Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Stealing Hawthorne Group’s Business Secrets
"Sis, I’m being serious about your problems. Why are you trying to drag me into this? He and I already called off the engagement."
A hint of annoyance flashed in Cecilia Croft’s eyes, and her grip unconsciously tightened.
Ruby Croft’s brow twitched, and she swatted her sister’s hand away.
"If you won’t do it, then what’s the point in even trying to be diplomatic?"
Cecilia grew anxious. "Sis..."
Ruby Croft pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Get out."
She hadn’t managed to sell the plot of land today, and on top of that, she’d had a lot to drink. She was exhausted and weary, unable to suppress the cold aura radiating from her.
Cecilia didn’t move. "I want to work at the company. Find a position for me."
Ruby Croft refused, her expression blank.
"The company isn’t hiring right now."
Cecilia stared at her, seeing right through her feigned indifference.
"Sis, you don’t want me to work at the company because you don’t want to drag me down with you, right? The company is about to go under, and you’re facing a mountain of debt you can’t repay. Isn’t that it?"
Ruby Croft’s expression remained unchanged as she calmly flipped through the documents in her hand.
"Where did you hear such rumors? That’s complete nonsense."
Cecilia looked resentfully at her sister’s face—a face that was far too beautiful, and far too cold.
"Sebastian Hawthorne told me."
Ruby Croft fell silent. The cold, aloof mask on her face began to crack, and to keep from revealing any more emotion, she slowly closed her eyes.
Cecilia’s heart ached for her. She wrapped her arms around her from behind.
"Sis, I’m back now. I’ll help you. We’ll get through this together."
"We’ll pay back the bank first, then we’ll pay back the Hawthorne family. The Croft Group will definitely recover."
Ruby Croft opened her eyes. "Owe the Hawthorne family?"
Cecilia nodded.
Ruby: "He brought it up?"
Cecilia nodded again. "So how much does our Croft family actually owe the Hawthorne family?"
Ruby Croft didn’t answer, sitting silently in her chair, lost in thought.
Cecilia nuzzled Ruby Croft’s shoulder with her head, just as she had ten years ago, her gesture both affectionate and dependent.
"It’s okay, Sis. No matter how much we owe, we’ll face it together."
’It was her fault for letting Ruby face such a difficult situation alone before.’
’Now that she was back, she would never leave again. She wouldn’t let Ruby deal with all these awful things by herself.’
Cecilia’s affectionate gesture seemed to melt some of the coldness deep in Ruby Croft’s eyes.
In her eyes, Cecilia was still the same obedient and gentle little sister who had left the Croft family at seventeen or eighteen.
But the Croft family of today was no longer the same family she had left.
"Kiki."
Ruby Croft spoke gravely, using a name no one had called her sister since their mother passed away.
The mix of resolve and sorrow in her eyes pierced Cecilia’s heart, instantly making her feel an inexplicable unease.
"What is it, Sis?"
Cecilia’s expression was a bit dazed, a sense of foreboding creeping in.
"You’ll have to swallow your pride and apply for a job at the Hawthorne Group," Ruby Croft said seriously, her expression heavy.
"Even if you don’t like Sebastian Hawthorne, you have to endure it for the sake of the Croft Group."
Cecilia simply couldn’t understand why Ruby would want her to work at the Hawthorne Group. After a few seconds of silence, she mumbled.
"You want me to go steal the Hawthorne Group’s trade secrets?"
Ruby: "..."
’Sometimes she really wanted to crack open Cecilia’s head and see what kind of wild fantasies were rattling around in there.’
Just as she was about to explain, Cecilia muttered again.
"Not that I’m opposed to it."
Ruby suppressed the anger welling up inside her.
’Did she think the Hawthorne Group’s secrets could be stolen just because she said so?’
"Did you get dropped on your head?"
Cecilia chuckled. "Sis, I was just trying to lighten the mood. You were so serious just now."
Ruby Croft’s brow twitched.
"You’ll apply for a job at the Hawthorne Group tomorrow. In three days, I’ll hold a welcome-back party for you and invite all the Great Families of Karthus. You spent seven years in Silvercrest, so find a way to get Sebastian Hawthorne to send you to the Silvercrest branch."
Cecilia listened quietly to her sister, understanding her intentions.
’She actually came up with a plan in such a short amount of time.’
"Sis, are you sure you’re not drunk?"
Ruby hummed in acknowledgment.
After all these years, her mind had grown accustomed to thinking clearly even while intoxicated.
She reached out and patted Cecilia’s head, her tone uncharacteristically gentle.
"I’ll make sure your welcome-back party is a grand affair. Besides, it’s been a long time since the Croft family had anything to celebrate."
Cecilia nodded in agreement.
"I’ll do whatever you say, Sis."
Cecilia gave a light humph, her tone tinged with a playful pout.
"The Croft Group is what Grandpa left for you. I don’t want it. You’re the successor he carefully groomed. If I ran the Croft Group into the ground, he’d probably roll over in his grave to curse me out."
"I just want to be your right-hand woman, Sis."
Ruby Croft let out a soft chuckle but didn’t reply. A warm tear simply slid from the corner of her eye.
Cecilia kept her arms wrapped around her sister, whispering a soft, sincere apology.
"Sis, I’m sorry. I won’t be so willful anymore."
Ruby Croft nodded lightly. "You’re right, you can’t be so willful anymore. If you run off for another ten years, you might not see me when you come back."
Cecilia quickly covered her mouth. "Don’t say such things."
A look of relief on her face, Ruby Croft pulled Cecilia’s hand away and said lightly,
"You’ve been on a plane all day. You stink. Go take a shower."
Cecilia muttered, "And I haven’t even complained about you reeking of alcohol."
The last time the two sisters had seen each other was at their grandmother’s funeral. Cecilia had been in low spirits, and Ruby had been busy, so they’d barely spoken.
After washing up in her own room, Cecilia grabbed her pillow and ran to Ruby Croft’s room, plopping down and refusing to leave.
It was just like when they were children, able to talk about anything and everything.
Cecilia chattered on endlessly, outlining her plans for after the Croft Group was out of trouble.
Ruby Croft glanced sideways at her sister’s earnest expression and the careful way she was thinking, and knew that Cecilia had truly grown up.
’She could entrust the future of the Croft Group to her and be at ease.’
Cecilia was still talking, but Ruby was getting sleepy. She raised a hand and covered her sister’s chattering mouth.
"What you need to do now is handle Sebastian Hawthorne, get a job at the Hawthorne Group, and make everyone think the Croft family is working with the Hawthorne family."
Cecilia gave a muffled, "Mission accepted!"
Ruby Croft shot her a look and pulled her hand back.
She was truly exhausted and soon closed her eyes.
Cecilia, however, was too excited to sleep.
She turned on her side to face Ruby, inching closer to her.
"Sis..."
Cecilia called out softly, testing the waters.
Ruby kept her eyes closed, her brow furrowed, and didn’t answer.
Getting no response, Cecilia tried again, unwilling to give up.
"Sis, are you asleep?"
Ruby, thoroughly annoyed, snapped, "One more sound out of you, and you can get the hell back to your own room."
Cecilia: "Oh."
That night, despite having the chattering Cecilia beside her, Ruby Croft had a rare, peaceful sleep.
