Ignored When Chasing: Why Cry After I Got Engaged-Chapter 22: Aren’t You Afraid?

’Taking back what belongs to her.’ What a joke.

Cecilia Nathan smiled serenely.

She had considered that Serena Hughes might fall for Damian Hawthorne, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.

"Since you’re in love with Damian Hawthorne, shouldn’t you be happy that my baby is gone? I wasn’t planning on hiding the pregnancy anyway. If you want to tell Damian Hawthorne’s mother, be my guest."

Cecilia Nathan’s expression was impassive.

She was the type of person who couldn’t stand being threatened.

Serena Hughes had made a mistake from the very start by trying to threaten her.

"Telling Damian Hawthorne’s mother... Aren’t you afraid?" Serena Hughes was taken aback.

She had assumed Cecilia Nathan would care about the Hawthorne Family’s opinion, but she never expected her to be so detached.

"Afraid? What is there to be afraid of?" Cecilia Nathan smiled slyly. "Besides, who ever said I had a miscarriage?"

A jolt went through Serena Hughes, and she stumbled back two steps, stunned by this revelation.

’What does she mean by that?’

’Could it be that her miscarriage was a lie?’

While Serena Hughes stood there in shock, Cecilia Nathan slammed the door in her face without a second thought. BANG! The sound shut Serena Hughes out completely.

As for Serena Hughes, she remained rooted to the spot, unable to process Cecilia Nathan’s words for a long time.

’If Cecilia Nathan is still pregnant, then I have to accelerate my plans.’

Remembering that Damian Hawthorne was her greatest asset, Serena Hughes took out her phone and called him directly.

At that moment, Damian Hawthorne was in a meeting on the top floor of Hawthorne Enterprises.

Hawthorne Enterprises was a Fortune 500 company, ranking among the top in all of Veridia.

Its technology division, in particular, had a presence all across Veridia.

Every major conference was a crucial event.

Damian Hawthorne was listening to a subordinate’s report when his phone began to vibrate.

Damian Hawthorne glanced at the screen, then raised a hand to cut the presenter off.

Everyone looked at Damian Hawthorne in surprise.

Damian Hawthorne rarely even looked at his phone during meetings, let alone answered it. Yet today, he had actually interrupted the proceedings to take a call.

’Who could possibly be on the other end of that line?’

Damian Hawthorne answered the phone, his tone gentle.

When he put the phone down, his young assistant stole a glance. Upon seeing the two words "Serena Hughes" on the screen, he understood completely.

He wasn’t the only one; a few other shareholders sitting near Damian Hawthorne saw it too.

’Who is Serena Hughes?’

That day, a question was planted in the minds of everyone present.

After the meeting, Damian Hawthorne rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Serena has agreed to go with me to the old Hawthorne estate."

The assistant’s face lit up. "Does that mean you and Miss Serena will be able to recover your memories soon? Why did she suddenly change her mind?"

Damian Hawthorne narrowed his eyes. "I don’t know, but it’s a good thing regardless."

"If it hadn’t been for Serena back then, I’d probably be dead."

At the mention of this, a chill emanated from Damian Hawthorne, as if he were carved from ice.

He closed his eyes briefly. Darkness descended, just as it had for him all those years ago.

But back then, his despair had been far greater than it was now.

"President Hawthorne, you have a call from Miss Cecilia Nathan..."

Damian Hawthorne opened his eyes, his gaze drifting to the phone’s screen.

The person on the other end was clearly impatient. Before he could even answer, a text from Cecilia Nathan appeared:

"Damian Hawthorne, didn’t you promise you wouldn’t let Serena Hughes bother me? She just showed up at my house!"

"Get your woman under control!"

Damian Hawthorne’s eyes went cold as he slowly sat up straight.

’Serena went to see her again?’

Damian Hawthorne shot a look at his assistant. "Did you give Cecilia Nathan’s address to Serena Hughes?"

The assistant gave an awkward smile. "Miss Hughes asked me not to tell you. She said she only wanted to know where Miss Cecilia Nathan lived and didn’t mean anything by it..."

He had thought Serena Hughes genuinely just wanted to know Cecilia’s location, never imagining she would be bold enough to show up at her door.

"So, President Hawthorne, are we still going to the old estate...?"

Damian Hawthorne rubbed his temples.

Everything had been arranged perfectly, but Serena Hughes had to go and act on her own.

Given Cecilia Nathan’s personality, it was already hard for her to agree to drop out of the competition. After being provoked by Serena Hughes, she would very likely go back on her word.

Damian Hawthorne recalled how Cecilia Nathan had been when they were together—both imperious and tender.

When she was with him, she had used every trick in the book to eliminate any potential romantic rivals.

He had expected Cecilia Nathan to fly into a rage upon learning about Serena Hughes. But to his surprise, she was more composed this time than ever before.

She hadn’t gone after Serena Hughes.

Damian Hawthorne rubbed his tight chest. "Where is Cecilia Nathan now?"

"Miss Cecilia Nathan is..." The assistant checked his phone. When he found the answer, his expression turned awkward. "President Hawthorne, are you going to go see her now?"

Damian Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

"No problem, per se... but the place Miss Cecilia Nathan has gone to..." The assistant didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "It’s a karaoke club. I hear their main service is providing singing companions, and their core clientele is female because the companions... are all handsome men."

The assistant’s words were diplomatic, but Damian Hawthorne, having been exposed to all sorts of business dealings, understood instantly.

’Handsome men?’

’Is Cecilia Nathan so lonely that she’d go to a place like that to pick out men?’

Damian Hawthorne sneered, a palpable chill radiating from him.

The assistant backed away a few steps, not daring to look at his boss again.

Once Damian Hawthorne had left, the assistant breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ah, well. Men are possessive creatures. It’s normal, perfectly normal..."

...

In downtown Korsyth, the pedestrian street was packed with people.

In the heart of the pedestrian street stood a towering, magnificent building in a traditional Chinese style.

Waves of music drifted out from the traditional-style building.

Cecilia Nathan sat on a sofa, frowning slightly as she looked at the line of men standing before her.

Chloe Sutton slung an arm around her best friend’s neck and whispered in her ear, "Take your pick! Tonight, everything is on me!"

Cecilia Nathan’s lip twitched. "Chloe, are these guys... legitimate?"

"We’re not going to get arrested, are we?"

"What are you talking about!" Chloe Sutton patted her friend’s head. "They’re just here to sing with us. This is a respectable establishment, not what you’re thinking."

"I’ve been wanting to check out this traditional-style karaoke bar for ages, but I never got the chance." Chloe Sutton got up excitedly and circled the lineup of handsome men. "Tsk, tsk. Not bad, not bad at all. These pretty faces are going to be the death of me."

Watching her friend’s brazen behavior, Cecilia Nathan felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

’How did I never know Chloe had such a shameless side to her?’

’This wasn’t a traditional karaoke bar... it was more like a re-creation of an ancient teahouse brothel...’

The men in the lineup each had a distinct style: the cool and aggressive type, the cute and boyish type, the domineering CEO type...

Cecilia Nathan’s gaze swept lightly over them before landing on a figure standing in the deepest shadows.

He was a tall, slender young man. The corner of his mouth was slightly swollen. Unlike the other men, who were all smiling, his eyes were filled with scorn and indifference.

Chloe Sutton noticed the man in the shadows as well. "Huh?" she murmured. "Why does that guy look so familiar?"

’More than just familiar...’

’His facial features bore a striking resemblance to *his*.’