Chapter 133: Chapter 133: It’s Normal for an Adult to Have a Few Nasty Thoughts

In the end, all four of them sat in the small private room Jasmine Vance had booked.

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t speak, making the atmosphere a little awkward.

Finally, it was Jasmine Vance who broke the deadlock. She pushed the menu in front of Sebastian Hawthorne and said with a smile,

"Sebastian, I ordered a bunch of dishes Cecilia likes. Why don’t you see if there’s anything you’d like to add?"

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t pick up the menu. "These dishes suit my tastes too," he said coolly.

Jasmine Vance smiled, took the menu back, and commented casually,

"Well, you and Cecilia have quite similar tastes. You’d be very compatible living together."

Sebastian Hawthorne just grunted in acknowledgment, saying nothing more. It was impossible to tell if he was agreeing that his and Cecilia Croft’s tastes were similar, or if he was endorsing the idea that they were very compatible living together.

Seeing Sebastian Hawthorne being so unusually agreeable, Jasmine Vance quickly pressed on.

"Take my cousin and his wife, for example. When they first got together, they had so many disagreements about food. But because they were so deeply in love, they could overlook these small details. Over time, though, a lot of problems started to erupt."

"So, people who are compatible are compatible from the very beginning. I think you and Cecilia are a great match."

Hearing this, Cecilia Croft quickly nudged Jasmine Vance’s leg under the table, signaling her to stop talking nonsense.

Jasmine Vance just shot her a mischievous smile, giving Cecilia Croft a look that said, ’I get you.’

Cecilia Croft was helpless.

Assistant Scott sat for a while, but was called away by a phone call before the food even arrived. He left the car keys behind as he went.

Jasmine Vance was just wondering how to find an excuse to leave when a call came in.

She glanced at the caller ID, raised an eyebrow, then picked up her phone and said softly to Cecilia Croft,

"I’m going to step out to take this call."

Cecilia Croft nodded.

Jasmine Vance even closed the door to the private room on her way out. The previously lively room now held only Cecilia Croft and Sebastian Hawthorne, and the atmosphere instantly became delicate.

Cecilia Croft kept picking up her glass to drink water.

As soon as she finished, Sebastian Hawthorne would smoothly refill it for her.

After a few glasses, Cecilia Croft felt like her stomach was full of water.

When Sebastian Hawthorne was about to refill it again, Cecilia Croft quickly placed her palm over the top of the glass to block him.

"I’m not drinking anymore."

"I was starting to think you’d gone intermittently mute and forgotten how to speak," he said, putting down the water pitcher.

Cecilia Croft gave an awkward laugh. "I just don’t know what to say."

Sebastian Hawthorne eyed her, a hint of mockery in his gaze. "You weren’t so quiet when you came to the Hawthorne Group looking for a job. Now that you’re safely on board, you have nothing to say to me?"

Cecilia Croft was once again left speechless by his words.

"Of course not, Mr. Hawthorne. I actually have many questions I’d like to ask you. I just don’t know if you’d be willing to answer."

Sebastian Hawthorne’s expression was indifferent. "Are you the type to be too thin-skinned and shy to ask questions?"

Cecilia Croft: "..."

’He must have eaten gunpowder today.’

’Every word is laced with sparks.’

’So flammable and explosive.’

Cecilia Croft secretly bit the inside of her cheek.

’Since he says I’m thick-skinned, I might as well show him just how thick-skinned I can be.’

"Then let’s talk about the Croft Group’s breakthrough."

Sebastian Hawthorne had dealt with all sorts of crises at the Hawthorne Group; he must have some insights into the Croft Group’s current situation.

This was a rare opportunity to hear his take.

Sebastian Hawthorne looked at her expectant face, picked up his water glass from the table, and took a light sip.

"Isn’t the answer obvious?"

Cecilia Croft froze for a moment, quietly waiting for him to continue.

Sebastian Hawthorne looked at her with a half-smile, his thin lips parting as he slowly uttered a single word: "Me."

Cecilia Croft was stunned.

Looking at the pride and confidence radiating from the man before her, she fell silent for a long moment before finally conceding his point.

He was right. The breakthrough for the Croft Group was indeed him.

Cecilia Croft had realized this back when she returned from Silvercrest.

The Croft and Hawthorne families had been close contractual allies for many years.

And it was true that the Croft family’s decline had begun right after their partnership with the Hawthorne family was severed.

Both she and her older sister intended to re-establish the partnership between the Croft and Hawthorne families.

Otherwise, her sister wouldn’t have had her come work at the Hawthorne Group.

But was there a way to keep her relationship with Sebastian Hawthorne purely professional while still making a breakthrough for the Croft and Hawthorne Groups?

"I will do my best during my time at the Hawthorne Group to show you my abilities and value, Mr. Hawthorne. The Croft Group is just lacking an opportunity to turn things around. I will make you understand that the Croft Group is still a good partner capable of helping the Hawthorne Group generate profit."

Sebastian Hawthorne had waited patiently for a long time, only to get this sentence. The depths of his dark eyes couldn’t help but darken slightly.

"And that’s how you plan to ’break through’ with me?"

Cecilia Croft nodded solemnly.

Sebastian Hawthorne stared at her, his gaze sharp and tinged with aggression.

"There are far too many companies that want to partner with the Hawthorne Group right now, including many well-managed family businesses with outstanding heirs. If it’s just about profits, why would I choose to partner with a company on the verge of bankruptcy?"

Cecilia Croft’s lips moved, but in the end, she swallowed the words she wanted to say and lowered her head in silence.

She desperately needed Jasmine Vance to come back and ease the tension.

She was starting to crack.

The waiters gradually finished serving all the dishes, but Jasmine Vance still hadn’t returned.

Sebastian Hawthorne glanced at the person sitting with her head down, lost in troubled thought. He was the first to pick up the serving chopsticks, placing the first piece of spare rib into her bowl.

"Eat. Jasmine won’t be back."

Cecilia Croft: "..."

She refused to believe Jasmine Vance would just abandon her and run off. Unconvinced, she picked up her phone to call her.

Just as she unlocked the screen, a message popped up.

"Bestie, I got you! So Mr. Scott and I have teamed up to eat somewhere else. Hope you and Sebastian have a wonderful meal."

Cecilia Croft immediately replied with a string of ellipses, then added a sentence.

"Don’t tell me you’re interested in Mr. Scott, so you deliberately abandoned me?"

After all, the last time she was back in Karthus, Jasmine Vance had warned her about Jade Golding and Sebastian Hawthorne’s supposed engagement, telling her not to fight a Princess for a man.

For her to now change her tune and try to set her up with Sebastian Hawthorne was a bit too sudden a shift.

Jasmine: "Are you dense? Of course I’m doing this to create an opportunity for you! We’ve been best friends for so many years, you think I can’t see those sordid little intentions you have for Sebastian?"

Cecilia: "Great vocabulary. Don’t use it again."

’Her feelings for Sebastian Hawthorne weren’t that sordid!’

’But...’

’Were her feelings that obvious? She thought she had hidden them so well.’

Jasmine: "Sebastian looks like he’s in great shape. We’re adults, it’s normal to have some naughty thoughts. Don’t be shy."

Cecilia Croft was speechless.

Just as she was wondering how to reply to Jasmine Vance’s message, she noticed the man across from her was watching her, and a flicker of panic crossed her face.

She instinctively deleted the chat history.

Anything on her phone was fair game, except her chat history with Jasmine Vance—that was just too cringey to be seen.

Along with it, she also deleted the follow-up message from Jasmine Vance.

"Cecilia, since you still like him after all these years, why not summon your courage one more time, so you don’t leave yourself with any regrets?"

The screen cleared the moment she hit delete, and Cecilia Croft didn’t see a single word of it.