Ignored When Chasing: Why Cry After I Got Engaged-Chapter 69: Mr. Hawthorne, Your Ex-girlfriend Has Been Kidnapped
Cecilia glanced at Finn Hawthorne, her own identity coming to mind. She hesitated, unsure if she should tell him.
When Finn Hawthorne saw Cecilia start to speak only to stop herself, he didn’t rush her. He walked to the table and poured her a glass of warm water.
"You’ve helped me before. I won’t hurt you, so you can rest easy."
Perhaps sensing her fear, Finn Hawthorne’s tone was gentle, and a faint smile spread across his lips.
Only then did Cecilia realize that he and Damian Hawthorne only looked alike at first glance. Finn Hawthorne’s features were much gentler than Damian’s.
Damian Hawthorne was devil-may-care, his languid exterior hiding a chilling aura that made people afraid to approach him.
Finn Hawthorne, on the other hand, perhaps from having to claw his way through society from a young age, seemed better at reading people and was more approachable.
Thinking about her background, Cecilia lowered her gaze slightly. "Actually... I’m..."
But a thought stopped her, and the words caught in her throat.
’I can’t say anything...’
Finn Hawthorne and Sharon Quincy had clearly known each other for many years; she couldn’t fully trust Finn.
At this thought, Cecilia sighed softly.
"You’re...?" Finn Hawthorne watched her intently, as if waiting for her to continue.
"It’s nothing." Cecilia lifted her gaze. Her eyes were bright and as clear as a running brook.
She parted her rosy lips slightly, making her skin appear even fairer.
"Finn Hawthorne, can you do me a favor? Call Damian Hawthorne and tell him..." Cecilia paused. "Tell him I’ve been kidnapped."
...
「Top floor of the Hawthorne Corporation building.」
Damian Hawthorne was leaning back on the sofa. Hearing a knock, he lazily lifted his gaze to the doorway, where Serena Hughes was staring intently at him.
Serena Hughes had clearly dressed up for the occasion. She wore a long white dress, her hair tied back in a simple ponytail, creating a pure and clean look.
Her eyes were fixed on Damian Hawthorne, and her heart was pounding.
"Mr. Hawthorne..." Serena Hughes’s voice held a plaintive note.
There was a time when she could come here without an appointment. With just a smile, the receptionist downstairs would treat her like a princess and send her right up.
Now, however, she couldn’t get anywhere near Damian Hawthorne without some "dirt" to share.
No wonder Cecilia had fought tooth and nail to stay by Damian Hawthorne’s side, even threatening him with suicide.
If she weren’t so concerned about her own status, she would’ve been tempted to jump off a building herself.
"Spit it out." Damian Hawthorne rubbed the bridge of his nose, his voice devoid of emotion.
Serena Hughes recalled her grandmother’s words.
’As long as I can be of use to Damian Hawthorne, I won’t be completely worthless.’
"I know about this person, Hugo. He’s a man."
With that one sentence, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
Justin Bell, who was also in the room, heard this, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
They had never suspected Hugo was a woman.
"He’s a man, so what?" Damian Hawthorne lifted his gaze, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "You didn’t come all this way just to tell me whether Hugo is a man or a woman, did you?"
"Of course not!" Serena Hughes said urgently, rushing to explain. "I also know that this Hugo is brilliant at math. At least, when he was a teenager, he was a math prodigy."
’A math prodigy...’
’Then it’s not Hugo Grant...’
A weight was lifted from Damian Hawthorne’s chest, but his mood didn’t improve.
’The person Serena Hughes is describing sounds pretty impressive...’
’A math prodigy in his teens... Although his own grades had been good back then, he was nowhere near a prodigy.’
"Anything else?"
Damian Hawthorne narrowed his eyes, starting to take her seriously.
Clearly, Serena Hughes had come bearing actual information this time.
’Whether she was spouting nonsense or not would have to be investigated later.’
Just then, Damian Hawthorne’s phone rang.
Seeing it was an unknown number, Damian Hawthorne was about to hang up, but a voice in his head told him he had to answer this call.
Acting on some strange impulse, he swiped to answer.
"Hello, is this Damian Hawthorne?" Finn Hawthorne’s voice was calm. "Cecilia Nathan has been kidnapped."
Damian Hawthorne raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Oh? How much do the kidnappers want?"
"They don’t want money..." Finn’s voice faltered for a moment, as if he hadn’t expected this kind of reaction from Damian Hawthorne.
’From what I’ve seen, Damian should care a lot about Cecilia.’
’But from his tone, it sounds like he’s treating this as a joke.’
"Damian Hawthorne, this is Finn Hawthorne. Cecilia asked me to call you..."
’Finn Hawthorne...’
’That nightclub playboy?’
Recalling the man’s face, Damian’s tone turned sardonic. "You two seem to be getting along quite well."
’Cecilia didn’t call me herself, but had this man do it for her.’ 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
’She’s really been playing the field since she left me...’
"Am I just a part of your little game?"
"Mr. Hawthorne, I’m not joking with you. Miss Cecilia Nathan is in grave danger right now..."
"Right, right, she’s in grave danger," Damian’s tone was dripping with nonchalance. "What kind of game are you two playing, exactly?"
’I can’t believe he doesn’t believe me.’
Finn took a deep breath and quickly composed himself. "It’s a long story, Damian Hawthorne. I’ve delivered the message. What you do with it is up to you."
After saying his piece, Finn promptly hung up.
Hearing the dial tone, Damian Hawthorne tightened his grip on his phone and shot Justin Bell a sidelong glance.
Justin Bell took the hint and quickly exited the office.
Serena Hughes was close enough to overhear fragments of the conversation.
She carefully studied Damian Hawthorne’s expression but saw not a flicker of concern.
She’d heard the conversation.
’Cecilia was kidnapped, but Damian remained completely unmoved. Forget helping her, he acted like the very idea was a joke.’
’This proves he doesn’t really care about Cecilia.’
A smile lifted the corners of Serena Hughes’s lips; she couldn’t suppress the joy welling up inside her.
She remembered seeing on the surveillance footage that Cecilia had disappeared with Selina Nathan.
Recalling the news reports about Selina Nathan being frequently kidnapped as a child, it suddenly dawned on Serena Hughes. Selina’s appearance at the banquet must have tempted those kidnappers again.
’And Cecilia was most likely just collateral damage.’
’After all, with her family background, there wasn’t much money to be made from kidnapping her.’
’No wonder she called Damian Hawthorne for help.’
’If the kidnappers killed them both, now that would be a show.’
Suddenly, Damian Hawthorne’s magnetic voice pulled her from her thoughts. "What are you smiling about?"
Serena Hughes froze, a sudden chill running down her spine.
She looked up at Damian Hawthorne, only to find him staring at her with keen interest. Though a lazy smile played on his lips, his gaze was crystal clear, as if he could see right through her.
"You know something, don’t you?" Damian Hawthorne’s thin lips pursed, giving him an impossibly arrogant and roguish air.
He wore a black jacket, lounging on the sofa behind the curtains like an irresistible flame in the dark of night, making one want to draw closer, yet fear to approach.
Serena Hughes’s heart hammered uncontrollably.
Even after entering the Sinclair Family, becoming Fiona Sinclair’s granddaughter, and meeting many other men, she was still hopelessly drawn to Damian Hawthorne.
Damian Hawthorne’s looks were both captivating and aggressive.
"Mr. Hawthorne, aren’t you worried about Cecilia?" Serena Hughes asked curiously. "She’s missing, and with Selina Nathan, no less."
