Chapter 278 Who Is the Real Hunter?

Chapter 278 Who Is the Real Hunter?

The call connected.

Dione's voice came through the line, every syllable trembling.

"Mr. Chapman, I am begging you, please meet with me."

There was no response from the other end, only the faint sound of static, seeming to grow louder in the dead silence.

Rufus was in an excellent mood.

Just thinking about how the former lady of the Hensley family, who used to rule Harmony City from on high, was now reduced to groveling, utterly desperate...

The feeling was truly satisfying.

"Five minutes, Mr. Chapman. I just need five minutes," Dione's voice grew chaotic with urgency, losing its usual grace. "As long as you are willing to let Stefan go, the Hensley family shares, or anything else you want, just name your price..."

"Dione, why put yourself through this?"

Rufus finally spoke, his tone carefully shaded with feigned surprise and innocence.

"Stefan committed a crime, and the evidence is ironclad. What can I do? I am just a law-abiding, ordinary citizen."

"You know perfectly well! That so-called evidence..." Dione's voice suddenly went shrill, her emotions spiraling out of control.

"You want to meet me?" Rufus had no patience for her tirade and cut her off, a cruel smile curling at his lips.

He gave her an address.

"Imperial Club, top floor, private room number 1. I will give you half an hour."

With that, he hung up and tossed his phone casually onto the table.

Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights were just coming on. Rufus looked down at the traffic below, his mood at its peak.

Half an hour later, in a private room on the top floor of the Imperial Club.

Rufus sat alone on a wide leather sofa, gently swirling the amber liquid and ice in his glass.

The door opened without a sound.

Dione walked in.

Her face was bare of makeup, her hair hastily twisted into a bun at the back of her head, with a few gray strands she could not hide falling around her cheeks.

She radiated nothing but exhaustion and defeat, like someone on their last legs.

"Rufus." She spoke, her voice terribly hoarse.

Rufus did not stand up. He merely tilted his chin toward a low stool across from him.

That was not a seat for guests.

That was where the club hostesses sat, low and humble.

Anyone who sat there could only look up at him with a begging, submissive posture.

Dione's body instantly froze.

A massive, suffocating wave of humiliation washed over her, making it almost impossible for her to stand.

Rufus watched her struggle with great interest.

He loved scenes like this.

Watching how a once arrogant person's last shred of dignity was completely destroyed in front of him.

The seconds crawled by.

At last, Dione sat down.

"That is more like it."

Rufus laughed, his low chuckle sounding particularly grating in the empty private room.

"Dione, if you had been this obedient earlier, that useless son of yours would not have ended up in prison."

"What exactly do you want?" Dione asked, head lowered.

"Me?" Rufus slammed his glass down heavily on the gleaming obsidian table with a dull thud.

He leaned forward, his eyes boring into her viciously, each word cutting to the bone.

"I do not lack anything now. I just want to see how the high and mighty Dione grovels before me for that worthless son of yours."

Dione's head snapped up, the hatred in her eyes almost tangible.

Seeing her expression, Rufus laughed even more gleefully.

"You want to save him? Fine."

"Get on your knees and clean my shoes. Clean them until I am satisfied, and I might consider it."

The private room fell into a terrible silence.

The air felt so thick it was suffocating.

Rufus leaned back on the sofa, leisurely watching Dione's final breakdown.

He saw Dione's shoulders shake violently.

He saw her bite her lip hard, saw her slowly begin to bend down.

The arrogance and satisfaction in Rufus's eyes were almost overflowing.

But just as Dione's fingers were about to touch his shoes, the shrill ring of a phone cut through the oppressive silence of the room like a blade.

It was Rufus's private phone.

He frowned, annoyed at being interrupted. Without even checking the caller ID, he answered.

"Speak."

The panicked, desperate shout of the security captain burst from the other end. "Mr. Chapman! Something has happened! Something has happened at the villa!"

"Someone broke in! Our men... all our men have been taken down!"

"Ms. Martinez... Ms. Martinez, she..."

"What about her?" Rufus suddenly shot up from the sofa, the smugness and arrogance on his face vanishing in an instant, replaced by a menacing fury.

"She... she has been taken away!!"

That single sentence hit Rufus like an explosion.

He gripped his phone so tightly that veins bulged on the back of his hand, his eyes instantly filling with terrifying bloodshot lines.

His gaze snapped toward Dione in front of him.

Dione had already raised her head.

In those red, swollen eyes, there was not a trace of pleading or despair left.

What he saw instead was a coldness that saw through everything, and the mockery of someone whose plan had just succeeded.

"Looks like you have received the news."

Dione slowly straightened up, regaining the arrogance and chill of the Hensley family lady.

The way she looked at Rufus even carried a trace of undisguised disdain.

"Mr. Chapman, are you satisfied with the little show I put on just for you?"

"Dione Saunders!"

The furious roar tore from Rufus's throat.

He finally understood that from the moment he had received that call, he had already stepped into a trap tailored just for him.

What groveling?

What negotiation and begging?

All of it was just to lure him away from the villa -- a classic diversion.

High in the sky, a Gulfstream G650 private jet was gliding smoothly through the clouds.

Inside the cabin, Cecilia sat with a soft cashmere blanket draped over her, a cup of warm water in her hands, quietly watching the view outside the window.

The brilliant sunset glow poured through the porthole, bathing her profile in a warm golden light.

Garth stood nearby, reporting in a respectful, low voice, "Ms. Martinez, Mrs. Hensley has successfully kept Rufus occupied. According to the  plan, we will be completely secure before we land."

Cecilia nodded, her gaze shifting into the distance.

Elodie was tied firmly to a seat, a cloth stuffed in her mouth, eyes closed, seemingly unconscious.

"She did not make a fuss, did she?" Cecilia asked casually.

"She made some noise when we first boarded and put up a bit of a fight, so we let her sleep for a while," Garth answered.

"Keep an eye on her."

A cold smile curved at the corner of Cecilia's lips.

"She is the most important bargaining chip."