Chapter 384 - 364: Fortunately, It Wasn’t for Sex (Part 1)

"How did a pipe burst?" Georgia Thorne asked.

"This house is no good. You can tell it’s decades old just by looking at it. The wiring, the plumbing, it’s all ancient. It’s so old it breaks if you so much as touch it."

"Decades old? How is that possible? The landlord said it was brand new!"

"Then you were definitely scammed. The house might look clean, but it’s an old building, for sure. Just look at the water-damaged spot, you’ll see!"

Georgia Thorne walked over and examined the wall closely. A layer of paint and plaster had peeled away where the water had soaked through, revealing mold underneath.

"See? They just slapped a fresh coat of paint on the surface. You can still smell it!" the repairman said.

’No wonder the rent for this place was so cheap.’

’If the pipe hadn’t burst, she never would have known she’d been scammed.’

In a fit of anger, she called the landlord.

The landlord rushed over himself. After inspecting the house, he exclaimed, "How could you do this to my property!"

"What do you mean, ’do this to your property’? Sir, let’s be reasonable here. When we were renting the place, you said it was a new house. But it’s not! It’s an old building, through and through!" Georgia Thorne’s chest tightened with anger.

"I want to terminate the lease!" ’There’s no way I can stay in a house like this. Who knows, it might just collapse one day.’

"Terminate the lease? Fine by me. Just hand over the penalty fee first!"

"What penalty fee? Shouldn’t you be the one refunding our rent?!"

"Well, well. Looks like someone didn’t read the contract carefully!" the landlord said arrogantly, hands on his hips. "It’s written right there in the contract. If you terminate the lease, you have to pay me a thirty-thousand-yuan penalty."

"And another thing! This house was in perfect condition when I rented it to you. Look at the mess you’ve made! The compensation for damages won’t be cheap either. Let’s say... fifty thousand!"

The landlord held out his palm. Georgia Thorne scoffed, "Fifty thousand yuan? Why don’t you just rob a bank!"

The rent for the whole year was just a little over thirty thousand.

"I don’t care! Either you give me the money, or you keep renting!"

"This is fraud!"

"Watch your mouth. I can sue you for slander!"

Georgia Thorne let out a cold laugh. "Then you can wait to be served!"

’I’ve never met such a bully in my life.’

"Go ahead, sue me if you have the guts. It’s written plain as day in the contract. You think I’m afraid of you?"

Georgia Thorne was genuinely infuriated by the whole housing situation and went home fuming.

When Elliot Sheridan saw her come back with a tense expression, he carried their daughter over and sat down in front of her. "What’s wrong?"

"I’m so mad! That landlord is a cheat! It’s obviously an old house, but he lied and said it was new. Now a pipe burst, and he’s demanding compensation! I want to terminate the lease, and he’s talking about a penalty fee, claiming it’s in the contract!" Georgia Thorne was about to die from frustration.

The contract was with Seraphina Goldsmith. She had only glanced at it; Seraphina was the one who signed it.

"Calm down. Why didn’t you look at the contract carefully before signing?"

"The house looked good at the time, and the rent was really low. Plus, from the way the landlord was talking, it seemed like the place was in high demand. If we hadn’t signed right then, he might have rented it to someone else in a heartbeat. So, in the heat of the moment, Seraphina just signed it."

"That’s a common tactic. He saw you were in a hurry to find a place and deliberately pretended it was a hot property."

Georgia Thorne sighed and leaned against Elliot Sheridan’s chest. "Sigh... it’s our fault for being too hasty."

’Who would have thought we’d run into such a huge problem right as we were starting a business.’

"So what are you going to do now?"

"I don’t know. I’m going to call Seraphina and ask her where the contract is."

The thought of the contract made Georgia Thorne grind her teeth in anger, and she quickly called Seraphina Goldsmith.

It would be over a week before Seraphina Goldsmith could return. It seemed she had run into some major trouble in Akashima.

As for the contract, it was at her apartment.

Georgia Thorne rushed to Seraphina Goldsmith’s apartment, found the spare key in the fire cabinet, and let herself in.

The apartment didn’t look like it was unoccupied. Georgia Thorne found the contract where Seraphina said it would be and gave her a call afterward.

"I found the contract. I’m heading back now."

"You can make the decisions about the studio. I can’t deal with it from over here."

"Okay. Just focus on solving your problem and come back when you can."

After getting the contract, Georgia Thorne studied it carefully.

That evening, she was looking over the clauses while holding her child.

The densely packed text made her sleepy. Finally, in an inconspicuous line, she found the so-called penalty fee clause.

’I can’t believe it. There really is a clause like that.’

Elliot Sheridan came out after his shower and saw her still holding the contract. "Still looking at it?"

"You’re just in time. Do you think I can sue him over this?" Georgia Thorne looked up at him and handed him the contract.

"I don’t know anything about the law. You should go ask Byron Shaw about something like this."

"Oh, right! I totally forgot about him until you mentioned it!" Georgia Thorne tapped her forgetful head. ’They say you get pregnancy brain, and ever since I had the baby, my mind just hasn’t been as sharp.’

She threw back the covers, about to get out of bed, but Elliot Sheridan caught her by the elbow. "Where are you going?"

"I’m going to call my uncle!"

"Have you looked at the time? Even if you’re not sleeping, he is!"

Georgia Thorne glanced at the clock and got back into bed. The time had flown by; it was already past eleven.

"It’s not too late to ask tomorrow. A few hours won’t make a difference."

Georgia Thorne lay on the bed, frustrated, and weakly punched her pillow. "Why am I so unlucky? How did I get stuck with this mess!"

"It’s not bad luck. It’s inexperience. Once you’ve been through more, you’ll be able to see these things coming."

Georgia Thorne lifted her head. Recalling how Elliot Sheridan navigated the business world with such success, she asked curiously, "When you were just starting out, did you ever get scammed like me?"

Elliot Sheridan snorted. "What do you think?"

"...Uh!" ’Probably not.’

’If he had been scammed right from the start, he wouldn’t have achieved what he has today.’

On the verge of tears, she buried her face in the covers. "Elliot, I got scammed!"

"Well, as long as it was just your money he was after."

"...But he scammed me out of my money!"

"Don’t worry about it. It’s an amount I can afford."

Georgia Thorne was speechless again. She just closed her eyes and didn’t say anything.

’Rich people really are something else.’

The next morning, after settling the baby, Georgia Thorne went to Byron Shaw’s law firm.

After a short wait, Byron Shaw finished with a client. "What brings you here?"

"I need to consult you about something." Georgia Thorne took a document out of her bag. "This is the contract. There’s a clause in here about a penalty for terminating the lease. Take a look."

With a miserable expression, Georgia Thorne recounted the whole story to Byron Shaw. "Do you think there’s any chance I can get the rent money back?"

Byron Shaw glanced down at the elegant handwriting on it, then snapped the document shut. "You want to sue him?"

Georgia Thorne nodded vigorously. "He’s the one who deceived us first! How can we possibly pay him fifty thousand yuan? That’s highway robbery!"

"Let me put it this way: this would be a very difficult case to win. Regardless of whether you read the contract’s contents, it was signed voluntarily by both parties, which makes it legally binding. As long as the other party has this contract, he has a ninety percent chance of winning. Also, regarding your verbal claim about it being a new house—do you have any audio or video recordings? If not, he could very well countersue you for fabricating facts."

"Seraphina Goldsmith and I were both there! How could he possibly deny it?"

"That’s hard to say. Legally speaking, you and Seraphina Goldsmith are considered a single party. Her opinion represents yours. What if he accuses you of conspiracy?"

Georgia Thorne was too shocked to speak. ’I have to admit, this lawyer’s way of thinking is really something else.’

"So I really have to pay the fifty thousand yuan? Is there no other way?"

"I don’t see a way. You could try asking another lawyer."

"If you can’t win it, I doubt anyone can," Georgia Thorne said, dejected.

Byron Shaw took a sip of water. "How did you get this contract?"

"Huh? ...Oh, I went to Seraphina Goldsmith’s apartment to get it."

"So that was you."

"Hm? What did you say?"

"Nothing. Since this happened, why are you here alone? Where’s the other one?"

"Seraphina? She seems to have some business in Akashima. She was supposed to come back, but something came up and she’s delayed for another week. It’s probably something important."

"Mm." Byron Shaw set down his cup. "Leave this contract with me for now. If I find a potential way to win, I’ll call you."

"Okay, I’ll be heading back then!"

"Be careful on your way."

With Seraphina Goldsmith in Akashima and unable to return anytime soon, she had entrusted everything to Georgia Thorne.

The longer this dragged on, the harder it would be to resolve.

Left with no other choice, Georgia Thorne could only turn to her husband for help.

Elliot Sheridan was highly efficient. He had the matter settled by the next day.

The landlord called personally to ask Georgia Thorne to meet.

His attitude was completely different from his previous arrogance. With a cautious, fawning smile on his face, the landlord said, "Mrs. Sheridan, this is your rent for the year. Please, take it."

Georgia Thorne disliked his expression; he was being too much of a suck-up. She took the money and stuffed it into her bag.

"I advise you not to do this kind of thing again."

"Yes, yes, of course! Take care, Mrs. Sheridan!"

There was no point in arguing with someone so shameless. Georgia Thorne left the shop without another word.

She took a taxi to Elliot Sheridan’s company. When the receptionist saw the boss’s wife arrive, she immediately broke into a warm smile. "Hello, Mrs. Sheridan!"