Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Is He That Malicious?
Cecilia Croft turned around and saw Sebastian Hawthorne step out of the shadows. The dim yellow porch light cast a glow on his shoulders. He was toying with her phone, his brow exuding an indescribable air of authority and solemnity.
Jude Sheridan withdrew his hand, watching as Cecilia Croft walked toward Sebastian Hawthorne, his eyes betraying a strange unease.
"Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne."
Cecilia Croft walked over and reached for the phone in the man’s hand.
Sebastian Hawthorne looked down at her and asked quietly, "Do you need any help?"
Cecilia Croft shook her head.
"No, I don’t."
Sebastian Hawthorne’s hand tightened slightly around the phone.
Confused, Cecilia Croft looked up, her gaze meeting his. She clearly caught the displeasure in his eyes.
"Mr. Hawthorne..."
He was gripping the phone so tightly she couldn’t take it.
’She didn’t even understand why he was unhappy.’
Sebastian Hawthorne’s gaze softened, and he finally loosened his grip.
Standing by the door, Jude Sheridan watched the interaction between Cecilia Croft and Sebastian Hawthorne, his expression darkening. He strode over and wrapped an arm around Cecilia Croft’s shoulders.
"Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne, for bringing Cecilia’s phone back. I’ve spoiled her, so she’s always been forgetful. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble for you."
"It was trouble regardless. There’s nothing more to say about it," Sebastian Hawthorne said.
Jude Sheridan hadn’t expected Sebastian Hawthorne to be so blunt. His smile froze for a moment, and the hand on Cecilia Croft’s shoulder tightened.
Cecilia Croft glanced at him and said coldly, "You’re hurting me."
Jude Sheridan froze for a second, then slightly relaxed his grip.
Cecilia Croft pushed his hand away and said to Sebastian Hawthorne in a flat tone, "Let me see you out."
A faint smile played on Sebastian Hawthorne’s lips. "What, worried about me walking home at night?"
Cecilia Croft was speechless. ’I was just being polite. There was no need to make it sound so intimate.’
Sebastian Hawthorne continued, "I’m a grown man. I’m not afraid of the dark."
Cecilia Croft pursed her lips. "In that case, I won’t see you out."
Sebastian Hawthorne nodded. "Alright."
Though he had answered her, he made no move to leave.
Seeing that he wasn’t leaving, Cecilia Croft seemed to understand what he meant and turned to walk toward the gate.
Jude Sheridan stood to the side, his face ashen, yet he still had to consciously maintain his composure.
"Well then, Mr. Hawthorne, we won’t see you out. Take care."
With that, Jude Sheridan started to follow Cecilia Croft.
Sebastian Hawthorne looked at him and said at a leisurely pace, "President Sheridan, your car is blocking mine. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to move it."
Upon hearing this, Jude Sheridan took out his phone, about to call Assistant Zimmer.
Then he remembered he had been drinking tonight; a designated driver had brought him here.
He lowered his phone and replied, "Alright."
Just then, Cecilia Croft opened the metal gate, walked straight in, and made sure to lock it behind her.
Jude Sheridan followed Sebastian Hawthorne out of the alley.
During the few-minute walk through the alley, Sebastian Hawthorne maintained a deliberate distance from him, showing no intention of speaking.
Jude Sheridan gritted his teeth, feeling an inexplicable sense of contempt and disdain from Sebastian Hawthorne, something that seemed to come from his very bones.
He took a deep, quiet breath, quickened his pace to catch up with Sebastian Hawthorne, and asked, "Mr. Hawthorne, I’ve actually always wanted to know, in your heart, what do you think of Vantage?"
"It’s like the springboard an athlete uses to jump," Sebastian Hawthorne answered without hesitation.
His expression was utterly placid, his deep eyes hidden in the dim surroundings, with only the moonlight offering a glimpse of his emotions.
"Very important."
Hearing this, Jude Sheridan’s taut nerves relaxed slightly.
"I never expected you to have such a high opinion of Vantage, Mr. Hawthorne."
"Rest assured, as long as you cooperate with Vantage, Vantage will absolutely not disappoint you."
Sebastian Hawthorne only glanced at him and said no more, continuing to walk out of the alley.
Assistant Scott was still waiting. Seeing Sebastian Hawthorne emerge, he quickly got out of the car and opened the rear passenger door.
Jude Sheridan accompanied Sebastian Hawthorne to the car, but when he saw that his own car wasn’t blocking Sebastian Hawthorne’s, he frowned.
"Mr. Hawthorne..."
Sebastian Hawthorne’s expression was calm and composed. "It seems the car in front of me wasn’t yours after all, President Sheridan. My mistake."
Assistant Scott raised an eyebrow.
’He’d been waiting in the car the whole time and hadn’t seen any car blocking them.’
Jude Sheridan couldn’t say much, so he just replied politely, "It’s fine."
Without a trace of shame on his face, Sebastian Hawthorne bent down and got into the car.
Jude Sheridan watched Sebastian Hawthorne’s car drive away, then turned to go back and find Cecilia Croft.
Sebastian Hawthorne was not a kind-hearted person.
He could sense an unusual side to Sebastian Hawthorne when he was around Cecilia Croft.
Jude Sheridan clenched his jaw, his face grim. He returned to the door of the small house and raised his hand to knock.
"Cecilia, open the door."
Cecilia Croft was inside washing up. Hearing the noise outside, she calmly picked up her phone and called her next-door neighbor, Auntie Walker.
"Auntie Walker, help me."
The moment she spoke, Auntie Walker immediately started cursing on the other end.
"Is that bastard back again?"
Cecilia Croft gave a pitiful "Mmm-hmm."
Auntie Walker immediately patted her chest in assurance.
"Don’t you worry, I’ll go chase him off for you right now."
Cecilia Croft had previously promised to let her use her grandmother’s plot of land for planting, rent-free, so Auntie Walker had been especially warm to her lately.
After Cecilia thanked her, Auntie Walker eagerly hung up.
She was obviously in a hurry to deal with Jude Sheridan.
A faint smile touched Cecilia Croft’s lips.
She really didn’t want to waste her breath on Jude Sheridan, nor could she be bothered to listen to any of his lies.
Soon, the sound of Auntie Walker’s cursing came from outside, accompanied by an unbearable stench of feces in the air.
Cecilia Croft immediately closed all the doors and windows to prevent the smell from seeping into the house.
Jude Sheridan had never been treated like this. After being splashed with a ladleful of night soil, he was so disgusted he wanted to vomit.
Auntie Walker stood at the gate with her hands on her hips, her mouth full of vulgarities, hurling insults at him from head to toe.
Houses that had already turned off their lights for the night flickered back on at the commotion, illuminating the once-dim alley with light from every home.
Jude Sheridan had never been so humiliated. With a long, grim face, he shot a vicious glare at Auntie Walker, turned, and walked away.
As he walked, he ripped off the shirt stained with night soil, his body radiating fury.
Auntie Walker was startled by his glare for a moment, but seeing him leave, she muttered a few more curses.
Jude Sheridan casually tossed his shirt into a trash can, got into his car bare-chested, and sped away.
A few drops of the filthy water had also splattered on his pants, and the foul smell followed him, making him extremely agitated.
Assistant Scott saw Jude Sheridan’s car drive past theirs. He turned to Sebastian Hawthorne in the back seat and said, "Cousin, the guy’s gone. Are we still..."
Before he could finish, Sebastian Hawthorne held out his hand. "Phone."
Though confused, Assistant Scott took out his own phone, unlocked it, and handed it over.
Sebastian Hawthorne dialed a number and made the call.
"Hello, I’d like to report license plate YAB-135... the driver is operating the vehicle under the influence. He’s currently heading from Sycamore Road toward Maplewood Road. His destination is likely South Garden Apartments."
Assistant Scott was speechless.
After ending the call, Sebastian Hawthorne tossed the phone back to him.
Assistant Scott caught it. "Why didn’t you use your own phone to call?"
Sebastian Hawthorne replied, "Because this seems more like something you would do."
"..."
Assistant Scott scratched his head. ’Was he really that much of a jerk?’
