Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Leaving Plenty of Room for Imagination

Cecilia Croft withdrew her gaze, her expression indifferent.

’She was probably just pretending to go to the restroom,’ Cecilia thought. ’Her real reason was to spy on me and Sebastian Hawthorne.’

’Wasn’t everyone at this banquet a shrewd operator?’

Cecilia Croft walked into her room, only to find Sebastian Hawthorne sitting brazenly in her vanity chair.

His long, elegant fingers with their well-defined knuckles were massaging his forehead. He had drunk too much and was clearly feeling unwell.

Cecilia walked over and said softly, "Mr. Hawthorne, should I have someone downstairs make you some hangover soup?"

Sebastian Hawthorne opened his eyes, glanced at her, and spoke in a flat voice.

"No need. I’m worried you and your sister might be setting a trap for me."

"..."

A flash of embarrassment crossed Cecilia’s eyes.

She admitted that she and her sister had indeed plotted against Sebastian Hawthorne, but their scheme had been out in the open. She had even laid her cards on the table with him.

She was working for him, and he was playing along with their charade. All things considered, he wasn’t getting a bad deal.

"Mr. Hawthorne, you’ve already walked right into my room. If there were a trap, you’d already be caught in it."

"We’re in the same boat now. I’m not going to harm you."

Sebastian Hawthorne gave her a faint glance but said nothing. He simply closed his eyes again to rest.

Cecilia didn’t disturb him. She just sat quietly on the edge of her bed and took out her phone to text Ruby Croft.

[Sister, when can I come down?]

It took a while for Ruby Croft to reply.

[Wait until the guests have left. How’s Mr. Hawthorne?]

Cecilia lifted her gaze to the man in the vanity chair, who was resting his head on one hand with his eyes closed.

The sharp aura around him had softened considerably. He was exceptionally still, as if he had fallen asleep.

[He seems drunk.]

He had already smelled of alcohol when he came from the office that afternoon. Then, throughout the evening, guests had toasted him one after another. Even though it was only low-alcohol champagne, the sheer quantity was hard to withstand.

Ruby Croft didn’t reply again.

Cecilia put her phone away, walked over to Sebastian Hawthorne, and took the light blanket from her bed, draping it over him.

Her movements were gentle, afraid she might wake him.

Just as she was about to go downstairs and ask Auntie Zane to make some hangover soup, she saw a shadow pass under the crack of the door. The person stopped right outside, seemingly pressing their ear to the door to eavesdrop. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Cecilia couldn’t help but frown, her expression tense. She didn’t know who was outside.

As she hesitated, wondering if she should walk over and throw the door open to catch the eavesdropper, a long arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.

Cecilia gasped in shock as she was pulled into an embrace.

"Mr. Hawthorne, what are you doing?"

Cecilia cried out, finding herself sitting on the man’s lap. The shock on her face and the frantic beating of her heart were impossible to suppress.

Sebastian Hawthorne raised a hand to cover her lips and glanced toward the door.

His fingers pressed against her lips. Cecilia inexplicably held her breath until her face turned bright red.

Sebastian Hawthorne looked up at her fluttering eyelashes and her eyes, wide with shock. An inexplicable heat flared up inside him, coursing downward.

He frowned and released her.

"Go turn off the light."

His voice was quiet, laced with a raspy sort of sexiness.

Cecilia nodded and tiptoed over to switch off the light.

She stood still and waited for a moment until the person outside the door left.

Cecilia silently sighed in relief. Just as she was about to turn the light back on, Sebastian Hawthorne’s deep voice sounded.

"Don’t."

Cecilia was confused, but she obeyed and didn’t turn on the light.

’Maybe Mr. Hawthorne is worried the person outside hasn’t left and is hiding to the side, still listening.’

Cecilia stood quietly by the switch. After some time had passed, she figured the person outside must have left, so she asked softly.

"Mr. Hawthorne, is it okay now?"

She tried her best to peer at the figure in the darkness.

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t answer.

Cecilia pursed her lips. ’Maybe the alcohol finally hit him, and he suddenly fell asleep.’

She hesitated for a moment, then began to walk toward where Sebastian Hawthorne was.

However, she had only taken two steps when the man sitting in the shadows spoke in a low, seemingly displeased tone.

"Get out."

Cecilia froze, her gaze instinctively darting to the door.

’Get out?’

’Me?’

"Me?"

"Mm." The man’s reply was a single syllable, his voice incredibly hoarse.

"Then let me turn on the li—"

’It’s pitch black, and he’s drunk. If he bumps into something and gets hurt in my room, I can’t take responsibility for that.’

"Out."

The man still only replied with a single word, but this word was tinged with an emotion Cecilia couldn’t quite decipher.

Cecilia quickly backed out of the room.

It was clearly her room, yet she was the one being kicked out.

’Who could she possibly complain to?’

’He’s difficult enough to deal with on a normal day. After drinking, he’s even worse.’

Cecilia scratched her head, a headache forming, and headed downstairs.

The guests downstairs had mostly dispersed. Only a few remained, sitting on the living room sofa and chatting with Ruby Croft.

One of the guests was the wealthy lady she had encountered upstairs.

Cecilia raised an eyebrow. ’These people must be convinced about my relationship with Sebastian Hawthorne,’ she thought, ’and they’re desperate to strike a deal with Ruby tonight to get a head start.’

As she came downstairs, the remaining guests all looked at her with ingratiating smiles.

One even asked brazenly.

"Has Mr. Hawthorne gone to bed?"

Cecilia pressed her lips together, not answering his question directly, but her tone was polite.

"He had a bit too much to drink. I came down to make him some hangover soup."

Ruby Croft, sitting on a single armchair to the side, looked at her and said in a gentle voice.

"Go on, then."

Cecilia nodded and hurried into the kitchen.

She could still hear bits and pieces of their discussion drift into the kitchen.

Ruby Croft was a born negotiator. Faced with their desperation to buy the land, she remained completely calm. She soothed them with her words, telling them not to rush and that it wasn’t too late to make a move after careful consideration.

The calmer Ruby was, the more anxious they became, and the more they wanted to seize the opportunity.

Cecilia silently sighed in relief. She knew that when Ruby adopted this posture, it meant she had the situation completely under control.

Achieving this result today was largely thanks to Sebastian Hawthorne’s cooperation.

After this ordeal, the pressure on the Croft Group had eased considerably. They could repay part of the loan first, and then renegotiate the remainder with the bank.

Cecilia finished making the hangover soup and came out of the kitchen. Seeing that the few guests were still on the sofa, she said with a smile.

"I made a little extra hangover soup, please have some."

The guests quickly thanked her with smiles, teasingly saying.

"Thank you so much for the soup, Miss Croft. Thanks to Mr. Hawthorne, we also get to taste the hangover soup you made yourself."

Cecilia smiled, her lips pressed together, her voice calm and elegant.

"You’re too kind. My cooking skills aren’t the best, so it might not be to your taste. I hope you’ll forgive me."

This was met with another round of compliments from the guests.

Cecilia didn’t say much more. She had Auntie Zane bring out the soup and serve them, then took a bowl upstairs herself. This left plenty of room for their imaginations to run wild and gave Ruby Croft the stage to perform.