In an old residential complex in Korsyth, some luggage was piled up at the mouth of an alley.
"Mr. Hawthorne, thank you for dropping me off." Serena Hughes stood by her luggage, her face slightly flushed from the sun.
Her eyes were sparkling, bright and clear.
Damian Hawthorne's car was flashy, and the elderly residents of the small alley kept peeking out to see which distinguished guest had arrived.
Seeing the neighbors coming out, Serena Hughes suddenly grew nervous. "Mr. Hawthorne, this is far enough. My family will help me move my luggage inside later."
Damian Hawthorne stood by his car, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cigarette. He squinted as he surveyed the alley in this old part of the city.
"The living conditions here aren't great. I'll get you a new place."
Serena Hughes quickly waved her hands. "Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne. I'm already so grateful that you helped me get on the show. I really couldn't ask for anything else."
She didn't know why Damian Hawthorne was so good to her. At first, she'd vehemently rejected his advances, but he was too domineering, insisting on helping her without taking no for an answer.
'She had considered accepting him, but Damian Hawthorne's mother had shattered her dream.'
'She and Damian Hawthorne were from two different worlds to begin with.'
After watching Serena Hughes walk into the alley, Damian Hawthorne called his assistant. "Buy this plot of land in the shantytown on the south side of Korsyth."
"President Hawthorne, isn't our main goal this year to invest in technology? The return on real estate is very slow right now."
"Just buy this one." Damian Hawthorne gave his assistant no room to object.
...
「Lost City Bar.」
The lights were dazzling, the noise deafening.
Inside the VIP booth, Damian Hawthorne swirled the wine glass in his hand, feigning nonchalance. "She doesn't want to drop out of the competition?"
"That's right." Hugo Grant stared at his friend, his tone flat. "She said she won't pester you anymore."
Damian Hawthorne's hand, holding the wine glass, froze. A moment later, he downed the red wine in one go.
"She's different this time. I think she's serious."
A wicked smile played on Damian Hawthorne's lips.
"When is she ever not serious?"
Despite his words, the thought of Cecilia Nathan's cold gaze made him inexplicably anxious.
"How is she feeling?" Damian Hawthorne asked.
"Why don't you go see for yourself?"
Damian Hawthorne rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Serena Hughes is graduating. I have to help her move out of her dorm."
"How much stuff could she possibly have that she needs you, the great Damian Hawthorne, to move it personally?" Hugo Grant's tone turned icy. "Damian, if Cecilia Nathan gets married one day, will you regret this?"
Bombarded with questions, Damian Hawthorne squinted his eyes in surprise. "I remember you didn't like Cecilia Nathan either. Since when did you start speaking up for her?"
A flicker of emotion crossed Hugo Grant's eyes. "I'm just afraid you'll regret it."
Damian Hawthorne tilted his head and laughed, his demeanor carefree and unrestrained. "The word 'regret' isn't in my vocabulary."
'Cecilia Nathan was the one who chased me. She was the one who clung to me relentlessly.'
'Regret?'
'I will never regret it.'
Hugo Grant's expression was complicated. "I hope you stick to your word and never regret it."
...
「Korsyth Hospital.」
At Frances Bennett's strong insistence, Cecilia Nathan had already completed a full-body check-up.
All the tests came back normal, except for the one indicating she had taken contraceptive pills.
KNOCK KNOCK. Someone was at the door.
Cecilia Nathan looked up and immediately saw Damian Hawthorne standing in the doorway.
"How are you?" Damian Hawthorne walked over, his gaze landing on her face, his tone languid. "You look well."
"Why are you so insistent on participating in that competition?"
'Of course. That's what he really cares about.'
Cecilia Nathan shot him a cold glance. "Damian Hawthorne, I studied music in college. I haven't touched a single instrument in years. What's wrong with wanting to have some fun with it now?"
"Have some fun..." Damian Hawthorne looked up, his eyes holding a deeper meaning. "Serena is innocent. She's no match for you."
Cecilia Nathan's heart clenched.
'Serena is innocent.'
'And I'm the manipulative one.'
'So this is how despicable I am in Damian Hawthorne's eyes.'
"Damian Hawthorne, I'm not entering this competition for anyone else. I'm doing it for myself." Cecilia Nathan took a deep breath, trying her best to remain calm. "For the past few years, I've shamelessly trailed after you and lost my true self in the process."
"Damian Hawthorne, the truth is... I love music too."
She loved all kinds of instruments. Her simplest dream was to travel the world with her favorite ones.
She wanted to cross mountains and rivers, bringing music wherever she went.
To stay by Damian Hawthorne's side, she had abandoned her original dream.
Now, she just wanted to find her true self again.
"This music show is for amateurs. If you're on the same stage as Serena, you'll steal her spotlight." Damian Hawthorne lifted his chin slightly, narrowing his eyes in thought. "You've gained some popularity over the years. If you compete together, no one will pay attention to her."
"She's the first woman you've ever actively pursued. How could she not get any attention?" Cecilia Nathan laughed sarcastically, a bitter sting rising in her nose.
'Sure, I get attention, but it's all just verbal abuse.'
People called her shameless for clinging so desperately to Damian Hawthorne's side.
And recently, her name had been trending again, with people mocking her, saying the man she had chased for so long had finally gotten away.
At the thought, Cecilia Nathan's eyes reddened with anger.
She huddled under the covers, looking small and pitiful.
Damian Hawthorne raised an eyebrow, his tone softening slightly. "So you're dead set on going up against her?"
"I'll drop out of the competition, but on one condition." Cecilia Nathan looked up, staring into his eyes, and said, word by word, "Marry me. Do you dare?"
Damian Hawthorne clicked his tongue and gave a disdainful laugh. "Is that all you can come up with?"
From the day she started pursuing him, she had asked him almost every day when he would marry her.
It wasn't that he hadn't considered it.
Being with Cecilia Nathan felt easy and familiar, allowing him to be his true self.
But every time Cecilia Nathan proposed, she would only stare into his eyes, as if her soul had been pulled from her body, leaving her completely distracted.
It was as if she wasn't proposing to him, but to his eyes.
Damian Hawthorne licked his lower lip, then cupped her face in his large hand and slowly leaned in.
"And why should I marry you, Cecilia Nathan?"