Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Sometimes I Really Want to Shut His Mouth
Jude Sheridan was clearly trying to flaunt his status in front of these people.
In the past, Cecilia Croft would have indeed played along to save his pride in front of them.
But that was before he had cheated, before his attention had been divided by an affair.
She couldn’t stand the thought of him suffering from the hard liquor burning his stomach, so she would care for him with the utmost tenderness.
Now...
’He still expected that kind of treatment?’
’In his dreams.’
Cecilia Croft glanced sideways at him, but didn’t move.
A waiter came over at just the right moment and attentively served him a bowl of soup.
Jude Sheridan’s chest rose and fell slightly. He swallowed his anger under the subtle gazes of the other men.
’Today is an important day.’
’These people are all Vantage’s most important clients and partners.’
’He couldn’t lose his composure in front of them over a little fit of pique from Cecilia Croft.’
As the dinner drew to a close, Jude Sheridan was already quite drunk.
He boasted to Sebastian Hawthorne about Vantage’s prospects and future, boldly declaring that Sebastian would surely regret it if he didn’t partner with them.
His arrogance and conceit were on full display after a few drinks.
Sebastian Hawthorne had also drunk a fair amount, but he remained as steady as a rock in his seat. His expression was placid, and he stayed perfectly lucid, to the point that no one could tell how much he’d had to drink.
Cecilia Croft observed the stark contrast between the two men.
She suddenly recalled how her stern and dignified grandfather, who rarely smiled, had once praised Sebastian Hawthorne in her presence, calling him the most level-headed person he had ever seen in the younger generation.
He had even said that he himself might not have been as composed as Sebastian Hawthorne in his own youth.
Although Cecilia Croft had never formally met Sebastian Hawthorne, she had heard endless praise about him.
’Never mind being with a man like that; just being associated with him would bring immense pressure.’
Cecilia Croft had never really understood why she was the one with the marriage contract to the Hawthorne family, when her own sister was clearly a much better match for Sebastian Hawthorne.
Like Sebastian Hawthorne, her sister had been groomed by the family elders as a successor. They were both exceptionally talented, and what’s more, they had been classmates who knew each other well.
They were a much better match for each other.
While Cecilia Croft was lost in thought, an arm snaked around her.
Jude Sheridan draped his arm over her shoulder and leaned his head in close.
"Cecilia, I’m drunk. It’s about time to wrap up, isn’t it? Let’s go home."
Cecilia Croft raised her hand to push him away, but everyone at the table was looking at them.
The hand she had raised fell back to her side.
’In eight days, she had a big show to put on. She couldn’t let anyone get a hint of what was coming, least of all Jude Sheridan.’
Of everyone present, Giselle Sullivan had the clearest understanding of the problems between Jude Sheridan and Cecilia Croft.
As a fellow woman, she could naturally detect the forced restraint in Cecilia Croft’s eyes.
She seized the opportune moment to stand up and give a closing toast.
"It has been a great honor to dine with all of you esteemed leaders tonight. And a special thanks to Mr. Hawthorne for taking time out of his busy schedule to join our little gathering."
"We’re able to move forward with our project again, and it’s all thanks to Mr. Hawthorne. This partnership is just the beginning; I’m confident we will have many more opportunities to work together in the future. I’d like to raise my glass to you, Mr. Hawthorne, and to everyone here."
Everyone politely raised their glasses, Sebastian Hawthorne included.
Jude Sheridan, however, remained leaning back in his seat, his right hand draped casually over the back of Cecilia Croft’s chair, an indolent, arrogant expression on his face.
"President Sullivan, shouldn’t I be the one you’re thanking most?"
The table fell silent.
Cecilia Croft didn’t stop him. She simply rose from her seat, raised her glass, and clinked it against the others’.
"To everyone’s future success."
Giselle Sullivan couldn’t stomach Jude Sheridan’s arrogance.
She had been humiliated when she’d gone to him yesterday to make peace. Seeing him act so haughty in front of Sebastian Hawthorne now made her sneer inwardly.
’Who the hell did Jude Sheridan think he was?’
’Even if she had to thank someone...’
’...the person she should be thanking was Cecilia Croft.’
"President Sheridan is right," she said. "The person I should be thanking most is, indeed, you. If it weren’t for your relationship with President Croft, I never would have had the chance to get to know President Croft and Mr. Hawthorne."
"You’ve really found yourself a wonderful girlfriend."
Giselle Sullivan’s words brought a sudden clarity to Jude Sheridan’s alcohol-clouded eyes.
He sat in his chair, his brow furrowed, and stared at the people around the table.
Their expressions were all polite, but he could see hints of mockery and disdain in their eyes.
The air grew tense for a few seconds until Sebastian Hawthorne raised his glass and gently clinked it against Cecilia Croft’s.
"To your bright future as well, President Croft."
With Sebastian Hawthorne having spoken, the atmosphere grew lively once more.
Jude Sheridan’s brow twitched. He reluctantly picked up his glass and sullenly downed its contents in one go.
Everyone put down their glasses and began to depart.
But Jude Sheridan sank back into his chair.
Cecilia Croft and Giselle Sullivan stood to retrieve their purses.
Sebastian Hawthorne was escorted from the private room by a throng of people.
He paused at the door and looked back at Cecilia Croft.
"Come to the office tomorrow to sign the contract. That way, we can readily discuss any of the finer details."
Everyone at the dinner had already sensed that Cecilia Croft and Sebastian Hawthorne had reached some sort of agreement.
Now that Sebastian Hawthorne had stated it so openly, it meant the partnership between Vantage and the Hawthorne Group was a done deal.
Everyone assumed Cecilia Croft was representing Vantage. No one knew the truth.
She was representing herself.
Cecilia Croft nodded. "Alright. I’ll walk you out."
Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t object.
The two walked out side by side.
Jude Sheridan remained seated, waiting. When he saw Cecilia Croft grab her purse and walk right past him, he fell silent. After overhearing her conversation with Sebastian Hawthorne, he rose from his chair, suppressing his irritation, and followed them, despite his dissatisfaction.
He staggered slightly; having drunk too quickly, he was genuinely tipsy. By the time he reached the door, Cecilia Croft and Sebastian Hawthorne were already walking away together, side by side.
There was a smile in Cecilia Croft’s beautiful eyes, her expression far more pleasant than it had been when she was facing him.
Even the stern lines of Sebastian Hawthorne’s face seemed to have softened, losing some of their usual sharp intensity.
They looked as if they had known each other for ages.
As a man, Jude Sheridan could instinctively sense that Sebastian Hawthorne treated Cecilia Croft differently.
Alarm bells screamed in his mind. He tried to hurry after them, but his staggering gait sent him stumbling, knocking over several decorative items in the hotel hallway.
Hearing the clatter and commotion, Cecilia Croft frowned and was about to look back when the man beside her reminded her in a low voice.
"Watch your step, there are stairs ahead. Or are you hoping I’ll play the hero and save the damsel in distress again, just like this morning?"
Cecilia Croft was speechless.
Earlier that morning, she had nearly fallen down a flight of stairs, and he had been the one to grab her. He was so strong that he’d almost pulled her right into his arms.
She had been distracted, but it hadn’t been intentional.
But to hear Sebastian Hawthorne tell it, it sounded as if she had done it on purpose.
’Sometimes, she really wanted to find a way to shut him up.’
