Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Who Dares Cut in Line on Sebastian Hawthorne?

Cecilia Croft wasn’t surprised that Sebastian Hawthorne had managed to get his hands on this gown ahead of time. What surprised her was that he had gotten it to take her to the Quillan family’s engagement party.

Cecilia Croft pursed her lips and glanced at the man beside her, suppressing the flicker of emotion in her eyes as she spoke in a low voice.

"You really didn’t need to have me get so dressed up..."

’After all, this is the Quillan family’s engagement party. I just wanted to go and keep Ruby Croft company so she wouldn’t be left all alone.’

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t wait for her to finish, cutting her off and saying coolly,

"It’s just a dress. How is this ’dressed up’? If this counts as being dressed up, then you can only blame how humbly you lived those few years in Silvercrest."

Cecilia Croft: "..."

’She really wanted to clamp a hand over Sebastian Hawthorne’s mouth and make him stop talking.’

’She knew she had lived a very humble life during the years she was dating Jude Sheridan.’

"Well, thank you so much for letting me be ’luxurious’ again," she said through gritted teeth.

Sebastian Hawthorne shot her a look and replied with an infuriatingly smug tone.

"You’re welcome."

Walter Abrams, standing off to the side, pursed his lips to hide a smile as he listened to their interaction.

’It just seemed like the playful banter of a young couple.’

’Who would have thought that the stoic and cold Sebastian Hawthorne had a side like this?’

After a staff member delivered the gown to the fitting room, they came over to ask Cecilia Croft to head in.

Having learned their lesson from the earlier incident, none of them dared to be negligent again.

"Miss Croft, this way please."

Cecilia Croft nodded lightly, turned to Sebastian Hawthorne, and said politely,

"I’ll head over then."

Sebastian Hawthorne gave a slight nod, his eyes fixed on her the entire time.

Only after Cecilia Croft entered the fitting room and a staff member drew the long curtain closed did he finally pull his gaze away.

At that moment, Walter Abrams spoke up at just the right time.

"Mr. Hawthorne, please have a seat. When Cecilia has changed into the gown, this spot will give you a perfect view."

As he spoke, Walter Abrams guided Sebastian Hawthorne to the sofa directly facing the fitting room’s curtain.

Sebastian Hawthorne nodded and sat down.

Seeing that he wasn’t holding a grudge over the earlier incident, Walter Abrams secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He stood by, waiting on him, and struck up a conversation, his words laced with a tentative, sycophantic tone.

"I heard from Ruby that Cecilia just returned to Karthus not long ago. The city has changed quite rapidly in recent years. As a token of my apology for earlier, I’d like to offer you these vouchers for a private gaming lounge."

Walter Abrams presented the vouchers to Sebastian Hawthorne with both hands.

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t reach out to take them, merely glancing down at the title printed on the vouchers.

"Indoor Survival Game."

His expression was indifferent; he had no interest at all.

Seeing this, Walter Abrams explained in a low voice.

"It’s a game that a lot of young couples enjoy playing these days. It’s exciting and offers a fresh experience."

"A lot of young couples nowadays don’t really like going to quiet places for dates anymore. They prefer playing little games, which allows for some occasional physical contact to deepen their affection and heat things up between them."

With a smile, Walter Abrams offered the vouchers again.

Sebastian Hawthorne still didn’t take them, but his gaze lingered on the vouchers for a moment.

Smiling, Walter Abrams took the hint and tactfully placed the vouchers on the table.

"The lounge isn’t officially open yet, so very few people go there. If you’re interested, Mr. Hawthorne, you could give it a try."

With that, he smiled, stood up, and left.

Just then, a staff member pulled back the long curtain.

Cecilia Croft stood poised in the fitting area. The moment the curtain was pulled back, she turned her head and immediately saw Sebastian Hawthorne sitting on the sofa not far from her.

The man’s legs were crossed elegantly, and he was holding two items that looked like invitations, perusing them.

The sound of the curtain opening made him look up as well.

Their gazes locked, and his eyes held an unspoken, searing heat.

Though it was merely eye contact, it was enough to create a palpable sense of intimacy.

Sebastian Hawthorne watched her in silence, a hint of emotion showing in his eyes—satisfaction, and admiration.

The staff member tactfully retreated to the side.

Walter Abrams also chimed in at the opportune moment.

"I’ll go down first to set up the makeup station. Cecilia, you and Mr. Hawthorne can come down together in a bit."

After speaking, he led the staff member away.

Cecilia Croft walked slowly out of the fitting area. A hint of unease flickered in her eyes as she looked down to adjust her skirt, asking in a low voice,

"I haven’t worn this style of dress in a long time. Does it look okay?"

’Ever since she started her own business, she had rarely bothered to dress up unless it was absolutely necessary.’

’Even when she did dress up, she would try to wear more mature styles to make herself look like a seasoned, powerful woman of the business world.’

’Cecilia Croft thought back carefully. The last time she had worn an outfit like this... it felt like a very long time ago.’

’So when she saw herself in the mirror wearing such a soft-colored dress again, she was deeply startled. It felt as though everything had changed over the years, and yet, nothing had changed at all.’

Sebastian Hawthorne’s deep, dark eyes were fixed on her. Just as Cecilia Croft thought she wouldn’t get an answer, he spoke in a low, deep voice. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Don’t ever doubt your looks. You clearly traded your IQ for them."

Cecilia Croft: "..."

’Fine, she’d take it.’

’She would just consider it the highest form of praise she was going to get from Sebastian Hawthorne.’

When Cecilia Croft and Sebastian Hawthorne went downstairs to the makeup room, Walter Abrams had already prepared all the necessary tools.

Seeing the two of them enter together,

Walter Abrams greeted Cecilia Croft enthusiastically, a knowing smile on his face, and gestured for her to take a seat.

’Cecilia Croft could clearly feel that Walter Abrams’s enthusiasm toward her was much more intense than when he had first greeted her at the entrance.’

’She was also well aware of how much of that intense enthusiasm was because of Sebastian Hawthorne.’

’In this circle, everyone wore a mask.’

Cecilia Croft smiled and walked over to sit down.

"Let’s begin, Walter."

Walter Abrams nodded.

He began applying foundation to Cecilia Croft’s face.

As he was doing her makeup, his phone kept ringing.

At first, Walter Abrams would take out his phone to reply, but after a while, he handed it directly to his assistant to deal with.

The assistant left the makeup room with the phone and, upon returning, glanced cautiously at Sebastian Hawthorne on the nearby sofa. He then leaned in close to Walter Abrams’s ear and whispered,

"Miss Golding says she’s on her way."

Walter Abrams furrowed his brow, his eyes showing clear impatience.

"Didn’t you tell her I don’t have time today?"

The assistant kept his voice very low. "I told Miss Golding very clearly that you have no free time this morning, but she... she’s still insisting on coming."

To stop Miss Golding from pestering him, he had even dropped Sebastian Hawthorne’s name, explaining that Walter was currently serving Mr. Hawthorne. He never expected that upon hearing this, Jade Golding would decide to head straight over.

’If anyone else had an appointment today and Jade Golding wanted to cut in, they wouldn’t have dared to say a word.’

’But today’s appointment was with Sebastian Hawthorne. Who would dare cut in front of *him*?’