Chapter 124 Amelia and Cecilia's Connection
Just as Cecilia had lathered herself up with body wash and was about to rinse off, the water flow suddenly weakened without warning. It struggled to spray out a few thin streams, then stopped completely.
The bathroom fell into total silence.
Cecilia kept her head tilted back, waiting a few seconds.
Nothing happened.
She reached out and twisted the faucet a few more times. The cold metal touch came through, but not a single drop of water followed.
What rotten luck.
Cecilia grabbed a bath towel and roughly wiped the water droplets off her body, but the sticky foam still clung to her skin, bringing wave after wave of irritating discomfort.
She wrapped the towel tightly around herself, walked out of the bathroom, picked up the room phone, and called the front desk.
"Hello, room 2408, there's no water in the bathroom."
A standard sweet voice came from the other end: "Yes, ma'am, please wait a moment while I check for you. We're very sorry, ma'am, the pipes on the 24th floor of our hotel are undergoing emergency repairs, causing some rooms to have no water supply. It may take some time to restore."
"How long is 'some time'?"
"Well, the engineer says it will take at least an hour. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience."
An hour?
Cecilia hung up and looked down at the unrinsed foam still on her body.
She absolutely couldn't stand going to bed in this sticky state.
Go to the lobby and ask for a room change? The process would be complicated and embarrassing.
The door next door floated into Cecilia's mind.
And Stefan behind it.
The thought made her uncomfortable all over. Asking to borrow the bathroom from her boss, a man she'd just established a working relationship with—the act itself was full of uncertainty and potential trouble.
But given the current situation, she didn't seem to have a better choice.
Rather than staying sticky in her bathrobe for an hour or even longer, better to get it over with quickly.
This was the most efficient solution.
Besides, it wasn't like she was deliberately trying to get close to him. Her conscience was clear!
Cecilia made a quick decision. She found an unopened hotel bathrobe from her suitcase and put it on, wrapping herself up completely to ensure there was no risk of exposure.
She walked to the door and checked her reflection in the smooth door panel, confirming that aside from her cheeks being flushed from the steam, there were no other signs of distress.
Cecilia then left her room and knocked on the door of 2407.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
Stefan had obviously just finished washing up too, wearing a dark gray silk pajama set, his hair still damp.
Seeing Cecilia at the door wrapped in a bathrobe, he showed no extra expression, just quietly waited for her to speak.
"Mr. Hensley." Cecilia got straight to the point, delivering the words she'd already prepared in the most matter-of-fact tone. "The water system in my room has a problem and is being repaired. May I use your bathroom?"
"I just need to rinse off the foam, five minutes at most."
"If not, I'll go handle it at the front desk." Cecilia added another sentence, blocking off any other solutions he might suggest, simplifying the choice to just "yes" or "no."
Stefan's gaze lingered on her flushed cheeks for a second, then he calmly stepped aside, making way.
"Yes." He was brief, his movement decisive.
"Thank you."
Cecilia kept her head down and quickly walked past him, heading straight for the bathroom, leaving a faint scent of body wash in the air.
The bathroom door closed, and soon the sound of running water came from inside.
Stefan didn't return to the sofa, just stood there, listening to the sound of water.
Just then, his phone on the coffee table lit up with a slight vibration.
It was a new email.
The sender was his assistant, Garth.
Stefan walked over, picked up his phone, tapped lightly with his fingertip, and opened the encrypted email.
The email body was short, with just one attachment.
He opened the file, the white light from the screen illuminating his sharp features.
The first page of the report was Amelia's personal information.
Below was a bolded conclusion: Simple social connections, clear life trajectory, no record of ever leaving Harmony City.
Stefan's fingertip gently slid across the screen.
The second page of the report was another file Garth had attached for reference.
It was a public obituary record.
Name: Cecilia.
Date of death: Three months ago.
Place of origin: Shadow City.
Brief biography: Daughter of the Ember Group CEO Brad, wife of the Chapman Group CEO Rufus. Grew up in Shadow City until marrying into Harmony City three years ago.
Shadow City.
This place name, in the dim room, appeared incredibly clear in the screen's light.
Stefan's movement stopped.
He switched back and forth between the two files.
One was the living "Amelia," whose world had never included Shadow City.
One was the deceased "Cecilia," whose entire first half of life was in Shadow City.
That noodle shop owner, Tom, and his confused murmuring.
Her body's unconscious trembling when she first arrived in Shadow City.
Her forced composure when facing questioning.
And her almost overwhelming familiarity and nostalgia in that small noodle shop.
All the scattered clues, at this moment, were seamlessly connected by the place name "Shadow City" into a complete yet absurd logical chain.
Stefan turned off his phone screen and called Garth. "It's me."
"Mr. Hensley?"
"I need more detailed information on Cecilia," Stefan's voice was low, emotionless. "Not the public stuff. All her relationships in Shadow City, childhood experiences, interests and hobbies, even unknown habits. Also, check if there's any connection between Amelia and Cecilia, any link at all. I want to know everything."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Stefan's thoughts didn't stop.
How could a dead person sit on his plane and appear here, alive and well?
Possession?
Stefan was an absolute materialist. This thought only stayed in his mind for a tenth of a second before he dismissed it himself.
Then there was only one possible truth left.
This Amelia had been lying from the start.
There was some unknown, extremely deep connection between her and Cecilia.
Or even, she was Cecilia.
Stefan's eyes grew deeper.
If she really was Cecilia, then why would Rufus hide the fact that Cecilia was still alive, even going so far as to give her a proper burial?
The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.
The door lock clicked softly, and Cecilia walked out.
She had rinsed clean and changed back into the bathrobe, her wet hair wrapped in a towel.
"Thank you, Mr. Hensley. I'll head back now." She kept her head down, seemingly unwilling to make eye contact with Stefan, just wanting to leave this space that made her uncomfortable as quickly as possible.
Cecilia quickly crossed the living room.
However, the carpet at the bathroom door hadn't completely absorbed the water from her feet, and a few drops had splashed onto the mirror-smooth marble floor.
Cecilia stepped on them, feeling her foot slip, her body's center of gravity instantly losing control.
A short gasp escaped her lips as Cecilia fell backward uncontrollably.