Ignored When Chasing: Why Cry After I Got Engaged-Chapter 186: This Person, Miles Sinclair

Cecilia froze, her lips parting slightly.

She was silent for a long time.

"Damian Hawthorne... Does he know?"

"I don’t know if he knows or not." Something seemed to occur to Hugo Grant, and he looked at Cecilia with a gentle smile. "Perhaps he knows but is unwilling to admit it. Or perhaps he doesn’t. But I know, Cecilia, that you are May Rhodes."

Cecilia nodded with a wry smile. "I can’t hide anything from you."

"Are you really planning to marry Miles Sinclair?"

Cecilia lowered her gaze. Thinking of Miles Sinclair’s words, her heart felt as if it were being crushed by a heavy stone.

Logically, she should have been overjoyed that Miles Sinclair was alive. But the Miles of today was different from the Hugo of the past. Sometimes, he even felt like a stranger to her.

’Can a person really change so much in just a few years?’

The Hugo of the past was like a warm sun, making anyone around him feel its heat.

But the Miles Sinclair of today, while looking the same, had lost much of that warmth. At times, she could even feel a faint, pervasive chill from him.

"Cecilia, I’ll respect and bless you no matter who you marry, but as for this Miles Sinclair..." Hugo Grant handed her a cup of tea, speaking one word at a time, "You need to be careful."

Hugo Grant placed the cup in her hands, the tea rippling in the white porcelain.

"Sometimes, a cup of tea might look mellow and brightly colored on the surface, but you don’t know if it’s fresh or aged."

Hugo Grant’s gentle eyes held a hint of certainty.

"Thank you." Cecilia paused. "You’re right. Marriage isn’t a small matter. I’ll think about it carefully."

"Why haven’t you asked me why I stayed by Damian Hawthorne’s side as May Rhodes?" Cecilia asked, looking at Hugo Grant.

Hugo Grant’s slender hand paused, and he smiled. "Since you did it, you must have had your reasons."

"Will you tell Damian Hawthorne?" Cecilia asked.

"Cecilia, I’m friends with Damian Hawthorne," Hugo Grant said. "And with you, too."

"If he doesn’t ask, I won’t say anything. But you should really consider what I just said. Miles Sinclair might not be the same Miles Sinclair from before." The light in Hugo Grant’s eyes gradually dimmed. "Perhaps you can’t get over Miles Sinclair’s death, but when some people die, they’re just... dead."

"Maybe this is hard for you to hear right now, but I don’t want you to keep living in the past."

"Cecilia, you deserve a bright future."

Hugo Grant’s voice was gentle, but each word was like a tear gas canister.

’Yes, I’ve been dwelling on the past for too long.’

Before, she had lived in the shadow of Miles Sinclair’s death, blaming herself entirely for it.

Every step she took was for Miles Sinclair.

From taking care of Damian Hawthorne to pursuing him, it seemed like she was chasing Damian, but in reality, she was chasing Miles Sinclair’s shadow.

"Thank you, Hugo Grant." ’If it weren’t for him, I’d still be stuck in the past.’

’Hugo Grant is right. I should have a bright future.’

"I’m glad you’ve come to understand. I hope the person you love most is yourself, not Miles Sinclair." Hugo Grant’s calm voice soothed all her anxiety. "Whether Miles Sinclair is dead or alive, you should be able to make your own choices."

"That’s what Miles Sinclair would have wanted, too."

Cecilia’s eyes grew hot, and her nose tingled with the urge to cry.

’That’s right. During the car crash back then, Miles Sinclair’s last words were that he hoped I would be happy.’

’But how could I be happy after losing Miles Sinclair?’

"Finish your tea. I’ll take you home."

The teahouse was antique and elegant, a well-known spot in Korsyth.

After a few cups of tea, Cecilia’s thoughts began to clear.

It was true; in the past, she hadn’t been living as herself.

Whether it was caring for Damian Hawthorne or pursuing him, she had been like a machine, driven by a guilty version of herself.

She thought of the question Miles Sinclair had asked her.

Whether she had fallen in love with Damian Hawthorne.

’Have I?’

’I don’t know if it’s love, but I’ve certainly felt heartache for him, and my heart has ached with concern for him, too.’

Cecilia and Hugo Grant left the teahouse. Just as they stepped outside, they ran right into someone.

Upon seeing Frances Bennett, Cecilia instinctively wanted to turn and leave, but Frances was clearly heading straight for her, quickening her pace to catch up.

"Cecilia... Auntie wants to have a heart-to-heart with you." After speaking, Frances Bennett looked at Hugo Grant. "Hugo, did you two just finish tea? Could you treat your auntie to another cup?"

Cecilia coolly pulled her hand away from Frances Bennett’s grasp. "Auntie, I don’t have time right now."

"I know you have a problem with me, but we’ve known each other for years. Even if you don’t like me, can’t you just talk to me as an elder? Cecilia, I know you don’t like how snobbish I am. To be honest, I don’t like this about myself either, but I have no choice, for the sake of the Hawthorne Family..."

Watching Frances Bennett ramble on, Cecilia knew that if she didn’t agree today, the woman would never stop pestering her.

"Do you need me to take you home?" Hugo Grant asked, knowing Cecilia didn’t want to talk to Frances Bennett.

Cecilia shook her head. "You can go ahead."

Hugo Grant glanced at Frances Bennett but ultimately said nothing. He just nodded and walked off in the other direction.

Once Hugo Grant was gone, Frances Bennett finally let out a sigh of relief. With reddened eyes, she said to Cecilia, "Cecilia, I heard you’re going to marry that little celebrity?"

Cecilia pressed her lips together and said nothing.

"You can’t marry him! People in that circle are never simple. That Miles Sinclair has a strange, bewitching look about him. You can tell he’s no good. You don’t have to marry our Damian, but you can’t just find some random person to marry."

As Frances Bennett spoke, her voice gradually grew softer. "I know you don’t like me, but I’m still your elder. I wouldn’t do anything to harm you."

"Auntie, you once said that if I left Damian Hawthorne, no one would want me. Now that someone does, isn’t that a good thing?" Cecilia asked calmly.

Frances Bennett gave an awkward, tight-lipped smile. "Cecilia, that was the you from before. The you of today is Linden Nathan’s daughter. If you just say you want to get married, all the eligible bachelors in Veridia’s business world will come knocking. Back then, this auntie was blind and failed to recognize your importance. I had no idea your background was so... powerful."

"Besides, that Hugo Grant—isn’t he only pursuing you because he found out about your identity? Don’t think I don’t know. Hugo Grant’s mother knew who you were a long time ago. She’s just pretending to like you. In reality, she’s only interested in your status."

"Hugo Grant’s mother is an elder I respect. Auntie, please don’t slander her in front of me. She isn’t the kind of person you’re describing."

Hugo Grant’s mother was the complete opposite of Frances Bennett.

Ever since her identity was exposed, Hugo Grant’s mother had actually stopped coming to see her.

’If she really knew about my identity, her behavior wouldn’t have changed so drastically.’

"Doesn’t know your identity?" Frances Bennett sneered. "Impossible. Hugo Grant’s mother is a shrewd woman. There’s no way she didn’t know who you are."

"Oh, Cecilia, you’re still so naive."