Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Cecilia Croft Is His Retribution

Jude Sheridan reached for the buttons on Cecilia Croft’s blouse.

His movements were frantic as he looked up to see the reaction of the woman beneath him.

The moment he looked up, Cecilia Croft’s hand found the ashtray. She snatched it and, with all her might, brought it crashing down on his head.

Within seconds, a wave of pain and dizziness washed over Jude Sheridan.

A stream of blood trickled down his forehead and into his eye, tinting his vision red.

He stared blankly at Cecilia Croft, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.

He never thought Cecilia Croft would be capable of striking him so hard.

But after the initial shock, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

’This is for the best,’ he thought. ’Once she’s vented her anger, she’ll stop giving me the cold shoulder.’

He raised a hand to wipe the blood from his eye, but Cecilia Croft immediately threw her hands up in a defensive gesture.

Jude Sheridan paused, his hand halfway to his face. His expression stiffened when he saw her instinctive reaction.

"You think I was going to hit you?"

A flash of pain crossed Jude Sheridan’s eyes as he yanked Cecilia Croft’s hands away.

"Cecilia, are you afraid I’d hit you?"

They had been together for seven years, and he had never once laid a hand on Cecilia Croft.

Her reaction just now meant that her trust in him had completely collapsed.

An indescribable emotion churned violently within him.

"You think I was going to hit you?"

He asked three times, determined not to stop until he got an answer from Cecilia Croft.

Cecilia Croft took the opportunity to sit up, putting more distance between them.

She had lashed out because Jude Sheridan’s disgusting words and actions had pushed her to a breaking point.

Now that she had calmed down, she realized the physical strength gap between a man and a woman was simply too large. If Jude Sheridan flew into a humiliated rage and attacked her, she would be no match for him, even if she fought for her life.

She re-buttoned her blouse with one hand, keeping her voice low.

"You were already trying to force yourself on me. Would it really be so strange if you hit me too?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Jude Sheridan watched her, his gaze falling on her disheveled clothes. His expression froze, and he, too, began to calm down.

"Cecilia, I didn’t mean to force you. I just wasn’t thinking straight. I’m so afraid of losing you. I’m afraid you don’t love me anymore, afraid that you..."

Cecilia Croft’s other hand was still gripping the ashtray tightly, while the hand buttoning her blouse trembled slightly.

Just as she was about to give up, Jude Sheridan reached out and fastened the button for her. Cecilia Croft’s grip on the ashtray tightened.

"I’m sorry. I should have used a gentler approach to ease the tension between us."

Once the button was fastened, Cecilia Croft shuffled backward, putting more distance between herself and Jude Sheridan. She never let go of the ashtray.

Seeing her actions, a flicker of frustration crossed Jude Sheridan’s eyes.

He took a deep breath, his chest heaving. He quickly suppressed his emotions, tugging at his tie to ease his agitation and force himself to speak calmly to Cecilia Croft.

"Cecilia, the reason I asked you to give up twenty percent of your shares to ease the pressure on Vantage during the meeting... it’s because the shares I hold simply aren’t enough. If I..."

His voice was gentle, and he spoke as if he was only thinking of Vantage, as if he only wanted to preserve their beautiful memories and carry her hopes for the company to new heights. He was trying to persuade her.

Cecilia Croft, however, was only thinking about how to get out of his office. She was afraid he would snap and drag her back, which would only infuriate him more.

Seeing her silence, he mistook it for her being swayed by his words. He relaxed slightly, careful not to seem too eager, and said in a gentle voice,

"Cecilia, go home and think about it. I trust you to do what’s best for Vantage."

The moment Cecilia Croft heard his permission to leave, she got up and strode to the door, quickly unlocking it and stepping out.

Assistant Zimmer was still waiting at the door. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Cecilia Croft emerge.

"President Croft, are you alright?"

Cecilia Croft shook her head. ’Assistant Zimmer has such a slight build,’ she thought. ’He’s no match for Jude Sheridan. If Jude loses it again, I’ll just get dragged off again.’

She immediately took out her phone and sent a message to Sebastian Hawthorne.

[Mr. Hawthorne, could you send a few assistants to Vantage for me? Strong ones. The kind who look like they could take out ten scumbags with a single punch.]

Sebastian Hawthorne was in a meeting at a Hawthorne Group subsidiary when the screen of the phone resting beside him lit up.

He glanced over, saw it was a message from Cecilia Croft, and immediately picked up the phone to read it.

He frowned upon reading the message.

’Cecilia Croft isn’t the type to ask him for favors without a good reason.’

[Granted.]

’He’d been planning on placing some of his own people around her anyway.’

Cecilia Croft: [Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne.]

Sebastian Hawthorne: [Don’t thank me. It’s what I deserve.]

Cecilia Croft: "..."

’What does that mean?’

’Is he saying I’m his punishment?’

Cecilia Croft mulled it over for a while before typing out a reply.

[In that case, I’ll be sure to trouble you again next time.]

But after typing it, she felt the reply wasn’t right, so she deleted the message and decided not to respond.

Sebastian Hawthorne stared at his phone for a moment. He could clearly see the "Typing..." indicator in the chat window, but no message ever came through.

He put the phone down, his face expressionless, but his eyes kept drifting back to it.

The others in the conference room saw Sebastian Hawthorne’s obvious distraction and exchanged glances, wondering who could possibly be sending messages that had Mr. Hawthorne so preoccupied.

Cecilia Croft went upstairs and entered her office.

Assistant Zimmer followed her in, reporting on Vantage’s current situation.

Cecilia Croft listened quietly as she walked over and sat down in her office chair.

This floor had only one private office and an open-plan work area.

She used to think her office was well-decorated, but after seeing the grandeur of Sebastian Hawthorne’s office in Karthus, hers suddenly felt shabby by comparison.

’It’s true,’ she thought, ’human ambition has no limits. Once you’ve seen something better, you can’t help but want something more for yourself.’

Cecilia Croft leaned back in her chair. The image of Jude Sheridan’s ferocious, enraged face flashed in her mind, and she couldn’t hide the disgust in her eyes.

’She must have been out of her mind seven years ago.’

’She had already met the most brilliant man, yet she’d still let herself be blinded by Jude Sheridan. And for that, she suffered his betrayal on the eve of their wedding.’

’This was her karma.’

’No wonder her sister, upon learning she was with Jude Sheridan, had warned her: a woman who marries down deserves all the suffering that comes with it.’

Cecilia Croft rubbed the bridge of her nose. She still couldn’t understand how the fresh-faced, handsome boy from her memories had turned into this loathsome, disgusting man.

Assistant Zimmer finished his report and left.

After being lost in thought for a moment, Cecilia Croft shook it off and refocused on her work.

Sebastian Hawthorne was remarkably efficient.

An hour later, a burly man entered her office. He was wide of build, wide of waist, and even wide of face.

"President Croft, Mr. Hawthorne sent me to report to you. This is my resume, please have a look."

He handed her the resume with both hands. The A4 paper looked exceptionally small in his grasp.

Cecilia Croft found herself thinking that he wouldn’t even need to wind up for a punch—a single slap from him could probably take out ten scumbags.