Ignored When Chasing: Why Cry After I Got Engaged-Chapter 37: Feeling Heartache Already?

"Damian Hawthorne, don’t talk nonsense." Cecilia Nathan frowned. "Hugo Grant and I are just friends. Don’t make us sound so sordid."

"Sordid?" Damian Hawthorne leaned in, a roguish grin on his face. "The moment you moved out, he said he was going to pursue you. You two linked up so quickly. Am I the one with the sordid thoughts, or have you two had some unspeakable secret between you all along?"

"Damian Hawthorne!" Cecilia Nathan’s eyes went wide, and she clenched her jaw. "You can insult me, but please, don’t drag other people into this."

Damian Hawthorne’s lips curved in a knowing smile. "Hitting a nerve, am I?"

At the thought of Cecilia Nathan getting together with Hugo Grant, Damian Hawthorne’s fingers tightened into a fist.

He was only just now realizing that over the years Cecilia Nathan had pursued him, he had gradually grown accustomed to having her by his side.

Sometimes, he would even find himself in a daze, feeling as if Luna were right there with him.

During the time he was blind, Luna had cared for him with meticulous attention to every detail.

And Cecilia Nathan had been the same.

She took care of all his daily needs, leaving him with nothing to worry about.

If it weren’t for Luna, he might have married Cecilia Nathan.

But there were no "if onlys."

The indignation in Damian Hawthorne’s eyes gradually faded.

Just then, Serena Hughes’s voice called out, "Mr. Hawthorne..."

Serena Hughes was awake.

Damian Hawthorne stopped in his tracks. He gave Cecilia Nathan a deep look, then turned and walked toward Serena Hughes.

Serena Hughes peeked outside. The moment she saw Cecilia Nathan, she nervously clutched the blanket. "Teaching Assistant Nathan, you’re here too?"

Cecilia Nathan stood outside, not even wanting to enter the room. She gave Serena Hughes a brief glance before turning to leave.

Seeing Damian Hawthorne, Serena Hughes smiled faintly. "Mr. Hawthorne... I’ve made you worry again."

"How are you feeling?"

Serena Hughes lowered her gaze. "I remembered a little more about our past."

Damian Hawthorne looked up, a hint of tension on his face. "What did you remember?"

"I remembered... that we always used music to communicate."

...

Cecilia Nathan had just stepped out of the hospital when she saw Hugo Grant’s car parked at the entrance.

Cecilia felt a little dazed.

It seemed just like last time, when he had waited for her just like this.

Hugo Grant’s explanation back then was that he was afraid Damian Hawthorne and Serena Hughes would bully her.

Cecilia Nathan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Hugo Grant leaned against his car door, taking off his sunglasses. A rare trace of warmth appeared on his stern face. "Damian didn’t give you a hard time, did he?"

Ever since the gossip about Damian Hawthorne’s proposal to Serena Hughes started spreading, Hugo Grant seemed convinced that Damian would bully her.

Cecilia Nathan thought about what Damian Hawthorne had said.

He’d said that Hugo Grant liked her.

Cecilia’s body tensed up slightly.

Hugo Grant smiled understandingly. "Did Damian say something he shouldn’t have? Cecilia, I’m just worried about you. I have no other motives."

"No matter what he says, don’t believe him. Just remember that I’ll always be on your side. That’s all that matters."

’Always on my side...’

A warmth spread through Cecilia’s chest.

Ever since the news about Damian Hawthorne and Serena Hughes broke, no one had been on her side.

She couldn’t even win in the court of public opinion.

People said she’d shamelessly chased him for so long without ever making it into the Hawthorne Family, that she was a disgrace to women.

But Hugo Grant... he said he was on her side.

"Hugo Grant, aren’t you Damian Hawthorne’s friend?" Cecilia Nathan smiled faintly. "I thought you’d be on his side."

"I only stand on the side of justice." Hugo Grant was noncommittal, his dark eyes shining like obsidian in the sunlight, deep and serene. "I’m going to take you somewhere to unwind. Are you up for it?"

"Okay, let’s go unwind." After hearing Hugo Grant’s words, the tension suddenly drained from Cecilia’s body.

No sooner had Cecilia Nathan agreed to go with Hugo Grant than an assistant reported the news—with some embellishment—to his boss.

"President Hawthorne, Mr. Grant took Miss Cecilia Nathan out."

That one sentence, with no context, was sent to Damian Hawthorne’s phone.

Damian Hawthorne opened it with one hand. He was about to reply, but then he remembered the way Cecilia Nathan had defended Hugo Grant and irritably tossed his phone aside.

Serena Hughes glanced curiously at the phone and saw the message.

"Mr. Hugo Grant is so thoughtful, taking Miss Cecilia Nathan out like that." A hint of envy crept into Serena Hughes’s voice.

"What, you want to go out too?" Damian Hawthorne watched her with a playful look, his roguishness carrying a fatal charm.

Serena Hughes’s face flushed red. Before she could speak, Damian Hawthorne had already dialed a number.

"Send me the location." After saying that, Damian Hawthorne quickly hung up. To Serena Hughes’s astonishment, he said, his voice laced with a few imperceptible traces of coldness, "We’re going too."

Serena Hughes waved her hands awkwardly. "You really don’t have to..."

"Let’s go." Damian Hawthorne stuck one hand in his pocket while lighting a cigarette with the other.

Serena Hughes didn’t even have time to react before she was watching Damian Hawthorne stride quickly away.

His steps were hurried, and the sight made Serena Hughes’s eyes sting.

She could feel that Damian Hawthorne didn’t really want to take her out; he was just being petulant.

「Korsyth Beach Racing Base」

On the rolling yellow sands, off-road vehicles sped along.

Dressed in a racing suit, Cecilia Nathan looked at the rows of off-road vehicles before her with a face full of anticipation.

Contrary to her usual disposition, she loved these kinds of thrilling activities.

Hugo Grant walked toward her, holding a pair of sunglasses and a bottle of water.

Hugo Grant had also changed into a racing suit. At six-foot-one, the suit made his already tall frame look even more slender as the sunset stretched his silhouette. He was handsome, with restrained features and an air of nobility that shone through his calm demeanor.

"Want to ride with me?" Hugo Grant asked, handing her the water.

Cecilia Nathan watched the off-roaders tearing it up in the sandpit, her eyes sparkling. "Yeah, let’s ride together."

Her repressed emotions were in desperate need of an outlet.

In all her years with Damian Hawthorne, she’d rarely had a chance to let loose like this.

Not far away, Serena Hughes saw the place and was already scared stiff.

"Mr. Hawthorne, I’ve heard it’s really easy to get into an accident with these off-road vehicles..."

She’d seen plenty of short videos where these vehicles would easily flip over while climbing sand dunes. Getting hurt would be the least of her worries; she could even lose her life.

"If you’re scared, just rest here." The moment Damian Hawthorne walked in, his eyes locked onto a certain spot.

Cecilia Nathan was standing next to Hugo Grant, her sharp-looking racing suit perfectly accentuating her figure.

Thanks to her occasional workouts, Cecilia Nathan had a very well-proportioned figure—slim but not bony, curvy but not heavy.

She even had a waist-to-hip ratio that would make both men and women envious.

Her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, revealing a smooth, flawless forehead. In the light, her small, perfect face was almost unfairly beautiful.

Hugo Grant stood beside her, laughing and chatting happily. Her brilliant smile stung Damian Hawthorne’s eyes.

Seeing Damian Hawthorne staring intently at something, Serena Hughes couldn’t help but look over as well. The moment she saw Cecilia Nathan, a flash of jealousy flickered in the depths of her eyes.

Whether it was her figure or her face, Cecilia Nathan was just too blessed. Serena had to admit that the Creator had always been biased.

Cecilia Nathan’s looks could hold their own not just in daily life, but even in the entertainment industry.

She wasn’t bad-looking herself, but compared to Cecilia Nathan, she fell short by more than just a little.

"Mr. Hawthorne..." Serena Hughes’s heart tightened, and she subconsciously grabbed Damian Hawthorne’s arm. "Shouldn’t we... not disturb Mr. Grant and Cecilia?"