Chapter 113 Cecilia's Humiliation
All the chatter and music in the banquet hall seemed to be sucked away in that instant, leaving only a deathly silence.
Countless gazes, each harboring their own thoughts, darted back and forth between Rufus, Stefan, and Cecilia.
What was going on?
Rufus from the Chapman Group and Stefan from the Hensley Group—these two bitter rivals who fought tooth and nail in the business world—were openly confronting each other at an event like this?
And the focus of their争夺 seemed to be Amelia, that nobody standing beside Stefan.
In the corner, well-informed socialites had already begun whispering among themselves.
"Who is that woman? I've never seen her before. Which family's new socialite is she?"
"Keep your voice down! I heard her name is Amelia. She's the one who's been driving Rufus crazy lately—she looks exactly like Rufus's dead wife Cecilia!"
A socialite who had just returned from the restroom joined the discussion with shock written all over her face: "What? You mean the legendary replacement? When I came in just now, I saw Louis, who works for Mr. Chapman, giving instructions to the hotel manager. The atmosphere was tense as hell—so this is what it was all about!"
"Oh my god! Is this for real? Then how did she end up with Stefan? Stefan is Rufus's number one enemy!"
"This is going to be good! Rufus's replacement lover showing up on the arm of his arch-enemy Stefan—this is like grinding Rufus's dignity into the ground!"
"More than grinding it—this is a public declaration of war! Look at Rufus's face, he looks like he's about to kill someone any second now."
Though their whispers were quiet, they spread like ripples from a stone thrown into a lake, cranking up the drama of this confrontation to the max.
Rufus's command carried an overbearing sense of entitlement—it never occurred to him that Amelia would refuse. In his mind, everything Amelia had was given by him. How dare she disobey?
However, Cecilia simply held onto Stefan's arm, standing even straighter, without making a single unnecessary movement.
Her silence was the loudest refusal.
Stefan felt the slight trembling from her body and the determination that completely contradicted it, and a sense of pleasure spread from deep within his heart.
This blade was even sharper than Stefan had imagined.
"Mr. Chapman, that's no way to treat a lady." Stefan chuckled, breaking the suffocating standoff.
Stefan shifted slightly, shielding Cecilia more completely. Facing Rufus, Stefan's eyes behind his glasses were full of undisguised provocation.
"I forgot to introduce you—this is Ms. Martinez, currently my chief assistant."
Chief assistant?
Stefan's chief assistant?
She... she actually dared!
Rufus's gaze instantly became incredibly sharp, piercing and cold, fixed deadly on Cecilia.
"Amelia!" Rufus ground out her name through clenched teeth, each word wrapped in fury about to explode. "You'd better not push me to lose control here."
Cecilia finally lifted her face. On that face identical to the one in Rufus's memory, a faint, ice-cold mockery appeared.
"What does it have to do with me whether Mr. Chapman loses control or not?"
Her voice was steady without a ripple, carrying clearly throughout the quiet banquet hall.
"I'm just Mr. Hensley's assistant. Accompanying my boss to the dinner is my job."
"As for Mr. Chapman, yelling at my boss—is this how the Chapman family raises their children, or is it your personal lack of manners?"
"And why should I listen to you?"
A collective gasp rose from the crowd, with some people instinctively covering their mouths.
Had Amelia lost her mind? She actually dared to speak to Rufus like this in public!
Didn't she know who Rufus was? The last person who dared challenge his authority like this—their company went bankrupt the next day!
Rufus's rage was completely ignited, the string of reason snapping instantly.
Rufus suddenly stepped forward, ignoring Stefan's blocking posture, and grabbed Cecilia's wrist.
"Come with me!"
He pulled her, trying to forcibly drag her toward the back door of the banquet hall.
The sharp pain from her wrist made Cecilia gasp. But this pain made her even more clear-headed.
"Let go!" Cecilia used all her strength, her other hand clutching Stefan's sleeve tightly, violently shaking off Rufus's hand.
Because she used too much force, her body swayed.
"Rufus, what's wrong with you!" she shouted sharply, and in those originally calm eyes, towering hatred finally ignited.
The surrounding crowd let out a low exclamation.
Rufus stumbled from her push, his hand that had been gripping her wrist still frozen in mid-air.
He slowly lowered his head, looking at his empty hand, then when he raised his head to look at Cecilia again, that devastatingly handsome face had lost all warmth.
He found it absurd.
She had actually shaken him off.
"What's wrong with me?"
"Amelia, when you were begging me to save your father the other day, your attitude wasn't like this."
Rufus pressed closer step by step, that powerful oppressive force almost swallowing Cecilia whole.
"Now you're on another man's arm, questioning what's wrong with me?"
"You don't need me anymore, so you want to kick me aside?"
As soon as his words fell, the surrounding murmurs exploded. This time, the tide had completely turned.
"So there's this connection! Her father's life was saved by Rufus?"
"Then what is she? Ungrateful? Publicly embarrassing her benefactor?"
"Amelia, this woman has some nerve. She took Rufus's money to save her father, then turned around and went to Stefan. She wants benefits from both sides? That's way too immoral!"
Looks of contempt and disdain shot toward Cecilia.
Cecilia met his eyes that could crush everything, unconcerned, and smiled too.
Her smile was colder and more ruthless than Rufus's.
"What else?" she asked back, each word bitten out clearly, "Didn't Mr. Chapman deliver himself to my door?"
Rufus froze completely, suspecting he had heard wrong.
"What did you say?"
"Did I say something wrong?" Cecilia met his gaze without backing down. "Did I beg you?"
"Did I kneel down and clutch your legs begging you to save my father?"
"I didn't, right?"
She took a step forward, facing Rufus directly, her resolute momentum even overpowering his rage.
"You were the one who came to the hospital on your own, you were the one who brought in specialists from Sylvanor, you were the one who wanted to throw money at me, all for some ridiculously absurd reasons!"
Her voice grew increasingly harsh, carrying bone-deep hatred. The loathing in her eyes made Rufus's heart clench sharply, even producing an inexplicable sense of panic.
"Mr. Chapman, weren't you the doormat who delivered himself to my door?"
Doormat...
Doormat?
Her words were like a bombshell, exploding thunderously in the silent banquet hall.
Everyone was stunned into mental blankness by this earth-shattering statement.
This Amelia with no background had pointed at Rufus, the head of the Chapman Group, in front of the entire high society, and called him a doormat?
Rufus's body swayed, all color draining from his face instantly, turning greenish.
Cecilia looked at his lost appearance. There was no satisfaction in her heart, only endless desolation and coldness.
Then, she coldly delivered the final killing blow.
"Since you're so charitable, insisting on delivering yourself as a tool to my door, why wouldn't I use you?"