Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Sebastian Hawthorne Uses His Privilege

A flicker of surprise flashed in Cecilia Croft’s eyes. She pulled back the hand that was about to start her car, got out of the driver’s seat, and walked toward the Croft family’s main gate.

Reaching the gate, she saw an Aston Martin parked there, its body lines elegant and its design minimalist.

Seeing her emerge, Sebastian Hawthorne got out and opened the car door for her.

Cecilia Croft took a deep breath, walked over with a smile on her face, and bent down to get into the car.

"Thank you."

Sebastian Hawthorne glanced down at her, replying coolly, "You’re welcome."

Cecilia Croft pressed her lips together.

Only after Sebastian Hawthorne was back in the driver’s seat with the door closed did she speak in a low voice.

"I need to get my makeup and styling done. It might take some time."

Sebastian Hawthorne nodded, his expression indifferent. "I know."

’Aren’t men supposed to hate accompanying women to get styled and go shopping?’

’Why does Sebastian Hawthorne seem so interested?’

Cecilia Croft suppressed her curiosity and gave him the address her sister had provided.

Sebastian Hawthorne gave a quiet "Mm" and drove off.

When they arrived at the studio, Cecilia Croft gave her name to the receptionist. The receptionist made a call to Walter Abrams, and he soon came out to greet them himself.

The moment he saw Cecilia Croft, he enthusiastically came forward, took her hand, and said familiarly.

"You must be Ruby’s sister, Cecilia, yes?"

"Yes." Cecilia Croft smiled. Although she felt a little uncomfortable with how forwardly Walter Abrams had grabbed her hand, she didn’t show any obvious resistance.

Just as Walter Abrams was about to lead Cecilia Croft into the studio, he felt a chill on the back of his neck, an inexplicable wave of murderous intent.

He immediately stopped and turned to look behind him, his gaze colliding with Sebastian Hawthorne’s sharp, cold stare.

He saw Sebastian Hawthorne staring haughtily at his hand, a clear look of displeasure in his eyes.

Walter Abrams froze for a second before slowly withdrawing his hand.

"Mr. Hawthorne? Why... are you so early?"

’His appointment isn’t for a while.’ 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Sebastian Hawthorne’s gaze was aloof as he looked away from Walter Abrams’s hand.

Only then did Walter Abrams realize that Cecilia Croft had arrived with Sebastian Hawthorne.

’No wonder I felt such strong hostility when I took her hand just now.’

"Cecilia, did you come with Mr. Hawthorne?"

Cecilia Croft nodded lightly.

Walter Abrams took the hint and led Cecilia Croft into the makeup room.

Sebastian Hawthorne followed them in at a leisurely pace and, led by a staff member, sat down on a sofa in the lounge area.

While explaining the makeup and styling plan to Cecilia Croft, Walter Abrams whispered something.

"Miss Croft, you’re so lucky. You have a loving sister and a doting boyfriend."

Hearing this, Cecilia Croft’s eyes widened in astonishment. As she looked up, she saw in the makeup mirror that Sebastian Hawthorne was also looking at her.

She moved her lips, but the words of explanation died in her throat. Her sister’s words flashed through her mind: ’Might as well make the most of it while you have this fresh novelty of his special attention.’

In the end, the words remained unspoken. She simply gave a faint smile to brush it off.

Once the styling plan was settled, Walter Abrams took her upstairs to the women’s section to choose an outfit.

Sebastian Hawthorne sat quietly on the sofa for a while before he, too, got up and headed upstairs.

During this time, Walter Abrams’s phone rang. He immediately took the call on the second-floor balcony.

Cecilia Croft took a simple, powder-pink slip dress into the fitting room. A moment later, a loud CLANG came from inside.

The sales associate outside heard the noise and asked with concern.

"Miss Croft, are you all right?"

"I’m... I’m fine." Cecilia Croft’s voice sounded a bit muffled.

Sebastian Hawthorne’s face darkened. He immediately walked over and knocked on the door.

"Cecilia Croft, open the door."

After a few seconds, Cecilia Croft opened the fitting room door.

Sebastian Hawthorne looked down and saw the mess on the floor. There were wet patches in the fitting room, and a clear skid mark across one of them.

It was obvious that Cecilia Croft had stepped on a wet spot and slipped the moment she entered the fitting room.

Sebastian Hawthorne’s expression was grim as his gaze shifted from the fitting room to Cecilia Croft.

’She knew that falling in the fitting room must have made her look like a complete idiot in Sebastian Hawthorne’s eyes.’

’In the few seconds before opening the door, she had already mentally rehearsed the things Sebastian Hawthorne might say.’

So when Sebastian Hawthorne yanked her out of the fitting room, she was already braced for a personal attack.

Seeing her silent with her head down, Sebastian Hawthorne frowned and asked.

"Are you okay? Where did you fall?"

This was a far cry from what Cecilia Croft had anticipated.

A look of astonishment flickered in her eyes, and she froze for a moment.

When he received no response, Sebastian Hawthorne’s brow furrowed.

"Did you fall and lose your voice?"

’Now that sounded more like him.’ Cecilia Croft quickly shook her head.

"I’m... I’m fine."

She had grabbed a clothing hook inside the fitting room as she fell, so although it made a loud noise, she wasn’t actually hurt.

It was just that she had pulled the hook off the wall, and it now lay in pieces on the floor.

Sebastian Hawthorne’s eyes were sharp and cold. He glanced at the sales associate beside them, and then at a member of the cleaning staff in the distance, who was just walking over with a clean rag.

Seeing his expression, a flicker of panic crossed the sales associate’s eyes.

She had forgotten to remind Cecilia Croft that a cleaner was still sanitizing the fitting room after the previous customer had used it.

She hurriedly bowed and apologized.

"I’m so sorry, Miss Croft. It was our negligence. We failed to put up a sign in time and didn’t clean the floor properly. If you’re injured, I’m willing to cover your medical expenses."

The sales associate had barely finished speaking when Walter Abrams ended his call and walked in from outside. Seeing the tense atmosphere in the room and Sebastian Hawthorne’s face, so dark it looked like a thundercloud, he immediately came forward.

"What’s wrong?"

The sales associate quietly described what had just happened.

Walter Abrams immediately shot her a stern look and reprimanded her, then turned to Cecilia Croft and said.

"I’m so sorry, Cecilia. Are you hurt? Should I call a doctor to come take a look at you right away?"

Hearing this, Cecilia Croft quickly waved her hands. "It’s fine, I’m not hurt."

’I was just startled by the feeling of weightlessness when I slipped, that’s why I cried out. There’s no need to make such a fuss.’

Walter Abrams secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Catching a glimpse of the ugly expression on Sebastian Hawthorne’s face next to Cecilia Croft, he immediately promised to improve his staff management in the future.

Sebastian Hawthorne’s eyes were very cold. He gave Walter a frosty glance. "I think Mr. Abrams is just too busy. Important people tend to be forgetful."

Hearing this, Walter Abrams glanced at the standard gown a staff member was about to get for Cecilia Croft. His expression changed instantly. He hurriedly told the staff member to bring over the gown Sebastian Hawthorne had sent over earlier that morning, and personally led Cecilia Croft to the VIP fitting room.

The associate quickly brought over the gown Sebastian Hawthorne had provided. It was a butter-yellow, sleeveless dress with wide straps. The dress was bright yet elegant, with an asymmetrical ruffled hem. A bow was attached to the left side of the waist, its ribbons trailing down naturally.

Cecilia Croft recognized it at a glance. It was the latest design from The C Family, which had only recently been announced on their website and wasn’t even on the market yet.

It was very difficult for an ordinary person to get their hands on an unreleased new design from The C Family.

A stylist like Walter Abrams, despite his status in the fashion world, didn’t have that kind of ability or privilege.

’Obviously, this was prepared by Sebastian Hawthorne.’