Chapter 122 Cecilia's Hometown
This thought only flashed through her mind before Cecilia quickly pushed it down.
She didn't have time right now to evaluate Stefan's appearance—it was completely meaningless.
"Mr. Hensley just said he got into quite a bit of trouble because of me?" Cecilia took the initiative, steering the conversation back on track.
Stefan put his glasses back on. The lenses concealed the fleeting genuine emotion in his eyes, and he resumed that harmless, mild-mannered businessman appearance.
"Not really trouble, just some annoying flies that needed dealing with."
He explained casually, "A few partners backed out at the last minute and tore up the letters of intent."
Cecilia's heart sank.
"They turned around and went straight to the Chapman Group," Stefan continued, his tone so flat you couldn't detect any emotion. "Rufus offered them terms they couldn't refuse. The price was that all their future jewelry raw material supplies must bypass the Hensley Group."
This was no longer simple business competition—it was Rufus's blatant blockade and provocation.
To suppress Stefan, Rufus was willing to waste money just to steal away his partners.
The air in the car grew still and heavy.
Cecilia looked directly at him, speaking each word clearly and firmly.
"I won't let Mr. Hensley take a loss on this investment."
This wasn't an empty promise—it was a commitment.
She needed Stefan's platform to become stronger, strong enough to stand against Rufus. So she had to prove to Stefan that her value went far beyond securing a few hundred million dollar projects.
She would create value for Amelia Design Studio, for Stefan, that far exceeded this.
She was paving the way for herself while declaring war on Rufus.
Stefan's smile deepened.
"Good." What he appreciated was exactly this never-say-die resilience of hers. "I look forward to it."
The car arrived at the airport VIP entrance.
From getting out of the car to boarding, everything went smoothly.
It wasn't until she was sitting in the spacious, comfortable first-class seat, with the plane gliding smoothly down the runway, that Cecilia truly felt a wave of exhaustion surge through her entire body.
Through the noise-canceling headphones, the engine's roar became muffled and distant. Her nerves, which had been taut all night, finally relaxed for a moment.
But what followed wasn't relief—instead, she felt an amplified sense of unease, like floating suspended in mid-air.
Cecilia didn't like this feeling.
It always made her think of that moment of being swallowed by darkness and flames, that suffocating despair.
Cecilia closed her eyes, forcing herself not to think about the past.
But the more she suppressed it, the more those fragmented images surged wildly through her mind. She drifted in and out, her consciousness struggling on the edge between clarity and confusion.
After some unknown amount of time, a slight turbulence jolted her awake for a moment.
Cecilia instinctively moved, only to feel her cheek resting against something warm and solid.
Her eyes flew open.
What met her gaze was the fabric of Stefan's dark suit jacket and an exquisite platinum cufflink at his shirt cuff.
Cecilia's body instantly went rigid.
She had somehow fallen asleep without realizing it, and was leaning—leaning on Stefan's shoulder!
Cecilia immediately sat up straight, putting distance between them.
"Sorry, Mr. Hensley."
"It's fine." Stefan didn't look at her, his attention still on the laptop on his lap, the screen's glow illuminating his focused profile. "We land in two hours. You can sleep a bit more."
His reaction was so calm it was as if nothing had happened.
But Cecilia couldn't fall asleep again.
She turned to look out the window. Ten thousand meters below was pitch-black night, with only distant city lights gathering into a blurred sea of light.
Two hours later, the plane began its descent.
When that gentle female voice came through the cabin speakers, Cecilia's body completely froze.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our plane will soon be arriving at Shadow City International Airport..."
Shadow City.
Those words, carrying an icy weight, slammed hard into Cecilia's heart.
She stiffly turned her head, her gaze piercing through the window.
The plane was passing through clouds, and below, the familiar yet long-absent city outline gradually became clear in her view.
Crisscrossing streets, brilliantly lit buildings, and that river running through the entire city, sparkling in the night.
This was her hometown. The place where Cecilia was born and raised.
She thought she would never come back.
The plane landed smoothly.
The huge inertia during taxiing pulled Cecilia back to reality from her churning emotions.
Expressionless, she unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her carry-on items, and followed Stefan out of the cabin with the flow of passengers.
"What's wrong?"
Stefan, walking ahead, suddenly stopped and looked back at her.
His powers of observation were alarmingly sharp.
"You've been off since just now."
"It's nothing." Cecilia lowered her eyes, hiding all emotion.
She couldn't expose any weakness.
She was Amelia now, a nursing intern from Harmony City with no connection to Shadow City whatsoever.
Stefan didn't move, just quietly watched her, his gaze behind the lenses probing and penetrating.
"Amelia." He called her name. "Your resume says you grew up in Harmony City, right?"
Cecilia's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, but her face remained calm. "Yes, is there a problem?"
"No problem." Stefan's tone was flat. "I'm just curious why someone who's never left their hometown would have such a strong reaction when arriving here."
He paused, then added, "Your hands are shaking."
Cecilia looked down and realized her fingertips were indeed trembling unconsciously.
She quickly closed her hands into fists.
"First business trip. A bit nervous." She found the most ordinary excuse.
"Is that so?" Stefan was noncommittal, then changed tack. "I thought when you faced all those cameras and doubts on the Design Awards stage, you already proved you're not someone who gets nervous easily."
Stefan was perceptive to a heart-stopping degree.
Cecilia looked up, meeting his gaze, and simply stopped hiding her emotions, instead transforming that turbulence into something else.
"Mr. Hensley," her voice carried a cold edge, "are you interrogating me? Or does our partnership agreement include a clause about reporting my personal emotions to you?"
Faced with her counterattack, Stefan actually smiled.
"Of course not." He resumed walking. "Just as your boss, caring about a subordinate's mental and physical health ensures my investment produces stable returns."
Soon, they were on their way to the hotel.
The car moved forward, and Cecilia's eyes suddenly lit up.
Her gaze shot past the flowing traffic, landing precisely on an inconspicuous corner across the street.
There was a tiny roadside stall without even a sign.
Stefan followed her line of sight, but Cecilia's body blocked his view.
Just as he was about to ask, she suddenly turned back.
All those suppressed, heavy emotions vanished from her face, replaced by a vivid expression completely unfamiliar to Stefan.
"Mr. Hensley," Cecilia looked up at him, speaking softly, "I'm hungry."
This sudden declaration, carrying a hint of childish willfulness, made Stefan pause slightly.
Before he could respond, Cecilia added another line.
"I know a roadside stall that has really good food."
"Want me to take you to try it?"