Sebastian Hawthorne’s overcoat had gotten soaked by the water on Cecilia Croft at the hospital the other day.

After getting home from the hospital, she had hand-washed the coat. It was still in the laundry room.

Given a second chance, much of Cecilia Croft’s dejection faded away. She gave herself a silent pep talk while trying to figure out how she would persuade Sebastian Hawthorne to buy Vantage’s shares when she saw him.

Lost in thought, she walked to the laundry room. When she saw the coat hanging on the rack—shrunken to a fraction of its size—her mind went blank.

Cecilia Croft frantically took the coat down from the rack. After confirming over and over that it was indeed Sebastian Hawthorne’s, she froze on the spot.

’It looked like she’d ruined the coat.’

Annoyed with herself for a moment, she quickly pulled out her phone and searched for a solution online.

"How to fix a shrunken wool coat?"

She scrolled through several results, but they were all just ads for various products.

Finding no real solution online, she had no choice but to take the shrunken coat to a dry cleaner.

The employee at the dry cleaner’s took one look at the coat’s brand and politely refused Cecilia Croft’s plea for help.

"Clothes from this brand are very expensive. I’m afraid we can’t do anything for you. We’re worried we’ll damage it further, and we can’t afford to compensate you for it."

Cecilia Croft didn’t press the issue. After leaving the dry cleaner’s, she sat in her car and dialed the unfamiliar number that had called her earlier.

The call was answered almost immediately.

Cecilia Croft gathered her thoughts before speaking, her voice small and sheepish.

"Assistant Scott, I’m so sorry, but... it seems I’ve ruined Mr. Hawthorne’s coat."

Silence on the other end of the line.

Cecilia Croft quickly added,

"I’m so sorry, it was my mistake. I’m willing to pay for..."

Before she could finish, a deep, indifferent voice cut in.

"You’re really something else." It was Sebastian Hawthorne.

Mortified, Cecilia Croft tightened her grip on her phone, her expression strained. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I’m sorry."

Sebastian Hawthorne: "Just bring the coat back to me first."

With that, he hung up.

Cecilia Croft let out a groan in her car. It felt like Mercury was in retrograde or something; she was running into every bit of bad luck imaginable. And to top it all off, she’d made a fool of herself in front of the one person she desperately didn’t want to.

Swallowing her misery, she composed herself, started the car, and drove toward Sebastian Hawthorne’s luxury apartment.

Perhaps because of her last disturbance, building security had been tightened. The property manager had to call Assistant Scott to confirm that Sebastian Hawthorne himself had approved Cecilia Croft’s visit before they would let her in.

Cecilia Croft’s lips twitched. She knew exactly what this meant.

’All she’d done was leave in a huff, and that petty man had actually put her on some pre-approved visitor list.’

Frustrated, Cecilia Croft stood at his door and rang the bell.

The moment the door opened, the sullen look on her face was replaced by an apologetic smile.

When Sebastian Hawthorne opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of a woman with a forced smile, respectfully holding out a tote bag containing the coat with both hands.

"I’m sorry, Mr. Hawthorne. It was my negligence that caused the coat to shrink. I’m willing to compensate you for the full price."

Sebastian Hawthorne took the bag and pulled out the coat. In his hands, it looked even smaller.

Feeling guilty, Cecilia Croft couldn’t meet his eyes, an awkward smile plastered on her face.

"Mr. Hawthorne, how much was the coat? I can transfer you the money right now."

She held up her phone, ready for Sebastian Hawthorne to show her his payment QR code.

The man didn’t make things difficult for her. He took out his phone, pulled up a QR code, and held it out to her.

Cecilia Croft breathed a silent sigh of relief. After scanning the code, she asked,

"So, how much was the coat?"

As she spoke, she looked down at her phone, waiting for Sebastian Hawthorne to name a price so she could enter the amount.

She glanced down at her screen, only to see a friend request interface, not a payment page.

Cecilia Croft froze for a second, her eyes filled with confusion, but she tapped "Add Friend" anyway.

’Maybe the coat was so expensive that the transaction limit for a direct QR payment was too low.’

The man across from her tapped his screen a couple of times with his long, elegant fingers, accepting her friend request.

Cecilia Croft opened the transfer page and said quietly, "I’ll send you the money right now."

Sebastian Hawthorne put his phone away. His voice was flat.

"I don’t know the price. I’ll get it from you after they give me a quote."

"Oh," Cecilia Croft said, nodding.

Sebastian Hawthorne shot her an unreadable glance before turning and heading inside with the shrunken coat.

Cecilia Croft remained at the doorway, hesitating for a moment before mustering her courage. She followed Sebastian Hawthorne inside, took the Vantage documents she had prepared out of her bag, and placed them on the coffee table in the living room.

"Mr. Hawthorne, these are Vantage’s financial statements from the past few years. I hope you’ll seriously consider this deal."

Sebastian Hawthorne sat down on the sofa, resting a hand on his leg. His knuckles were well-defined.

He tapped his fingers silently against his leg, the intermittent rhythm making her own heart skip a beat.

Cecilia Croft stood quietly to the side, trying to suppress her nerves. In front of this man, she felt like a complete novice just starting her career.

The last time she’d been this nervous was when she and Jude Sheridan were trying to secure funding for Vantage just after it was founded.

She couldn’t read the man before her, so she had no idea how to close this deal.

She didn’t want to seem too desperate. When the man remained silent, she took a seat on the sofa opposite him, determined to show her sincerity and persuade him.

Cecilia Croft had prepared her pitch beforehand, so even though Sebastian Hawthorne showed no signs of interest, she forged ahead and began to describe Vantage’s current situation.

Her back was straight, her hands lightly clasped in her lap. Her posture was impeccable as she precisely analyzed the benefits and profits Vantage could bring to the Hawthorne Group.

Watching her earnest expression, Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t interrupt.

Only when she paused for a moment did he ask quietly,

"If Vantage is such a great company, why are you selling its shares?"

Cecilia Croft pressed her lips together, silent for a long moment.

Sebastian Hawthorne wasn’t in a hurry. He waited patiently for her answer.

The real reason she was selling the shares wasn’t that complicated, but for some reason, she found it incredibly difficult to say in front of Sebastian Hawthorne.

Cecilia Croft bit her lip and fabricated an excuse.

"Because I’m tired of trying so hard. I want to go back to the Croft family and just be a slacker, and let my sister take care of me. Is that a good enough reason?"

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t call her out on the lie. He simply lifted his gaze and reached for the documents Cecilia Croft had left on the table.

The file she had prepared was exhaustive, even including several strategic plans. It was filled with her vision for Vantage’s future.

Through these documents, Sebastian Hawthorne could even picture her, working diligently.

"And your condition?"

His voice was low, remembering she had mentioned a condition.