Chapter 63: Chapter 63: You’ve Been Quite Tough These Years
"Sebastian." Cecilia Croft’s gaze fell, her posture humble.
Sebastian Hawthorne’s hand, which was resting casually on his leg, twitched almost imperceptibly. His deep, dark eyes stared at her, unblinking and silent.
"Please, give me some guidance. How can the Croft Group survive? If you can help us through this crisis, I have the authority to offer you 10% of the Croft Group’s profits for the next five years."
Her voice was soft, laced with a helpless sense of humility. Her half-lowered eyelashes trembled faintly.
Before returning to Karthus, Cecilia Croft had no idea the Croft Group’s situation was this dire.
She had merely assumed that for all these years, her sister had been too busy fighting the old guard within the Croft Group to steer the company in the right direction, her potential stifled by their scheming.
But her sister’s potential wasn’t just stifled; she had fallen into a bottomless pit.
The mere thought of her sister silently shouldering all that pressure made Cecilia’s heart ache terribly.
Her sister was the brilliant successor groomed by their grandfather. Even Old Master Hawthorne, the most respected elder of his generation, had once praised her for her exceptional abilities.
How could Ruby Croft have gone down the wrong path?
The Croft Group had no path left at all.
If the Croft Group couldn’t resolve this crisis, Ruby Croft would be saddled with immense debt for the rest of her life.
The plans Cecilia had carefully prepared back in Silvercrest were now nothing but wild fantasies, completely impossible to implement for the Croft Group in its current state.
Cecilia Croft hoped that by calling him "Sebastian," she could appeal to the old friendship between the Hawthorne and Croft Families.
She hoped Sebastian Hawthorne would, from his position of power, help the Croft family analyze how to escape their current predicament.
To be honest, she was reluctant to bow her head before Sebastian Hawthorne. Despite their failed relationship, a part of her still wanted to maintain a veneer of dignity in his presence.
But she was, after all, the culprit behind the falling out between the Hawthorne and Croft Families.
She had hit plenty of walls herself while founding Vantage over the years. What was a little pride? It wasn’t that hard to let go of.
The grand ambitions she had once declared were now turning into merciless slaps against her face, stinging with every ounce of humility she showed him.
’It’s not the first time Sebastian Hawthorne has put me in my place, and it won’t be the last.’
She had already braced herself, ready to face Sebastian Hawthorne’s verbal onslaught.
That venomous tongue of his would surely strike right where it hurt the most.
But the man beside her remained silent, and the color drained from Cecilia Croft’s face.
’He’s not saying anything. Does that mean the Croft family is really beyond saving?’
Sebastian Hawthorne watched the color drain from her face. His voice, when he finally spoke, was low and tinged with a calculating depth.
"I’m not one to take advantage of someone’s misfortune. Aren’t you afraid your sister will skin you alive for offering me 10% of the Croft Group’s profits?"
Cecilia Croft said quickly, "I have the authority to decide on that 10%."
Sebastian Hawthorne gave her an amused look. "And if the Croft Group makes no profit to speak of in the next five years, how will you repay this favor?"
Cecilia Croft said, deflated, "Worst case, I’ll come work for you for free."
Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t answer right away. He just watched her in silence, as if assessing her worth.
Seeing this, Cecilia Croft sat up straighter, her expression turning dead serious.
Seeing her adopt a negotiating posture, Sebastian Hawthorne let out a low chuckle. His gaze then fixed on her, burning with intensity.
"Since you’re the one who came begging me for help, I assume you wouldn’t consider it taking advantage of your misfortune if I were to propose a small condition?"
Cecilia Croft shook her head vigorously.
"How could that be taking advantage of the situation? Whatever your conditions are, as long as you’re willing to help, Mr. Hawthorne, it would be a godsend for the Croft family."
’Given the Croft family’s current situation, if even the Hawthornes can’t save them, then they’re well and truly finished.’
Cecilia Croft looked at the man beside her with pleading eyes and asked.
"So, Mr. Hawthorne, what is your condition?"
Sebastian Hawthorne looked at her, his expression profound.
"I haven’t decided yet."
Cecilia Croft: "Then can you think of one quickly?"
Sebastian Hawthorne raised an eyebrow at her impatient expression and said with deliberate slowness.
"Why don’t you go back and discuss it with your sister? Have her start by paying back what she owes the Hawthorne family."
Cecilia Croft’s heart skipped a beat. Putting together everything Sebastian Hawthorne had said, she asked cautiously.
"So... what the Croft family owes the Hawthorne family... is it money?"
Sebastian Hawthorne remained silent.
Cecilia Croft took his silence as confirmation and said sheepishly.
"Mr. Hawthorne, you know the Croft Group’s situation. We’ve hit rock bottom. If you push us now, I’m afraid there will be no way out for the Croft family."
"But rest assured, we will pay back what the Croft family owes you. I guarantee it. As long as you’re willing to help, once the Croft Group pulls through this crisis and gets back on its feet, we definitely won’t go back on our word. However, if the Croft family goes under... I’m afraid what you’re owed will simply... vanish into thin air."
A shrewd, calculating glint shone in her lovely eyes, giving her a cunning look.
The corner of Sebastian Hawthorne’s mouth curled into a smirk as he leaned in, his handsome face close to hers.
Struck by his handsome features up close, Cecilia Croft tensed up.
Sebastian Hawthorne reached out and tilted her chin up, studying her face intently before letting out a low chuckle.
"I don’t see the words ’Honest and Trustworthy’ carved on your face."
Cecilia Croft’s breath hitched.
Sebastian Hawthorne withdrew his hand and said coolly.
"Miss Croft has a habit of flipping the table on things that have already been decided. So when you say you won’t go back on your word, I find it very hard to believe you."
He was mocking her for being untrustworthy.
Cecilia Croft pressed her lips together and said earnestly.
"Mr. Hawthorne, that situation and this one can’t be compared."
’How can matters of the heart be treated the same as money?’
’Besides, she wasn’t the one he’d actually wanted to marry back then anyway.’
"In a way, my breaking off the engagement and going against the grain actually did you a favor, didn’t it? I was the one who defied the decision of our families’ elders, which meant you didn’t suffer any loss..."
Her voice trailed off as the man beside her turned to look at her, his gaze growing deeper and darker.
’Of course. Her words were undoubtedly rubbing salt in his wounds.’
’After all, she’d been gone for so many years, and he still hadn’t managed to win over her sister.’
’From his perspective, getting dumped by a fiancée he never even liked was one thing. But after all these years, he still hadn’t managed to win over the woman he actually wanted.’
’This was probably one of the rare moments of defeat in Sebastian Hawthorne’s otherwise brilliant and dazzling life.’
Cecilia Croft wisely shut her mouth.
Sebastian Hawthorne coolly withdrew his gaze, not sparing her another glance.
A heavy silence fell over the car.
Cecilia Croft mustered her courage and spoke softly, "Mr. Hawthorne, please don’t be angry. Could you just answer my earlier question?"
She really wanted to save the Croft Group.
And she desperately wanted to ease the pressure on Ruby.
Sebastian Hawthorne glanced at her, his tone laced with amusement, yet also hinting at a certain displeasure.
"You’ve only just returned to Karthus, and you’re already looking for a shortcut?"
No one understood the situation in Karthus better than Sebastian Hawthorne.
And other than Sebastian Hawthorne, there was probably no one who could alleviate the Croft family’s predicament.
Cecilia Croft had known this for a fact from the moment she decided to return to Karthus.
She had made up her mind to latch onto a powerhouse like Sebastian Hawthorne and ride his coattails.
She knew full well that if Sebastian Hawthorne got the meat, the Croft Group could at least get some of the broth.
In response to Sebastian Hawthorne’s question, she nodded honestly. "Since there’s a shortcut, why should I choose to suffer?"
Sebastian Hawthorne seemed pleased by her answer. A faint smile touched his lips, but his words remained merciless.
"From what I hear, you’ve gotten quite good at enduring hardship over the years."
Cecilia Croft: "..."
’So we’re never going to get past this, are we?!’
’All she did was reject a loveless, strategic marriage. It might have wounded his pride and made him lose face, sure, but was it really something to hold a grudge over for so many years?!’
