Chapter 133 Please Move Aside
The grip on Cecilia's arm was crushing, sending searing pain through her.
She struggled briefly, but the force only tightened further.
So Cecilia lifted her head, meeting the harsh white light, and looked calmly at Rufus, whose face was twisted with rage.
His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing heavy as he stared at her intently. That obsessive possessiveness was so intense it formed an invisible net, trying to swallow her whole again.
"My business has nothing to do with you."
She spoke each word deliberately, her voice calm without a ripple.
"Nothing to do with me?"
Rufus's mouth twisted into a vicious sneer, a low laugh like an injured beast escaping his throat.
"Amelia!"
He forced the words through clenched teeth, gripping her even harder, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
"Say that again?"
"What do you take me for? A toy you can summon and dismiss at will? Or trash you throw away after using?"
Rufus's chest heaved violently, his body trembling with uncontrollable emotion.
He wouldn't admit it, didn't dare admit it, but deep in those crazed eyes churned the fear of being completely abandoned.
"Without me, you think you could be standing here?"
"Have you forgotten how you begged me back then? Forgotten about your father lying in that hospital? Who paid his medical bills?" He spoke recklessly, trying to weave those so-called favors into chains to bind her again.
"I gave you everything, and now you turn around and help Stefan against me?"
"I gave you a wealthy life, let you into circles you could never reach on your own, and this is how you repay me?"
"Amelia, do you even have a heart?"
"You owe me, and you'll never be able to repay it in this lifetime!"
Each sentence was harsher than the last, each more like self-hypnosis.
As if only by saying this could he prove she still belonged to him.
Hearing these twisted lies, the last trace of warmth disappeared from Cecilia's eyes.
"Mr. Chapman, are you confused about something?" She even showed a faint, mocking smile at his desperate, ugly display.
"About my father's medical bills."
"You did pay them, and at the time, I was truly grateful you didn't leave him to die."
"But that money, along with interest calculated at the bank's highest rate, has been fully transferred to your private account."
"You have so many accounts, you might have forgotten. That's fine, I have the electronic bank transfer receipt as proof, accurate to the second. If you need it, I can send you the screenshot right now to help refresh your memory."
"Mr. Chapman handles so much work every day, it's understandable if your memory isn't perfect. So between us, the debt is settled. We owe each other nothing."
Rufus's face instantly turned terrible, shifting from flushed to ashen.
He never wanted that money!
Stefan had finished his call at some point and returned.
"Mr. Chapman."
Stefan's lips curved in a polite arc, but his eyes held not a trace of warmth, only cold assessment.
"Manhandling my people in public—that's not very dignified, is it?"
Stefan applied slight pressure to his wrist, a skillful force instantly hitting Rufus's joint. The sharp pain made Rufus reflexively release his grip.
Cecilia immediately pulled her arm back and stepped away, putting safe distance between herself and the two confronting men.
On her delicate wrist, a shocking ring of red marks was already turning purple, clearly announcing Rufus's violence.
Stefan's gaze lingered on those marks for a moment, the temperature in his eyes dropping sharply.
Isadora's expression was equally terrible.
"Rufus, this is the competition venue, there are people everywhere. Let's go." She hurried over, with a hint of panic, trying to pull back the out-of-control Rufus.
"Get lost!"
Without looking back, Rufus violently shook off her hand.
Rufus's eyes held only Stefan, and Cecilia, who Stefan was subtly protecting behind him.
Isadora stumbled and nearly fell, barely steadying herself against the wall.
The color drained from her face, humiliation and venom intertwining in her eyes, finally forming a blade that fixed on Cecilia's back.
"Your people?"
Rufus stared hard at Stefan, then at Cecilia behind him. Jealousy and rage completely burned away Rufus's last shred of reason.
Rufus let out a cold, harsh laugh.
"Stefan, finally dropping the act?"
"I wondered why you'd suddenly take such interest in some nobody designer—so this was your plan all along!"
"You've been scheming behind my back, causing me trouble, blocking my moves, all to swoop in and steal her away, right?"
Facing Rufus's frantic accusations, Stefan's response was unhurried.
Stefan pulled a pristine silk handkerchief from his suit pocket and meticulously wiped the fingers that had just touched Rufus's wrist, his movements elegant yet filled with utter contempt.
Then he casually tossed the expensive handkerchief precisely into a nearby trash can.
The gesture was deeply insulting.
"Mr. Chapman, please don't slander me."
Stefan responded lightly, his voice steady yet carrying an overbearing pressure.
"Business is war—may the best man win. Your own foundation is unstable, people caught you slipping—how can you blame me?"
"Can't even clean up your own mess—that's a competence issue."
Stefan paused, turning slightly to look at Cecilia warmly.
"Using violence to coerce women in public—that's a character issue."
"I appreciate Ms. Martinez's talent and am willing to invest in her future. We're equal partners based on mutual interests and respect."
"But you, Mr. Chapman," Stefan laughed lightly, the sound full of mockery, "you just want to use the so-called past to control her, bind her, treat her like private property you can discard and pick up again at will."
"We have different perspectives, naturally different pursuits."
Rufus's gaze shot past Stefan's shoulder, with cold malice, boring into Cecilia.
Rufus's laughter grew darker and more crazed.
"Great, sounds wonderful! Equal partnership?"
"Stefan, since you treasure her so much! I'd like to see how long you can protect her!"
The threat in Rufus's words carried a destructive madness that would drag everything into hell.
However, to everyone's surprise, Cecilia calmly stepped out from behind Stefan.
"Mr. Chapman, are you done?"
Her expression held no fear, no anger, only undisguised annoyance.
"Done showing off your cheap power, done with your pathetic threats? Then please move aside."
"I still have a competition to attend. I don't have time to waste here watching this childish and boring mating display."