"Mr. Hawthorne is upstairs; he'll be right down."
Seeing the person beside Cecilia Nathan, Serena Hughes fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, her voice tinged with nervousness. "Cecilia Nathan, you and Chloe know each other?"
Chloe Sutton sneered. "She's my best friend. Of course we know each other. Serena Hughes, even though Damian Hawthorne got you in here, our competition is fair. I hope you perform well. Don't lose to Cecilia and end up embarrassing him."
Serena Hughes's face paled. "Mr. Hawthorne and I… don't have that kind of relationship…"
"Then what kind of relationship is it? Are you his mistress?" Chloe's gaze was sharp.
Serena Hughes clutched her chest, avoiding a direct answer. "Cecilia Nathan, you play an instrument too?"
"I know a little," Cecilia Nathan said, her expression indifferent. She didn't want to elaborate.
Ever since Serena Hughes had backstabbed her last time, she had become more guarded.
'If Serena Hughes were truly that innocent, she wouldn't have said those things in front of Damian Hawthorne, nor would she have deliberately played "Carmen".'
"Cecilia is skilled in many instruments, especially the violin. Her playing is practically at a master's level." Chloe Sutton's smile was full of hidden meaning. "You two will have to have a proper duel on stage."
Hearing that Cecilia Nathan was skilled at the violin, the color gradually drained from Serena Hughes's face. "Cecilia Nathan, are you entering this competition because of me?"
Instead of getting angry, Chloe Sutton laughed. "I had to move heaven and earth to get Cecilia to join. This has absolutely nothing to do with you, okay?"
Chloe was about to say more, but Cecilia Nathan pulled her back. "We're in the lobby."
'If we make a scene, it'll be in the headlines tomorrow.'
Chloe Sutton took a deep breath, shot Serena Hughes a vicious glare, and took Cecilia Nathan's hand. "Let's go see the station director first."
Thinking of Damian Hawthorne still being upstairs, Cecilia Nathan shook her head. "Forget it. I have something else to do. I'll come back another time when I'm free."
The words had barely left her mouth when Damian Hawthorne stepped out of the elevator.
He was dressed simply in a white shirt and black pants, which accentuated his tall, slender figure.
Damian Hawthorne's eyes met Cecilia Nathan's the moment he looked up, and his thin lips curled slightly.
"Touring the sights?"
His words were laced with a hint of mockery.
Remembering his "I'll sort it out in five minutes," Cecilia Nathan pressed her lips together and said nothing.
'So this is what they mean when they say enemies are bound to meet.'
'I didn't say I was going on a trip that day. I said I was leaving the Hawthorne Family—leaving him.'
But from the looks of it now, Damian Hawthorne clearly hadn't taken her words seriously.
She loved Damian Hawthorne so deeply that she had threatened to leave a thousand times but never actually went through with it.
Damian Hawthorne had seen through all her past attempts at playing hard to get, but he had overlooked her resolve this time.
Serena Hughes gave Damian Hawthorne a sweet smile. "Mr. Hawthorne, how come you never told me Cecilia Nathan plays the violin too?"
Damian Hawthorne gave her a patient look. "Cecilia doesn't play any instruments."
"Is that so?" Serena Hughes looked at Cecilia Nathan in confusion. "But Cecilia Nathan entered the music competition too…"
Damian Hawthorne's brow twitched. He gave Cecilia Nathan a meaningful glance. "I had no idea you could play an instrument."
Cecilia Nathan found it almost funny.
'I graduated from Veridia's top music conservatory. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to play an instrument?'
They had been together for years, yet Damian Hawthorne didn't even know which school she had graduated from.
Damian Hawthorne was a picky eater, so she had devoted herself to mastering cooking, forgetting that she, too, had studied the arts.
"I just learned recently." Cecilia Nathan's lips twitched, the irony of the situation hitting her even harder.
Hearing this, Serena Hughes breathed a sigh of relief.
'Playing an instrument requires not only years of practice but also exceptional talent. If Cecilia is actually good at the violin, I'll have to give it my all to beat her. But if she only started learning recently, she's no match for me at all. Honestly, I don't want to compete against her, but if I have to, I absolutely cannot lose.'
"Cecilia Nathan, if you really want to learn, you should look up my mentor. She has a doctorate from Veridia's top music conservatory and has taught many outstanding students." Serena Hughes pulled up a contact on her phone, eagerly holding it out to Cecilia Nathan.
Seeing Serena Hughes's eager expression, Cecilia Nathan was amused.
'Serena just wants to see me make a fool of myself. Her little scheme is written all over her face.'
"I don't want to learn. I'm just in it for the money." Cecilia Nathan winked playfully. "The registration fee is one hundred thousand. I was tempted."
Serena Hughes hadn't expected Cecilia Nathan to be so blunt.
'Most of the contestants on this show come from wealthy families. They're in it for the fame. Compared to the fame you can get, a hundred thousand is nothing. Willing to risk humiliation just for money… How vulgar.'
Serena Hughes felt a surge of contempt and was about to pull her phone back when a DING sounded. Cecilia Nathan had already added the contact.
Cecilia Nathan tossed her phone into her handbag and looked up at the slightly dazed Damian Hawthorne. "I'm leaving now. You two have fun."
In the past, she definitely would have made a scene.
But this time, she was exceptionally composed.
Damian Hawthorne lifted his gaze, a half-smile on his face. "Mom's birthday is tomorrow. She wants you to come home early."
Cecilia Nathan's elegant brows twitched.
Damian Hawthorne's mother, Ms. Bennett, always specifically requested her presence for every holiday—not because she saw her as a daughter-in-law, but because she needed her to cook a few of her signature dishes.
The mother and son were surprisingly similar when it came to food; Ms. Bennett was even pickier than Damian Hawthorne.
In the past, to please Damian Hawthorne, her affection for him had extended to his mother, and she had done her utmost to curry favor with Ms. Bennett as well.
After years of effort, while she couldn't say she had completely mastered Ms. Bennett's palate, she had figured out about seventy or eighty percent of it.
In the past, she would have agreed without a second thought.
"Sorry, I'm busy tomorrow."
Damian Hawthorne was stunned for a moment, then a wicked grin spread across his lips. "What could be more important than Mom's birthday?"
Cecilia Nathan was silent.
Damian Hawthorne casually slung an arm around her shoulder, his voice low and deep. "Short on cash?"
As soon as he spoke, a cold card was slipped past her waist and into her waistband.
It was a bank card.
When she left, she hadn't taken anything Damian Hawthorne had given her, including his bank cards.
"A million. To buy one of your meals tomorrow."
Cecilia Nathan shoved the card back into his hand. "Damian Hawthorne, I am not your family's maid."
Damian Hawthorne lowered his eyes, toying with the card in his hand, and scoffed. "That's not what you said back then."
"You said you just wanted to be by my side, even if it meant being a maid."
A pang of bitterness hit Cecilia Nathan.
Yes, she loved him. That's why she had been willing to trade her art for an apron.
'These hands were meant for art.'
But just because she was willing to cook for him didn't mean cooking was all she could do.
"Damian Hawthorne, I was serious yesterday." Cecilia Nathan looked up, her eyes misty. "Let's not contact each other anymore."
...
「In the TV station's underground garage, inside a silver LaFerrari.」
Damian Hawthorne picked up a pack of cigarettes, placed one between his lips, and lit it. He turned his head to the person beside him. "Can you cook?"
"Not really." Serena Hughes asked softly in return, "Mr. Hawthorne, do you like girls who can cook?"
Damian Hawthorne didn't answer, his narrow eyes narrowed.
The Hawthorne Family had professional chefs; there was no need for anyone else to cook.
But when Cecilia Nathan was pursuing him, she had insisted on personally cooking anything he was to eat.
And as it happened, any food that passed through Cecilia Nathan's hands was exceptional. Over time, he had gotten used to her cooking.
But for the past month, Cecilia Nathan hadn't cooked at all, even refusing Ms. Bennett's birthday request.
Remembering her "Let's not contact each other anymore," Damian Hawthorne felt a surge of irritation and stubbed out his cigarette.
Serena Hughes couldn't figure out what he was thinking and nervously fidgeted with the hem of her clothes. "I only know how to make a few specialty dishes…"
Watching her blush, Damian Hawthorne lowered his voice. "It's Ms. Bennett's birthday tomorrow. I'll take you to meet her."
Serena Hughes's eyes widened, her heart pounding like a drum.
'Meeting Ms. Bennett… that's like a formal introduction to his family…'
'Damian Hawthorne… he's being so good to me.'