Chapter 100 I Won't Use Your Dirty Money
Cecilia stood frozen in place, completely motionless.
The luxurious crystal chandelier in the living room cast a cold light, making her skin look utterly bloodless.
Rest?
He had forcibly dragged her back from the airport, threatened her using the only family Amelia had in this world, and now he was casually telling her to go rest?
The hatred and despair that had been building up in her chest finally exploded in this moment.
"Rufus."
Rufus, who was about to go upstairs, paused. He slowly turned around, looking down at her from his elevated position.
"What do you want by keeping me locked up here?"
Cecilia pulled at her stiff cheeks, forcing out an extremely mocking smile.
"Turn me into a soulless doll, keep me in this gorgeous cage, and look at me every day to satisfy your pathetic and fake nostalgia?"
"You want an obedient Cecilia who won't resist, who will never leave you."
"Too bad, she's already dead. You tortured her to death with your own hands!"
"And I am not her!"
Rufus's body tensed, his jawline tightening into a hard line.
He stared at Amelia, at those eyes burning with fire, at that face so similar to the Cecilia in his memory, yet filled with absolute disgust for him.
"I told you, I don't want to imprison you," he finally spoke, his voice dry and rough. "I just want to keep you by my side. I'm only restricting your movements now because you're resisting too much, so just be good—"
He walked down from the stairs, closing the distance between them.
That familiar, intensely aggressive pressure enveloped her once again.
"I was wrong before." He stopped in front of her, his tall figure casting a shadow. "Whatever you want, I can give you. Money, status, everything others can only dream of—I'll offer it all to you."
Unfortunately, in Cecilia's eyes, even though Rufus was trying to make his attitude seem full of compensation, the desire for control rooted deep in his bones still twisted everything.
Cecilia almost laughed out loud.
Be good?
That phrase again.
In her previous life, it was because she had been too obedient that she ended up with such an irredeemable fate.
"What if I refuse?" She lifted her face, fearlessly meeting his unfathomable gaze.
Rufus fell silent.
He didn't answer, but the suddenly dangerous aura surrounding him said it all.
He would not allow her to refuse.
Just then, an abrupt phone ringtone cut through the suffocating standoff.
It was Cecilia's phone. That old phone belonging to Amelia, used for several years.
Rufus's gaze also fell on her vibrating pocket.
Cecilia pulled out her phone. The screen showed an incoming call from Amelia's father, Robert Martinez, making her heart sink.
An ominous feeling gripped her.
She swiped to answer and brought the phone to her ear.
"Hello, Dad—"
"Amelia! Amelia!"
What came through the phone was the heart-wrenching sobbing of Amelia's mother, Mabel Simpson.
Cecilia's heartbeat stopped for a moment. "Mom? What's wrong? What happened?"
"Your dad, your dad, he suddenly collapsed at the shop just now, and now, now he's being resuscitated at the hospital."
"What?"
All the blood in Cecilia's body rushed to her head, then went completely cold the next second.
"How did he suddenly collapse? Which hospital?"
"Lifeline Health Services. The doctor said it's a sudden myocardial infarction. They need to do, to do emergency heart bypass surgery. The surgery costs five hundred thousand dollars. Where are we going to get that much money?"
Five hundred thousand dollars.
This number instantly knocked the breath out of Cecilia.
After buying that plane ticket, Cecilia's entire savings were nearly gone.
Having taken over Amelia's body, she naturally inherited her most cherished memories and emotions. Robert was the only father that abandoned Amelia had in this world, the man who gave her a home during countless dark nights of being returned by foster families.
Cecilia owed Amelia a life.
So Cecilia couldn't let Robert die like this.
"Mom, don't cry, please don't cry!" Cecilia forced herself to stay calm, though her voice shook uncontrollably. "I'll figure out the money! I'll get it right away, please don't panic!"
After hanging up, Cecilia's world spun.
What should she do?
Where could she get five hundred thousand dollars? Previously, as "Cecilia," she had transferred all her money to Grandfather Patrick's overseas account. Now, reborn as "Amelia," she simply didn't have that much money.
Just as Cecilia was being swallowed by overwhelming panic and helplessness, a calm male voice sounded above her head.
"I told you, as long as you stay obediently."
Cecilia's back stiffened. She jerked her head up.
Rufus had somehow already walked in front of her, quietly watching her. That handsome face showed no extra emotion, but his eyes were sharp enough to dissect her soul.
He had seen her desperate situation.
He had waited for his leverage.
"You see, fate is so interesting." Rufus chuckled lightly, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "You schemed so hard to escape, but in the end, you still have to beg me."
He walked to the wine cabinet, elegantly poured a glass of red wine, and gently swirled it. The crimson liquid left tear-like trails on the glass.
"Sudden myocardial infarction—the optimal rescue time is very short."
"Five hundred thousand dollars is an astronomical sum for you, but for me, it's just a matter of signing."
He brought the wine glass to his lips but didn't drink, only locking onto her with those eyes.
"I can not only pay that five hundred thousand dollars. I can also get him into the best hospital room, bring in the best cardiac surgeons in the country to operate on him, guarantee his follow-up recovery treatment, and let him enjoy his remaining years in comfort."
"And you don't have to do anything."
Rufus extended his empty hand toward her, his posture arrogant, looking down on her embarrassment and helplessness.
"Just nod your head."
"Just promise me you'll never think about leaving again."
Cecilia's mind was in chaos.
On one side was Rufus's face, symbolizing absolute power and control; on the other was Robert lying in a hospital bed, his life hanging in the balance.
In her previous life, she had already caused Patrick's death through her own weakness and compromise.
Could she, in this life, let Robert die because of her "pride"?
She was using Amelia's body, so she should fulfill her filial duties.
She couldn't be that selfish.
Cecilia's lips trembled, her body shaking uncontrollably. That resolute hatred began to violently waver in the face of life-and-death reality.
Rufus sensed her weakening, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"Come to your senses?" He put down the wine glass and walked toward her. "Smart choice. Your dignity is worthless compared to a human life."
He reached out his hand, about to touch her cheek—a comforting gesture.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch her skin.
Cecilia suddenly stepped back.
No!
With someone like Rufus, once she compromised, she would never break free.
Rufus would never treat Robert well—he would only threaten her again and again, escalating each time!
Enormous grief and hatred surged from the deepest part of her heart, instantly crushing all hesitation and panic. Instead, in the extreme chaos, she found a moment of clarity.
Cecilia slowly raised her eyes, meeting his slightly surprised gaze.
In those reddened eyes, all vulnerability and struggle had faded away, leaving only the kind of mutual destruction resolve that only someone who had died once could possess.
"Rufus."
"I would rather sell my blood, beg on the streets, than use your filthy money."