Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Sebastian Hawthorne Is Not a Fool
The business elites at Sebastian Hawthorne’s side discreetly observed the change in his expression. When they saw the corners of his lips quirk up, suggesting he was in a good mood, they immediately took the hint. Their gazes toward Cecilia Croft now held a hint of flattery.
Cecilia Croft noticed the change in their expressions, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
A smile tugged at Sebastian Hawthorne’s lips as he leaned in closer to her.
"Even if President Croft is bold enough to offer, I wouldn’t dare accept... not in broad daylight."
Cecilia Croft’s brow furrowed, the confusion in her eyes deepening.
Sebastian Hawthorne let out a low chuckle, and the men beside him chimed in with their own laughter.
One of the men, noticing Cecilia Croft’s completely bewildered expression, offered a teasing reminder.
"It would be more appropriate for you to deliver yourself at night, Miss Croft."
Cecilia Croft froze. Her face instantly turned beet red, and she rushed to explain.
"No, that’s not what I meant."
She had been completely focused on her goal for coming here today, and she had arrived full of confidence.
But when she saw that Sebastian Hawthorne was surrounded by industry elites who were regulars on the financial news channels, her self-esteem took a small blow. Her thoughts became jumbled, and she inevitably misspoke.
Sebastian Hawthorne watched her with unhurried amusement. "Then what did you mean?"
Cecilia Croft pressed her lips together. Just as she was about to speak, the man before her cut her off again.
"Whatever it is you mean, we can discuss it in private, hmm?"
As he spoke, he glanced around them, as if to tell her, ’There are too many people here.’
Cecilia Croft noticed that everyone’s gazes had turned suggestive, and it suddenly dawned on her.
’Sebastian Hawthorne was doing this on purpose!’
"You..."
Sebastian Hawthorne gave a faint smile and casually swung the gift bag in his hand. "I’ll accept this gift, then. I’ll wait until tonight to open it."
Cecilia Croft: "..."
She grit her teeth silently, wishing she could cover his mouth.
Sebastian Hawthorne, however, was in a great mood. He walked right past her, ignoring her furious glare.
The moment he moved, his entourage fell in step behind him.
Those who didn’t recognize Cecilia Croft stared at her with probing, curious gazes.
Cecilia Croft hurried after them.
"Mr. Hawthorne, I have something I need to discuss with you."
As she spoke, she pulled her resume from her bag. Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t lift a hand to take it. Instead, he lowered his gaze to her calm face, and a subtle darkness flickered in his eyes.
"Mr. Hawthorne..."
She had just started to speak when Sebastian Hawthorne shoved the gift bag into her hands. With a cold sneer, he led his entourage away.
Cecilia Croft stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the gift bag in her hands, stunned for a long moment.
’He was in such a good mood just a moment ago. How could he turn cold so suddenly?’
A seed of anxiety began to sprout in Cecilia Croft’s heart. In truth, half of the confidence she’d arrived with had already evaporated the moment she saw the high-level industry elites surrounding Sebastian Hawthorne.
Now, with Sebastian Hawthorne leaving without even a glance at her resume, what little confidence she had left shattered completely.
She had forgotten. This was Karthus, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, a metropolis teeming with elites. This wasn’t Silvercrest, which was still a developing city.
"Miss, are you all right?"
Perhaps because she had been standing there for too long, the young receptionist looked over at her with concern.
Cecilia Croft took a deep, shuddering breath. She mentally pieced her shattered confidence back together and put on a smile.
"I’m fine."
’I can’t just leave like this.’
’No matter what, I have to get a job at the Hawthorne Group!’
’I absolutely cannot let my sister’s plan fail.’
The receptionist kept a smile on her face, but her eyes revealed a hint of unease.
Cecilia Croft showed no sign of leaving. And based on the earlier interaction between her and Mr. Hawthorne, they seemed to know each other.
But Mr. Hawthorne hadn’t left any instructions before he left, so for a moment, the receptionist didn’t know what to do with Cecilia Croft.
Cecilia Croft saw her dilemma. With a gentle smile, she asked softly, "Where is your waiting room? Can I wait there for Mr. Hawthorne to return?"
"Of course," the receptionist nodded, then led Cecilia Croft to the waiting room.
As she entered the waiting room, a flicker of surprise crossed Cecilia Croft’s eyes.
Inside, no fewer than twenty people were seated.
All of them were clutching file folders; some were here for job interviews, others to seek business partnerships.
They were all chatting with one another, their eyes full of hope for the future.
When Cecilia Croft entered, all eyes turned to her. But after a brief glance, everyone went back to their conversations.
She found a seat in a corner and sat down. As she was trying to figure out how to break the impasse, someone next to her spoke in a low voice.
"First time here?"
Cecilia Croft nodded politely.
"Yes."
The person clicked their tongue. "TSK," they muttered, "Then you’re in for a long wait. I’ve been coming for a week and haven’t gotten a single chance to see Mr. Hawthorne. And that guy by the door? He’s been here for half a month, comes every single day, and still hasn’t managed to see him."
Hearing this, Cecilia Croft whispered, "But didn’t Mr. Hawthorne just leave a moment ago? How could you not have seen him?"
The person hurriedly asked.
"You stopped Mr. Hawthorne?"
Cecilia Croft nodded.
"Mhm."
"Then how did you not get thrown out?"
Her voice was filled with astonishment, as if the fact that Cecilia had stopped Sebastian Hawthorne and hadn’t been thrown out was a bizarre occurrence.
As she finished speaking, the other people in the waiting room also turned to stare at her.
Cecilia Croft felt extremely uncomfortable under their stares.
"Should I have been thrown out?"
The crowd: "Shouldn’t you have been?"
In the past, quite a few people, desperate for an opportunity, had recklessly rushed up to Sebastian Hawthorne. Without a single exception, they were all thrown out, documents and all.
After that, an unwritten rule was established in the waiting room.
You could come here to apply for a job or to pitch a partnership, but you were not to block Mr. Hawthorne’s path or disturb him in any way. You could only wait to be summoned.
After listening to them, Cecilia Croft wore an unnatural, slightly embarrassed smile.
’Perhaps Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t have her thrown out for her sister’s sake.’
By lunchtime, Sebastian Hawthorne still hadn’t returned.
Cecilia had only had a glass of milk before leaving the house that morning, not even finishing her sandwich. After sitting here for half the day, she was starving.
She glanced at the time. Seeing that no one else had any intention of leaving, she bit her lip and quietly asked the person beside her.
"Aren’t you all going to eat?"
The person shook their head.
"Nope."
"What if Mr. Hawthorne calls for us while we’re out to lunch? Missing the opportunity wouldn’t be worth it."
Cecilia Croft: "..."
’These people are so intense.’
She had just started to get up, but after hearing what the person said, she silently sat back down.
’Suddenly, she didn’t feel so hungry anymore.’
Just as she sat down, her phone rang.
Cecilia Croft glanced at the caller ID. It was her sister.
She quickly answered.
"Sis."
Ruby Croft’s voice was as cool and clear as ever.
"I ordered some takeout for you. It’s been delivered to the front desk at the Hawthorne Group. Make sure you eat."
Cecilia Croft was deeply touched, but also a little curious.
"Sis, how did you know I was still at the Hawthorne Group and couldn’t get anything to eat?"
Ruby Croft replied, "Sebastian Hawthorne isn’t a fool."
How could he not guess their intentions when Cecilia Croft showed up at the Hawthorne Group looking for a job?
