Chapter 158: Chapter 158: A Figure Like Dry-Fried Green Beans

Sebastian Hawthorne saw the waitress still standing there, looking lost and confused. He frowned, his gaze turning a little colder.

The waitress snapped back to her senses and quickly said, "Yes, Mr. Hawthorne."

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t spare her another glance and strode out of the bedroom.

The waitress took a deep breath to calm herself, then turned to look at Cecilia Croft lying on the bed. She pursed her lips, went into the bathroom to get some water, and proceeded to wipe Cecilia down and change her into pajamas.

After taking care of everything, she cautiously stepped out of the bedroom. Seeing Sebastian Hawthorne sitting on the sofa looking at his phone, she spoke softly.

"Mr. Hawthorne, everything is taken care of."

Without looking up, Sebastian Hawthorne just grunted, "Mm."

Seeing this, the waitress bit her lip, and finally, with a sense of unwillingness, she walked out of Sebastian Hawthorne’s suite.

As she left, she closed the door behind her and pulled down the skirt she had intentionally hiked up earlier, her expression sour.

When the waitress returned to her post, the hotel manager was sitting at the front desk, chatting with other staff members.

Seeing her come down, the manager was taken aback for a moment.

"Mr. Hawthorne was that fast?"

’Even with taking care of business and a shower, that’s a bit too quick.’

The waitress’s expression was grim. She walked to her station, sat down, and didn’t say a word.

The other two staff members had been at their posts the whole time and had gleaned some information from the manager’s attitude.

No wonder the manager had come down earlier saying she was about to hit the big time, telling them to get on her good side.

’Looks like the manager misunderstood what Mr. Hawthorne wanted.’ 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The two staff members on duty exchanged a knowing smile but didn’t say anything more.

Seeing her sour face, the manager probably figured out that nothing had happened upstairs. Disappointed, he walked away.

’He thought he was going to benefit from her success, but it was all just a false alarm.’

Inside the suite, after tucking Cecilia Croft in, Sebastian Hawthorne stood up to leave when her phone started ringing.

He glanced at the caller ID. It was Ruby Croft.

’Cecilia probably hasn’t gotten home yet, so she’s calling to check on her.’

Sebastian Hawthorne swiped to answer and put the phone to his ear.

Ruby Croft’s voice came through almost immediately.

"Cecilia, has the party not ended yet?"

Sebastian Hawthorne’s voice was low. "She’s with me."

Ruby Croft was silent for a few seconds before replying calmly, "Okay. I’ll leave her in your care, then."

She knew Cecilia Croft couldn’t hold her liquor.

As long as she was with Sebastian Hawthorne, there wouldn’t be a problem.

Seeing how brazenly trusting Ruby Croft was, Sebastian Hawthorne let out a cold laugh and said...

"What’s your plan? To wait until things between your sister and me are a done deal, then make me take responsibility for her?"

Ruby Croft chuckled softly. "And would Mr. Hawthorne be willing to take responsibility?"

Sebastian Hawthorne fell silent, not answering.

Ruby Croft continued in a calm voice, "I never meddle in my sister’s love life. Besides, I’m more worried that you, Mr. Hawthorne, would want her to take responsibility for you, but she wouldn’t be willing."

Sebastian Hawthorne: "..."

Ruby Croft: "Get some rest. Good night."

With that, she hung up, giving Sebastian Hawthorne no chance to respond.

Having been classmates with Sebastian Hawthorne for so many years, she knew his character very well.

Besides, they were cut from the same cloth, so she could roughly guess what was on his mind.

She didn’t know what Sebastian Hawthorne had done back then to make Cecilia Croft so heartbroken that she had to call off their wedding, so she was quite happy to see him full of regret and torment now.

’In any case, the beginning of this new phase of their relationship shouldn’t be something her sister has to initiate.’

Sebastian Hawthorne hung up the phone, his gaze deep and dark as he looked at the woman sleeping peacefully on the bed.

Remembering her frantic expression after that fleeting kiss last time, a wave of irritation washed over him.

With a grim face, he pulled his gaze away, placed the phone aside, and turned to leave the bedroom.

「The next day.」

When Cecilia Croft woke up, she opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar environment.

Her expression changed drastically, and she immediately threw back the covers to check her body.

Seeing that her clothes had been changed, Cecilia Croft’s mind went completely blank.

She remembered Minnie Rhodes offering to take her to a guest room to rest last night, but she had refused and had even confirmed with Sebastian Hawthorne that he would take her home.

’Could it be...’

A wave of panic washed over Cecilia Croft.

She swallowed nervously, lifted the covers, and tiptoed out of bed.

She first peeked into the trash can. Seeing no tissues or *those things*, and feeling no discomfort in her body, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

’I probably didn’t do anything reckless while drunk.’

’Even though Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t take me back to the Croft family’s house, he would have definitely found a proper place for me to stay.’

’So there’s no need to be nervous at all.’

Cecilia Croft patted her chest, letting out another silent sigh of relief.

Seeing the bedroom door was ajar, she gently pulled it open a little wider and peeked her head out.

She saw Sebastian Hawthorne sitting on the sofa on the phone. When he saw her, he stubbed out the cigarette in his hand and hastily ended the call.

"You’re awake?"

Cecilia Croft nodded. "Mm-hmm."

Sebastian Hawthorne rose from the sofa and said calmly, "Since you’re awake, come have breakfast."

Cecilia Croft: "I haven’t brushed my teeth yet."

Sebastian Hawthorne shot her a look. "Waiting for me to do it for you?"

"Uh, of course not." Cecilia Croft gave an awkward smile and pulled her head back into the room.

After entering the bathroom, she discovered that Sebastian Hawthorne had already prepared a toothbrush and toothpaste for her.

A warmth spread through her heart. She recalled some images from her dreams last night, and a lost look flickered in her eyes.

’If she and Sebastian Hawthorne hadn’t called off their engagement back then...’

At this thought, Cecilia Croft immediately shook her head, trying to fling the messy thoughts away.

’There are no ’what ifs,’ and there’s no going back.’

She quickly brushed her teeth, then splashed her face with cold water to wake herself up completely.

Just as she finished washing up and stepped out of the bedroom, a hotel attendant happened to be wheeling in a breakfast cart.

When the attendant who came in to serve the meal saw Cecilia Croft, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

No woman had ever been seen in Mr. Hawthorne’s room before.

This was a first.

He didn’t dare let his gaze linger on Cecilia Croft and quickly looked away. He placed the breakfast Sebastian Hawthorne had ordered on the dining table and left.

Sebastian Hawthorne walked over to a dining chair and sat down, glancing at Cecilia Croft.

"Not hungry?"

Cecilia Croft pressed her lips together, walked over to sit in the seat opposite him, and glanced at the room’s layout.

It was a suite with two bedrooms.

’Then Sebastian Hawthorne must have slept in the other room last night.’ She relaxed a little, but there was still one question that bothered her.

Sebastian Hawthorne watched her hesitant expression and said in a deep voice...

"If you have something to say, just say it."

Cecilia Croft hesitated for a moment before saying quietly, "My clothes... you didn’t..."

Sebastian Hawthorne cut her off. "What, afraid I’d be interested in a body like a shriveled-up green bean?"

Hearing this, Cecilia Croft felt a rush of blood to her head. She looked down at her own figure.

’It’s not as bad as a shriveled-up green bean, is it?’

Cecilia Croft retorted in frustration, "What’s wrong with your eyes?! My figure is great! I’m curvy where it counts; I have everything I’m supposed to have."

Sebastian Hawthorne replied with a deadpan expression, "I wouldn’t know. I’ve never touched it."

Cecilia Croft: "..."