revealing a hint of bitterness.
Of course, he couldn't sound pleasant—how could he, when thinking of someone who had overshadowed Woods?
"That would be helpful."
Fiona was planning to check on Charles again soon, so having access would indeed be convenient.
"Record your fingerprint right here," Henry instructed.
Fiona approached and placed her index finger on the scanner out of habit.
Next to the fingerprint machine was a small screen that displayed employee information upon card swipes.
The moment Fiona's finger touched the sensor, a beep sounded, and the door unlocked.
On the small screen appeared the employee information card tied to the fingerprint.
"Fiona, President's Secretary..."
Henry was dumbfounded.
Fiona herself was surprised and turned to Henry, "Has this machine not been replaced in five or six years?"
Henry shook his head mechanically, "No, the system hasn't been changed. Mr. Solomon insists on keeping Secretary Woods' information."
"Oh, is that so?" Fiona shrugged slightly, then, with a smile, she reached out to the stunned Henry, "Assistant Henry, long time no see."
Assistant Henry's hand trembled as he reached out.
He grasped Fiona's hand, and in that instant, he almost cried.
"Is it really you?" he asked.
Fiona nodded towards the ID card, "This doesn't lie, you know."
"Secretary Woods..." Henry was so moved that his eyes were red, and though he seemed like he was about to cry, a laugh escaped him instead.
Charles nestled close to Fiona's leg.
He was staring at the odd Uncle Henry, wondering whether he was about to laugh or cry.
"Oh no!" Henry suddenly remembered something urgent, "Secretary Woods, let's catch up later. I need to run to HR!"
With that, Henry hurried into the elevator.
Fiona vaguely heard him muttering something about a resignation letter.
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