Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Reverse Pie-in-the-Sky

Sebastian Hawthorne lowered his gaze to look at her. Their eyes met, and a flash of displeasure crossed his.

"If you want to wait, wait by yourself."

With that, he strode out of the dressing room.

Cecilia Croft quickly followed, catching up to him.

But Sebastian Hawthorne’s legs were just too long, and he walked too fast. She had no choice but to reach out and grab his arm, her soft voice laced with a hint of flattery. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Of course I’m not waiting. I’m obviously going with you."

"You’re the one in charge. Sticking with you is my only way in with the Quillan Family."

Sebastian Hawthorne looked at the exquisite, beautiful face she brought close to his. He felt as if her long eyelashes had brushed against the very tip of his heart, making his throat feel a little scratchy.

"Let’s go." His voice was much softer now.

Cecilia Croft nodded and naturally let go of Sebastian Hawthorne’s arm, walking ahead.

Sebastian Hawthorne reached out to take her hand but grabbed at empty air. His hand hung in midair; the woman who had been looking at him so coquettishly just moments ago was already walking in front of him.

He lifted his eyes to look at Cecilia Croft’s back, his gaze darkening. His chest rose and fell slightly before he finally pulled his hand back and started walking to catch up.

Inside the car.

Sebastian Hawthorne took out a brocade box from the side and opened it.

A string of South Sea Australian white pearls lay quietly inside.

While Cecilia Croft was still stunned, Sebastian Hawthorne had already taken the pearl necklace out of the box and handed it to her.

"Put it on."

Cecilia Croft glanced down at her bare neck. ’I am attending as Sebastian Hawthorne’s date, after all,’ she thought. ’If my accessories are too shabby, it would be an embarrassment for him.’

So, without any fuss, she reached out, took it, and tried to put the necklace on herself.

However, after fumbling with it for a while, she still couldn’t get the necklace on.

Finally, she turned a pleading gaze to Sebastian Hawthorne, who was sitting beside her, watching her with an indifferent expression.

"Mr. Hawthorne, could you please help me put it on?"

Sebastian Hawthorne reached out and took the necklace.

"Next time, be a little sweeter and ask for my help sooner."

Cecilia: "..."

The slightly cool touch of the pearls and the warmth of Sebastian Hawthorne’s fingertips occasionally brushing against her skin made her hyper-aware of the sensations.

She felt as if her pores were opening up, each one vying to absorb the feeling.

Cecilia Croft held her neck stiff, making it impossible for Sebastian Hawthorne to fasten the small clasp. After a few tries, he said in a low voice,

"Your neck is stiffer than your connections."

"Huh?" Cecilia Croft paused for a second. Seeing that Sebastian Hawthorne still hadn’t fastened the necklace, she gave an awkward laugh and tilted her body slightly toward him.

Only then was Sebastian Hawthorne able to fasten the clasp.

Her swan-like neck was already eye-catching. Now, adorned with the necklace, it was even more captivating.

Cecilia Croft looked down, unable to see how the necklace looked on her. She asked the man beside her,

"Does it look good?"

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t answer. His gaze swept over the red mark on her neck, now hidden by the necklace, before he turned and handed her a mirror.

Cecilia Croft was surprised he would have a hand mirror in his car. She took it and had a look.

She had to admit, Sebastian Hawthorne had excellent taste.

Her whole ensemble was both vibrant and elegant, completely masking the lifelessness that had clung to her for years. She raised a hand to gently touch the pearls on her neck, the corners of her lips curling up involuntarily.

Suddenly, Cecilia Croft wanted to keep the entire outfit as a memento.

"Mr. Hawthorne, how much does this whole ensemble cost? I’d like to buy it."

Sebastian Hawthorne, who had just driven out of the parking garage, slammed on the brakes when he heard her.

"What did you say?"

Cecilia Croft quickly gripped her seatbelt.

"I asked how much this outfit costs. I..."

"Shut up."

Sebastian Hawthorne’s chest heaved slightly. He was clearly quite angered by her question. With a cold expression, he started the car again.

Cecilia Croft just didn’t want to accept such an expensive gift from Sebastian Hawthorne for no reason. She murmured again in a small voice,

"I just really like it, so I want to keep it."

Sebastian Hawthorne stared straight ahead and said in a deep voice, "I don’t have any special kinks."

Uh...

’Weren’t we talking about clothes?’ she thought. ’How did we get onto the topic of kinks?’

Sebastian Hawthorne glanced at her confused expression and added coldly,

"I don’t have a habit of taking back clothes that women have worn. If you like it, keep it. If you don’t, throw it away. I’m not short on your little bit of cash."

Cecilia Croft just said, "Oh," and mumbled under her breath,

’Then you could have just said it was a gift, couldn’t you?’

Sebastian Hawthorne: "It’s already on you. Does it need to be said?"

Cecilia Croft nodded. "Yes, it does."

Sebastian Hawthorne shot her a glare.

Cecilia Croft bit her lip and said softly, "A clear answer puts a person’s mind at ease."

After speaking, she tilted her head to look out the window and fell silent.

’I’ve been out of touch with this circle for too long,’ she thought, feeling a little frustrated.

It wasn’t really Sebastian Hawthorne’s fault for not giving her a direct answer. After all, once it was on her, in their world, it was clearly a gift.

In Sebastian Hawthorne’s circle, it was likely that no woman had ever asked how much an outfit cost so she could pay him back.

Cecilia Croft’s eyes dimmed, unable to hide the gloom in them.

In the end, it was just as Sebastian Hawthorne had implied: she had lived too meagerly during her years in Silvercrest.

In the early years, to build connections, she had to attend important events that required custom, high-end clothing. She usually had to borrow or rent them.

Later, when Vantage started to do better, Jude Sheridan took over the schmoozing, so she made fewer public appearances. Even when she could afford it, she rarely bought formal gowns.

Asking that question in front of Sebastian Hawthorne today not only made her lose face but also ruined his mood.

She was annoyed with herself, and a sense of powerlessness washed over her.

’The gap is just too big.’

"The dress and the necklace are both yours."

Sebastian Hawthorne’s low voice broke the silence in the car.

A flash of astonishment crossed Cecilia Croft’s eyes. She pulled her gaze from the window and looked at the man who was staring ahead, focused on driving with an indifferent expression.

If she hadn’t heard his voice so clearly, Cecilia Croft would have thought she was hearing things.

She forced a smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne. I’ll work hard to repay you."

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t reply, only glancing at her sideways, his eyes filled with a mix of complex emotions.

"In that case, you’ll have to work at Hawthorne Group for three to five years just to pay off the cost of this gown."

Cecilia Croft froze, then said sheepishly, "But didn’t you just say it was a gift?"

Three to five years was too long. She had to go back to the Croft Group.

Sebastian Hawthorne shot her a look. "Then what was all that nonsense just now? Making empty promises to me?"

Cecilia Croft gave an awkward smile.

’Usually, it’s the boss making empty promises to the employee. In my case, I’m the one making them to the boss.’

’But the boss isn’t buying it. In fact, he just threw that empty promise right back in my face.’