Chapter 52: Chapter 52: No One Spoke Again
Cecilia Croft pursed her lips in resignation, a flicker of embarrassment and complex emotion in her eyes. She quickly patted her cheeks, as if to wake herself up, and strode away.
It was only as she was leaving that she noticed the pillar she had been leaning against was also carved with numerous small figures in various athletic poses.
Her face immediately turned red, and she quickened her pace to leave.
’She really couldn’t appreciate this wall full of primitive human performance art!’
When Cecilia Croft walked out of the hotel, her face still red, Sebastian Hawthorne’s driver had already pulled the car up to the entrance.
Seeing her emerge, the driver stood beside the car, smiled, and gestured for her to get in.
Sebastian Hawthorne was already in the car.
The light from the streetlamps outside spilled into the car, scattering across the man’s sharply defined profile and leaving more than half of his face hidden in shadow.
Handsome and mysterious.
The collar she had disheveled earlier was now casually unbuttoned, and the black shirt, barely visible in the dim light, only enhanced his refined air. Even the gleam from the watch on his wrist spoke of his nobility.
Cecilia Croft suddenly felt a pang of intimidation.
The driver, his expression respectful, saw her hesitating and spoke up to invite her.
"Miss Croft, please."
Cecilia Croft responded politely.
"Thank you, but I drove my own car here."
The driver didn’t close the door at her refusal. Instead, he glanced inside the car, awaiting instructions.
Sebastian Hawthorne raised his eyes and looked over at Cecilia Croft.
"Get in."
It was a domineering tone that brooked no refusal.
Cecilia Croft pursed her lips and ducked into the car. ’She had always been a pragmatic person; there was no need to offend a powerful man she might need to curry favor with in the future over something so trivial.’
She had barely settled in her seat when her phone rang.
Cecilia Croft glanced at it. It was the manager from the bridal shop. Only then did she remember she had forgotten to contact them.
"Miss Croft, good evening. Our staff delivered your wedding dress to the Parkside District at the scheduled time today, but we saw that the place is under renovation."
"You haven’t provided a new address, so we had to call you to ask where we should send the wedding dress. We can arrange to have it sent over right away."
Cecilia Croft pondered for a moment before replying in a flat voice.
"Just deliver the dress directly to the front desk at the Silvermere Hotel. I’ll pick it up myself when I get back."
The manager, thinking they had misheard, repeated the question.
"Are you sure you want it delivered directly to the hotel?"
Cecilia Croft gave a soft "mm-hmm," her tone devoid of any of the joy or gravity of a bride-to-be.
The manager was silent for a good while.
"So... will your hair and makeup team be doing your look at the hotel as well?"
Cecilia Croft: "I suppose so."
The manager: "..."
’In her many years in the business, she’d dealt with hundreds, if not a thousand, couples, but she had never seen a bride so unconcerned with her wedding dress and makeup for the big day.’
’Other brides usually started coming in frequently a week before the wedding to check on the dress and urge them to deliver it quickly.’
’But Cecilia Croft had only come to look at it once. She even had someone else do the fitting for her, and after throwing a fit and dirtying the dress, she hadn’t even asked about the repairs.’
’It was as if the wedding dress wasn’t hers at all.’
’The staff at the shop had been eagerly awaiting the gossip, but despite their constant anticipation, there was no notice of the wedding being canceled, nor any other rumors.’
"In that case, we’ll deliver it directly to the venue hotel."
"Alright." Cecilia Croft replied softly and hung up.
Sebastian Hawthorne glanced at her from the side.
"Wedding’s tomorrow?"
Cecilia Croft nodded. "Yeah."
"Congratulations," he said, his voice flat.
Cecilia Croft choked on his words, feeling a surge of bitter anger rising in her throat.
"Mr. Hawthorne, you should try to lick your lips less often."
Sebastian Hawthorne glanced sideways, looking at her with confusion.
Cecilia Croft maintained her smile, gritting her teeth. "I’m afraid you’ll lick your lips and poison yourself to death."
’He knew perfectly well what the situation with Jude Sheridan was, and he still had the nerve to "congratulate" her!’
Cecilia Croft took a deep, sharp breath. ’If she hadn’t discovered what was going on with Jude Sheridan and Jessica Keller right before the wedding, then every "congratulations" she heard tomorrow from those in the know would have been mocking her for her foolishness.’
’If she had only found out after the wedding, those "congratulations" would have turned into sharp blades piercing her heart.’
’Thankfully, she had discovered everything, not giving those people the chance to twist the knife.’
The man sitting beside her let out a low chuckle. As the car moved, clusters of light from outside slid across his profile. The corner of his lip was slightly raised; he seemed to be in a good mood.
"Didn’t you just have a taste? How come you’re still perfectly fine?"
Cecilia Croft had already managed to forget that earlier scene. Now that he brought it up, her face instantly flushed crimson.
"..."
She was speechless.
In the rearview mirror, the driver wore a knowing grin, struggling to suppress it.
In frustration, Cecilia Croft could only bite her own tongue.
The man beside her seemed unwilling to let her off the hook, pressing his advantage relentlessly.
"Why aren’t you talking? Did the poison strike you mute?"
Cecilia Croft: "..."
Just as the standoff reached its peak, Cecilia Croft’s phone rang again, saving her from her predicament.
She glanced at the caller ID and quickly answered the phone.
"Sister."
Ruby Croft’s cool, indifferent voice came through the receiver.
"You’re coming back tomorrow?"
Cecilia Croft: "Yes."
’She had always been a little afraid of her older sister, who never showed her emotions.’
Ruby Croft hummed in acknowledgment, her tone indescribably cold.
A few seconds later, she spoke again, her voice much softer.
"Cecilia..."
Cecilia Croft heard the hesitation in her voice and quickly asked, "What is it, sister?"
The sound of rustling paper came from Ruby Croft’s end. She was silent for a good while before speaking in a flat voice.
"It’s nothing. We’ll talk when you get back."
As her words faded, the call disconnected.
Cecilia Croft held her phone, staring at the "call ended" screen, her eyes filled with confusion.
Sebastian Hawthorne lowered his gaze to her and asked.
"Ruby?"
Cecilia Croft thought his voice seemed to have softened. She pursed her lips and nodded.
Seeing her mood visibly drop, Sebastian Hawthorne asked, "What did she say?"
An inexplicable irritation rose in Cecilia Croft’s heart.
"If you’re so curious, why don’t you call and ask her yourself?"
Sebastian Hawthorne: "..."
Cecilia Croft also realized she’d been rude. She pursed her lips and apologized in a small voice.
"Sorry."
’She just felt that if there was something he wanted to know, he could ask her sister directly. He didn’t need to go through her to get information about her sister.’
’She didn’t want to be the go-between in their relationship.’
’It was true ten years ago, and it was still true now.’
Sebastian Hawthorne watched her in silence. His expression was unreadable, betraying not a hint of his emotions.
Cecilia Croft took a sharp breath and turned her gaze out the window, her eyes dimming.
’Her thoughts drifted back to the summer when she first learned about her engagement to Sebastian Hawthorne.’
’The memory had just begun to surface when she forcefully suppressed it, not wanting to remember.’
The atmosphere grew stiff. For the rest of the ride, neither of them spoke another word.
