Chapter 195 My Life, My Decision
Cecilia looked at the woman in front of her named Anna, and alarm bells instantly went off in her head.
Cecilia didn't like the way Anna was sizing her up, and she liked even less the natural sense of superiority that Anna carried.
"I don't think we have anything to talk about," Cecilia's response was direct and cold. "If you're here to visit someone, room 809 is upstairs."
The implication was clear—she wanted Anna to stop wasting her time here.
The smile on Anna's face didn't change at all, as if she completely ignored Cecilia's coldness.
"Ms. Martinez, you're straightforward. I like that." Anna smiled slightly, then dropped a bombshell. "I'm not here to visit anyone. I'm here for you."
"Let me introduce myself properly—I'm Stefan's fiancée."
Fiancée?
Those words instantly disturbed Cecilia's calm state of mind.
It wasn't that it stirred up any ripples of jealousy, but rather a feeling that trouble had finally come knocking.
That lunatic Rufus had just left, and now a fiancée had popped up on Stefan's side. Cecilia's life seemed to always be tangled up with this kind of mess.
An arranged marriage between families?
Rufus's words from the restaurant flashed through her mind.
So it was true.
"So?" Cecilia's face showed little emotion as she asked coolly, "Mr. Hensley's private affairs don't seem like something he needs to report to me, his business partner. Ms. Clark, haven't you got the wrong person?"
"No, you're exactly who I'm looking for." The smile on Anna's face deepened.
"Ms. Martinez, I know you're busy, but this matter concerns you, me, and Stefan—all three of us. I think we need to have an honest conversation. Otherwise, when things blow up, it won't look good for anyone."
Anna's words were airtight, both pointing out what was at stake and applying invisible pressure.
Cecilia was silent for a few seconds.
She could certainly just turn and walk away, but she knew very well that this kind of trouble couldn't be shaken off. If she avoided it today, tomorrow it would come back in an even uglier way.
Rather than passively waiting, better to clear things up once and for all.
"Fine." She nodded.
The café across from the hospital wasn't crowded.
The two chose a quiet booth by the window. Anna ordered coffee for both herself and Cecilia, her manner elegant, every movement showing good breeding.
When the coffee arrived, Anna didn't touch hers. She just stared at Cecilia with those beautiful eyes.
"Ms. Martinez, I won't beat around the bush." Anna dropped her polite mask and got straight to the point. "I know you have business dealings with Stefan, and I know you've been tangled up with Rufus lately."
Anna pulled a check from her purse and gently pushed it in front of Cecilia.
"This is ten million dollars."
Cecilia's gaze fell on the check. The string of zeros made her want to laugh. These women who lived privileged lives all seemed to firmly believe there was no problem in the world that money couldn't solve.
"Ms. Clark, what's this supposed to mean?"
"My meaning is simple." Anna leaned back against the sofa, arms crossed, taking on a negotiating posture.
"Leave Harmony City. Leave Stefan. And leave Rufus too."
"This money is enough for you to live a very comfortable life in any city abroad. Forget the troubles here and start over."
"I can arrange everything for you—a new identity, a new school, even a decent job. You're a smart person. You should know which choice is best for you."
Anna's tone was flat, but every word dripped with condescension.
Cecilia didn't look at the check. She just picked up the coffee in front of her and took a small sip.
"What if I say no?"
This answer was within Anna's expectations.
A cold smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and her eyes became sharp.
"Ms. Martinez, don't be ungrateful."
"You're a designer. You should understand what it means to read the situation. You know better than I do what kind of person Rufus is. Right now, his interest in you is just temporary novelty and that ridiculous obsessive desire."
"You think he cares about you? Don't be naive. He's just seeing someone else's shadow through you. When this crazy phase passes, guess what will happen to you?"
Anna paused, leaning forward slightly and lowering her voice.
"As for Stefan, he's even more out of your reach."
"My engagement to him was arranged long ago between the Hensley family and the Clark family. Our union involves the strategic planning of both family corporations for decades to come. This marriage isn't something his personal feelings can change. Do you understand?"
"He's protecting you now, maybe because he finds you interesting, or maybe because you still have some use to him."
"But he will never, ever marry you."
"The position of the Hensley family's lady of the house—you can't even get close to it."
Anna finished speaking and leaned back on the sofa, picking up her coffee cup with an arrogant air.
"Today it's me coming to find you, so we can still sit here and discuss terms calmly. Ten million dollars to buy your future—it's a good deal."
"If next time it's Stefan's mother, Mrs. Hensley, who comes looking for you, she won't be as easy to talk to as I am."
These words, mixing threats and enticements, hard and soft tactics, had basically blocked off all of Cecilia's escape routes.
Any ordinary girl facing this situation would probably have already lost her composure.
But Cecilia wasn't ordinary.
"Ms. Clark, I think you've gotten a few things wrong."
Cecilia calmly set down her coffee cup. The bottom clinked against the saucer with a crisp sound.
"First, between Rufus and me, there's only hatred, not entanglement. Whatever he does to me is my business. I'll handle it myself. You don't need to worry about it."
"Second," Cecilia's gaze met Anna's without any evasion, "Stefan and I have an equal business relationship. I'm the chief designer at his company, and he's the boss of my project. Between us is a purely commercial contract. There are no feelings that cross any boundaries."
"Your engagement with him, your families' strategic planning—none of that has anything to do with me."
Cecilia paused, looking at Anna's face as it began to stiffen, and continued.
"Ms. Clark, everything you've said basically comes down to wanting to tell me how excellent your fiancé is and how important your marriage is. But have you thought about this—if your engagement were truly unshakeable, if Stefan were truly devoted to you, you wouldn't need to be sitting here today at all."
"And you certainly wouldn't need to use ten million dollars to get rid of a business partner you claim is 'no threat at all.'"
Cecilia pushed the check back with a decisive, clean movement.
"So, you should take this money back."
"I'll plan my own life. I don't need anyone to arrange it for me."
With that, Cecilia stood up and picked up her bag.
"I've finished my coffee. If Ms. Clark has nothing else, I'll be going."
Anna's expression finally changed.
She hadn't expected Cecilia to refuse so decisively, so completely, without even a hint of hesitation. Cecilia's composure and rationality were completely beyond Anna's expectations.
She watched Cecilia's retreating figure, her eyes growing colder bit by bit.
After a long moment, Anna picked up the returned check, a sinister smile spreading across her face.
Ungrateful.