Seeing Evelyn Kendrick walk over with Silas Hawthorne, Hazel Sinclair sized them up and asked, "Evelyn, I thought you couldn’t stand him?"
"And now you’re actually alone with him."
Evelyn Kendrick, caught off guard, immediately retorted, "That’s not it at all."
"He and I are business partners now. We’re only together to discuss our collaboration."
Silas Hawthorne listened without refuting her. His gaze just rested on her, his eyes holding a hint of... adoration?
’What’s going on?’
’Their relationship suddenly changed right after he found out what was going on?’
’And what’s with that adoring look from Silas Hawthorne?’
"So you two powerhouses have joined forces?" Hazel Sinclair decided not to dwell on it, walking over to stand beside Evelyn with a grin.
"Yes." Evelyn Kendrick nodded. She couldn’t completely take over Jasper Fletcher’s company on her own, but with the Hawthorne Family involved, it would be easy.
"Awesome." Hazel Sinclair patted her on the shoulder, excited. "Get that partnership going and make a ton of money."
"Money is all you ever think about," Evelyn Kendrick said, giving her a light shove on the head.
"In that case, my dear sugar mommy, why don’t you send some my way?" Hazel Sinclair asked, pushing her luck.
Evelyn Kendrick looked at her, speechless.
But Evelyn was fond of her. She pulled out her phone and sent her a 50,000-yuan transfer right then and there.
"Here, take it."
"Thank you, my sugar mommy!" Hazel Sinclair saw the fifty thousand yuan and was thrilled. ’Just as I’d expect from my sugar mommy.’
’So generous.’
Just then, someone came over to chat with them, so Hazel decided not to bother them. She went to look for Liam Lancaster, but he was busy networking as well.
With a free moment, Hazel decided to find Jill Kensington.
[Hazel Sinclair: Where are you? I’ll come find you.]
This time, Jill Kensington didn’t reply right away, which Hazel found strange.
[Hazel Sinclair: Did something happen?]
Meanwhile, Jill Kensington stood rooted to the spot. Several young women had appeared in front of her.
They wore the latest designer gowns, their faces adorned with exquisite makeup.
But their gazes landed on Jill with unconcealed mockery and disdain.
"Mr. Holloway, is this your new girlfriend?"
"Which prominent family is she from?"
Nearby, Cillian Holloway held a wine glass in one hand, the other stuffed in his pocket. His gaze landed on Jill as he let out a laugh. "Just some girl who threw herself at me. Not a lady from any family."
"Hahaha, a girl who threw herself at you?" someone jeered. "That’s pretty shameless."
Jill Kensington listened to their chatter and judgment, clutching her handbag, a faint smile never leaving her face.
’It’s fine,’ she thought. ’You have to toss your dignity aside to make money. He just transferred me two hundred thousand. I can handle a little mockery, a little humiliation.’
Cillian Holloway’s eyes were fixed on Jill, watching to see if she would get angry.
But seeing that same faint smile on her face, showing no sign of anger whatsoever, Cillian suddenly found the whole thing dull.
’She’s like a block of wood. What’s the point of being so beautiful?’
"You’re throwing yourself at Mr. Holloway... surely it’s not for his money, is it? Everyone in our circle knows he’s extremely generous when he ends things," one of the young heirs asked Jill with a smirk.
After he spoke, his eyes raked over her body. Jill was wearing a long white dress that accentuated her figure.
Her long hair was styled in an updo, and with her light makeup and faint smile, she radiated a kind of sophisticated elegance.
The young heir took in the sight, let out a wolf whistle, and grinned. "Mr. Holloway, when are you two breaking up? Let me have a ’talk’ with her when you’re done."
Cillian’s mood, already soured by Jill’s lack of reaction, darkened further at the comment.
His eyes fell on Jill again. Seeing her just standing there, not saying a word, only made him more agitated.
"Get lost!" Cillian yelled, then grabbed Jill’s hand and dragged her away from the group, toward the edge of the deck.
Once they reached a more secluded spot, he shoved her hard. Jill slammed into the railing, and before she could even react, Cillian grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"Jill, why didn’t you refuse him? Why didn’t you tell him off?" Cillian demanded.
Jill’s back was killing her, and her chin throbbed from his vicelike grip.
’He was so rough, completely clueless about how to treat a woman.’
’Brute. Fucking idiot!’
Jill cursed him viciously in her mind, but on the surface, she still had to explain herself. "I didn’t dare."
"I’m just an ordinary person with no power or influence. Besides, you said it yourself—I’m the one who threw myself at you."
"Then why didn’t you reject his offer?" Cillian pressed.
"Or are you actually planning to ’talk’ with him?" he demanded, his gaze boring into her.
"I rejected someone last time, and your friends laughed at me for being delusional—for a toad wanting to eat swan meat. You laughed right along with them. This time, I don’t reject him, and you’re *still* not satisfied. What do you want from me?" No matter how much she tried to hold it in, his questioning finally made her snap. She glared back at him, her dark eyes flashing with anger.
’Damn it, being a rich guy’s girlfriend is impossible.’
’She had experienced a lifetime’s worth of mockery and humiliation all over again just since becoming his girlfriend.’
’If it weren’t for the money, she would’ve dumped him ages ago.’
Cillian was taken aback for a moment. Thinking back to what had happened at the bar, he suddenly realized he might have gone too far.
"Ahem. Well, next time something like this happens, you have to reject them. Understood?" Cillian said. He pulled out his phone, sent her a transfer for tens of thousands of yuan, and added, "For your trouble."
Then he handed her a key card. "Go have fun by yourself. I have to leave for a bit. If you get tired, you can rest in this room." With that, he turned and left.
Jill watched him walk away, then glanced down at the key card in her hand. A room number was printed on the sleek black plastic.
She pulled out her phone and saw Cillian had transferred her sixty thousand yuan.
Looking at the money, Jill suppressed all the disgust and loathing welling up inside her.
’As long as it pays the bills,’ she thought.
"There you are," Hazel Sinclair’s voice came from nearby. "Why didn’t you text me back?"
"I was busy," Jill said, tucking the key card away as she turned to face her.
Hazel leaned against the railing and noticed her reddened chin. "What happened to your chin?"
"It’s nothing." Jill leaned against the railing beside her, gazing out at the deep blue sea. The breeze felt good against her skin.
"I might not have to fake my death after all," Hazel said with a smile. "Pearl Zane found out she was being used by some bad people, so she won’t try to harm me anymore."
"What about your money, then?" Jill asked, remembering the suitcase Hazel had given to the female driver.
"I’ll just get it back from her after we dock. I’ll message the fishing boat in a bit and tell them they don’t have to keep following us," Hazel said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.