In a street-side cafe in Korsyth, the melodious notes of a violin came to an abrupt stop.
"Miss Nathan..."
The young woman stood, violin in hand, her soft voice laced with nervousness.
She wore a simple cotton maxi dress and had a pure, clean air about her.
Cecilia Nathan's gaze fell on the violin. "He never lets anyone touch this violin," she said with a smile.
The young woman's grip on the violin tightened. "Don't worry," she said. "I'm not going to fight you for him."
The young woman before her was so timid she didn't dare meet her gaze, yet her back was ramrod straight, a picture of stubborn pride.
A mix of emotions churned within Cecilia Nathan.
'So this was the kind of person Damian Hawthorne liked. Simple, pure, and brimming with youth, like a little white flower struggling to grow on a cliffside.'
'Not like her. She had done all sorts of absurd things to be with Damian Hawthorne. At her most extreme, she had even staged a suicide attempt over him.'
The incident had caused a massive scandal at the time, becoming the talk of all of Korsyth.
Plenty of women were interested in Damian Hawthorne, but she was the only one to ever make such a disgraceful scene.
"Play another piece," Cecilia Nathan said, her voice somewhat strained. "Do you know Carmen?"
The young woman bit her lip, looking reluctant. "I'm sorry, but I've already finished my shift..."
The implication was clear: she was unwilling to play for her any longer.
"I've quit," the young woman added, and at some thought, her smile brightened even more. "Miss Nathan, perhaps we'll meet again."
With that, she hugged her violin and dashed outside. From a distance, she looked like a butterfly taking flight.
'Damian Hawthorne couldn't bear to see her working part-time, so he'd bought out the next few years of her career for five million.'
'Now that she wasn't short on money, she no longer had to kiss up to anyone.'
In all the years Cecilia Nathan had been by Damian Hawthorne's side, this was the first time she had seen him so smitten with anyone.
'She had thought Damian Hawthorne was incapable of loving anyone. But it turned out that when he did fall for someone, he could cherish them to his very core.'
'The difference between being loved and not was starkly clear.'
「Azurea. Helen's Bar.」
Cecilia Nathan pushed the door open. Inside the dim, decadent private room, the chatter and laughter came to a halt.
"Well, look who it is! Cecilia Nathan's here." Someone let out a low whistle.
Damian Hawthorne was lounging lazily on the sofa. At the sound, he lifted his gaze, his deep, star-like eyes glinting.
Damian Hawthorne rose, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace.
His large hand rested possessively on Cecilia Nathan's waist as he nuzzled his chin against her long, fair neck. "What took you so long?" he murmured, his voice low and husky with desire.
Cecilia Nathan lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable in the dim light.
'Such an intimate gesture. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was completely smitten with her.'
'Cecilia Nathan's eyes fell. The thought of the college student he was so infatuated with lately made the whole situation feel bitterly ironic.'
"I wasn't feeling well," Cecilia Nathan said, offering a vague excuse.
"Mr. Hawthorne, when are you two finally getting married?" one of their friends heckled. "We're all waiting for our wedding invitation!"
Damian Hawthorne's hand on Cecilia Nathan's waist froze, and a derisive smile touched his lips.
He didn't answer, and the atmosphere turned awkward for a few moments.
Cecilia Nathan could tell that Damian Hawthorne was in a foul mood.
This wasn't the first time they had been pestered about marriage.
In the past, Damian Hawthorne had always deflected with some excuse.
But today, he couldn't even be bothered to play along.
'Cecilia Nathan had known from the start that Damian Hawthorne would never marry her.'
'The thought of that pure young woman sent a sharp, needle-like pain through Cecilia's heart.'
'She had once noticed a speck of dust on the violin and wiped it off, only for Damian Hawthorne to lash out at her—a rare display of his temper.'
'She had never touched the violin again after that.'
'And now he had given that treasure away.'
'Perhaps it wasn't that Damian Hawthorne didn't want to get married. He just didn't want to marry *her*.'
"Mr. Hawthorne, Miss Hughes has arrived."
Damian Hawthorne retracted his hand and strode toward the door.
The spot on her waist that had been burning from his touch instantly grew cold.
'It really was different, after all.'
Cecilia Nathan's hands clenched into fists.
A moment later, the young woman with the violin case slung over her back walked in.
Seeing the scene in the private room, Serena Hughes blushed. "Mr. Hawthorne..."
"What are you doing here?" Damian Hawthorne's voice instinctively softened, becoming gentle and magnetic.
As realization dawned on some of the guests, they shot sympathetic glances toward Cecilia Nathan.
No wonder Damian Hawthorne refused to even mention marriage. He had found someone new.
Damian Hawthorne had always been cold toward women; he'd never been this gentle, not even with Cecilia Nathan.
They could all see that this time, Damian Hawthorne was serious.
"I came to return the violin," Serena Hughes said, carefully handing the instrument to Damian Hawthorne. "I can't accept this."
"I never take back my gifts," Damian Hawthorne said with remarkable patience. "If you really don't like it, I'll have my assistant take you to pick out another."
"I do like it, but Miss Cecilia Nathan said it's very precious. Mr. Hawthorne, I can't accept something so valuable."
Serena Hughes's directness caught Cecilia Nathan completely off guard.
'She'd never said anything of the sort.'
Damian Hawthorne raised his eyes languidly. "What does this have to do with her?" he said slowly. "I'll give my things to whomever I please."
The words Cecilia wanted to say caught in her throat.
'That's right. What was their relationship, anyway?'
'She couldn't control him, nor did she have any right to.'
Damian Hawthorne was handsome, his gaze direct and bold. His words, especially, were enough to make Serena Hughes blush.
Damian Hawthorne was a legend in Korsyth. He was a formidable man who, at a young age, had already become the head of the Hawthorne Group, the city's most powerful family.
For the youngest patriarch of the Hawthorne family, seducing a girl as innocent as a blank slate was as easy as breathing.
'Cecilia Nathan thought that with a man like Damian Hawthorne, even if Serena Hughes wasn't interested at first, it was only a matter of time before she fell for him.'
Everyone wanted to get on Damian Hawthorne's good side, so seeing him give the word, they began to fawn over Serena Hughes as well.
At someone's encouragement, Serena Hughes confidently began to play.
And of all things, she played "Carmen."
A wave of nausea hit Cecilia Nathan. She hurried to the restroom and couldn't stop herself from vomiting.
Someone who loved to stir the pot joked, "Don't tell me Cecilia Nathan is pregnant?"
The atmosphere suddenly went rigid.
Cecilia was about to step out and explain when she heard Damian Hawthorne say, "Impossible."
"But what if she is?"
The room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
Cecilia held her breath, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Mr. Hawthorne is just messing around with Cecilia. No way he'd let her get pregnant," someone else jeered.
Damian Hawthorne didn't respond, and soon after, the lively atmosphere returned.
'Messing around... Everyone knew Damian Hawthorne was just messing around with her.'
'Damian Hawthorne always maintained appearances with her in public, but he never put a label on their relationship.'
'Damian Hawthorne was handsome and a major figure in Korsyth. If he just wanted to play around, there would be no shortage of women willing to join him.'
'She had thought he would eventually settle down, but she could never seem to warm his heart.'
Cecilia Nathan stared at her reflection in the mirror, her stomach churning violently.
Just then, the door swung open.
Damian Hawthorne was leaning against the doorframe, a smirk playing on his lips.
Cecilia Nathan's eyes widened. She could clearly see her own anxious, miserable face reflected in his.
Damian Hawthorne leaned in, his tall frame bending slightly. He narrowed his eyes, his lazy voice laced with mockery. "What's wrong? Are you actually pregnant?"