Chapter 126 Her Uniqueness
Stefan placed the water glass on the nearby coffee table. Instead of leaving, he stood beside her, looking down at the design on the screen.
"I could even be considered a fan of 'Echo.'"
He paused, as if recalling, and added casually, "I remember 'Echo's' most popular series was called 'Silent Melody,' released three autumns ago. That series had seven images in total, depicting a complete process of breaking free. Many people only saw the surface-level rebellion, but actually the most valuable one was the fifth piece, the work titled 'Whale Fall'—a massive body slowly sinking in the deep sea, nourishing the entire barren seabed. That was the truest inner struggle before breaking through constraints, wasn't it?"
His detailed description made Cecilia's already turbulent emotions surge even more.
A fan?
That word coming from Stefan's mouth carried a strange sense of incongruity.
Someone like him, actually a fan of an unknown anonymous designer.
Cecilia let out a soft sigh.
She hadn't expected to have this kind of connection with Stefan from before.
It felt absurd. Unconsciously, Cecilia's fingers tightened around the stylus, the coolness from her fingertips spreading up her arm.
"Is that so?" Cecilia's lips curved into a faint, self-mocking smile. "It's really a shame that creator stopped updating."
She lowered her eyelids, her long lashes concealing all the churning emotions.
"Actually, I really like 'Echo' too."
Cecilia decided to weave a lie—one that could explain both her style and her emotions.
"When I first started learning design, I saw her work on the platform and was completely blown away. There was a power in her work—struggling, unyielding, wanting to break through all constraints."
"To me, she was like my mentor, even though we've never met."
Cecilia looked up at Stefan, her gaze frank.
"So my style is somewhat similar to hers, probably because I imitated her for so long that it became ingrained in me."
"I even sent her emails, hoping to communicate with her, but unfortunately..." Cecilia showed just the right amount of regret, "just like Mr. Hensley, no response."
Her explanation was flawless.
She acknowledged the similarity in style while placing herself in the safe position of a "fan."
Stefan listened quietly, his eyes behind the lenses unfathomably deep.
He neither confirmed nor denied.
"I see."
He responded lightly, not continuing the topic.
Cecilia secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she'd temporarily gotten away with it.
She refocused her attention on the design, using work to calm her lingering inner turmoil.
The living room returned to quiet, with only the soft sound of the stylus gliding across the screen.
Cecilia immersed herself in constructing light, shadow, and lines, trying to completely shut out everything else.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over her.
Stefan's presence approached again, this time more invasive than before.
He bent down, his tall frame nearly trapping her between the sofa and himself. One hand pressed against the armrest beside her, while a finger from his other hand pointed at her tablet screen.
That spot was exactly where she'd just modified a detail.
"The line work here," his voice sounded right by her ear, "is completely identical to the wing technique in one of 'Echo's' peak works, 'Peaceful.'"
Cecilia's body instantly tensed.
She could smell his fresh shower gel mixed with his unique scent—a cool, woody fragrance.
This distance had far exceeded the safe boundaries of social interaction.
It was full of suggestion and a kind of condescending encroachment.
Cecilia didn't move or retreat. She simply turned her head bit by bit and looked up.
Her eyes had completely turned cold, shedding all pretense, leaving only the most primitive, icy warning.
"Mr. Hensley."
"First, I'm not used to having someone this close while I'm working. It disrupts my concentration."
"Second," Cecilia paused, her gaze meeting his deep eyes directly, "if you're interested in my hands, feel free to maintain this position. But be prepared—my pen doesn't always behave."
The hard stylus in her hand, its tip pointed directly at the back of his hand resting on the armrest.
If she wanted, she could stab down at any moment.
The air suddenly fell into unprecedented silence.
Stefan looked at the wariness and coldness in her eyes—the kind of viciousness that, when cornered, would bite back at any cost.
She was different from all the women he'd ever met.
Those women only tried every way to get close to him, to please him. But she used the sharpest thorns to wrap herself layer by layer, refusing anyone's touch.
After several seconds of standoff, Stefan suddenly smiled.
It wasn't his formulaic, emotionless smile, but genuine amusement that actually reached his eyes.
"Sorry."
He straightened up, calmly withdrawing his hand, as if that oppressive posture had never happened.
"I was presumptuous."
Stefan retreated to a safe distance and sat back down on the opposite sofa, elegantly crossing his legs.
"I'm just too interested in your design."
Cecilia looked away and continued drawing with a cold expression, but only she knew that her back was already covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Sharing a room with Stefan made her feel like she could be exposed at any moment.
Stefan soon opened his own laptop and began handling work.
Before long, Garth sent a message.
[Mr. Hensley, Rufus has made a new move. For that cross-city cooperation project we discussed last week, he had Louis lead a team to contact the property owner, offering a premium thirty percent higher than ours.]
Stefan's eyebrow didn't even twitch.
He directly called Garth.
"Mr. Hensley?" Garth's steady voice came through the phone.
"Rufus is still the same, no creativity." Stefan's tone was flat but carried bone-chilling coldness. "Only knows how to throw money around."
"So should we..."
"No need to follow." Stefan interrupted Garth.
Stefan leaned back on the sofa, his fingers rhythmically tapping his knee.
"I recall the Chapman Group is currently bidding on that plot in the northern suburbs. To cover their funding gap, they mortgaged equity in two of their subsidiaries, correct?"
"Yes, Mr. Hensley, all the materials are ready."
"Good."
Stefan's lips curved into a cold arc, his voice carrying decisive command.
"Send that prepared material of ours to the banks and media. I don't want to see anyone from the Chapman Group at tomorrow's bidding meeting."
"Understood!"