Chapter 33: Chapter 33: You Call This Competition?
Sebastian Hawthorne looked at her pouting face, contemplated for a few seconds, and took the figurine in his hand.
"You like it that much?"
Cecilia Croft nodded vigorously.
"I can’t even describe the feeling I had the moment I saw it—that stunning yet complex emotion."
’It was as if she had run headlong into her youth.’
Her eyes sparkled brightly, filled with undisguised joy.
But as she watched with an expectant gaze, Sebastian Hawthorne simply placed the figurine back in the display cabinet.
"It seems some things must disappear to prove their value."
Cecilia Croft felt a knot of discomfort tighten in her chest.
"It’s my design. How could it disappear?"
Sebastian Hawthorne closed the cabinet door. "If you hadn’t come across it here today, would you even have remembered it, Miss Croft? For all the years you’ve forgotten it, wasn’t it already gone?"
He stood a short distance away, watching her, the corner of his lip curling into a cold smile.
"It had the chance to be remembered by so many more people."
Cecilia Croft’s breath hitched, a flash of sadness in her eyes.
Her face fell, completely dejected, as if Sebastian Hawthorne’s words had dealt her a fatal blow.
Sebastian Hawthorne looked away from her and walked past, his voice detached.
"Are you still in the mood to go see the project, Miss Croft?"
Cecilia Croft snapped out of her discomfort. Seeing Sebastian Hawthorne already seated on the sofa looking perfectly at ease, she said indignantly,
"We’re going!"
Sebastian Hawthorne remained on the sofa, not moving.
Seeing he didn’t seem particularly interested in the Grandeur Enterprises project, Cecilia Croft grew annoyed.
"Don’t tell me you’re not planning to invest in the Grandeur Enterprises project, Mr. Hawthorne."
Sebastian Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
Cecilia Croft said, "Just now, you looked exactly like you were hoping I’d throw a fit and refuse to take you, giving you the perfect excuse to back out of the investment."
A flicker in Sebastian Hawthorne’s eyes, his lips twisted into a faint, ambiguous smile.
"Not stupid."
’She had read his mind.’
Cecilia Croft furrowed her brow, a knot of nervousness tightening in her stomach. "This was the condition we agreed on. Are you planning to break your promise to me, Mr. Hawthorne?"
Sebastian Hawthorne’s expression turned indifferent, the earlier ease gone from his face. His tone held a hint of seriousness.
"I don’t like breaking my promises, but I also don’t like it when a client who needs my investment goes behind my back to court other investors."
Cecilia Croft’s heart leaped in alarm.
"Giselle Sullivan wouldn’t do something like that."
Sebastian Hawthorne said nothing, merely gesturing for her to call and confirm it for herself.
Cecilia Croft patted her pockets, only then remembering her phone was still in Sebastian Hawthorne’s car.
"Mr. Hawthorne, Grandeur Enterprises definitely wouldn’t sign a contract with anyone else. This project..."
Sebastian Hawthorne cut her off.
"Do you know who the investor Giselle Sullivan contacted is?"
Cecilia Croft shook her head.
"I don’t know."
’She had only just learned about this from Sebastian Hawthorne himself.’
Sebastian Hawthorne said, "Your fiancé."
Cecilia Croft was momentarily stunned. She had already reached an agreement with Sebastian Hawthorne, yet Giselle Sullivan had gone behind her back to contact Jude Sheridan.
Seeing her silence, Sebastian Hawthorne frowned and loosened his collar.
"You should head back, Miss Croft. If you’ve changed your mind and no longer want to sell me your Vantage shares, let Julian know soon. It’ll save the legal department the time of drafting a contract."
Cecilia Croft quickly replied, "I won’t change my mind."
Sebastian Hawthorne lifted his gaze slightly. "Then I suppose I should thank you for your honesty and integrity, Miss Croft."
How could Cecilia Croft miss the mockery in his tone? She bit her lip, mentally cursing Giselle Sullivan.
"Setting aside everything that’s happened, what do you think of the Grandeur Enterprises project itself, Mr. Hawthorne?"
’She knew Giselle Sullivan must have been worried the Hawthorne Group would look down on the Grandeur project, which is why she acted out of desperation.’
’And Jude Sheridan, wanting to get back at her for Jessica Keller’s sake, would definitely just keep stringing them along.’
’She didn’t like owing people favors, nor did she want the Grandeur project to run into trouble because of her.’
"The prospects are considerable," Sebastian Hawthorne said, clearly unwilling to elaborate.
A determined look appeared in Cecilia Croft’s eyes. "This project’s prospects aren’t just considerable—it’s tied to the future development of Silvercrest."
"I’ve studied Silvercrest’s development and urban planning over the years. Its economy has been stagnant for a long time. Someone is bound to want to forge a new path upon taking office, and a project like Grandeur’s is certain to get noticed."
As Sebastian Hawthorne listened to her analysis, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"If the project is so good, why not have your sister invest?"
’It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered letting the Croft Group take on the project.’
’But the Croft Group’s situation was complicated right now, with both internal troubles and external threats. It was already shouldering many burdens that had lost their value.’
"Because the Croft Group can’t keep moving forward with such a heavy load. It needs to shed some weight and travel light."
A flicker of light passed through Sebastian Hawthorne’s eyes before his expression returned to normal.
’She was only seventeen or eighteen when she left the Croft family, yet she could so accurately pinpoint the Croft Group’s problems. No wonder she was able to build Vantage to its current success with no backing whatsoever.’
"So what do you want me to do, Miss Croft?"
Cecilia Croft was direct, her gaze firm. "Compete. Fight for it. Make Hawthorne Group’s Silvercrest branch the leading enterprise in the city. After all, exceptional people naturally attract competitors, and it’s the same for good projects."
Sebastian Hawthorne watched her in silence, a profound look deep in his eyes.
Cecilia Croft’s heart pounded under his intense gaze.
’She didn’t know if she could convince Sebastian Hawthorne to reinvest in the Grandeur Enterprises project.’
’After all, her claim that it would make the Hawthorne Group’s branch the top enterprise in Silvercrest was a bit of an exaggeration.’
In the silence, Cecilia Croft heard the man’s final decision with perfect clarity.
"Fine."
"Let’s go compete then."
He was interested. Cecilia Croft’s heart leaped with joy.
Sebastian Hawthorne withdrew his gaze, stood up, and headed for the door.
Cecilia Croft hurried to follow him.
The driver was already waiting for them at the elevator with a different car.
Cecilia Croft was just about to say that her phone was still in the other car when the driver thoughtfully handed it to her.
"Thank you."
After thanking him, Cecilia Croft took the phone and glanced at it.
Missed calls nearly filled the entire screen.
She frowned with distaste, calmly cleared the notifications, and then opened her chat with Giselle Sullivan to send a message.
She warned her that they were on their way and that Sebastian Hawthorne already knew she had gone behind his back to see Jude Sheridan.
’During negotiations, a move like Giselle Sullivan’s was a cardinal sin.’
Giselle Sullivan never expected Cecilia Croft to actually bring Sebastian Hawthorne to the Grandeur Enterprises project department.
The moment she saw Sebastian Hawthorne and Cecilia Croft get out of the car, she was sick with regret.
When she had gone to see Jude Sheridan the day before, he had utterly humiliated her.
Jude Sheridan had made an outrageous demand, asking Grandeur Enterprises to concede even more profit than they had previously agreed upon. He was determined to bleed Grandeur dry—to devour the meat and boil the bones for soup!
"Mr. Hawthorne, this is the proprietress of Grandeur Enterprises, Giselle Sullivan. Ms. Sullivan."
"Giselle, this is Mr. Hawthorne."
Giselle Sullivan put on a smile and proactively extended her hand. "Hello, Mr. Hawthorne. It’s an honor to meet you."
Sebastian Hawthorne gave a slight nod, his expression arrogant. He did not extend his hand to shake hers.
"Hello."
His reply was casual, and Giselle Sullivan immediately grew tense, turning to Cecilia Croft with a pleading look.
Cecilia Croft stepped forward with a smile, trying to smooth things over.
"Giselle, why don’t you take Mr. Hawthorne to see the project’s progress? We can discuss the contract after that."
Giselle Sullivan nodded and quickly invited Sebastian Hawthorne into the project department.
She had arranged for someone to explain the project’s progress, metrics, and details to Sebastian Hawthorne, showing her utmost sincerity.
Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t hesitate for long. He directly signed the contract Giselle Sullivan had prepared.
’Giselle Sullivan had thought for sure that Sebastian Hawthorne wouldn’t use the contract they had prepared.’
As he signed, Sebastian Hawthorne glanced sideways at Cecilia Croft.
"This level of effort counts as competition?"
Cecilia Croft gave an awkward smile and offered a polite compliment.
"Once you make a move, Mr. Hawthorne, who would dare compete with you?"
Sebastian Hawthorne gave her a long, meaningful look.
"Is that so?"
