Ignored When Chasing: Why Cry After I Got Engaged-Chapter 24: Paying for a Man

"Pfft..."

Cecilia Nathan couldn’t help it. His words made her burst out laughing.

Everyone knew she was a simp for Damian Hawthorne, but she wasn’t so desperate as to find a substitute.

Hearing this, Chloe Sutton’s eyes darted over to Finn Hawthorne, sizing him up.

"Tsk, you know, from certain angles, he really does look a bit like him. Hey, you just said we could treat you like Damian Hawthorne. Does that mean I can treat you like Damian Hawthorne, too?"

The moment Chloe Sutton finished speaking, Cecilia Nathan’s eyelid twitched.

A gut feeling told her that Chloe wasn’t about to say anything nice.

"Why would you want to treat me like Damian Hawthorne, Miss Sutton?"

Chloe Sutton stood up, cracking her knuckles as if getting ready for something.

"Because I’ve long been sick of the sight of Damian Hawthorne. Now that I see your face, which looks so much like his, my fists are itching for a fight. How about this? Later, I’ll treat you like Damian and beat you up, and you can cry and beg ’Grandma, have mercy!’ How does that sound?"

Cecilia Nathan: "..."

Finn Hawthorne gave a wry smile and touched the corner of his lip. "Sure. As long as it makes Miss Sutton happy. It’s not like another injury on top of the ones I already have will make a difference."

Chloe Sutton glanced at the corner of his mouth and tutted. "Tsk, tsk. That woman who did this was really vicious."

Finn Hawthorne lowered his hand, his gaze dropping. "It’s part of my job."

Getting paid to get beaten up, satisfying some people’s... kinks.

Cecilia Nathan’s heart clenched at his words.

Every profession has its hardships, but she never imagined the people here had it this rough.

"Just rest here today. Don’t worry... with us here, that person won’t be able to touch you today." Cecilia Nathan knew her friend had booked him for the entire day.

If nothing else, at least Finn Hawthorne was safe for today.

Seeing the cut on his lip, Cecilia Nathan took a small first-aid kit out of her purse.

There was a time when Damian Hawthorne was into fitness and always had some injury or another. Following him around, she had developed the habit of always carrying medical supplies.

Watching her take out the kit and hand it to him, a flicker of emotion crossed Finn Hawthorne’s cold face.

"The corner of your lip is cut. If you don’t disinfect it, it’ll swell up. And if it gets infected, it might even leave a scar and ruin your face." As she spoke, Cecilia Nathan had already unconsciously opened the kit and dabbed a cotton swab with some iodine.

Just then, the door was thrown open with great force.

CRASH! A bottle shattered on the floor.

Cecilia Nathan felt a shadow fall over her as someone shielded her.

"Miss Cecilia Nathan, are you all right?" Finn Hawthorne pulled her into his arms, yet maintained a slight distance.

The gesture was both protective and respectful.

Cecilia Nathan shook her head and looked up toward the doorway.

Damian Hawthorne stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other toying with a lighter as he watched them lazily.

At his feet, a beer bottle was spinning on the floor.

Damian Hawthorne had thrown a beer bottle, but Finn Hawthorne, afraid Cecilia Nathan would be hit, had instinctively shielded her.

And Damian Hawthorne had taken in the entire scene.

The moment he saw Damian Hawthorne, Finn Hawthorne froze for a second, his cold eyes turning black as ink.

’Everyone who had seen me said I bore some resemblance to Damian Hawthorne. Looking at him now, I realize they were right. He and Damian Hawthorne really did look alike.’

Damian Hawthorne had initially only been furious at Cecilia Nathan’s "desperation," but the moment he saw the man standing beside her, the fire in his heart raged.

"Cecilia Nathan, are you that in love with me? So much so that you’d find a substitute who looks like me?"

Cecilia Nathan glanced at the shattered glass on the floor, a headache starting to form.

Finn Hawthorne put an arm out to block Cecilia Nathan, his tone cold. "Mr. Hawthorne, this is a place of business. Please don’t cause trouble here."

"Cause trouble?" Damian Hawthorne stared at Finn’s face, growing more incensed by the second. "What kind of place is this, ’a place of business’? Using a face like mine, you must have tricked plenty of foolish women, haven’t you?"

Damian Hawthorne’s nonchalant tone was laced with a hint of viciousness.

Under the flickering lights, his features appeared even more defined.

Mocked by Damian Hawthorne, the gloom in Finn Hawthorne’s eyes deepened.

’I knew that with my temperament, the only reason I’d managed to find a job here was because of my face. And this face, ultimately, only had value because of Damian Hawthorne. I used to be unhappy that I looked like him, but now I realize I don’t look like him at all. My own looks are a far cry from his. A knockoff, after all, is just a knockoff. It can never be the real thing.’

"Damian Hawthorne, don’t be so full of yourself. Finn Hawthorne works hard for a living; he’s not relying on your face," Cecilia Nathan said with a frown, unable to stand him talking to an innocent person that way.

"Finn Hawthorne?" Damian Hawthorne repeated the name coldly, a roguish, wicked smile playing on his lips. "If not his face, is he relying on his name, then?"

’My name is Damian Hawthorne, and this nightclub worker who’d appeared out of nowhere is actually named Finn Hawthorne? Talk about a blatant copycat.’

Finn Hawthorne’s stern face stiffened slightly.

’The club manager gave me that name. I was new here and had signed a contract, so I had to follow orders; otherwise, I’d be facing a hefty penalty fee. I also knew it wasn’t good to use this name, but once I started working here, it was out of my hands. In our line of work, it’s normal to occasionally ride on the coattails of a celebrity or internet influencer. More often than not, a face and a hot topic translated to money. But I never expected the man himself, Damian Hawthorne, to show up here. Seeing the real deal, I finally realized just how ridiculous my name, Finn Hawthorne, is.’

No matter how similar they looked, Damian Hawthorne was still Damian Hawthorne.

At that moment, Finn Hawthorne despised his own name.

"Cecilia, if you want me, you can just come find me. Why waste money keeping a man like this?" Damian Hawthorne leaned closer to Cecilia Nathan, his fingers stroking her face, a wicked, wanton smile on his thin lips. "Am I not satisfying you? Is that why you’re out looking for this kind of ’takeout’?"

Satisfying, takeout...

Damian Hawthorne clearly didn’t care about anyone else in the room, speaking such explicit words without restraint.

His gaze made Cecilia Nathan’s face burn. "Damian Hawthorne, he’s just doing an honest job here."

"An honest job... So what kind of work does Mr. Finn Hawthorne do?" Damian Hawthorne glanced lazily at Finn. "Does he drink with clients, or does he sing?"

Finn Hawthorne’s eyes were downcast, his hands at his sides trembling slightly.

"I trust you don’t mind having a male client, Mr. Hawthorne?" As he spoke, Damian Hawthorne took out a stack of cash and placed it in front of him. "If you need money, you can come to me, Mr. Hawthorne. Just stop using my face to swindle people."

Finn Hawthorne shot to his feet, his face etched with a quiet fury. "I don’t need your money, and I never intended to use your face to trick anyone."

"I admit, my name is riding on your fame. But my face was given to me by my parents. Damian Hawthorne, you may be richer than me and more famous than me. You can use your money to buy my time, but you can’t buy my dignity."

Damian Hawthorne lifted his eyelids, looking utterly bored. "Someone who works in a place like this is talking about dignity?"

He then turned to Cecilia Nathan. "Cecilia, you can’t have me, but you don’t need to seek comfort from a man like this, do you?"