Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Crying All the Good Fortune Away
Giselle Sullivan quickly chimed in, admitting her mistake.
"Of course. Who could possibly compete with you? This was all my fault, Mr. Hawthorne. Please allow me to offer my sincerest apologies. I can’t thank you enough for being willing to overlook what happened and still invest in Grandeur Enterprises’s project."
Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t dwell on the topic, his voice indifferent.
"Let your results do the talking."
Giselle Sullivan responded respectfully, "Yes, Mr. Hawthorne. Grandeur Enterprises will not let you down."
’It still felt like a dream.’ She couldn’t believe Cecilia Croft had actually managed to secure Sebastian Hawthorne’s investment for her.
Giselle Sullivan seized the opportunity to organize a dinner party and extended a formal invitation to Sebastian Hawthorne. He accepted.
Sebastian Hawthorne had other appointments that afternoon.
As he was leaving, he glanced at Cecilia Croft and said quietly,
"Julian brought your car to the office."
Giselle Sullivan had wanted to keep Cecilia Croft behind to chat, but upon hearing that, she tactfully saw both Cecilia and Sebastian Hawthorne out.
It wasn’t long after they left that Jude Sheridan drove up.
「Meanwhile.」
Jude Sheridan had to pull a lot of strings just to track Sebastian Hawthorne’s car.
He followed the intel to the residential complex where Sebastian Hawthorne lived and, after a bit of maneuvering, managed to get inside.
Jessica Keller sat in the front passenger seat, with unconcealable excitement in her eyes.
’She hadn’t expected that without even having to lift a finger, she could get Jude Sheridan to catch Cecilia Croft red-handed.’
Jude Sheridan drove through the underground garage, searching impatiently.
Ultimately, Jessica was the one who spotted Sebastian Hawthorne’s car first.
"Over there, Jude."
Jude Sheridan stopped the car and walked over. Confirming it was the vehicle he was looking for, his eyes filled with unconcealable rage.
He had seen the surveillance footage; Cecilia Croft had followed Sebastian Hawthorne in here over an hour ago.
’A man and a woman, alone in a private place... who knew what they might be getting up to?’
The property management had done Jude a favor by letting him in, but they refused to give him Sebastian Hawthorne’s specific address for fear of being sued.
Mrs. Sheridan, shocked that Cecilia Croft was actually cheating on her son, said viciously,
"The car’s still here, which means Cecilia hasn’t left yet. We’ll wait. She has to come down eventually."
"Jude, once you’ve caught her in the act, you have to force her to sign the papers. Don’t let her get her hands on the company or take a single cent of your money."
Jessica Keller was tactful enough not to speak.
’With Mrs. Sheridan leading the charge, she didn’t need to do a thing.’
The three of them parked in a dark corner and waited, ready to catch Cecilia in the act the moment she came down.
But they waited until evening, and still no one appeared.
Jude Sheridan’s patience was wearing thin.
Jessica was starving as well, but she was too unwilling to leave just like that.
Mrs. Sheridan sat in the back, muttering a stream of curses and insults aimed at Cecilia Croft.
This time, Jude Sheridan didn’t speak up for Cecilia Croft.
His face was cold as stone, his gaze fixed on the elevator entrance.
A few minutes later, his phone rang.
Jude snatched up his phone, but it wasn’t Cecilia calling.
He grimaced, just then remembering he was supposed to go for drinks with Zane Keller and the guys tonight.
"Something came up tonight, so I won’t be able to make it."
Zane Keller’s voice on the other end was full of obsequious respect.
"The guys know you’re busy with important stuff, Jude. We just wanted to call and say congratulations. Congrats, man! Vantage is moving on up."
Jude Sheridan frowned, confused.
"Congratulations for what?"
Zane Keller replied, "For Vantage successfully partnering up with the Hawthorne Group, of course! The future’s looking incredibly bright."
Jude Sheridan’s gaze hardened. "Where did you hear that?"
Zane sounded amused.
"Come on, Jude, don’t be so modest and keep us in the dark. We were just walking past the private room next door and saw your wife toasting with Mr. Hawthorne. We heard them say, ’To a successful partnership!’"
Jude’s heart leaped. Shocked and unable to suppress a wave of joy, he immediately spun the car around and sped out of the underground garage.
’He knew it! Cecilia would never betray him.’
’She was only getting close to Sebastian Hawthorne for Vantage’s sake.’
"Jude..."
Seeing the joy in Jude’s eyes, Jessica stared blankly, a sense of foreboding creeping into her heart.
"Did something good happen?"
Jude’s furrowed brow smoothed out, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a smile.
"Cecilia was never upstairs! How could I have doubted her? She was clearly working hard for Vantage, for our future together."
Jessica Keller’s expression froze, and she fell silent.
Seeing how happy her son was, Mrs. Sheridan spoke up glumly.
"But she still got in another man’s car behind your back, and..."
Jude Sheridan interrupted her.
"Mom, I’m willing to forget what you said before, but you cannot say another word against Cecilia."
Mrs. Sheridan protested, "But..."
Jude replied, "No buts. Mom, you just need to remember that I’m going to have a lot of money, and I might even ride the Hawthorne Group’s coattails to become the richest man in Silvercrest."
Mrs. Sheridan was so shocked she couldn’t speak. Despite her dislike for Cecilia Croft, she couldn’t hide her delight at this moment.
"Cecilia landed such a huge project?"
Jude Sheridan nodded.
"I need to get to that dinner now. She hates schmoozing, so I need to go and back her up."
Mrs. Sheridan suddenly became much more understanding.
"You should. A woman on her own at an event like that... it must be tough for her."
After driving out of the complex, Jude pulled over and turned to his mother in the back seat.
"Mom, you take Jessica home first. I won’t be coming over to the apartment for a while."
Jessica’s eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"But I haven’t been feeling well. You can’t just stop visiting me."
Jude’s expression darkened, his gaze turning intensely intimidating.
"If you’re not feeling well, have my mom take you to the hospital."
Mrs. Sheridan quickly chimed in.
"Don’t you worry, Jude. I’ll stay with Jessica, and I won’t let anything happen to the baby. Cecilia has done something amazing for us, so it’s only right that you spend more time with her."
Jessica bit her lip hard. She knew that things had reached a point where no amount of pleading would make Jude stay for her. All she could do was swallow her feelings.
As she got out of the car, she still remembered to say a word of concern to Jude.
"Try not to drink too much."
Jude gave a dismissive "Mm-hmm," and just before driving off, added in a low voice,
"Don’t call me for a while. I’ll contact you when I have time."
Jessica’s pupils constricted as tears streamed down her face.
But Jude offered no words of comfort. He simply started the car and drove away.
Mrs. Sheridan, still basking in the joy of her son’s future as the richest man in the city, turned to see Jessica’s long, tear-stained face. The sight immediately soured her mood.
"What are you crying about? You’ll cry away all our good luck."
"Cecilia can help Jude become the richest man in Silvercrest. All you need to do is stay home, have the baby, and raise the child well. That’s enough. Since you’ve chosen this path, you need to know your place and stop trying to ruin the relationship between Jude and Cecilia."
Jessica’s face paled. ’She couldn’t believe it. Mrs. Sheridan, who had always despised Cecilia and was dead set against her marrying Jude, had just done a complete one-eighty.’
