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

Chapter 589 - 560: Los Angeles New Year

Sienna Thornton finally realized that her presence here seemed to exert additional pressure on him. He had no choice but to divide his attention to consider her state and feelings.She calmed down for a moment, turned to hug his waist, and said, "Of course, we’ll go back. Let’s stay for one more week, okay?"

The coming week was crucial. Whether they could get Zane Forrester out depended on it. She couldn’t return at such a critical moment. Fearing Simon Forrester might not agree, she took a step back: "At least wait until we see your dad before leaving."

"Alright, we’ll go back after seeing him."

.

The two returned to the hotel, pasted up the "Fu" character decorations. Sienna Thornton came out after taking a shower, finding the room empty, but the lights in the living room still on.

Simon Forrester was buried in a pile of documents. He had taken off his tie, the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and the necklace engraved with Sienna Thornton’s name glinted subtly under the light.

She walked over, with her lower back leaning against the edge of the desk, facing him with her eyes downcast on him.

He put down his pen, stretched his neck, leaned back into his office chair, and smiled at her while holding her slender wrist.

"Going to bed early tonight?" she asked.

He glanced at the documents on the table and shook his head, "You go ahead to sleep. I have a few things to finish up."

She was not having it, pouting playfully: "Tonight is New Year’s Eve. Aren’t you staying up with us?"

She said "us," and it warmed his heart. He quickly turned off the lamp on the table, got up, and lifted her by the waist.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up at him.

They had been together for so many years, spending every New Year’s Eve staying up together. He had once said that they should do this every year. But tonight, with the pressure bearing down on him, he had momentarily forgotten it was New Year’s Eve after dealing with things all evening and returning here.

He put her under the covers and then turned to take a shower. Once finished, he returned to bed, holding her, and they watched the Spring Festival Gala live broadcast from home together.

The two chatted intermittently, initially restraining themselves from mentioning matters related to Zane Forrester’s case. But suddenly, Sienna Thornton remembered she had wanted to ask him something since leaving the law office today. Afraid she would forget later if she didn’t ask now, she couldn’t help but ask, "Why did you reduce the payment collection by twenty percent this afternoon?"

"It’s a strategy to force them to weigh their options. Knowing that they are bound to lose the case, when we offer some concessions, they’ll gladly accept."

"But they initially decided not to give even a penny."

"That’s because my dad didn’t catch their slip-ups."

Sienna Thornton recalled the negotiations today and Simon Forrester’s two trump cards, and her interest was piqued.

"Speaking of which, where did you get their contracts with other drilling companies? And that witness—how did you deduce from just a few glances at the medical report that he wasn’t injured on The Forresters’ drilling rig?" She was simply full of admiration for Simon Forrester. "If it were me, I could scan that report over and over and still might not catch such subtle details!"

Simon Forrester chuckled, "In previous engineering projects, accidents sometimes occurred when workers went to work after drinking and fell at the site. The engineering party usually required the hospital to immediately test the workers’ blood alcohol levels to clarify responsibility."

"So you were looking to see if this person fell from the rig because he was drinking, and inadvertently found sea water in his lungs?"

Simon Forrester heard her, pinched her cheek, and said, "Smart."

She smiled, hugging his waist, snuggling in his arms: "Well, you’re no slouch yourself! But that presupposes an intimate familiarity with The Forresters’ overseas business to know that all of The Forresters’ drilling activities are on land."

At this point, Simon Forrester’s eyes deepened a bit as he laughed thoughtfully, "I’ve been keeping an eye on The Forresters’ overseas business, just in case something happened to my dad."

Seeing the conversation veering back towards Zane Forrester, Sienna Thornton quickly changed the topic, asking, "What about the other drilling companies’ contracts? How did you get those?"

She was a bit worried that these contracts were obtained through illegal means, which could lead to other issues.

Simon Forrester guessed her concerns, tightened his embrace, and reassured with a smile, "Didn’t you see those contracts today? They all have authorized stamps, so there won’t be any legal disputes."

Sienna Thornton was surprised.

In other words, Simon Forrester convinced several competing companies to willingly grant him sample contract rights within 48 hours?

She couldn’t imagine how he managed to settle that sort of business—it must have been extremely challenging.

Reluctant to probe further, she cuddled with him, watching the Spring Festival Gala in quiet companionship.

She later drifted off to sleep. Seemingly, Simon Forrester went out after she fell asleep, as she sensed it vaguely, but when she awoke once in the night, he held her in his sleep, his breathing steady.

...

On January 22nd, it was the first day of the traditional Spring Festival in China.

The new year came particularly early this time—not in many years had it arrived this soon.

This day coincided with a Sunday in the M. Republic, so Zane Forrester’s hearing was scheduled for the next day. Hence, Simon Forrester and his wife could spend a proper traditional holiday, sparing them a trip to the foreign court even on New Year’s Day, which would otherwise cast a shadow over future new years.

After waking up, Sienna Thornton lingered in Simon Forrester’s arms for a while longer. While he initially slept, her antics woke him, and he didn’t shy away.

Since Zane Forrester’s incident, he had been busy day and night, and it had been a long time since they spent a morning like this together. It made her a little delighted.

With her father-in-law in detention, she thought she shouldn’t feel this way, but she was genuine, and Simon Forrester’s well-being made her happy. She was no saint, after all.

The two didn’t get out of bed until noon, taking a shower and preparing to join the Chinese New Year festivities in Chinatown.

That day in Los Angeles, the weather was exceptionally nice, with clear skies and temperatures around 20 degrees, a very comfortable feel. Both Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester were in good spirits.

She had been to Chinatown in Los Angeles twice before, both times at night. Coming in broad daylight today, she saw a different side of Chinatown compared to the previous visits.

The architecture was ancient and distinctive, archways and red lanterns with traditional domestic elements were everywhere, and almost every shop had conspicuous Chinese signage, as if stepping onto the streets of Azure Harbor in a Cantonese film. People spoke various dialects as they passed by. Except for Cantonese, Sienna Thornton couldn’t understand any of them, yet she found it all very charming.

There were specialty stores, Chinese supermarkets, domestic gift shops, but mostly Chinese restaurants: Cantonese, Minnan, Sichuan, Port Sterling, and Yunaris cuisines...

Since they had hot pot from Fenwick last night and knowing Sienna Thornton liked spicy food, Simon Forrester suggested Sichuan cuisine, but Sienna Thornton, mindful of his stomach and hemorrhoids, insisted they opt for the milder Cantonese dishes.

After lunch, Sienna Thornton said she wanted to walk around more, and they started to wander around Chinatown. Sienna Thornton found everything fascinating, exploring here and shopping there, and quickly the afternoon passed by.

Both were quite happy, and after dinner, while returning to the hotel, Sienna Thornton suddenly received a call from home.