Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike-Chapter 262 - 259: Dean Thorne

At that time, it was May.

Early summer in Brimfield, with cotton-like catkins floating in the air, the city adorned with large blooming roses lining the trellises along the streets.

During the weekend, Serene Lake was in its most leisurely and comfortable state. With water that offered views of mountains, willow branches brushed the shore, green shade filled the streets, the park was covered with lush foliage like canopies, and the water was a vibrant jade green.

A warm and cool early summer breeze blew in from outside the wooden windows, the bells on the door curtain jingling in the tranquil teahouse’s private room.

Quentin Thorne was dressed in a mandarin-collared white shirt, black trousers, his long sleeves rolled up to his elbows, wearing an old-fashioned watch with a silver-white dial on his left wrist.

This outfit made him look like an ordinary middle-aged man.

He sat under the window, holding a white porcelain teacup, smiling kindly and warmly at Sienna Thornton.

Sienna Thornton felt a bit dazed; for a moment, she forgot that this man, who seemed as friendly as a neighborly uncle, was the most authoritative figure in the judiciary.

She stood outside the door, looking at him, swallowed, and after a long while, awkwardly greeted, "Hello, Dean Thorne."

Quentin Thorne put down his teacup, one hand naturally resting on his leg, the other beckoning her: "Thornton, come in quickly."

Sienna Thornton tightened her grip on the strap of her crossbody bag, entered the room, and turned to slide the wooden door closed.

She sat across from Quentin Thorne, instinctively straightened her back, smiled, and said, "Hello, Dean Thorne, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" She tried her best to appear poised and presentable.

Quentin Thorne smiled at her and got straight to the point: "I watched the episode of ’Lawyer’s Talk’ you were on. It’s been buzzing online that you want to enter the entertainment industry and make movies. I don’t want the legal world to lose a talent like you, so I thought I must meet with you."

His tone was relaxed, and he smiled throughout, easing Sienna Thornton’s tension considerably.

Sienna Thornton pursed her lips and shook her head with a wry smile: "A film company did ask if I wanted to make a movie, but I’ve already refused. I went on ’Lawyer’s Talk’ because the law firm I co-founded with a friend hasn’t had any cases. So I thought of going on the show for some advertising. I have no intention of entering the entertainment industry."

"That’s good." Quentin Thorne nodded, poured her a cup of tea, and poured one for himself as well.

As they drank tea, through the thin mist of steam, he looked at Sienna Thornton sitting across from him just like he first observed her at the Grant Family’s residence.

If at the Grant residence, his gaze was full of suspicion, now his gaze was filled with contentment. Watching her, his expression unconsciously changed, as if he was looking at another person through her.

Sienna Thornton sipped her tea, put down the teacup, and seemed to smile to hide her unease, showing a deep dimple on the right side of her cheek.

"I heard the Treaty and Law Department at the Ministry of Commerce has always wanted you to join, but you didn’t agree?" Quentin Thorne put down his teacup, smiling as he asked.

Sienna Thornton smiled, appearing a bit awkward. She initially wanted to explain that the reason she couldn’t go to the Treaty and Law Department was because economic pressures hadn’t eased since last year’s bankruptcy. But thinking about it, telling a not-so-familiar elder about being short of money didn’t seem appropriate, so she chose to downplay it: "I’m focusing on earning money right now; considering the Treaty and Law Department is something I’ll have to look at later."

Quentin Thorne listened patiently and didn’t press further. After inviting her to drink tea again, he poured her another cup: "I heard your hometown is in Wrayhaven?"

"Yes," Sienna Thornton nodded, "Wrayhaven County, Peachgrove Township, Raines Village."

"Peachgrove Township?" Quentin Thorne put down the teapot, "I heard that place is very poor, hasn’t lifted itself out of poverty yet, and very few people can pursue education. How did you manage to go to the United States for a doctorate?"

"Yes. It’s very poor, with nothing but loess in sight. Houses were built with mud bricks and that’s where we lived; poultry came in and out of the courtyard and rooms. Whenever it rained, shoes and pants were all muddy." Sienna Thornton laughed, her slender, fair fingers holding the teacup, gaze lowered to the jade-like porcelain cup and the amber tea within.

"In our area, girls were generally not allowed to study beyond primary school a decade ago. I was lucky enough to go to town for middle school, then went to the city for high school, went to Azure Harbor for undergraduate studies, then returned to Braden University for my master’s. Getting accepted for a doctorate at Harvard was something I applied for casually and didn’t expect to get in."

She summarized her challenging educational journey briefly. Not because she was embarrassed for Quentin Thorne to know her hardships, but because she felt it wasn’t appropriate to delve into sentimental stories with an elder she was meeting for only the second time.

Like when Simon Forrester asked about her past, she tried to focus on the positive aspects. The hardships of those years were only something she complained about to Maeve during those lonely, helpless late nights of her impoverished student days.

.

Her neither boasting nor self-pitying manner stirred many emotions in Quentin Thorne’s heart. It wasn’t that he couldn’t imagine the experiences she went through, but since she didn’t mention it, he didn’t press further.

He tried his best to get closer to her, planning to ask more about her experiences, as people open up their hearts in reminiscing and reflecting on the past.

"You’ve done well," Quentin Thorne said. "Now that you’ve established yourself in Brimfield, have you considered bringing your parents here?"

"Yes. I’ve brought my mom and sister over."

"How many siblings do you have?"

"A brother and a sister."

"Being the eldest must be tough, right?"

When Quentin Thorne asked about the Raines Family, Sienna Thornton suddenly didn’t know how to respond.

She felt her eyes sting, her throat choke up a bit.

Mentioning the Raines Family brought up images of Felix Raines’s menacing appearance. But looking at this Dean Thorne in front of her, who had only met her twice but was concerned about her, she felt a mixture of emotions.

She understood she shouldn’t tell Quentin Thorne too much about her family background, but for some reason, at that moment, she struggled to keep quiet.

After a moment of hesitation, she impulsively replied: "I’m different from a traditional ’big sister.’ My brother and sister are not my father’s children, and I’ve had little affection for them since childhood. Combined with my stepfather’s deliberate discord, the relationship became even colder. Especially with my brother, who often opposed me. But fortunately, I went to school in town very early, so I didn’t really grow up with them."

"Was your stepfather unkind to you?" Quentin Thorne asked.

Sienna Thornton looked down at the teacup in her hands, biting her lower lip and shook her head, her eyes slightly wet: "Not very kind." She left it at that, using just three words to summarize Felix Raines’s harsh treatment through the years.

Quentin Thorne noticed her expression, and his own eyes turned red, the muscles in his jaw defined by clenched teeth.

The hand he had on the table clutched and released into a fist, the male diamond ring on his left ring finger catching the sunlight, emitting a dazzling glint.

The light moved, gradually approaching Sienna Thornton’s right hand placed on the table.