Chapter 80: Chapter 80: She Only Has One Family Member Left
Sebastian lowered his voice when he spoke, so Jasmine Vance didn’t hear what he said to Cecilia Croft at all.
But when she saw Cecilia blush after hearing him, she immediately leaned in, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"Cecilia, what did Sebastian say to you?"
Cecilia Croft bit her tongue hard, keenly aware of what it meant to have put her foot in her mouth.
"Nothing."
Cecilia forced an awkward smile.
But that only made Jasmine more curious.
"If it’s nothing, why are you blushing so hard?"
Cecilia pressed her lips together and muttered, "I was humiliated and couldn’t even talk back. Of course I’m flushed."
’Sebastian is still trying to get back at me for breaking off the engagement. He’ll never miss an opportunity to put me in my place.’
Jasmine went, "Oh," and said, "So you were just bottling it up. I actually thought Sebastian was into you."
Cecilia was left speechless.
’If he were really interested in me, he wouldn’t have said what he did ten years ago.’
Cecilia took a deep breath, quickly pushing the troubling thoughts from her mind.
Jasmine linked her arm through Cecilia’s, and they returned to the private room.
The food had gone completely cold. Jasmine asked the waiter to take it back to the kitchen to be reheated.
In the meantime, Jasmine stepped out. She returned holding a bottle of red wine, which she waggled at Cecilia.
"Romanee Conti," she announced. "From my brother’s private collection here at The Snowfall Pavilion."
Cecilia chuckled. "Aren’t you afraid Finn will skin you alive?"
Jasmine raised an eyebrow, the picture of fearlessness. "He has so much wine stored here, he’ll never miss this one bottle. Besides, you haven’t been back to Karthus in ten years. That’s worth opening a good bottle to celebrate."
"How many decades do you get in life, anyway?"
As she spoke, Jasmine handed the bottle to a waitress, asking her to open and decant the wine.
Cecilia sat in her chair, a touch of melancholy in her eyes at Jasmine’s words.
Once the fine wine and reheated dishes were served, the waitress discreetly left the room.
Despite the scene Wendy Rhodes had caused, Jasmine’s good mood remained unaffected.
It had been a long time since they had sat down to eat and drink together like this.
Jasmine, in high spirits, drank a little too much.
Cecilia was a lightweight, but she was determined to keep her friend company.
By the end of the bottle, both women were feeling tipsy.
Jasmine leaned in close to Cecilia, resting her chin on her friend’s shoulder as she asked curiously.
"Cecilia, do you ever regret breaking off your engagement with Sebastian?"
Cecilia’s head was spinning, but the question made her expression sharpen for a moment.
"I don’t regret it!"
She answered with resolute firmness, but her heart felt heavy.
Jasmine blinked and murmured.
"Good, as long as you don’t regret it. I was worried you did. Grandpa Hawthorne is lining up blind dates for Sebastian again. I hear it’s that lady from the Golding family."
Cecilia was silent for a few seconds before giving a placid smile.
"The one from the Golding family is a good match."
Jasmine nodded in agreement. "She is. It’d be a union of powerhouses. If the Hawthorne and Golding families were joined by marriage, who in the country could be more powerful than them?"
"If this were ancient times, common folk like us living in The Imperial City would have to kowtow to her. Good thing you have no regrets. Can you imagine how hard it would be to fight a Princess for a man?"
Jasmine’s voice was light and teasing.
Cecilia smiled but said nothing. The dizzy feeling from the wine had completely vanished.
After their meal, Jasmine saw Cecilia out.
They walked through The Snowfall Pavilion’s atrium. As they crossed the courtyard, they ran into Sebastian Hawthorne at the entrance.
His suit jacket was casually draped over his arm. He was standing by the road, talking to a man Cecilia often saw in the news.
His smile was faint, his posture relaxed.
Cecilia couldn’t help but stare. When his eyes flicked toward her, she quickly looked away.
The man talking with Sebastian got into a car and left.
Sebastian then got into his own car.
However, though he was in the car, it didn’t start or drive away.
Sebastian’s car was stopped right at the entrance of The Snowfall Pavilion, holding up a line of cars behind it.
No one dared to go up and rush him.
Jasmine’s car was also stuck in the line. Since none of the cars ahead were honking, her driver knew better than to push the issue and simply called Jasmine to explain the situation.
"I know."
Jasmine lowered her phone and whispered in Cecilia’s ear.
"Sebastian’s car is blocking the road. We’ll have to wait for him to leave before our car can pull out."
Cecilia nodded.
"It’s fine. We’re not in a hurry."
As she said that, her phone rang in her purse.
Cecilia took it out and glanced at the screen. It was the landline from the Croft family estate.
She quickly answered. The moment she put the phone to her ear, Auntie Zane’s frantic voice came through.
"Miss Cecilia! Miss Ruby fainted! I just called the emergency line for Karthus University First Hospital. Please get to the hospital and meet me right away."
The hand Cecilia was holding her phone with trembled. Before the call even ended, she was already walking toward Sebastian Hawthorne’s car.
She raised her hand and knocked on Sebastian’s window.
The window rolled down, revealing Sebastian’s devastatingly handsome face.
Cecilia didn’t have time to think, she just hurriedly explained the situation.
"Mr. Hawthorne, my sister fainted. I need to get to Karthus University First Hospital. Can you please have your driver move the car—"
As she spoke, Cecilia realized there was no driver in Sebastian’s car.
The driver had gone to the restroom.
Jasmine had followed her over. Hearing Cecilia’s words, she quickly spoke to Sebastian.
"The Snowfall Pavilion has drivers on staff for guests, Sebastian. How about we have one of them move your car? My car is right behind, I can take Cecilia right now."
Sebastian’s brow furrowed. He glanced at his driver, who was now hurrying out from The Snowfall Pavilion, and his gaze darkened. In a cool tone, he said to Cecilia.
"Get in."
Seeing the driver had returned, Cecilia quickly opened the back door and slid inside.
Jasmine scrambled in right after her, shoving Sebastian all the way to the far-left side of the seat.
Hearing the THUD of a body hitting the car door, Jasmine gave an awkward, apologetic laugh.
"Sorry, Sebastian, I didn’t mean to."
Sebastian’s expression was impassive. He didn’t answer her, simply instructing the driver to go.
Jasmine didn’t seem to mind. She just took Cecilia’s hand and comforted her.
"It’ll be okay, Cecilia. Ruby was probably just exhausted."
Cecilia nodded, trying her best to calm down, but her trembling hands betrayed her anxiety.
Sebastian sat impassively, his gaze dropping to see Cecilia’s hands repeatedly twisting the fabric of her skirt. His deep eyes darkened.
When they reached their destination, Sebastian opened his door before the car had even come to a complete stop.
The moment the car stopped, he stepped out, a fraction of a second faster than Jasmine.
Cecilia scrambled to get out of the car.
She twisted her ankle getting out and nearly fell, but Sebastian reached out and steadied her.
Worried sick about Ruby, Cecilia didn’t have time to say thank you. Ignoring the pain in her ankle, she broke into a run toward the emergency department.
’Ruby is the only family I have left.’
’Nothing can happen to my sister. Absolutely nothing.’
