"'A fortune...' What piece of music could possibly be worth a fortune?" Damian Hawthorne's lips curled into a sneer, his narrow eyes filled with mockery.
"To you, it might just be a piece of music. But to me, it's a precious memory." Cecilia Nathan's voice was soft, but the displeasure in her tone was unmistakable.
"A precious memory..." Damian Hawthorne's smile was wild and unrestrained, a mocking smirk playing on his lips. "Play it for me. Let's hear what this piece is."
"Mr. Hawthorne..." Serena Hughes's lips went pale. She clutched her head with both hands. "My head... it hurts a little."
The smile vanished from Damian Hawthorne's face. He rushed over to support her. "What's wrong? I'll take you to the hospital."
Serena Hughes shook her head. "It's nothing. I'll be fine after a little rest."
Without another word, Damian Hawthorne swept her up into his arms. He walked to the door, then paused.
"You're coming too." Damian Hawthorne's gaze fell on Cecilia Nathan, his tone like a command.
Cecilia Nathan chuckled softly. "I have other things to do. I can't."
Damian Hawthorne's expression chilled. "Her headache started right after your argument. Don't you think you should come to the hospital?"
Cecilia Nathan's fingers tightened into a fist. "What does that have to do with me...?"
"Mr. Hawthorne... my head hurts so badly," Serena Hughes whimpered, tugging on his collar, her face growing even paler.
Remembering Serena Hughes's past head injury, Damian Hawthorne didn't argue further. He turned and left, still carrying her.
"Assistant, we'd like to request time off. Claire and I want to go to the hospital to check on Serena."
Tia Bennett and Claire Hale had watched the entire exchange. They, too, felt that Cecilia Nathan was deliberately giving Serena Hughes a hard time.
'It was just a piece of music, after all. At worst, it was a matter of price.'
'And yet, Cecilia Nathan claimed it was worth a fortune.'
'Even if she was talented, and even if the piece was a masterpiece, the two words "a fortune" still seemed like an exaggeration.'
'Serena Hughes had been in a car accident and still suffered from headaches as a side effect. They were genuinely worried about her.'
Cecilia Nathan nodded. As Tia Bennett and Claire Hale were leaving, they shot a look at Cecilia Nathan. "Assistant Nathan, even though you didn't technically do anything just now, Serena has a prior head injury. If there are any complications from this, you won't be able to escape responsibility for what happened."
Having said her piece, Tia Bennett indignantly linked arms with Claire Hale and left.
Cecilia Nathan sighed, thinking about her current position.
'She didn't have to suck up to anyone, but her current role was just a teaching assistant.'
'At the end of the day, she was just a hired hand.'
...
「Korsyth Hospital.」
Damian Hawthorne watched the doctor finish the examination. Serena Hughes was lying on the bed, her small, delicate face so pale it was nearly transparent.
"Mr. Hawthorne, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have gone to Cecilia Nathan to ask for that music..." As she spoke, Serena Hughes's eyes welled up with tears. "She's our teaching assistant. She's definitely going to hate me now."
"Your teaching assistant?" Damian Hawthorne raised an eyebrow, surprised.
'He never would have thought Cecilia Nathan would end up being Serena Hughes's teaching assistant.'
"Yes. My advisor said she's extremely talented and asked her to fill in as our teaching assistant." At this, Serena Hughes clutched the blanket tightly. "Mr. Hawthorne, Cecilia Nathan is so gifted at music... and we're competing in the same program. Do I really stand a chance?"
Her voice cracked as if she were about to cry.
'She was genuinely afraid.'
'She wanted to join the program to build her own reputation, not to be a stepping stone for someone else.'
'What she hadn't anticipated at all was that Cecilia Nathan wasn't just some amateur, but a true professional.'
Seeing her so worried, Damian Hawthorne offered her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. You'll definitely place."
"But..."
Serena Hughes started to say more, but seeing Damian Hawthorne's confidence, and recalling the tens of millions he had invested, she let out a soft sigh of relief.
'If Damian Hawthorne said she would place, then she would definitely place.'
'Even if it meant winning unfairly, she couldn't lose to Cecilia Nathan.'
The image of Cecilia Nathan playing her violin flashed through her mind, and Serena Hughes's heart began to POUND.
"Mr. Hawthorne, did you really not know that Cecilia Nathan could play the violin?" Serena Hughes asked Damian.
"No, I didn't." Damian Hawthorne mused, 'She never once played for me.'
Serena Hughes's eyes widened, and for a moment, her heart stopped.
'No wonder...'
'Otherwise, given Cecilia Nathan's skill and that particular piece of music, there's no way Damian Hawthorne would have been so unmoved.'
'What if he finds out Cecilia can play the full piece?'
'No. She absolutely could not let that happen.'
Serena Hughes stared blankly at the wall, a storm of emotions raging within her.
'She had to admit it: she had grown accustomed to Damian Hawthorne's special favor.'
'She didn't know what she would do without Damian Hawthorne's help.'
'Perhaps... she had started to fall for Damian Hawthorne, too.'
"Mr. Hawthorne, will you always protect me?" A sudden fear gripped Serena Hughes.
Hearing this, Damian Hawthorne's lips curled into a patient, slightly wicked smile. "Afraid of losing me?"
Serena Hughes blushed. "Mr. Hawthorne... please don't tease me."
"I will protect you. I will always protect you." Damian Hawthorne's voice was gentle and magnetic. "Just like you once protected me."
Serena Hughes nodded and proactively took Damian Hawthorne's hand. "Then... from now on, let's be together. For the rest of our lives..."
Serena Hughes's forwardness took Damian Hawthorne by surprise.
He was about to return her grip, but Hugo Grant's words echoed in his mind.
'Cecilia Nathan is pregnant.'
Damian Hawthorne quietly withdrew his hand. He tucked the blanket around her and said in a low voice, "Don't let your imagination run wild."
As her hand fell empty, a similar emptiness filled Serena Hughes's heart.
After a moment, she found her voice. "I'm sorry, I was getting ahead of myself..."
"It's not that. I said I would protect you, and I won't let anyone bully you." A thought seemed to cross his mind, and Damian Hawthorne's thin lips tightened. "But as for Cecilia... you'd best not provoke her."
"You're young and don't have much experience with the world. You're no match for her."
'He thought about all the women who used to flock to him. He never knew what methods Cecilia used, but she had scared nearly all of them away.'
'He never had any feelings for those women, so he didn't care what Cecilia did.'
'But Serena was different.'
A dull ache settled in Damian Hawthorne's chest at the thought of Cecilia Nathan.
"Get some rest. I'm going to step out for a minute." He stood up, and as he turned, he saw Cecilia Nathan.
She was standing in the doorway in a long, grey dress, holding a bag of fruit. She looked calm, and solitary.
Only her bright, almond-shaped eyes held a hint of irony.
Damian Hawthorne found her beautiful—so beautiful it was almost jarring.
Cecilia Nathan had the strongest urge to just throw the bag of fruit.
As luck would have it, she had arrived just in time to hear Damian Hawthorne say, "you'd best not provoke her."
'Right. *She* was the one not to be provoked.'
'Everyone thought she was bullying Serena Hughes.'
Cecilia Nathan walked to the bedside and set the fruit down. "Feeling any better?"
Serena Hughes looked a little guilty. "Much better, thank you, Cecilia Nathan..."
Although Cecilia Nathan was now her teaching assistant, she still couldn't bring herself to call her by her title.
'In her heart of hearts, she refused to admit that Cecilia was better than her.'
"Come with me." Damian Hawthorne's voice was hoarse, his gaze fixed on Cecilia Nathan, a storm of complex emotions swirling in his eyes.
'Hugo's words replayed in his head. Cecilia had ended up pregnant with his child after all. "Damian," Hugo had warned, "Cecilia's planning to get rid of the baby. If you still choose Serena Hughes, you won't just lose Cecilia—you'll lose her child, too."'