Chapter 23: Chapter 23: If Only She Would Give In

Jude Sheridan stood frozen, his expression stiff and ugly. He glared at Cecilia Croft, his face dark, his anger ready to erupt.

Cecilia Croft simply watched him with a smile, her gaze unwavering.

"If you’re really that hungry, you can always eat out. The breakfast places outside certainly offer more variety than what I have here."

How could Jude Sheridan not hear the sarcasm in Cecilia Croft’s voice?

His face instantly turned cold.

"After all these years together, you don’t have even this much trust in me?"

Cecilia Croft looked up at him.

Jude Sheridan’s expression was icy, showing no trace of guilt. It was as if her every word was a personal insult, a baseless accusation against his character.

Cecilia Croft had to resist the urge to applaud his self-righteous indignation.

"I fired the person, and I explained everything to you. Just how long are you going to keep up this standoff?"

Her gaze, like a detective interrogating a criminal, finally made Jude Sheridan snap.

Cecilia Croft remained completely unfazed by his anger. In fact, the mockery in her eyes deepened as she watched his performance, as if she were merely watching a play.

She said, "Jude Sheridan, do you take me for a fool?"

A jolt of alarm went through Jude Sheridan, and a flash of panic crossed his eyes.

But not wanting to lose the confrontation, he maintained his facade of anger, his expression impossibly dark.

Cecilia Croft watched him with amusement.

After seven years together, she knew Jude Sheridan’s expressions and body language all too well.

He had already betrayed all his emotions to her, yet he still thought he was hiding them perfectly.

Seeing the mockery in her eyes, Jude Sheridan’s embarrassment turned to rage.

"You..."

He had just started to speak when a phone began to ring, cutting him off.

Cecilia Croft glanced at the phone beside her and raised an eyebrow. It was a call from the president of Apex Industries.

Just as she was about to reach for it, Jude Sheridan snatched the phone away.

He shot Cecilia Croft a look, his brow furrowed, then swiped to answer and put the call on speaker.

"President Croft," the voice of Apex Industries’ president came through the speaker. "I’ve thought over what you proposed yesterday. Let’s set a time and sign the contract directly."

Jude Sheridan frowned, staring at Cecilia Croft in confusion.

Cecilia Croft’s hands, hidden at her sides, clenched into tight fists. She feigned composure as she walked up to Jude Sheridan, took back her phone, and said calmly,

"Of course, Mr. Fisher. We’ll stick with the terms of the previous contract. We can discuss the other details when I get there."

"Sounds good," Mr. Fisher replied.

After receiving his confirmation, Cecilia Croft exchanged a few more pleasantries before ending the call.

Jude Sheridan stood impassively beside Cecilia Croft, his face exceedingly grim.

"I’ll handle company business. You’ve already left the company; you don’t understand current market demands. Contacting Felix Fisher behind my back is completely disrupting my plans."

Her goal was precisely to disrupt his plan.

She even intended to take advantage of his current distraction to poach all of Vantage’s partners, return to Karthus, and start her own company.

Unfortunately, most of the contracts hadn’t expired yet.

"I may have left the company, but I hold a 51% stake in Vantage. Don’t forget, I am Vantage’s largest shareholder. I have the right to decide anything concerning Vantage."

Cecilia Croft put her phone away, not sparing Jude Sheridan another glance as she gathered the dishes and walked toward the kitchen.

Jude Sheridan’s chest rose and fell slightly. He tugged at his collar in frustration.

Just then, his phone rang too. The sweet, romantic little love song that served as his ringtone now sounded inexplicably grating.

With a cold expression, he glanced at Cecilia Croft, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, before swiping to answer and putting the phone to his ear.

"Speak."

His tone was harsh. The person on the other end paused for a long moment before speaking cautiously.

"Jude, Auntie is here at my place."

Jude Sheridan’s face soured. "Who?"

Jessica Keller replied in a low voice, "Your mother."

His face fell completely, his mind choked with frustration. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

When Cecilia Croft came out of the kitchen after tidying up, Jude Sheridan was already gone.

After changing into a business suit, she also headed out, making her way to the Apex Industries headquarters.

She was going to replicate Vantage in Karthus and steal every single one of Jude Sheridan’s resources.

There were only nine days left. She had to hurry and take care of these matters.

Jude Sheridan arrived at Jessica Keller’s apartment full of rage, only to walk in and find his mother and Jessica laughing and chatting in the kitchen as they prepared lunch.

The two of them were as close and familiar as if they had known each other for years, talking about everything under the sun.

His mother wore a rare smile.

It was a look of relaxation and kindness that she never showed when she was with Cecilia Croft.

A good deal of Jude Sheridan’s anger dissipated.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"What? I’m not allowed to visit Cecilia Croft, so now I can’t visit Jessica either?" Mrs. Sheridan turned as she spoke and saw Jude Sheridan’s haggard, sickly appearance. She quickly put down what she was doing and went over to him.

"How did you let yourself get into this state?"

Jessica Keller hurried over as well, reaching out to feel his forehead, her face filled with worry.

"You were perfectly fine when you left my place last night. How did you get a fever?"

Mrs. Sheridan snorted. "What else could it be? It’s obvious Cecilia Croft has been running him ragged! I saw her true colors long ago—she’s spoiled and lazy and has no idea how to take care of someone."

"If you actually marry her, you’re in for a miserable life!"

Jessica Keller had already explained the situation between her and Jude Sheridan to his mother, so Mrs. Sheridan didn’t hold back when talking about Cecilia Croft in front of her.

"Mom!" Jude Sheridan snapped.

He didn’t like it when his mother bad-mouthed Cecilia Croft in front of him.

She was, after all, the woman he was about to marry, the partner he would spend the rest of his life with.

Seeing his displeasure, Mrs. Sheridan ground her teeth. "You won’t listen to me now, but you’ll regret it later."

"Enough," Jude Sheridan said. "We’re getting married in a few days. Stop targeting her."

Jessica Keller bit her lip, lowered her head, and stood meekly to the side.

Mrs. Sheridan grit her teeth, but seeing the frustration on Jude Sheridan’s face, she didn’t press her opinions about Cecilia Croft any further, not wanting to upset him more.

Jude Sheridan let out a heavy breath and leaned back on the sofa. He glanced at Jessica Keller and saw her eyes were red-rimmed, on the verge of tears, which made him frown.

He raised a hand to his forehead, shielding the frustration that threatened to spill from his eyes.

Lately, Jude Sheridan felt utterly exhausted by Cecilia Croft, and yet there was absolutely nothing he could do about her.

He couldn’t even figure out if Cecilia was just bluffing or if she already knew something.

He didn’t want to continue this standoff with Cecilia Croft; he even hoped their relationship could go back to the way it was before.

Sensing Jude Sheridan’s frustration and his distance from her, Jessica Keller bit her lip and said in a small voice,

"Jude, are you angry because I asked Auntie to come keep me company? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that without asking. If you’re really that angry, you can hit me, but please don’t ignore me."

As she spoke, Jessica Keller crouched in front of Jude Sheridan, taking his hand and trying to place it on her own cheek.

Jude Sheridan opened his eyes and saw her worried, fearful expression. He gave a helpless smile and reached out to pinch her cheek.

"If only she could be as yielding as you."