Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Giving Her a Chance to Reach
Jason Sutton’s father was notoriously bad-tempered.
He had been in his current position for four years, and this was the fifth. If he didn’t get promoted now, his career would be over.
This was a critical time for him to curry favor. He had brought gifts to the Hawthorne Estate several times, only to be turned away by Old Master Hawthorne each time.
If Jason Sutton’s father dragged him home tonight, he was sure to get the belt.
"Mr. Hawthorne, I... I didn’t know about your relationship with Cecilia. I..."
Sebastian Hawthorne gave him no chance to explain, simply pulling Cecilia Croft in by the shoulder and walking away.
Jason Sutton swallowed hard. Only then did he notice that the man trailing Sebastian Hawthorne was his father’s boss.
The man merely glanced at him before pulling out his phone and calling his father.
A thin sheen of sweat broke out on Jason Sutton’s forehead. He clenched his jaw, a bitter resentment welling up inside him.
Once they were around the corner, Sebastian Hawthorne withdrew his hand.
His movements were gentlemanly and measured. Even though he had just pulled her close, Cecilia Croft hadn’t felt violated in the least.
"Thank you."
She thanked him softly, but the man didn’t respond. He simply strode toward a private room at the end of the hall.
The people behind him followed suit.
Cecilia Croft glanced over and recognized several figures she often saw in the news.
As one of them passed, he gave her a scrutinizing look. Cecilia Croft quickly lowered her head, not daring to look again.
Only after everyone had passed her did she dare to lift her head.
She saw Sebastian Hawthorne surrounded by the group, a faint, unreadable smile on his face as he spoke with confidence.
A long, thin cigarette was perched between his fingers, its tip glowing and fading in the deliberately dim, mysterious light of the corridor.
It was just a hallway, but it created an illusion of being impossibly distant.
Cecilia Croft pressed her lips together. The shoulder he had touched felt scorching hot, and she quickly averted her gaze.
When she found Jasmine Vance, she was talking to a staff member from The Snowfall Pavilion.
Wendy Rhodes had gone berserk, smashing several things in their private room and disturbing the distinguished guests next door.
When the other party tried to reason with her, an argument broke out.
Everyone who came to The Snowfall Pavilion had influential relatives in Karthus.
Neither side would back down, and the scene became quite chaotic.
Jasmine Vance called the Rhodes family to come pick her up. It was only then that she learned Wendy Rhodes had been having some mental health issues lately and was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
Wendy Rhodes had always had an older sister who excelled in every way.
She herself was also extremely ambitious. Over time, the immense pressure naturally led to psychological problems.
After dealing with Wendy Rhodes, Jasmine Vance went to apologize to the guests in the next room.
With all the delays, she lost track of time.
Seeing Cecilia Croft find her way over, Jasmine Vance hurried to her side and grumbled a bit.
"Wendy Rhodes is too much trouble. I never should have agreed to let her come today."
Cecilia Croft smiled faintly and handed over her bag and phone.
"Finn called you just now."
Finn Vance, Jasmine Vance’s older brother.
Jasmine Vance pouted and scratched her head in frustration.
’He probably heard about the incident and called to chew me out. So annoying.’
Cecilia Croft smiled faintly. "He could also just be worried about you. You should call him back quickly."
Jasmine Vance nodded and took the phone. But as she was about to call Finn Vance back, she froze, phone in hand.
Cecilia Croft followed her gaze and noticed that her phone screen was cracked.
"When I was coming out of the room earlier, Jason Sutton bumped into me, and I couldn’t keep a grip on my phone. I’ll go with you to buy a new one tomorrow."
Jasmine Vance nonchalantly peeled off the screen protector. "It’s fine, the screen itself isn’t broken. Besides, with our relationship, why would I..."
She trailed off, her voice dropping. "Who did you say you ran into?"
Cecilia Croft: "Jason Sutton."
Jasmine Vance took a deep breath. "He didn’t do anything to you, did he?"
Cecilia Croft rubbed her temples. "He kept pestering me for my number."
Jasmine Vance’s eyes filled with disgust, and she added resentfully,
"The Sutton Family has been doing very well these past few years. I hear his father is up for another promotion in a few months."
"That’s just how the world is now. Honest, hardworking people struggle just to get by, while the schemers and opportunists all get ahead."
The Rhodes family is like that, and so is the Sutton Family.
Jasmine Vance was frustrated with herself. "I really shouldn’t have brought you here today. You didn’t give him your number, did you?"
Cecilia Croft shook her head, then added with a hint of regret, "I was just about to give him Jessica Keller’s number, but he called my bluff on the spot."
"If I hadn’t run into Mr. Hawthorne, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get away."
Jasmine Vance smelled gossip and immediately leaned in closer.
"Mr. Hawthorne? The Mr. Hawthorne?"
Cecilia Croft nodded. "Yes."
Jasmine Vance nudged her lightly with her elbow, a playful look in her eyes.
"So, this runaway mare is finally coming back to her old flame, huh?"
Cecilia Croft gave a helpless smile, linking her arm through Jasmine Vance’s as they walked toward their room.
"Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, how could Mr. Hawthorne be an old flame of mine? He’s a rare flower on an inaccessible, icy mountain. A beast of burden like me could never reach him, even if I wanted to. Come on, the food’s getting cold and I’m starv—"
Cecilia Croft didn’t get to finish her sentence. A man rounded the corner, startling her so badly that the last syllable of "starving" came out as a squeak.
Even the usually fearless Jasmine Vance was scared into a stutter.
"Sebastian..."
Sebastian Hawthorne grunted in acknowledgment, his gaze shifting from Cecilia Croft to Jasmine Vance.
"If there’s nothing else, call your brother back."
Finn Vance knew he was hosting a dinner at The Snowfall Pavilion tonight. He’d called to say there was a disturbance and, worried Jasmine Vance couldn’t handle it, asked him to check on things.
Jasmine Vance nodded obediently.
"Okay, I’ll call him right now. Sorry to bother you, Sebastian."
Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t reply, just glanced at Cecilia Croft.
Cecilia Croft awkwardly avoided his gaze, and Jasmine Vance quickly pulled her away.
"Sebastian, we’ll go eat now. I hope you have a pleasant dinner as well."
She had no idea if Sebastian Hawthorne had overheard their little joke.
They had only taken a few steps when the man’s deep voice sounded behind them again.
"Report to the Hawthorne Group tomorrow."
Jasmine Vance was completely confused.
But Cecilia Croft stopped dead in her tracks. She spun around to face Sebastian Hawthorne, her bright almond eyes sparkling like stars, her face alight with an unconcealable joy.
"Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne."
A playful glint appeared in Sebastian Hawthorne’s deep, dark eyes. He reached out, grabbed Cecilia Croft’s wrist, and pulled her toward him. In a low, husky, and utterly bewitching voice, he whispered in her ear,
"I’m giving you a chance to reach it."
He dropped that outrageously arrogant line and turned to leave.
Cecilia Croft stood frozen in place, the smile stiff on her face.
’He heard it, after all.’
’Damn it!’
’How could his hearing be so sharp?’
