She looked at Chris, her eyes pleading for help. The surrounding whispers continued, but Chris, being a man of pride, felt embarrassed and had no mind to care about whether Ava would be shelved or not. He said nothing, grabbing Susan’s hand and politely greeting Sam Noah and Jonathan Foxcroft before hurriedly pulling Susan away.
“We should leave too.”
Thelma felt there was no need to stay any longer, so she bid farewell to Jonathan Foxcroft and Presley. Phoenix and Mira, who had come with her, naturally followed her out as well.
Ava stood there as if her soul had been sucked out, dazed. She had been shelved by the company, and everything she had worked so hard to achieve had vanished just like that. How could she accept it?
Coming back to her senses, she wanted to find Jonathan Foxcroft, but he had no intention of acknowledging her, linking arms with Presley to toast other guests.
Ava reached out but missed, and soon after, security came in to ask her to leave. She knew this was Jonathan Foxcroft’s intention; he didn’t want her to embarrass herself here. Ava clenched her fists tightly, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Amidst the whispers and low laughter, she followed the security out of the banquet hall.
Once outside MK, Thelma said to Sam Noah, “I still need to go back to the company for a bit. Please let the driver take you home first.”
“Okay.” Sam Noah didn’t ask further and got into the car to leave.
Thelma and the others also got into the car, and only then did Thelma ask Phoenix, “Did you and Jonathan Foxcroft really used to be married?”
Phoenix nodded.
“How come I never heard you mention it?”
Phoenix looked indifferent. “There’s nothing to mention; it’s been so many years.”
Thelma leaned closer, cautiously asking, “Tell me honestly, was Presley the third party?”
Please don’t let it be so; she was her idol.
Phoenix replied, “I don’t know.”
Thelma was bewildered. “How could you not know?”
Phoenix said, “Presley and Jonathan Foxcroft did get together a year after I divorced him, but I’m not sure if they had any secret dealings before our divorce, so I say I don’t know.”
Thelma: “……”
Getting remarried a year after divorce is indeed a bit awkward, but they did marry after the divorce. Even Phoenix, the person involved, said she didn’t know, so how could Thelma, an outsider, know?
Of course, she still hoped that Presley wasn’t that kind of person. She was a positive idol, unafraid of power. That year, when she had just entered university, there was a highly publicized r**e case involving a marginalized individual, a social misfit who wasn’t exactly a lady. She had been raped, and people thought she was just a promiscuous girl who changed partners like clothes, probably lying to get money. Even the judge acquitted the man.
At that time, Presley was at the height of her popularity. She stood up against power, held a press conference, and spoke out for that girl, tirelessly seeking justice. Eventually, perhaps due to her influence and the pressure of public opinion, the case was retried, and the rapist was convicted.
Over the years, Presley had continued to do charity work, advocating for women who faced discrimination and oppression, speaking out for women’s rights. In this peaceful era, someone like Presley could truly be called a heroine.
So she admired her and didn’t want her to have any blemishes.
Back at Thelma’s studio, Connor had not yet finished work. Thelma mentioned that several bosses wanted to discuss collaboration at the banquet today and wanted to hear his opinion. Connor was very professional, analyzing everything carefully. He felt that only one endorsement for sports shoes was reliable, and he planned to discuss it with the person in charge tomorrow and prepare to sign the contract.
After discussing, it was getting late, so Thelma announced the end of the workday. However, as she left the conference room, Mira stopped her.
“What’s wrong? Do you have something to discuss?”
“I want to talk to you.”
Just then, Phoenix passed by, and Mira added, “Sister Phoenix, come over too.”
The three of them went to Thelma’s office. Thelma thought it was about the endorsement, so she cautiously asked, “You don’t want to take that endorsement?”
Mira shook her head and pulled out a photo from her bag, handing it to her.
The photo was a group picture of Mira with a young man in military uniform. Mira looked to be only in her teens at the time, her face still showing a hint of rosy cheeks.
