Soon, Assistant Scott drove the car to Sebastian Hawthorne’s residence in Karthus.

It was a standalone villa in an upscale gated community.

Assistant Scott drove the car directly into the courtyard.

Once the car came to a stop, Cecilia Croft was the first to get out. She turned to look at the man in the back seat, whose face was etched with a hint of discomfort.

Just as she reached out to help him, he got out from the other side and walked straight into the villa.

Watching his surprisingly steady gait, Cecilia Croft stood frozen for a moment.

’Since when did glucose work so well for sobering up?’

Assistant Scott walked over to Cecilia Croft and stopped. The phone in his hand was still vibrating.

"Miss Croft, I have an important call to take. Could I trouble you to go upstairs and help put together Mr. Hawthorne’s outfit for this evening?"

Although his words were framed as a question, he turned to answer his phone as soon as he finished speaking, giving Cecilia Croft absolutely no chance to refuse.

She waited for two minutes, only to see Assistant Scott walking deeper into the courtyard while still on the phone, seemingly with no intention of ending the call anytime soon.

Cecilia Croft raised her wrist to glance at her watch. The Croft family’s banquet had already started.

They hadn’t even shown up yet. Her sister must be under immense pressure right now.

Without further hesitation, she walked straight into the house.

From a distance, Assistant Scott’s voice called out a reminder.

"Second floor, all the way to the right."

"Got it," Cecilia Croft replied before heading straight into the living room.

The decor of Sebastian Hawthorne’s house was similar to his flat in Silvercrest—mostly cool tones, exuding an understated luxury.

The only difference was the lack of figurines everywhere.

There weren’t many signs of it being lived in, either.

’He clearly doesn’t spend much time here. He probably spends most of his time back at the Hawthorne Estate.’

An elevator to the second floor was installed on the first floor, but Cecilia Croft chose to take the stairs instead.

Following Assistant Scott’s directions, she entered Sebastian Hawthorne’s walk-in closet, selected his outfit for the evening, and hung it on a rack to the side.

Just as she was choosing a tie, the sound of water from the bathroom stopped.

Sebastian Hawthorne walked out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist, heading toward the closet.

Although Cecilia Croft had already witnessed Sebastian Hawthorne’s perfect, athletic physique once before, the visual impact and shock of seeing it again were not the least bit diminished.

She did her best to remain calm, suppressing her wildly pounding heart. With a faint smile, she turned her head and said softly to the man standing at the closet doorway.

"Mr. Hawthorne, I’ve prepared your outfit for you."

"As for the tie, both of these are very suitable. Which one do you prefer?"

Sebastian Hawthorne’s steps faltered for a moment. He clearly hadn’t expected her to be in the closet.

Seeing her calm and composed demeanor, his gaze turned impassive as he spoke in a low voice.

"Whatever. You decide."

Hearing this, Cecilia Croft looked down at the ties in her hand. After careful consideration, she decided on the black one with dark gray stripes, as it seemed more formal and serious.

"This one, then."

Sebastian Hawthorne strode toward her and took the selected tie from her hand.

His warm fingertips inadvertently brushed against Cecilia Croft’s palm. An ambiguous current seemed to shoot through her body, leaving her palm tingling with an indescribable sensation.

Cecilia Croft bit her lip, trying her best to stay calm and avoid looking at the man’s exposed skin. But the more she told herself not to look, the more her eyes seemed to stray uncontrollably.

’His body really is incredible, though.’

An eight-pack, a perfect V-line.

The lines of his V-taper traveled down along the edge of his abs, disappearing into the depths below...

From above her, the man’s husky voice interrupted her admiration.

"What are you looking at?"

Cecilia Croft gave an awkward laugh and quickly averted her gaze. "N-Nothing. Mr. Hawthorne, you can get dressed. I’ll wait for you outside."

She started to leave, but the man in front of her took a step forward, leaning down slightly to meet her eyes.

"Are you comparing me to other men in your head?"

Cecilia Croft shook her head honestly.

"No."

’Absolutely not.’

’He has the most perfect body of any man I’ve ever seen, even better than those thirst traps the algorithm keeps pushing on me in short videos.’

Sebastian Hawthorne raised an eyebrow, his handsome face moving an inch closer to hers.

Cecilia Croft’s neck went stiff, but she didn’t pull back, afraid that Sebastian Hawthorne would mistake her for being guilty of something.

They were so close. The air was thick with an overwhelming scent of testosterone.

Cecilia Croft, who had managed to keep a calm expression until now, felt a blush creep quietly onto her cheeks.

’Who could possibly withstand an assault of this level of beauty from Mr. Hawthorne!’

Seeing her slightly flushed cheeks, a satisfied smile played on Sebastian Hawthorne’s lips.

"What do you think of me?"

His deep, husky voice sounded again, laced with a bewitching tone.

Cecilia Croft felt her cheeks burn, and her brain seemed to be running a fever as well.

"Mr. Hawthorne, you have the best body of any man I’ve ever seen."

Sebastian Hawthorne narrowed his eyes, not seeming pleased by her answer.

"Any man? You’ve seen a lot of men’s bodies?"

Cecilia Croft nodded honestly.

"There are just so many thirst traps online these days."

’The algorithm automatically pushes them to my feed, and there’s no extra charge. I get to feast my eyes for free.’

Sebastian Hawthorne scoffed and no longer blocked her path.

His expression didn’t change, but Cecilia Croft could once again sense his displeasure.

’I already said he was better than all the other men, so why is he still annoyed?’

Confused, Cecilia Croft left the walk-in closet and waited quietly by the door.

A few minutes later, Sebastian Hawthorne emerged, now fully dressed.

He was holding his phone to his ear with one hand, deep in a call, and clutching the tie in the other. When he saw her, he tossed the tie to her.

"Tie it for me."

His voice was bossy and direct, clearly giving her no room to refuse.

Cecilia Croft didn’t react in time, and the tie landed on her head. She gave a helpless smile, took the tie off her head, and agreed in a small voice.

"Of course, Mr. Hawthorne."

’Who was she to complain? She was the one who needed a favor from him today.’

’If she made him angry now and he flat-out refused to go to the Croft family’s home with her, she’d really be done for.’

Cecilia Croft smiled, straightened the tie, and the man on the phone in front of her urged her in a flat tone.

"Hurry up."

After saying that, he stood up straight in front of her and immediately resumed his conversation on the phone.

Cecilia Croft knew Sebastian Hawthorne was taller than her, but she hadn’t realized just how much taller.

She had to stand on her tiptoes just to tie his tie.

The man on the phone was completely absorbed in his conversation, not even thinking to bend down to help her.

Cecilia Croft’s toes were starting to ache badly. She lightly tapped the man’s chest, signaling for him to bend down.

Only then did Sebastian Hawthorne glance down at her, but he didn’t seem to understand her meaning. Instead, his free hand came to rest lightly on her waist, while his conversation with the person on the other end of the line continued without pause.