Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike

Chapter 558 - 530: Simon Forrester’s Important Matter

After saying this, Logan Lockwood buried his face in Simon Forrester’s neck and let out a fake cry, "Wah!"Simon Forrester was disgusted and pushed his face away, giving Gavin Gale and Harrison Rowe a look, and Logan was quickly escorted back to his seat.

Jack Hawthorne looked at Logan Lockwood with amusement and asked, "Wyatt, what’s up with you? Someone who doesn’t know might think you’re secretly in love with Jules’ wife."

Simon Forrester shot him a sharp glance, and Jack Hawthorne sheepishly shut his mouth.

Logan Lockwood shouted, "Back in the day, I noticed Lawyer Thornton was beautiful even earlier than he did. Back then, he even mocked me for not having seen many women! And what happened?"

He made a face-slapping gesture toward Simon Forrester.

Simon Forrester was annoyed but amused and stuffed a shark fin dumpling into Logan’s mouth.

...

It was late at night, with a bright moon hanging high in the sky, surrounded by a few bright little stars.

Tomorrow was Sunday, so the bachelors weren’t in a hurry to leave, still singing and drinking.

Jack Hawthorne and Tobias Blackwood, since they had to get up with their kids in the morning, wanted to head out first. Simon Forrester, seeing this, asked them to take along the absent-minded Gage Grant and the twice-drunken Logan Lockwood.

With the most lively ones gone, the rest were less talkative, and the party quickly quieted down. After a while, Zion Quincy also mentioned having surgery in the morning, so he needed to rest, and everyone dispersed on the spot.

After sending off all the guests, Simon Forrester and his wife helped the chef and assistants clean up. Once the garden and the viewing deck were restored to their pristine state, they dragged their tired bodies back inside, planning to freshen up and sleep.

Only, even though they were clearly exhausted earlier, after a shower, they felt refreshed again.

The master bedroom was lit by a single warm yellow nightlight, with the blackout curtains fully drawn, creating a private and cozy environment.

Simon Forrester laid with his hands under his head, with Sienna Thornton resting on his chest, the two snuggled under a soft thin quilt, chatting intimately.

"I originally wanted Cognitas to handle the due diligence for The Imperial Court Club, but Rhonda and Aurora both said they were too busy and suggested Prosper Law, but I feel it’s not great to let outsiders handle this."

The Imperial Court Club, with most members being officials, a due diligence would make it clear how much those officials spend there annually and whether it’s within their salary range.

Even though if the due diligence was entrusted to Prosper Law, there is a confidentiality agreement between The Imperial Court Club and Prosper Law, such matters are sensitive and there’s always a chance of something going wrong.

Simon Forrester nodded, "That’s definitely true, so how do you want to handle it?"

Sienna Thornton also found the issue a bit tricky; even having the Forrester Group’s internal audit department do it would be inappropriate.

She sighed, "If I had known I would marry you, I would have taken more auditing courses in undergrad, so I could handle it myself now."

Simon Forrester burst into hearty laughter, pinching her nose affectionately, "You’re an excellent lawyer, but not a great businessperson."

Sienna Thornton, surprised, lifted her head to look at him.

In the dim light, his features were clear and gentle, but his tone was particularly serious and earnest.

"The Imperial Court Club has a unique position. That’s why Grandpa turns a blind eye to some of its dealings. The big earnings from The Imperial Court Club are taken by the Forrester Family annually, but some scraps have to be left for the others to eat. When they’re full, they have the strength to work. If you audit this, everything will be exposed, and not only will the people below go hungry, but you might also offend people, and some things not suitable for outside knowledge might just get leaked."

Sienna Thornton didn’t realize that the Forrester Family had already seen through this, thinking they had simply neglected management and left The Imperial Court to the general manager without knowing how much money it made annually.

In fact, the Forrester Family’s calculation was to take a certain amount each year, and whatever was left, as long as the general manager ran The Imperial Court well, he could take as much as he was capable, just not affecting the Forrester Family’s interests.

Sienna Thornton finally understood and nestled back into Simon Forrester’s arms.

She was silent for a while and suddenly asked, "So, am I overstepping a little?"

Simon Forrester chuckled, hugging her tighter, "Definitely not. You’re the boss lady of The Imperial Court Club, so what if you want to manage? One of us has to play the bad guy, and the other the good guy."

"Then..." she hesitated, "Should we continue to investigate The Imperial Court Club’s matters?"

"It’s up to you, as long as you ensure confidentiality."

"Alright then."

Sienna Thornton fell silent, nestled in Simon Forrester’s arms, lost in thought.

Worried this matter might dampen her enthusiasm, Simon Forrester reassured her, "You have the typical meticulous, cautious, and detail-oriented lawyer mindset, which is by no means wrong. When I first took over the Forrester Group, I had a similar mindset because I previously worked in architecture where everything needed precision, even a tiny discrepancy was unacceptable. Initially, it was quite challenging and even made me self-doubt. But after understanding some tactics, it got better. Don’t be disheartened, we’ll learn together."

Encouraged by this, Sienna Thornton sat up, tracing the sharp lines of his face, "Why didn’t you tell me before? I thought you adapted well at the Forrester Group."

Simon Forrester laughed, "It’s not a big deal."

Sienna Thornton stayed seated, looking at him for a while, furrowing her brows, asking, "In your eyes, what counts as a big deal?"

He laughed, pulling her back into his arms, kissed her forehead gently, "Anything concerning my wife is a big deal."

...

After talking with Simon Forrester, Sienna Thornton decided not to meddle with The Imperial Court Club for the time being.

She kept engrossed in her work at the Treaty and Law Department while closely monitoring the progress of Melinda Linton’s brother’s case retrial.

In early June, two days before the Dragon Boat Festival, after work, she went to The Imperial Court Club specifically to pick up some boxes of rice dumplings as gifts.

As her car entered the first ring, she encountered the expected traffic jam during the evening rush.

She was listening to Maeve’s new album in the car when the music abruptly paused due to an incoming call.

She pressed the answer button on the console, "Hello?"

There was silence on the other end.

Seeing it was Quentin Thorne, she asked, "Dad? What’s wrong?"

After a few more seconds, Quentin Thorne’s hoarse and slightly sorrowful voice came through, "Ian Grant has passed away..."

Sienna Thornton suddenly hit the brake, stunned for a few seconds, she asked in shock, "When?"

"At noon."

"Then..." She was at a loss for words to comfort him, falling silent for a few seconds, she softly said, "Please accept my condolences."

On the other end, Quentin Thorne took a deep breath, and his voice steadied a bit.

He asked, "The funeral is in three days, Forrester Family members will attend as well, will you come over?"

"I will go."

"Okay." Quentin Thorne was about to hang up, but before doing so, he reminded her, "Take good care of your mom. Once I’m less busy, I’ll visit her."

"Okay. Please take care of yourself."

After the call ended, Sienna Thornton stared at the traffic ahead, zoning out, filled with memories of her confrontations with Ian Grant during her stay at the Thorne Family a few months prior.

She and Simon Forrester had thought their feud with Ian Grant would be a prolonged tug-of-war, never expecting that with Ian Grant’s demise, this battle seemed to be reaching its conclusion.

Suddenly, she felt a sense of relief wash over her.

——

Today’s updates are paused temporarily; I’ll resume once I feel better.