Chapter 111: Chapter 111: The Fewer People Who Know, the Better

Sebastian Hawthorne frowned as he walked past Cecilia Croft.

Cecilia Croft pressed her lips together and followed him out of the study.

Just as she reached the study door, she saw Sebastian Hawthorne walk over to the shoe cabinet, open it, and take out a pair of slippers.

"No, no, it’s fine. I can just go barefoot."

Cecilia Croft quickly waved her hands, refusing.

’A woman has a natural possessiveness over her boyfriend. She knew exactly what it meant for a woman to have her things at her boyfriend’s house.’

’It was a declaration of sovereignty.’

’Which was why she couldn’t wear these slippers.’

Sebastian Hawthorne’s brows knitted together. He bent down, placed the slippers at her feet, and said in a deep voice,

"I told you to wear them, so wear them."

Cecilia Croft had only glanced at the slippers inside the cabinet before and hadn’t noticed that they were a near-perfect match to the ones Sebastian Hawthorne was wearing—clearly a couple’s set.

She sighed helplessly. Seeing the impatient look on his face, she said in a low voice,

"Mr. Hawthorne, perhaps you men don’t quite understand how a woman’s mind works. Since these slippers were placed in your shoe cabinet, it means that no one is allowed to touch them except the person who put them there."

"If you have me wear them today, and Miss Golding finds out tomorrow, she’ll probably throw a fit."

"Because this is..."

Before Cecilia Croft could finish, Sebastian Hawthorne cut her off, his face grim.

"Didn’t you say before that you weren’t stupid?"

Cecilia Croft nodded blankly.

’But... how did the topic jump to that?’

Sebastian Hawthorne’s expression was indifferent as he stated in a low voice,

"You seem pretty stupid to me."

After saying that, he walked to the dining room and sat down.

Cecilia Croft was left completely baffled by Sebastian Hawthorne’s random personal attack.

The gentle man in the chef’s uniform finished placing all the dishes on the dining table. Seeing Cecilia Croft standing stiffly at the study’s entrance, he said with a smile,

"Come and eat, Miss Croft."

As he spoke, he pulled out a chair for Cecilia Croft, his tone gentle.

"You should put on the slippers so you don’t get cold. A woman needs to protect her feet. The saying ’a chill starts from the feet’ isn’t for nothing."

’A warmth spread through Cecilia Croft’s heart. ’Now *this* is a true gentleman,’ she thought, ’so different from a fake one like Sebastian Hawthorne.’’

She lowered her gaze to the slippers on the floor, her toes curling against the ground. In the end, she chose to ignore the slippers and politely replied to the gentle chef.

"Thank you for your concern. You two go ahead and eat. I have another engagement today, so I’ll be leaving."

’Jade Golding might seem gentle on the outside, but growing up in a family like the Goldings, there was no way she was completely harmless.’

’She really didn’t want to provoke a young miss of that caliber over a pair of slippers.’

Cecilia Croft turned and walked toward the door, still barefoot.

Quentin Quillan saw the corner of Sebastian Hawthorne’s eye twitch. His brows were tightly furrowed—he was clearly angry.

He gave a helpless smile. Before he could open his mouth to help Sebastian Hawthorne convince her to stay, the man seated at the table spoke, his voice low and deep.

"Cecilia Croft, you need to be clear about one thing. Right now, you’re the one who needs something from me."

The woman who had been addressed by her full name stopped in the entryway.

Quentin Quillan rubbed the bridge of his nose, fighting the urge to cover Sebastian Hawthorne’s mouth.

"Miss Croft, he didn’t mean to threaten you..."

He was about to explain on Sebastian Hawthorne’s behalf, but the man at the table stood up abruptly, walked to the study door, picked up the women’s slippers, and strode to the entryway. He stopped in front of Cecilia Croft, his voice devoid of warmth.

"If you walk out that door right now, I’ll tell everyone that the Hawthorne family and the Croft family have no partnership whatsoever."

His face was expressionless as he bent down again and placed the slippers in front of Cecilia Croft.

"Wear them. And eat."

The words were a command.

Cecilia Croft stood frozen in place.

’And that wasn’t a threat?’

’That was a blatant threat.’

Cecilia Croft had to admit that Sebastian Hawthorne had her by the throat. She caved. With an awkward smile, she lowered her stance.

"It’s better to obey than to be merely respectful. In that case, I thank you, Mr. Hawthorne, for the meal."

With that, she ignored the slippers and walked barefoot into the dining room, taking a seat at the table.

Sebastian Hawthorne stood where he was, frowning at the slippers for a moment. Finally, he closed his eyes briefly before turning and returning to the dining room.

He sat down with a cold expression, the atmosphere around him dropping several degrees.

Quentin Quillan glanced at him, then smiled at Cecilia Croft and said,

"Miss Croft, the Miss Golding you mentioned earlier... was that Jade?"

’Cecilia Croft was surprised that this gentle chef even knew who Jade Golding was.’

’It was a good thing she’d insisted on not wearing the slippers. If word of this ever got back to Jade Golding, she’d really become a thorn in her side.’

She gave a polite smile but didn’t answer, which was a tacit admission.

Quentin Quillan turned his gaze to Sebastian Hawthorne and asked slowly,

"Sebastian, Miss Croft has clearly misunderstood the relationship between you and Jade. Why don’t you explain?"

Hearing this, Cecilia Croft froze for a second, a flash of astonishment in her eyes.

’Weren’t Jade Golding and Sebastian Hawthorne getting engaged?’

Sebastian Hawthorne picked up his chopsticks under Cecilia Croft’s questioning gaze and said nonchalantly,

"Because I wanted to see just how stupid a person could be."

Quentin Quillan’s eyes filled with helplessness.

Cecilia Croft, on the other hand, was mortified. Thinking back on her stubbornness just now, it seemed utterly ridiculous.

Under the table, she rubbed her feet together, trying to stop herself from cringing so hard she could dig a hole through the floor.

Sebastian Hawthorne had given her two chances, and she had fumbled both of them.

’How could she have been so presumptuous?’

’No wonder he threatened her.’

"I’m sorry, Mr. Hawthorne. I... I was just trying to be considerate of your relationship."

Sebastian Hawthorne ignored her and simply continued to eat.

Cecilia Croft pressed her lips together, then quickly got up and trotted to the entryway. She put on the slippers, returned to her chair, and, to break the awkward silence, started making conversation.

"Who bought these slippers? They’re really nice. They have great taste."

Sebastian Hawthorne said arrogantly, "I did."

Cecilia Croft: "..."

’What kind of grown man buys couple’s slippers for no reason?’

’Wasn’t it perfectly normal for her to misunderstand?’

’Besides, during those few days at the Hawthorne Group, Jade Golding had come looking for him every single day.’

’She wasn’t the only one who got the wrong idea.’

Quentin Quillan, likely sensing Cecilia Croft’s embarrassment, chimed in at the right moment, his voice soft.

"That’s just Sebastian’s temper. Don’t mind him."

He paused for a moment before asking another question.

"How has your older sister been recently?"

Cecilia Croft pressed her lips together, not answering immediately.

Quentin Quillan smiled, his expression refined and gentle.

"My name is Quentin Quillan. I was a classmate of your sister’s, but I went abroad before I graduated from university and only recently returned. It’s been too long since I’ve contacted her, so I couldn’t help but ask."

It dawned on Cecilia Croft. ’So he’s from the Quillan Family.’

’No wonder he knew who she was.’

’But she had no impression of the man before her.’

"She’s not doing too well recently."

Perhaps because Quentin Quillan was so gentle, Cecilia Croft let her guard down around him and spoke her mind without thinking.

Quentin Quillan’s hand, which was holding his chopsticks, tightened. A flicker of anxiety crossed his eyes, but he forced himself to ask calmly,

"What’s wrong?"

"Because I’ve made her worry too much. She also has to manage the Croft Group, so she’s completely exhausted, both mentally and physically."

Cecilia Croft pressed her lips into a thin line, stopping herself from saying more. The fewer people who knew about her sister’s current situation, the better.