Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Stepping on His Head
Jude Sheridan irritably pushed aside everyone trying to stop him and sat on the sofa, drinking to drown his sorrows.
Seeing him calm down, the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
They gathered around him, urging him not to stoop to Zane Keller’s level.
Jude Sheridan’s face was grim; he didn’t respond.
After downing a bottle of liquor, he grabbed his suit jacket from the side and said in a deep voice,
"I’m leaving."
Seeing this, the others didn’t stop him, simply smiling as they saw him to the door.
Assistant Zimmer was waiting in the car. When he saw Jude Sheridan emerge, he quickly got out to open the rear door.
Jude Sheridan was herded into the car by his gang of cronies.
The door closed. Assistant Zimmer returned to the driver’s seat, glanced at the ashen-faced Jude Sheridan in the back, and after a moment’s hesitation, spoke up.
"President Sheridan, President Croft canceled the pre-wedding banquet today."
A wave of panic hit Jude Sheridan. Forgetting all about the cold shoulder he was giving Cecilia Croft, he immediately pulled out his phone and called her.
This time, Cecilia Croft answered his call.
"What is it?"
Cecilia Croft’s cool voice came through the phone. Her calm and collected tone helped the tense Jude Sheridan relax slightly.
"I heard you canceled the pre-wedding banquet. Why didn’t you discuss it with me?"
He lowered his voice, trying to hide his anxiety from Cecilia.
Cecilia Croft seemed to be in a good mood, answering all his questions readily.
"My grandmother was the one who planned the pre-wedding banquet. Now that she has passed away, there are many guests I don’t know, so I just canceled it. We’ll combine it with the wedding day itself. I’ve already notified the guests. They can come if they want, and if they don’t, that’s fine too."
Hearing Cecilia Croft’s explanation, Jude Sheridan let out a full sigh of relief.
"Still, for something this major, you should have discussed it with me."
Cecilia Croft: "Aren’t you very busy with work? Since it’s something I can decide on my own, I didn’t want to bother you."
Jude Sheridan: "..."
He hadn’t been busy at all lately. In fact, he had been deliberately hanging out with Zane Keller and the others just to spite Cecilia Croft.
News of this must have reached her ears by now.
But she didn’t seem to care in the slightest.
The relief Jude Sheridan had just felt vanished, replaced by a sullen, uncomfortable feeling.
"Cecilia, I’m sorry, I..."
He was cut off by Cecilia Croft before he could finish.
"A verbal apology can’t erase any guilt. If you truly feel sorry, you’d be better off sending me a huge sum of money."
The insurance company had already contacted her.
Besides the amount covered by insurance, she still had to pay nearly a million out-of-pocket for repairs.
Every other word out of her mouth was about money and personal gain, causing a flash of annoyance in Jude Sheridan’s eyes.
"Cecilia, is money all you can see now? Do you really think money can solve everything, including the feelings between us?"
Jude Sheridan said this through gritted teeth.
He couldn’t stand her putting profit and money first. He wanted Cecilia to be like she used to be, caring only about him.
Cecilia Croft: "How could our relationship possibly compare to money and profit?"
’It can’t compare at all.’
’A seven-year relationship can expire and go bad.’
’But money never will.’
’There’s still a long way to go to cover the Croft Group’s losses.’
Indeed, right now, Cecilia Croft’s eyes only held money.
’Returning to Karthus with a huge sum of money to join forces with my sister and restore the Croft Group to its former glory... at least then these seven years wouldn’t feel like such a catastrophic loss.’
Jude Sheridan felt a little more at ease.
"Cecilia, I swear, after we get married, I’ll be twice as good to you. I’ll never let you be sad or hurt."
Cecilia Croft: "So, are you going to send me money?"
Jude Sheridan froze for a second, his face turning livid.
"If I send you money right now, will you be happy?"
Cecilia Croft hummed in agreement. "Why wouldn’t I be happy?"
Jude Sheridan gritted his teeth. "I’ll transfer it to you right now!"
Cecilia Croft: "Okay. Remember to add ’voluntary gift’ in the memo."
Jude Sheridan ended the call with a dark expression.
Face grim, he opened his mobile banking app, transferred a sum of money to Cecilia Croft, added "voluntary gift" as the memo, and then sent her a screenshot.
Cecilia Croft had just put down her phone when she received a text message.
She picked up her phone and opened it.
A deposit of two million had arrived in her bank account.
The corners of her lips curled up, and the tension in her brow eased.
’The money for the car repairs is covered now. Saved myself a bit.’
Jude Sheridan sent the screenshot.
Cecilia Croft opened the chat window and, in her good mood, sent him a "thank you" emoji.
Seeing her reply, Jude Sheridan’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. He typed out a line.
[I’m coming over to see you now.]
Cecilia Croft stared at the chat window, her good mood vanishing without a trace.
[Actually, I’d rather we wait to see each other at the wedding the day after tomorrow.]
Jude Sheridan: [What, you want to play that "absence makes the heart grow fonder" game?]
Cecilia Croft: [Aren’t you looking forward to it?]
Jude Sheridan: [Of course I am. I dream about the moment you walk down the aisle, marrying me in the wedding dress I designed for you. Cecilia, I really do love you.]
A cold sneer touched Cecilia Croft’s lips.
’He really loves me?’
’Who would believe that?’
’I certainly don’t.’
[Just you wait. I’ve prepared a surprise for you.]
After sending this message, Cecilia Croft stopped replying to any of Jude Sheridan’s messages.
On his end, Jude Sheridan stared at his phone for a long time, a slight smile forming on his lips.
For some reason, it felt like they were back in the early days of their relationship.
Assistant Zimmer was already driving toward South Garden Apartments. As they reached the entrance, Jude Sheridan glanced outside and said in a low voice,
"Let’s go back to the office. I’ll be staying there for the next two days."
"Yes, President Sheridan." Assistant Zimmer turned the car around and headed toward the company.
The drive from South Garden Apartments to the office was only about two minutes.
Jessica Keller waited at home for Jude Sheridan for a long time. When he didn’t return, she finally couldn’t resist sending him a message.
Jude Sheridan didn’t reply.
Just as she was about to call him, Mrs. Sheridan, who had appeared in her room at some point, snatched the phone from her hand.
"Do you know what time it is? You’re still on your phone! The radiation is bad for the fetus. Get some rest now."
Ever since Mrs. Sheridan moved in with her, she’d first started entering her bedroom without knocking, and now she wouldn’t even let her close the door when she slept.
She had mentioned this to Jude Sheridan several times over the past few days, but he just dismissed it, even saying he saw nothing wrong with his mother’s actions.
He told her to be more accommodating toward his mother.
Jessica Keller was filled with regret. She had wanted Mrs. Sheridan to come and take care of her, but it turned out she had let the wolf into the house.
"Auntie, Jude isn’t back yet, and it’s so late. I just want to call and check on him."
Mrs. Sheridan snorted coldly. "If he’s not back, he obviously went to Cecilia’s place. That’s his real home. You need to recognize your own position and stop trying to wreck their relationship. They’re about to get married, so you’d better behave yourself."
Jessica Keller bit her lip, a flash of resentment in her eyes as her own malice began to surface.
"Auntie, don’t you hate Cecilia Croft, too? Why did you agree to let Jude marry her? Besides, they’re about to get married, and she hasn’t contacted you once these past few days. It’s obvious she has no respect for you as her future mother-in-law. Are you really going to let Cecilia Croft walk all over you for the rest of your life?"
