Chapter 59: Chapter 59: The One Who Should Have Regrets Is Not Her
A sharp pain lanced through Jude Sheridan’s heart, and panic was plain to see on his face. When he looked up at her, his gaze was met with cold detachment.
He really was going to lose her.
The realization was an unbearable ache in his chest.
He was oblivious to the chaos around him. His eyes were only for Cecilia Croft.
He took two steps forward, only to have his wrist grabbed from behind.
He sensed Cecilia was about to leave him, and panic surged through him. He just wanted to keep her there. Not caring who was behind him, he struggled with all his might.
But he was quickly subdued, his arms twisted behind his back and his body pressed onto a table. Uniformed officers had taken control of the scene at some point.
"We received a report. You’re a suspect in a murder-for-hire case. Please come with us."
Even though he was restrained, Jude Sheridan still struggled violently.
"This has nothing to do with me! I don’t know anything!"
"Cecilia, believe me!"
Cecilia Croft turned away, her delicate features a mask of indifference.
"Just cooperate with the investigation. If you’re truly innocent, they’ll clear your name."
Hearing this, Jude Sheridan’s expression froze, and he stopped struggling.
"You don’t believe me?"
Cecilia Croft didn’t answer.
His face turned ashen. He was silent for a moment, as if he had figured everything out, and said in a low voice.
"You just want to use the time I’m being investigated to take over Vantage, don’t you? If you had just asked, why wouldn’t I have given it to you?"
"Cecilia... why did you have to make such a scene?"
Hearing this, Cecilia Croft looked up at him and said with a smile.
"Is that so? Then how about you gift me your shares of Vantage right now?"
Assistant Scott quickly chimed in, "Miss Croft, I can draft a contract for you right away. It’ll be ready in two minutes."
Jude Sheridan’s face stiffened. "Cecilia, what’s mine is yours. Do we really need to draw such a clear line? We’ve been together for seven years. Our relationship has long since evolved from lovers to family. We..."
Cecilia Croft cut him off coldly. "Don’t you get it? The reason I made such a scene today was to tell you that from now on, there is only you and I. There is no ’us’."
The rejection and resolve in her eyes stung Jude Sheridan’s.
Jude Sheridan’s mind was a tangled mess. The fight went out of him instantly, and he deflated completely. Like a walking corpse, he allowed the officers to lead him away.
As the key figures were led away, the venue suddenly became quiet and deserted.
The Sheridan Family, of course, didn’t linger. They left to figure out how to bail out Jude Sheridan.
The farce she had personally directed had drawn its curtain. The ensuing silence and the lonely backlash were hers to bear alone.
She hadn’t slept at all last night. Now that her taut nerves had relaxed, she felt a wave of dizziness.
The man beside her lifted a hand to steady her, his elegant, cool gaze watching her impassively.
"What, can’t bear to see him go?"
Hearing the man’s mockery, Cecilia Croft instantly pulled herself together.
"No."
Sebastian Hawthorne looked at her somewhat haggard face. "Then why look like you’re at death’s door?"
Cecilia Croft: "Could it be because I’m exhausted?"
Sebastian Hawthorne: "Could be."
Cecilia Croft: "..."
His reply was so crisp, with no intention of continuing his attack, which instead made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
’Habit truly is a terrifying thing.’
She had grown used to Sebastian Hawthorne’s merciless tongue, so when he showed a little restraint, she felt completely ill at ease.
Cecilia Croft had already recovered, but Sebastian Hawthorne was still holding her.
The heat from his palm was scalding, making Cecilia Croft feel uncomfortable. She quickly pulled her arm away.
Sebastian Hawthorne glanced down at his empty palm, an unreadable shadow darkening his narrow eyes, but he withdrew his hand naturally.
"Let’s go."
With that, he started walking out.
Cecilia Croft thought he was speaking to Assistant Scott, so she didn’t follow. She stood rooted to the spot, gazing at the disheveled hall, a wave of melancholy washing over her.
After a seven-year relationship ending in shambles, it was impossible for her to feel nothing at all.
The man, who had walked a few steps, stopped and turned to look at her.
Seeing her staring blankly at the crystal decorations on the stage, his cool eyes grew even colder.
"What? Regret not being able to finish this wedding with Jude Sheridan?"
Cecilia Croft looked up at the man standing sideways at the entrance, his profile elegant and cool, and she pursed her lips.
"I was brave enough in this relationship. I’m not the one who should have regrets."
Sebastian Hawthorne fell silent for a few seconds, his gaze on her placid eyes. "Then why aren’t you moving?"
Cecilia Croft froze.
"Me?"
Sebastian Hawthorne stood there silently, the answer self-evident.
Assistant Scott stepped forward. "Miss Croft, aren’t you flying back to Karthus today? So are we. Let’s go together."
Cecilia Croft was baffled. "How did you know about my flight today?"
Assistant Scott smiled. "President Croft called first thing this morning, entrusting us to look after you on the way back."
Cecilia Croft pursed her lips. "That’s probably not how she phrased it, was it?"
Assistant Scott didn’t try to hide it, saying leisurely, "Her exact words were, if you weren’t willing to come back, we were to tie you up and bring you back."
’Now, that sounds more like her.’
Thinking about returning to the place she grew up and seeing her cold but still caring sister, Cecilia Croft’s mood improved considerably.
"Let’s go then."
There was a hint of cheerfulness in her voice as she walked quickly towards the man waiting for her by the door.
Sebastian Hawthorne looked down at her lively appearance, silent for a few seconds, seemingly unmoved by her approach.
"Not getting your luggage?"
Cecilia Croft raised an eyebrow. "I already packed everything and sent it to a shipping station yesterday."
She was determined to return to Karthus, so she had arranged everything in advance.
Hearing this, Sebastian Hawthorne asked no more questions and strode out of the hotel.
Cecilia Croft followed behind him.
"Mr. Hawthorne, did you already plan to return to Karthus today? Or did you decide to leave at the last minute because my sister called you?"
Sebastian Hawthorne: "Both."
Cecilia Croft was confused.
But Sebastian Hawthorne had no intention of explaining.
Assistant Scott chimed in.
"Our flight was originally scheduled for an earlier time. Mr. Hawthorne specifically instructed me to change the booking."
Cecilia Croft had a sudden realization.
’Of course. If her sister asked, how could Sebastian Hawthorne possibly refuse?’
A faint smile touched her lips as she began planning how, after returning to Karthus, she could use her sister’s name to latch on to her connection with Sebastian Hawthorne and save the Croft Group from disaster.
’If there’s a shortcut, why take the hard road?’
’And Sebastian Hawthorne! Isn’t he the Croft family’s shortcut?’
But her sister was an extremely prideful person. Getting her to bow her head to Sebastian Hawthorne was absolutely impossible.
But she was different. After leaving the Croft family for Silvercrest, she had endured all sorts of hardships in the early days of establishing Vantage.
In order to get Vantage off the ground, she had swallowed her pride and begged many people for help.
Thinking of those difficult times, a shadow of gloom inevitably fell over Cecilia Croft’s features.
She didn’t understand. The man who had been completely devoted to her during those hard times—why had he changed into a completely different person after they achieved success and their lives got better?
’Does a man’s love, in the end, truly depend entirely on his conscience?’
