Chapter 117: Chapter 117: That Person Was Very Familiar

Cecilia Croft simply couldn’t figure it out. She was so anxious she didn’t sleep a wink all night.

She could only blame herself for laying all her cards on the table in front of Sebastian Hawthorne at the welcome dinner.

Already agitated, she took a taxi to Vantage the next morning. Just as she got into the elevator, she turned and saw Jude Sheridan walking quickly towards her.

Cecilia Croft frowned and rapidly pressed the close-door button a few times.

The elevator doors began to close, but just as they were about to shut completely, Jude Sheridan stuck his hand out, blocking them.

The doors slid open again.

Jude Sheridan straightened his suit, a gentle smile on his face.

"Cecilia, good morning."

"It’s not." Seeing him only made her more irritated.

The expression on Jude Sheridan’s face stiffened for a moment, but he didn’t seem angry. His gaze remained gentle as he looked at her, his eyes filled with doting affection.

"Don’t be angry. After you left yesterday, I had security throw her out. I promise she won’t appear in front of you again."

As he spoke, he reached out to pinch Cecilia Croft’s little finger. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

This was a little gesture they used to share when they were passionately in love. After an argument, the one who took the other’s pinky was admitting defeat.

The moment his hand touched Cecilia Croft’s skin, she jerked her own hand away on instinct.

Jude Sheridan’s hand froze in mid-air.

Cecilia Croft shook her hand, her expression one of undisguised revulsion. ’It’s as if my hand is covered in filth.’

Seeing her strong reaction, Jude Sheridan’s expression tensed slightly, and he awkwardly pulled his hand back.

The slight rise and fall of his chest betrayed his building anger.

Cecilia Croft didn’t look at him, simply pulling a tissue from her bag and wiping the finger he had touched.

She scrubbed with so much force that her finger turned red.

Jude Sheridan stood to the side, watching her and suppressing his anger. At the same time, her look of utter disgust made a thousand tiny pinpricks of pain bloom in his chest.

Seeing that Cecilia Croft wouldn’t even spare him a glance, he finally lost his patience and snatched the tissue from her hand.

"Stop wiping! Are you trying to scrub the skin off your finger?"

"You know it hurts me to see this. Are you doing it on purpose?"

Cecilia Croft couldn’t help but roll her eyes. He was so nauseating she could barely breathe.

Jude Sheridan frowned, quickly pulling a document from his briefcase and handing it to Cecilia Croft.

"I know what you’re worried about. I got a DNA test. The baby in Jessica Keller’s belly isn’t mine. Cecilia, I’ve told you before, you’re the only one I want to have my children."

Cecilia Croft: "..."

She was utterly speechless, not even reaching out to take the document Jude Sheridan was offering.

Jude Sheridan’s face darkened as he shoved the document into Cecilia Croft’s hand.

"I’m not lying. See for yourself."

"I admit I developed some inappropriate protective feelings for Jessica Keller because she reminded me of how you used to be, and I made a mistake. But from beginning to end, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved."

"I promise a problem like this will never happen again. I hope you can calm down and help me get Vantage through this crisis."

"Will you forgive me, Cecilia?"

Just as he finished, the elevator arrived at his office floor.

Cecilia Croft still hadn’t given him any reaction, so Jude Sheridan could only walk out with a grim face.

After he left, Cecilia Croft threw the document he had shoved into her arms out of the elevator.

Jude Sheridan turned and clearly saw, behind the scattering papers, the cold, emotionless look in Cecilia Croft’s eyes.

Employees in the office area were coming and going. Seeing the documents Cecilia Croft had thrown all over the floor, they didn’t dare to make a sound.

Jude Sheridan’s brow was tightly furrowed.

Cecilia Croft expressionlessly pressed the close-door button.

This time, Jude Sheridan didn’t follow.

He was obsessed with his image; he would never allow himself to lose face completely in front of his employees.

Ever since Vantage had started to show signs of improvement, he had put on the airs of a president. He would never show too much weakness to Cecilia Croft in public, even though he was the one in the wrong.

Arriving at her own office floor, Cecilia Croft rubbed the bridge of her nose, suppressing all her disgust and frustration.

’Jude Sheridan still doesn’t get it. I don’t care if the child in Jessica Keller’s belly is his or not.’

’My bottom line was never about other women not being allowed to carry his child.’

’Does he think that by just getting a DNA test and throwing it in my face, I’ll somehow think, "Oh, I guess what he did wasn’t so outrageous after all"?’

’How ridiculous.’

"President Croft."

Seeing Cecilia Croft, Assistant Zimmer immediately came over to greet her.

Cecilia Croft nodded, her gaze sweeping over the security camera above as she walked towards her office. She spoke in a low voice.

"Let’s talk in the office."

Jude Sheridan couldn’t know a single thing about the matter they were investigating.

Jude Sheridan had access to all the company’s security cameras.

Assistant Zimmer understood Cecilia Croft’s meaning and followed her into the office.

As soon as he entered, he began to search the room to make sure no listening devices had been planted.

"I already checked yesterday. There’s nothing."

She was the only one who had ever known the passcode to the office on this floor. She had originally planned to give it to Jude Sheridan as a wedding gift, but it turned out he didn’t deserve to sit in such a fine office at all.

Hearing this, Assistant Zimmer relaxed. He walked to Cecilia Croft’s desk and reported in a low voice.

"I heard that President Sheridan has invited someone interested in buying Vantage shares to tour the company today. They’re supposed to attend the morning meeting to learn more about Vantage’s situation."

’Jude Sheridan sure is in a hurry.’

’After all, his plan has only just begun. He’s just had a small taste of success; how could he really bear to let Vantage fall?’

’He’s only taken one bite. He’s not full yet.’

Cecilia Croft sneered. "Do we have any information on them?"

Assistant Zimmer shook his head. "Attorney Cole is very tight-lipped. He won’t reveal anything about them. All I could find out is that it’s a boss from Karthus who specializes in investment."

A flash of confusion crossed Cecilia Croft’s eyes as she mentally searched for investment firms based in Karthus.

The information was too broad, the scope too wide. Karthus had plenty of families specializing in investment; even the Four Great Families had their own investment divisions.

Attorney Cole had always operated this way, belonging to the neutral camp—never offending Cecilia Croft, but never disobeying Jude Sheridan either.

With half an hour until the morning meeting, she stopped wasting energy trying to guess who it was.

Right on time, Jude Sheridan’s assistant came upstairs and knocked on Cecilia Croft’s office door.

"President Croft, President Sheridan asked me to inform you to come down for the meeting."

Cecilia Croft put down the magazine in her hands.

"You can go down first. I’ll be there in a moment."

Jude Sheridan’s assistant stood respectfully to the side, showing no intention of leaving her office.

Cecilia Croft frowned and said in a low, stern voice, "Did you not understand what I said?"

The assistant lowered his head, not daring to meet Cecilia Croft’s eyes, and said cautiously, "President Sheridan insisted that I escort you down to the meeting."

Cecilia Croft raised an eyebrow. Seeing his timid, cautious demeanor, she lost the desire to give him a hard time and stood up to leave the office.

The assistant hurried to follow, proactively stepping forward to press the down button for the elevator.

Downstairs, at the entrance to the conference room, Cecilia Croft had just stepped out of the elevator when she saw Jude Sheridan respectfully and fawningly welcoming someone into the room.

That person’s back... it was incredibly familiar.

Cecilia Croft stopped in her tracks, her face instantly turning cold.