Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Unlucky in Love, Unlucky in Career

She had just been spouting nonsense to make Jude Sheridan give up and shut up.

Judging by his expression, he had clearly overheard.

Embarrassed, Cecilia Croft averted her gaze, avoiding the man standing in the doorway.

A corner of Sebastian Hawthorne’s lips curled up. He drew his gaze back and looked down at the dejected Jude Sheridan.

"I’m here to discuss business with President Sheridan. You haven’t forgotten, have you?"

Jude Sheridan froze for a moment. He remembered sending Sebastian Hawthorne a message before getting drunk the day before, saying he was willing to sell his Vantage shares in the hopes that Sebastian would stop making things difficult for the company.

But later, when he had called Cecilia Croft to tell her about it, he’d heard a man’s voice on her end saying something about going to sleep. The provocation had made him forget all about it.

Jude Sheridan silently took a deep breath, glanced at Cecilia Croft, and composed himself before making a gesture of invitation toward Sebastian Hawthorne.

"Mr. Hawthorne, please come with me. We can negotiate in my office."

Sebastian Hawthorne nodded.

As Jude Sheridan walked ahead, Sebastian Hawthorne glanced into Cecilia Croft’s office. Seeing the woman in the chair deliberately avoiding his gaze, he smiled and took out his phone to send her a text.

[Did we do everything we should and shouldn’t have? And there’s a lot more on you? Hickeys? I don’t seem to remember any of that.]

He sent the message and pocketed his phone.

Only after the man had left her office area did Cecilia Croft finally pick up her phone to check it.

When she saw the message from Sebastian Hawthorne, her face instantly turned beet red.

She pounded the desk in frustration. It took her a while to compose herself before she replied.

[I was just making it up.]

Sebastian Hawthorne: [If you’ve been taken advantage of, don’t keep it to yourself. I’m not the kind of man who refuses to take responsibility.]

Cecilia Croft: "..."

Jude Sheridan led Sebastian Hawthorne into his office and invited him to sit. He then had his secretary brew a cup of tea for Sebastian and place it in front of him.

"Mr. Hawthorne, before we sign the contract, I have a small request."

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t look up from his phone. "Let’s hear it."

Seeing this, Jude Sheridan didn’t bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"I hope that if there are any personnel changes in Vantage’s management, you will stand with me, Mr. Hawthorne."

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t respond.

Jude Sheridan silently took another deep breath and continued.

"Mr. Hawthorne, please believe me. With my abilities, I can definitely make Vantage even better. From its founding until now, I have always been the one leading it toward a better future. Please trust my ability and be my ally."

Only then did Sebastian Hawthorne put away his phone, his gaze settling on him.

Although there was no discernible change in his eyes, Jude Sheridan inexplicably felt an oppressive aura that was hard to ignore.

He forced himself to meet Sebastian Hawthorne’s gaze, but his tense demeanor betrayed him.

Sebastian Hawthorne remained silent for a long time. Jude Sheridan eventually broke eye contact and looked down at himself.

Only then did he notice how undignified he looked.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain himself, but the words wouldn’t come.

Whatever the reason for his current state, it couldn’t excuse his lack of decorum.

Sebastian Hawthorne finally spoke, his voice low. "I only align myself with the strong. Whether President Sheridan is strong or not remains to be seen. I came here today simply to purchase shares, not to team up with anyone."

"Someone who can’t accept the consequences of their mistakes, who argues irrationally and refuses to take responsibility for their errors... I do not consider such a person to be strong."

Jude Sheridan’s expression froze. He was so thoroughly chastised that he couldn’t lift his head. His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into tight fists, his face a mask of strained composure.

Sebastian Hawthorne averted his gaze and simply raised a hand, signaling for the lawyer who had come with him to speak with Jude Sheridan.

The lawyer, all business, sat to the side, took a pre-drafted contract from his briefcase, and handed it to Jude Sheridan.

"President Sheridan, hello. This is the contract we have prepared. If you have no objections, please sign at the end."

Jude Sheridan reached for the agreement, then glanced at the secretary standing behind him.

The secretary took the hint, quickly left the office, and brought Attorney Cole in. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

After Attorney Cole carefully reviewed the contract’s terms and confirmed there were no issues, he nodded at Jude Sheridan.

Before signing, Jude Sheridan looked at Sebastian Hawthorne, making one last plea in a low voice.

"Mr. Hawthorne, although I’ve had a momentary lapse in composure due to personal matters, please believe that I can quickly get myself back on track and devote all my energy to my work."

Sebastian Hawthorne didn’t even glance at him as he replied coolly.

"Working diligently—isn’t that the expected attitude of any company manager?"

Jude Sheridan: "..."

Sebastian Hawthorne shot his lawyer a look.

"I’ll leave it to you."

The lawyer nodded respectfully. "Yes, Mr. Hawthorne."

Sebastian Hawthorne stood up and left Jude Sheridan’s office.

Seeing this, Jude Sheridan gritted his teeth and quickly signed his name on the contract.

The lawyer collected the contract and handed a copy to Jude Sheridan.

With a sullen face, Jude Sheridan did not reach out to take it.

"I’ll take it, Lawyer Gordon." Attorney Cole, knowing Jude Sheridan was fuming, quickly held out his hand.

’After all, they were alumni from the same school, and Lawyer Gordon was his senior. He had to be polite. If his legal consulting gig with Vantage didn’t last long, maybe he could ride his senior alumnus’s coattails into the Hawthorne Group’s legal department.’

Lawyer Gordon wasn’t at all displeased by Jude Sheridan’s show of temper. He nodded and placed the contract in Attorney Cole’s hand.

"I’ve already scheduled the notarization. Will President Sheridan be going with me this afternoon to handle it, or will Attorney Cole be acting as his representative?"

Hearing this, Attorney Cole looked at Jude Sheridan. He hadn’t been informed about this.

Jude Sheridan was in a particularly foul mood and had no desire to run around handling these procedures with a lawyer from the Hawthorne Group. He immediately said to Attorney Cole,

"You go with him this afternoon and take care of it."

Attorney Cole nodded.

"Yes, President Sheridan."

Having received a clear answer, Lawyer Gordon rose from the sofa and picked up his briefcase.

"Since that’s settled, I’ll be on my way. I’ll contact you this afternoon, Attorney Cole."

Attorney Cole nodded.

After Lawyer Gordon left, Jude Sheridan leaned back on the sofa, cradled his head in his hands, and irritably raked his fingers through his hair. In a dull tone, he said to Attorney Cole,

"You can go, too."

Attorney Cole respectfully exited the office, closing the door behind him.

A moment later, the sound of something smashing came from inside the room.

Lawyer Gordon was still waiting for the elevator. Hearing the commotion behind him, he raised an eyebrow. When he saw Attorney Cole emerge, he commented coolly,

"President Sheridan’s mood seems a bit... unstable."

’Unlucky in love and unlucky at work—it’d be a miracle if he were stable.’

Attorney Cole gave an awkward smile. When the elevator doors opened, he quickly gestured for his senior alumnus to enter.