Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Comparisons Kill
「The next morning.」
Cecilia Croft stood before the mirror, her expression grave.
Even with makeup, she couldn’t hide her slightly swollen eyes.
After another attempt to fix it, she felt discouraged and decided to just leave it be, heading downstairs.
Ruby Croft was already in the dining room, eating.
Cecilia walked over, sat down, and made sure to remind her.
"The doctor wants you to come in for an IV drip at two this afternoon. You have a chemo session tomorrow."
Ruby Croft nodded with a quiet "Mm."
Seeing her sister’s nonchalant attitude, Cecilia leaned in and stared at her.
"I’m going to have your assistant give me updates."
She was worried Ruby would get too busy and forget to go to the hospital.
Ruby Croft raised an eyebrow. "Suit yourself."
After breakfast, Cecilia hitched a ride with Ruby.
The Hawthorne Group wasn’t far from the Croft Group. Back when the Hawthorne and Croft families were on good terms, they had chosen their building sites here together.
Now, outsiders joked that the most valuable asset the Croft Group had left was probably its headquarters building.
The day the Croft Group sold its headquarters would be the day it had truly fallen.
Upon arriving at the Hawthorne Group, Cecilia got out of the car. Just as she was about to remind Ruby again to go to her check-up on time that afternoon, Ruby ordered the driver to go, not wanting to hear another word of her nagging.
She could only turn and walk toward Hawthorne Tower. Perhaps Sebastian Hawthorne had given instructions, because this time, Cecilia wasn’t stopped by the front desk.
Since Sebastian Hawthorne himself had promised her the job, Cecilia didn’t report to HR and instead went straight upstairs to find him.
As she stepped out of the elevator, she happened to run into Sebastian Hawthorne’s secretary.
The secretary saw her, smiled, and approached to greet her.
"Miss Croft, Mr. Hawthorne is with a guest right now. I can show you to my desk to wait for a bit."
Cecilia heard this and nodded.
"Okay, thank you."
Secretary Summers maintained her professional smile. "It’s no trouble at all."
Sebastian Hawthorne had specifically told her to bring Cecilia Croft directly to his office when she came upstairs. However, Miss Golding was in his office at the moment, so it wasn’t convenient to bring someone else in and disturb them. All she could do was temporarily settle Cecilia at her own workstation.
Secretary Summers had a lot to do, so after getting Cecilia settled, she went back to her work.
Cecilia sat quietly at the desk. Because she was out of sight, the colleagues who came in later didn’t notice her presence.
"Did you guys see Miss Golding just now? She’s a true high-society lady, born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her aura is just incredible!"
"It’s hard not to notice someone like her in a crowd. I heard Mr. Hawthorne and Miss Golding’s wedding is just around the corner. That’s why they’ve been seeing each other so often lately."
"I was always wondering what kind of woman our Mr. Hawthorne would find to be worthy of him. Now that I’ve seen Miss Golding, if she becomes Mrs. Hawthorne, I’ll have no complaints."
"As if you’d stand a chance against any other woman who became Mrs. Hawthorne."
A round of teasing laughter went through the group.
Suddenly, someone shushed them, and everyone quieted down.
Everyone silently went back to their work, but their eyes couldn’t help but drift toward the door of Sebastian Hawthorne’s office.
Cecilia couldn’t resist looking over as well.
A woman in an ink-black qipao emerged from Sebastian Hawthorne’s office. Her long, dark hair was pinned up with a hairpin, revealing a smooth, delicate neck. She had bright, almond-shaped eyes and a dazzling smile.
The corners of her eyes crinkled with a smile, yet she exuded an unapproachable air of distance.
Jade Golding.
The eldest daughter of the Golding family.
Her father was a descendant of a modern imperial family, and her mother was the only daughter of one of the nation’s founding generals.
With such a union, her status was naturally beyond noble.
That thing Jasmine Vance had said wasn’t a joke at all, but a fact.
If titles were still used today, she would truly be a deserving Princess.
Cecilia lowered her gaze, looking away.
Jade Golding, however, noticed them looking. A friendly smile graced her face, and her voice was gentle.
"I’ve ordered lunch for everyone from Elysian Eats. It will be delivered around noon. Please forgive me if it’s not to your liking."
She spoke with courteous words, every gesture exuding an inborn elegance and confidence.
The people in the office area quickly voiced their thanks.
Elysian Eats was a restaurant that people like them could never normally afford to enter.
But with a single word from her, it could be delivered to them like simple takeout.
Jade Golding smiled and stepped into the elevator.
Sebastian Hawthorne moved to follow, but she raised a hand, lightly blocking his chest.
Although she didn’t actually touch his chest, the gesture created an intriguing sense of intimacy.
"There’s no need for such formalities between us. Don’t see me out. Go back to work."
Sebastian Hawthorne stopped and didn’t enter the elevator. He gave a slight nod, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.
"Alright. Be careful on your way."
Without any lingering pleasantries, Jade Golding raised her hand and pressed the close-door button.
Sebastian Hawthorne also turned and went back to his office.
Cecilia sat stunned at Secretary Summers’s desk, the chatter of the executive assistants filling her ears.
Everyone envied Jade Golding’s birthright.
They were all captivated by her aura.
’A person like her would never have to suffer any of life’s hardships, as long as word didn’t get out that she’d committed murder or arson.’
Cecilia pursed her lips. ’If only my sister had been born into a family like that,’ she thought.
’If she’d been born into the Golding family, she probably wouldn’t have worked herself sick with stomach cancer, and she wouldn’t have to be scheming and scraping during her treatment just to fill the massive hole Titus Croft dug for them.’
Amid the surrounding noise, her phone chimed.
Cecilia pulled herself from her thoughts and took it out. It was a message from Sebastian Hawthorne.
"Late on your first day? Who did I hire, royalty?"
Cecilia stared at the message, Sebastian Hawthorne’s arrogant expression already materializing in her mind.
Tsk.
’The contrast is just so stark.’
Cecilia even felt the urge to gouge her own eyes out.
’I never should have seen how humble and gentlemanly Sebastian Hawthorne was when he saw Jade Golding off just now!’
’No comparison, no pain.’
Cecilia sighed softly, resigned to her fate. She got up from Secretary Summers’s desk and walked toward Sebastian Hawthorne’s office.
Seeing her get up and walk away, the group that had been chattering away just moments before fell silent in tacit agreement.
"Who’s that?"
"No idea."
Cecilia’s heart sank, but she silently accepted her role as a nobody.
’Compared to Jade Golding’s dazzling, brilliant life, being a mere background character in their story is a blessing in itself.’
’After all, most people will never even get a chance to see them once in their entire lives.’
Cecilia quickly adjusted her mindset and raised her hand to knock.
Secretary Summers walked over at the right moment and explained in a low voice.
"Mr. Hawthorne’s office is pretty well soundproofed."
She then pressed the built-in doorbell on a crystal screen on the side of the doorframe.
The screen lit up, showing a background wall. Sebastian Hawthorne wasn’t in the frame.
Secretary Summers spoke respectfully.
"Mr. Hawthorne, Miss Croft is here."
Soon, Sebastian Hawthorne’s indifferent voice came through the speaker on the screen.
"Let her in."
As soon as he finished speaking, the call ended.
Cecilia faced the screen, her heart sinking again.
’This must be life at the top,’ she thought. ’An office so big you can’t even hear someone knocking.’
’Meanwhile, my sister and I are at our wits’ end over the Croft Group’s massive debt.’
’It’s true what they say, comparison is the thief of joy.’
