Chapter 146 Harassed
Faced with Rufus's crazy ultimatum, Cecilia couldn't even be bothered to spare him an extra glance.
She simply made the most basic move.
Stepped aside to go around Rufus.
Then walked toward the car door that had been opened for her.
"Amelia!" Rufus roared, trying to grab her.
But his fingertips couldn't even touch the hem of Cecilia's clothes. A hand appeared out of nowhere, precisely blocking his movement.
In that brief delay, Cecilia had already gotten into the car.
The heavy car door closed, completely separating two worlds.
Rufus's bloodshot eyes could only stare at the dark tinted window, unable to see Cecilia inside anymore.
Stefan calmly withdrew his hand, adjusted his impeccable cuffs, walked around the front of the car, opened the driver's door, and got in.
The roar of the engine starting announced the end of this confrontation.
"Stefan!" Rufus's voice was terrifyingly hoarse, full of unwilling hatred. "If you dare touch her, I'll make you regret being born!"
Stefan glanced through the rearview mirror at Rufus, who was jumping up and down in rage. A faint smile curved at the corner of Stefan's lips, carrying a victor's contempt.
"I'll be waiting."
The black car smoothly glided into the night, leaving Rufus completely behind.
Inside the car, it was quiet.
The city's neon lights flew backward rapidly outside the window, creating colorful streaks of light that reflected on Cecilia's calm profile.
"Satisfying." Stefan suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
Cecilia turned to look at him, not understanding what he meant.
"I mean," a genuine smile rippled in Stefan's eyes, "the way you pushed him away just now was both decisive and beautiful."
Cecilia hadn't expected Stefan to comment on that tense scene in such a teasing way. Her taut nerves relaxed slightly.
She replied coolly, "He deserved it."
"He definitely deserved it." Stefan nodded in agreement. "But being targeted by such a mad dog is still a problem. I've already figured out how to help you get rid of him completely."
This actually surprised Cecilia.
"What's your plan?" she asked.
But Stefan deliberately didn't say.
"Secret." He turned his face toward her and winked. Those eyes looked especially cunning in the darkness. "In a few days, you'll find out."
Seeing him act so mysteriously, Cecilia didn't press further. She knew that someone like Stefan, once he decided on something, would execute it flawlessly. If he didn't want to say, asking more would be useless.
"There are no competitions for the next three days. What are your plans?" Stefan changed the subject.
"Go to work at your company." Cecilia answered straightforwardly.
The cooperation agreement between them was very clear - on non-competition days, she needed to fulfill her duties as chief designer. She wasn't someone who liked taking advantage. Since she had accepted Stefan's resources and protection, naturally she had to provide equivalent work in return.
"So dedicated?" Stefan raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying some appreciation. "I thought you'd take the chance to rest."
"No need." Cecilia's gaze returned to the window.
As long as Rufus was still around, as long as her great revenge remained unavenged, she didn't dare relax for a moment.
Work, on the other hand, could temporarily pull her away from that churning hatred. This was more effective than any form of rest.
The car stopped smoothly at the entrance to Amelia's apartment complex.
Cecilia unbuckled her seatbelt, preparing to get out.
"Thanks for today."
"No need to be polite. Happy cooperation." Stefan smiled. Seeing Cecilia holding the roses the restaurant had given her, he thought for a moment and added, "If you don't like those flowers, you can throw them away. No point keeping them if they annoy you."
Stefan was referring to how the appearance of those flowers had indirectly attracted Rufus.
"I won't." Cecilia got out of the car holding the flowers.
After speaking, she turned and walked into the complex.
Stefan watched her figure disappear at the building entrance, and only then did the smile on his face slowly fade.
He took out his phone and dialed a number.
"It's me," Stefan's voice instantly shed all warmth, becoming cold and decisive. "The plan can begin."
The next day, Cecilia showed up on time at the design department on the top floor of the Hensley Group.
New environment, new colleagues.
But no one dared show any disrespect to this parachuted-in chief designer.
Yesterday's incident at the competition venue had already spread within a small circle in the industry. Everyone knew that she was not only talented but also tough, definitely not someone to mess with.
Cecilia spent the entire morning familiarizing herself with the company's projects and team.
Stefan seemed very busy and was nowhere to be seen.
After lunch, his assistant Garth finally came hurrying over, saying Stefan had an emergency international conference and asked her to help receive an important business partner first.
"The partner's name is Efren Britton, the person in charge of 'Skyline Real Estate.'" Garth gave a brief introduction. "Mr. Hensley specifically instructed that we must treat him well. He'll come over as soon as the meeting ends."
Cecilia nodded in agreement and walked into the designated VIP reception room with the project materials.
In the reception room, a fat middle-aged man, Efren, was sitting on the sofa. His hair was slicked back with lots of gel, making it look very greasy. He wore an ostentatious bracelet on his wrist, and his whole body gave off an uncomfortable vibe.
"Mr. Britton, hello. I'm Amelia Martinez, the new chief designer at the Hensley Group." Cecilia maintained a professional smile and politely extended her hand. "Mr. Hensley has a meeting temporarily, so he asked me to go over the cooperation details with you first."
However, Efren's gaze didn't fall on her hand but instead roamed back and forth over her face and body without restraint.
That look was sticky and explicit, making people extremely uncomfortable.
"Ms. Martinez, so young and accomplished!" Efren grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth, completely ignoring her extended hand. Instead, he patted the sofa beside him. "Don't stand there. Sit, sit here next to me. Let's sit closer and have a good chat."
Cecilia calmly withdrew her hand and sat down on the single sofa farthest from him, placing the documents on the coffee table.
"Mr. Britton, this is our preliminary cooperation proposal. You can review it first."
But Efren's eyes didn't glance at the documents at all, still staring straight at her.
"No rush on the proposal. But you, Ms. Martinez, you're really beautiful!" Efren praised with clicking sounds, leaning forward, trying to close the distance between them. "Even prettier than those actresses on TV! Mr. Hensley is so lucky to have such a beauty in his company."
As Efren spoke, he reached out his fat hand toward the documents on the table.
"The font on these documents is too small. I can't see clearly."
Efren picked up the documents, exaggeratedly squinting, then patted the spot beside him again, saying in an ambiguous tone, "Ms. Martinez, come over here, sit closer, and point out what's written on this for me."