CHAPTER 121: CHAPTER 120: ENTANGLEMENT

Simon Forrester shifted slightly, and as Sienna Thornton entered, he discreetly grasped her hand. She quickly withdrew and walked inside without changing her expression.

In the meeting room, besides the representatives from DK and their accompanying legal staff, as well as SY’s representative Simon Forrester and his companion Harrison Rowe, there was also a refined and elegant lady in her forties. Sienna Thornton guessed that this lady might be the head of marketing for Forrester Group.

She was about to introduce herself when Harrison Rowe stood up and greeted her first: "Lawyer Thornton, you’re here?" Then he turned to the lady and said: "Mr. Forrester, this is Vantage’s international lawyer, Sienna Thornton."

Another Forrester?

Seems like she’s part of the Forrester Family.

Sienna Thornton smiled at her, confidently extended her hand for a shake: "Hello, Mr. Forrester."

She sat down at her seat, took out the prepared contracts, and distributed them to each party. After Simon Forrester sat down, she began explaining the contract details.

Simon Forrester didn’t even glance at the contract; he kept whispering things to Harrison Rowe beside him while the DK representative handed the contract to their legal officer for another review, then promptly signed it upon confirming there were no issues.

Sienna Thornton stood up to exchange contracts between both parties, only putting them away after all the signatures were in place.

The signing process was actually simple; the most difficult negotiation for terms had already passed. All the preparatory work was just for these few signatures.

The female Mr. Forrester from Forrester Group looked somewhat upset and planned to leave the meeting room after signing, calling Simon Forrester aside to speak before she left.

Sienna Thornton watched the tall figure standing by the window and inevitably felt a little dazed.

Today, Simon Forrester wore a light-hued, fine-checked gray suit, paired with a white French shirt and a tungsten-gray tie. Whether it was due to the suit’s style or he had slimmed down a bit, he looked lean and spirited; his profile was sharp and handsome like a knife.

He stood there with hands in pockets, embodying an upright yet casual posture.

During the conversation, the female Mr. Forrester glanced over occasionally or gazed out the window, his eyes seemingly casual; whether he was pondering something or not paying attention at all remained speculative.

After some exchange, the female Mr. Forrester left with her secretary.

Simon Forrester tugged at his tie, gazing out the window, his jawline taut, his jaw muscles pronounced. He seemed irritated.

Sienna Thornton discerned that his expression definitely meant he was biting hard on his molars.

She regained her senses, packed her bag, and beckoned Rochelle Linwood to leave.

Just as the elevator doors were closing, they suddenly reopened.

Sienna Thornton was deep in thought when she heard Rochelle Linwood say: "Lawyer Thornton, should I take the next one?"

"Hmm?" Instinctively, she looked up to see Simon Forrester standing outside the elevator, pressing the descent button with his arm, preventing it from going down.

"No." Her eyes were fixed on Simon Forrester, although the sentence was meant for Rochelle Linwood.

Rochelle Linwood dared not leave; Simon Forrester, resigned, eventually entered the elevator.

The elevator descended slowly.

Rochelle Linwood stood amusingly by the door, inserting earphones into her ears.

Sienna Thornton held her breath.

Surprisingly, Simon Forrester said nothing.

The elevator soon reached the basement, and Rochelle Linwood, standing by the door, exited first. As Sienna Thornton was about to follow, Simon Forrester held her hand.

The elevator doors closed again.

Simon Forrester pressed the button for the top floor, holding Sienna Thornton with one hand.

Sienna Thornton struggled, glaring at him, "What do you want?"

Simon Forrester spoke in a low voice, "I just want to talk somewhere."

"Let go?" Sienna Thornton’s voice lowered, issuing one last warning, "Are you letting go or not?"

Simon Forrester seemed oblivious, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, intently watching the changing floor numbers.

"Ding," the elevator stopped on another floor, and the staff about to enter was stunned by Simon Forrester’s abrupt "Take the next one," and by the time they came to their senses, the doors had closed again.

He pulled Sienna Thornton by the wrist, bent down, staring intensely at her, his gaze sweeping over her features as if intending to kiss her in the confines of the elevator.

Sienna Thornton’s chest heaved intensely, her eyes catching a glimpse of the conspicuous surveillance camera overhead. She slid her free hand into her bag, took out her phone, pressed the home button, and asked, coldly and decisively, "Do you want me to call the police?"

Simon Forrester’s face registered shock, his body reluctantly straightening, releasing her hand, "I’ll find you after work?"

The elevator ascended to the fifteenth floor.

Sienna Thornton didn’t respond, swiftly pressing the button for the seventeenth floor.

A few seconds later, she exited the elevator.

She took another elevator downstairs. Upon exiting, Rochelle Linwood was waiting by the car, her face showing surprise, yet she wisely refrained from asking anything.

Without a word, Sienna Thornton appeared extremely grim.

Just as they were nearing the law firm, Rochelle Linwood cautiously asked, "Lawyer Thornton, the director is organizing a party tonight to celebrate securing DK’s project; you’ll attend, right?"

"I will," Sienna Thornton parked the car, turned off the engine, and engaged the gear, "Why not? As you said, it’s also my project."

Rochelle Linwood nodded, "Then I’ll ride with you after work."

Friday afternoon was exceptionally busy, and it quickly reached the end of the workday. The colleagues from the international department, those driving their own cars and those hitching rides, were all headed to the nearby food street.

Besides Rochelle Linwood, Sienna Thornton also brought along another lawyer from the same department, Lawyer Yates, and her assistant.

The four chatted along the way, and Lawyer Yates asked, "Hey Lawyer Thornton, I heard from Leanne Norton that you’ve submitted your resignation to Partner Reed?"

Sienna Thornton nodded, "Yes, I’m planning to take a break for a while."

"For a break, you can take a long leave! You’ve worked hard for two years, and this year your contract is fulfilled, you’re just about to become a second-level lawyer, why are you resigning?"

In large firms, the categorization of lawyers corresponds to their tenure and experience. Most lawyers advance from junior (level four) to senior (level one) roles. Due to Sienna Thornton’s doctoral degree, she entered Vantage directly as a level three lawyer; after two years she could advance to level two, or deputy senior lawyer, serving as a deputy in the team.

All lawyers endure this step-by-step process to fortify their career within the field, leaving Lawyer Yates puzzled over Sienna Thornton’s decision to resign.

Sienna Thornton feigned indifference, smiling slightly, "I’ll find a new role when I’m ready to work again, not a big deal."

"You’re right; your qualifications and performance are impressive, you can choose any firm," Lawyer Yates compared the differences with a tone of envy and sighed deeply, "Unlike me, squeezed my brain to pass the entrance for Vantage, can’t even contemplate when the contract ends if Vantage doesn’t renew it, where would I go?"

Sienna Thornton stayed silent.

She wanted to say she wasn’t as favored as Lawyer Yates thought; even graduating from Harvard doesn’t guarantee anything, still just an assistant in the team, not even a deputy.

This field has always been this realistic.

Lawyer Yates asked again, "When are you leaving? We’ll throw you a farewell party."

"I’ll leave once my contract expires on June 30th."

Lawyer Yates nodded knowingly, lamenting the swift passage of time, "May is nearly over, just one month left."

Her remark made Sienna Thornton realize that she had only a month left before leaving Vantage.

Back then, to fulfill her promise to Simon Forrester, she informed the firm six months in advance that she wouldn’t be renewing her contract upon expiry.

Yet now, with the guesthouse just opened and business being merely average—far from expectations—it might be due to pricing strategy issues, or perhaps because she had canceled her plan to leverage Simon Forrester’s influence to attract fans, failing to draw his fanbase.

Presently, apart from the main building’s economic rooms having decent occupancy, the luxury rooms are barely occupied, but the problem is that the luxury rooms are the profitable ones.

Considering the monthly loan repayments and imminent joblessness, Sienna Thornton felt overwhelmed and discouraged.