Chapter 114 Cecilia's Dream
Rufus's body swayed violently, a metallic sweetness rushing up his throat.
Absurdity, rage, and a kind of panic he'd never experienced before churned wildly in his chest.
He opened his mouth, hoarse and broken syllables about to burst from his throat.
Just then, a clear, gentle female voice broke through the dead silence.
"Rufus, what's going on?"
A figure in a champagne-colored mermaid dress hurried to Rufus's side, worriedly grasping his arm.
She wore exquisite makeup with an elegant demeanor—this was Rufus's actual date for the evening, Isadora Penrose.
She had just returned from studying abroad and been invited to join the Chapman Group as chief designer.
Isadora fell into thought.
She'd only gone to touch up her makeup—how had the entire ballroom atmosphere turned so hostile in her absence?
Rufus's face had turned pale.
She recognized the man facing Rufus—it was Stefan, Rufus's sworn enemy.
But the woman beside Stefan—who was she?
What kind of chaotic scene was this?
"Mr. Chapman, you seem a bit out of sorts tonight."
Stefan completely ignored Isadora's presence, simply watching Rufus's loss of control with interest, his smile deepening.
He adjusted his posture slightly, positioning himself protectively in front of Cecilia, then said unhurriedly to Isadora: "Ms. Penrose, nice to meet you. It's just that your date seems a bit too enthusiastic about my person."
He deliberately emphasized "my person."
Isadora's expression froze on her face.
She could feel the muscles in Rufus's arm tense like stone. She tried to ease the tension but found she couldn't come up with the right words.
Any words she spoke now would seem pale and powerless.
But Rufus suddenly shook off Isadora's hand.
"I'm asking you one last time." He forced out the words through clenched teeth, his voice low and twisted.
"Leave with him, or leave with me?"
This choice he offered was domineering, tyrannical, leaving no room for anything else.
This was his final struggle, his ultimatum to try to regain control.
Everyone present held their breath.
Everyone thought that no matter how bold Amelia was, facing Rufus's destructive pressure, she would at least hesitate for a moment.
However, Cecilia didn't spare him even an extra glance.
She didn't even bother to answer him verbally.
Cecilia simply tightened her hold on Stefan's arm slightly, then turned her head and said softly to Stefan with complete trust: "Mr. Hensley, I'm a bit tired. Can we leave now?"
Her action was the most decisive, the loudest answer.
She didn't hesitate, didn't waver, and showed not the slightest trace of attachment.
A roaring sound.
The string called reason in Rufus's mind snapped completely.
"Of course."
Stefan's smile widened to its fullest. Stefan savored the expression on Rufus's face as it turned pale—truly delightful.
He nodded politely to the stunned guests around them, then led Cecilia away, turning and leaving with composure.
Their retreating figures—one elegant and noble, the other cool and resolute—looked so harmonious under the ballroom's brilliant lights that it stung everyone's eyes.
What they left behind was dead silence, and in the center of that silence, a figure on the verge of collapse.
Rufus stood frozen in place until both figures completely disappeared at the doorway.
The champagne tower on a nearby waiter's tray was swept to the floor by his uncontrolled arm. The sound of shattering glass was sharp and piercing, champagne mixed with glass shards splashing messily across the floor.
The entire room erupted in chaos.
But Rufus was completely unaware.
He just stared fixedly at the doorway, his eyes a whirlpool of rage, humiliation, unwillingness, and a fear even he hadn't detected, intertwining into something that could devour everything.
How dare she?
How dare she choose Stefan in front of everyone!
What gives her the right!
Stefan's limited-edition car glided smoothly into the night.
Inside the cabin, it was so quiet that only the faint sound of the air conditioning remained. Cecilia leaned back against the soft leather seat, her taut nerves finally relaxing bit by bit after leaving that suffocating ballroom.
"Not bad." Stefan's voice broke the silence. He turned to look at her. "You understand how to precisely provoke Rufus better than I imagined."
Cecilia didn't respond to Stefan's praise. She turned her head, looking at him just as calmly.
"Mr. Hensley, I need money."
Stefan paused slightly, then a deep interest burst forth in those eyes behind his glasses.
He couldn't help but laugh softly.
She was truly fascinating.
After experiencing such a heart-stopping confrontation, what she cared about wasn't her own safety, not Rufus's potential retaliation, but the most practical benefit.
She was ruthless enough, and realistic enough.
"Right now." Stefan's smile deepened. He took out his phone, operating it elegantly. "Account number."
Cecilia recited a string of numbers, clear and fluent, without any hesitation.
Stefan raised an eyebrow, directly entered a seven-figure amount, and clicked transfer.
Almost the next second, Cecilia's phone chimed with a crisp notification of funds received.
She picked up her phone, looking at the string of numbers representing one million dollars on the screen, and her tightly clenched heart finally felt a sense of grounding.
With money, she had the confidence to protect Robert and Mabel.
"Mr. Hensley is indeed straightforward." Cecilia put away her phone and thanked him formally.
Stefan watched her businesslike manner and suddenly asked: "Aren't you afraid that Rufus will go after your father because of tonight?"
This was both a test and a reminder.
"He won't." Cecilia's answer was firm. "At least not before he figures out my relationship with you. He wouldn't dare let anything happen to my dad. That would completely enrage me and make him lose the last bit of possibility to control me."
She understood Rufus's obsession inside and out.
The smile on Stefan's face completely faded. He leaned back against his seat, his expression becoming much more serious.
He realized that his earlier assumption that she was just a useful tool might have been somewhat one-sided.
She was more like an extremely calm chess player who, even if she was just a chess piece, would squeeze every bit of value from that piece.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll have my chief legal team intervene in your father's medical contracts." Stefan made a new decision. "All financial dealings related to Rufus will be severed. You won't need to worry about owing him anything."
This was his way of showing sincerity, and a further investment in her value.
Cecilia finally showed a trace of genuine emotion.
She looked at Stefan and said earnestly: "Thank you."
"Happy cooperation." Stefan raised the glass beside him, gesturing to her from a distance.
Outside the car window, the city's neon lights rapidly retreated.
Cecilia looked at those dazzling lights, but her mind was clearer than ever before.
Relying on Stefan ultimately wasn't a long-term solution.
She needed power that truly belonged to her.
A kind of power that didn't depend on anyone and couldn't be taken away by anyone.
Cecilia watched as a giant billboard outside flashed by with the latest design from some luxury brand, and a dream she'd buried deep in her heart—one she'd personally abandoned for Rufus in her previous life—began to sprout again.
She would pick up her paintbrush again.
She would become a designer.
She would use her own talent and hands to build her own career, to earn capital sufficient to compete with Rufus.
Only then could she truly stand up, rather than jumping from one cage into another.