Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Postponing the Wedding

At the hospital, after a preliminary examination, the doctor helped her into a wheelchair and wrote her a series of orders for tests.

"Have a family member pay downstairs, then you can go directly to the second floor for the tests. Come back up here when you’re done, and I’ll proceed with the diagnosis."

Cecilia Croft lay on the examination bed, holding the test orders without moving.

The doctor finally asked.

"Where is your family?"

"Sorry, I don’t have any family in Silvercrest."

The woman lowered her eyes. Rain-soaked strands of her hair were still dripping, and her hoarse voice revealed her disheveled state.

Suddenly, someone gripped the handles of the wheelchair and began pushing it toward the elevator.

Confused, Cecilia Croft turned her head, her gaze immediately locking with a pair of deep, dark eyes.

The man glanced at her without a word, pushing the wheelchair forward with one hand while holding a phone to his ear with the other.

He wore a black overcoat, under which was a well-tailored, expensive, dark gray suit that made him appear even taller and more slender.

Noticing her staring, he put away his phone, slipping it into his overcoat. He exuded an aura of mature, masculine authority and composure.

Cecilia Croft’s lips parted, her eyes filled with surprise and embarrassment.

"Mr. Hawthorne, what are you doing here?"

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t answer. His deep gaze swept around before landing on her. The next second, his large, black overcoat was draped over her head.

"Is this what Miss Croft meant when she said she would make a name for herself in Silvercrest, surrounded by lackeys?"

"..."

Cecilia Croft pulled the coat off her head, her expression freezing for a moment.

Those were the bold words she had declared to her sister when she had insisted on staying in Silvercrest and giving up her inheritance from the Croft family.

She never imagined those words would reach his ears.

She lowered her head in embarrassment, her cheeks burning.

Perhaps unable to stand her silence, the man asked nonchalantly.

"So, where are your lackeys?"

"..."

She lowered her head even further.

The elevator arrived at the second floor, where many people were waiting outside the various examination rooms.

Sebastian Hawthorne pushed her wheelchair into the hallway to wait. During this time, his phone rang constantly with work-related calls.

Only when Assistant Scott came up with the payment receipt did he walk off to a quieter place to talk.

Cecilia Croft took the receipt and thanked him.

Assistant Scott waved his hand, signaling that it was no trouble. He kept glancing at her, looking as if he had many questions but didn’t know how to start.

Cecilia Croft just felt humiliated and didn’t want to talk. ’Please don’t ask,’ she prayed silently.

They both remained silent, creating an awkward quiet.

Just then, Jude Sheridan emerged from the ultrasound room with Jessica Keller, his head bowed as he looked at a report in his hand.

Cecilia Croft looked up, a cold sneer touching her lips as the paper in her hand crumpled instantly.

She took out her phone and dialed Jude Sheridan.

A short distance away, the man took out his phone, and his brow furrowed when he saw the screen.

Jessica Keller leaned over to look. Seeing that the call was from Cecilia Croft, she said softly.

"You should take it. What if Cecilia needs you for something?"

Jude Sheridan’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed, and he answered the call.

"I’m busy at the office. What’s up?"

Cecilia Croft silently clutched her phone and spoke in a low, chilling voice.

"I didn’t realize the Vantage offices had moved to the hospital."

Her voice, though not loud, echoed in the hallway. Assistant Scott tactfully moved aside, clearing the line of sight for Jude Sheridan’s gaze.

Jude Sheridan froze, a flash of guilt in his eyes.

Jessica Keller consciously took a step back, distancing herself from Jude Sheridan. With her hands clasped respectfully in front of her, she said.

"Cecilia, please don’t misunderstand. President Sheridan..."

Cecilia Croft didn’t even glance at her, her eyes fixed solely on Jude Sheridan.

Seeing her in the wheelchair, Jude Sheridan quickly recovered from his shock and strode toward her.

"You’re hurt?"

He asked, his expression full of concern as he noted her hospital gown and damp hair.

Cecilia Croft looked at his anxious expression. Even knowing the answer would be a lie, she couldn’t stop herself from asking.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was feeling some heart palpitations at the office, so I came to get it checked out. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry," he blurted out, his expression unnervingly calm.

His lie made her heart clench. She then gave a self-deprecating laugh and said no more.

The doctor in the examination room called Cecilia Croft’s name.

Jude Sheridan naturally took hold of the wheelchair and pushed Cecilia Croft into the examination room.

Before going in, Cecilia Croft saw Sebastian Hawthorne returning from his phone call.

He stood in the middle of the hallway not far from her, watching her with a look of cool detachment.

Cecilia Croft averted her gaze and lowered her head.

’Truthfully, she didn’t want anyone who knew of her family background to see her in this state. No matter their reason for helping, it just made her feel ashamed and mortified.’

The door to the examination room closed, and Sebastian Hawthorne headed for the elevators.

Assistant Scott hurried to catch up, asking.

"Are we just leaving like this?"

Sebastian Hawthorne’s expression was cold. "What else?"

Assistant Scott was Sebastian Hawthorne’s distant cousin, and he had heard whispers that Sebastian had once had his engagement broken off by the Croft family’s second daughter.

But the Hawthorne family never spoke of it, so he had no way of confirming the rumor.

Disappointed at not getting the juicy gossip he was hoping for, Assistant Scott couldn’t help but pout and mutter.

"Then what was the point of us coming to the hospital?"

Sebastian Hawthorne’s deep eyes glanced at the closed door of the examination room before looking away.

"To make Ruby Croft owe me a favor."

Assistant Scott clicked his tongue. "Was that really worth you canceling such an important meeting?"

The Croft family was already in decline. A favor from Ruby Croft might not be worth much.

Assistant Scott didn’t buy it. As he pressed for the real reason, Sebastian Hawthorne shot him a calm, indifferent glance.

"You seem bored. The company has a new project starting in Zanthos. How about I send you there?"

Assistant Scott’s face tightened, and he forced a placating smile. "Cousin, let’s not, okay?"

Jessica Keller stood to the side, clutching a pregnancy report, her face pale. She had overheard the conversation between Assistant Scott and Sebastian Hawthorne.

’It seemed like Cecilia Croft had known them for a long time.’

’To know a powerful man like Sebastian Hawthorne, Cecilia Croft’s background couldn’t be as ordinary as people around her claimed.’

Jude Sheridan was busy questioning the doctor about her condition. When he learned she had a fracture and needed to be hospitalized, he rushed around handling all the arrangements, earning the envious gazes of the young nurses at the nurses’ station.

Once everything was settled, he sat by Cecilia Croft’s hospital bed. He hesitated before speaking, his tone feigning concern for her well-being.

"Cecilia, our wedding is just around the corner, and now you’re injured and in the hospital. How about we postpone it?"