Chapter 87: Chapter 87: She Was Not Raised to Conform

Keith Warren lowered his head, not daring to meet Sebastian Hawthorne’s gaze again.

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t look at him either, saying coldly,

"Take care of it yourself."

Keith Warren could only brace himself and nod. "Yes, Mr. Hawthorne."

As Keith Warren’s assistant was gathering the files, she reached for the notes Cecilia Croft had organized.

Cecilia Croft put her hand on them, pulling the notebook back.

"Don’t touch what isn’t yours."

Keith Warren’s assistant froze for a moment before looking up to meet Cecilia Croft’s eyes.

Cecilia Croft gave her an indifferent glance and moved her own belongings aside on the desk, her expression impassive.

’She’d always had a natural dislike for this kind of person.’

All the old files were cleared out, and Secretary Summers soon came in with a new set.

This time, the stack of files was less than half the size of the previous one.

When Cecilia Croft reviewed them again, it was much easier and simpler.

As she was reorganizing them, Assistant Keller messaged her.

[Miss Croft, President Croft had her check-up on schedule. We got lucky today—Professor June Upton was just returning from her lab when we arrived, and now she’s President Croft’s attending physician. With her on the case, you don’t need to worry about President Croft’s condition.]

June Upton was the country’s leading authority on digestive system tumors.

After learning last night that Ruby Croft had stomach cancer, Cecilia had started looking into information in this field.

Upon finding out that Professor June Upton was from Karthus, she had been planning to visit her before returning to Silvercrest.

She hadn’t expected her sister to be so lucky as to be taken on as a patient by Professor June Upton.

Joy spread across Cecilia Croft’s face, calming the slight frustration she felt from organizing the files.

After replying to Assistant Keller’s message, she lowered her head and focused on reviewing the documents.

Just as she was getting absorbed in her work, a warm, elegant voice sounded from the doorway.

"Sebastian, still busy?"

Hearing this voice, Cecilia Croft’s hand, which was holding a file, paused, and her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Sebastian Hawthorne.

Sebastian Hawthorne put down his work, rose from his chair, and looked at the woman walking in from the doorway, his expression gentle.

"Didn’t I say I’d pick you up? Why did you come by yourself?"

Jade Golding strolled into the office, an elegant and radiant smile on her face.

She had changed her outfit. Instead of the long dress from the morning, she now wore a ballet-inspired athleisure ensemble. Her long hair, no longer pinned up, was tied back in a ponytail.

The two completely different styles made her look youthful and full of life.

’This was the kind of pampered young lady from a wealthy family who could pull off being both elegant and sophisticated, as well as playful and cute. Unlike those rigidly disciplined girls who were stiff and dull, it was hard not to like her.’

Sebastian Hawthorne got up from his office chair and pulled out the seat in front of his desk for Jade Golding.

"I still have a little work to finish up. Wait for me for a bit."

Jade Golding nodded. "Okay."

Sebastian Hawthorne sat back down in his office chair and glanced toward the partition screen.

Their eyes met across the room. Cecilia Croft quickly averted her gaze, feeling awkward.

’She felt like a glaringly obvious third wheel.’

She tried to be quieter as she flipped through the files, afraid Jade Golding would discover her presence.

Jade Golding sat in the chair opposite Sebastian Hawthorne. She didn’t play on her phone, just sat there quietly, waiting.

Although Cecilia Croft was doing her best to minimize her presence, the rustle of her files still reached Jade Golding’s ears.

She turned her head and looked toward the partition screen.

Cecilia Croft felt a scrutinizing gaze on her. She quietly took a deep breath, not daring to make a sound or even look in that direction, afraid of meeting Jade Golding’s eyes.

"Sebastian, is there someone else in your office?"

Without looking up, Sebastian Hawthorne replied in a calm tone, "A new employee who started today."

Jade Golding said, "Oh," and withdrew her gaze from the partition screen.

Cecilia Croft felt the gaze disappear and breathed a silent sigh of relief.

The next second, however, Jade Golding got up from her chair and walked over.

She stood in front of Cecilia Croft, looking down at her with curiosity in her eyes.

’After all, Sebastian Hawthorne wasn’t the kind of warm-hearted boss who would personally mentor a new hire. Anyone he allowed to work in his office had to be special.’

Cecilia Croft felt the gaze from above and held her breath. The woman was standing right in front of her; there was no way she could pretend not to have noticed.

Taking a quiet, steadying breath, she looked up with a smile, rose from the sofa, and greeted her first.

"Hello, Miss Golding."

Jade Golding also had a smile on her face. Her gaze wasn’t overtly scrutinizing; instead, she extended her hand.

"Hello. May I ask your name?"

Cecilia Croft quickly extended her hand to shake hers, feigning a flattered and surprised expression.

"Hello, I’m..."

Before Cecilia Croft could say her name, Sebastian Hawthorne interrupted her.

"Let’s go. I’ve finished."

Jade Golding naturally withdrew her hand and walked over to Sebastian Hawthorne’s side.

’Obviously, she didn’t really care what my name was; she had only asked out of politeness.’

Cecilia Croft awkwardly withdrew her hand.

Sebastian Hawthorne glanced her way and said lightly,

"You can head home for the day, too."

Cecilia Croft nodded. "Okay."

After she replied, Jade Golding glanced her way again.

Cecilia Croft pursed her lips, deciding to make her tone more deferential.

"Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne. I’ll just pack up and be on my way."

Jade Golding drew her gaze away from him and started walking out, a smile on her face.

"I feel like I’ve seen this new employee of yours somewhere before."

Sebastian Hawthorne’s voice was flat.

"You’re probably mistaken. She was working elsewhere before and only recently came to Karthus."

Jade Golding didn’t pursue the topic, changing the subject instead.

Their voices grew fainter. Only then did Cecilia Croft sit back down, neatly arrange the files on her desk, and leave.

Having received Sebastian Hawthorne’s gracious permission to leave early, she headed to the parking garage. As she went to get her car, she happened to hear the sounds of an argument coming from a corner.

The woman’s voice was tearful and aggrieved.

"You promised you’d take me to Silvercrest, that we’d spend some time with just the two of us. Now all our plans are ruined by this woman who just popped up out of nowhere. Of course I’m not happy about it."

"I just wanted to increase her workload a little, to stop her from getting familiar with the Silvercrest project so quickly. I thought Mr. Hawthorne would change his mind and send you instead. How was I to know Mr. Hawthorne would find out?"

"Keith, I don’t want to leave the company. I don’t want to be so far away from you. Just transfer me to another position for now. Mr. Hawthorne is incredibly busy; he definitely won’t keep paying attention to this. Once the heat is off, you can transfer me back to your side, okay?"

"Are you trying to let everyone know about our relationship, shouting so loud?" Keith Warren still had some sense about him. He looked left and right and spotted the open elevator doors.

Cecilia Croft had no desire to stumble upon their argument—it was all rather pathetic, after all. But the elevator doors were open, and if she didn’t step out, it would look as if she were afraid of them.

She raised an eyebrow slightly, stepped out of the elevator, and walked in the direction of her parked car.

Seeing that the two of them were standing right next to her car, Cecilia Croft couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

’What kind of decent person argues right in front of someone else’s car?!’