Chapter 213 Take Her Away
Stefan's voice helped Cecilia's nearly frozen, chaotic thoughts settle down.
She turned her head and saw his sharply defined jawline and those eyes that remained calm as still water even in the night.
Stefan was expressing a clear stance.
He wouldn't question her unbelievable past, wouldn't probe into the truth or lies in her words—he would simply use the most direct action to give her a point of support she could lean on.
At the same time, Rufus was struggling to recover from that absurd truth.
"Let her go!"
Rufus's roar carried a heavy taste of blood. Like a madman, he lunged forward, reaching out to grab Cecilia.
Stefan's reaction was faster than Rufus's.
Stefan pulled Cecilia behind him, shielding her completely, while simultaneously turning his body and lifting his leg in a precise and vicious knee strike that landed solidly on Rufus's abdomen.
A dull thud.
Rufus was knocked backward by the sudden force, clutching his stomach, his handsome face twisted in pain. He never expected that Stefan, always known for his elegance and calculating mind, would be so swift and efficient when it came to physical action, with not a single wasted movement.
"Rufus," Stefan said, supporting Cecilia while looking down at Rufus from above, his tone ice-cold, with none of his usual courtesy, "you're mentally unstable right now. I suggest you see a doctor instead of losing it here."
"Stefan!" Rufus squeezed out his name through clenched teeth, the murderous intent in his eyes almost tangible. "Touch her and see what happens!"
"Touch?" Stefan laughed lightly, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "You mean like how you drove her to the edge? Do you have any right to say that?"
As soon as he finished speaking, several black cars silently glided to the roadside. The doors opened in unison, and over a dozen well-trained, stern-faced bodyguards in black quickly got out, instantly securing the area.
The head bodyguard, Jacob, strode quickly to Stefan's side and bowed. "Mr. Hensley, everything's arranged."
This turn of events happened so fast that Rufus's people had no time to react.
Who would have thought that Stefan, whose only goal was to take Cecilia back, would bring such an excessive security force?
"Help Ms. Thorne into the car," Stefan said, glancing at Bronte, who was kneeling on the ground, having cried herself nearly to exhaustion, and calmly issued the order.
Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward and carefully helped Bronte up.
Bronte was still struggling, mumbling "Cecilia" incoherently, resisting anyone's touch.
Seeing this, Stefan could only whisper in Cecilia's ear: "Can you calm her down? We need to leave immediately."
Cecilia took a deep breath, walked up to Bronte, and grasped her cold hand.
"Mom, it's me. I'm here. We're going home."
Cecilia's voice carried suppressed trembling, but that word "Mom" seemed to possess some kind of magic, instantly quieting Bronte down.
Bronte stared blankly at Cecilia, allowing the bodyguards to help her toward one of the cars.
Watching Stefan about to leave with Cecilia, Rufus struggled to maintain his sanity.
"Don't go!" Rufus roared, ignoring the severe pain in his abdomen and charging forward again. "Cecilia is mine! You can't take her!"
Stefan's bodyguards immediately moved to block him, but Rufus, having completely lost his usual rationality, forcibly shoved past two bodyguards and lunged straight at Stefan.
Stefan pushed Cecilia toward his assistant Garth and stepped forward to meet him.
This time, Stefan didn't use any clever techniques.
Just as Rufus's fist was about to smash into Stefan's face, Stefan tilted his head slightly to dodge, his right hand moving with surprising speed to grab Rufus's swinging wrist. Stefan twisted Rufus's hand downward, and simultaneously, his left hand formed a fist and, without any hesitation, delivered a heavy punch squarely to Rufus's jaw.
A light crack, accompanied by Rufus's suppressed groan of pain.
Stefan had used his full strength in this punch.
Rufus's head snapped violently to one side from the impact, blood immediately appearing at the corner of his mouth, his whole body somewhat dazed.
"That punch was for Amelia," Stefan said, shaking out his somewhat numb hand, his eyes cold as ice.
"Rufus, listen carefully. From today on, Amelia is my person. If you want to touch her, you'll have to ask if I agree first."
With that, Stefan didn't spare Rufus another glance and turned toward his limited-edition car.
The car door opened, and Stefan helped Cecilia inside.
The convoy's engines started, and without a moment's delay, they quickly merged into traffic and disappeared into the night.
Outside the vast cemetery gates, only Rufus remained, along with Louis, who was blocked by the Hensley family bodyguards at the perimeter, and a few shaken security guards.
The evening wind blew past, sweeping up fallen leaves from the ground and lifting the disheveled hair on Rufus's forehead.
He slowly straightened his body, raised his hand, and wiped the bleeding corner of his mouth with his thumb.
Those deep eyes stared fixedly in the direction the convoy had disappeared, and all the emotions within them—anger, pain, unwillingness—finally settled into an obsession and madness capable of destroying everything.
She was alive.
She really was Cecilia.
She had come back.
But she no longer belonged to him. Stefan had taken her away. She had become Stefan's person.
Rufus suddenly began to laugh quietly.
The laughter was suppressed at first, but then grew louder and more crazed, echoing through the empty night in a bone-chilling way.
Louis gathered his courage and tentatively approached. "Mr. Chapman, are you... are you alright? Should I take you to the hospital?"
Rufus's laughter stopped abruptly.
He whipped his head around, and those bloodshot eyes made Louis's heart skip a beat.
"She's back," Rufus said, his voice extremely hoarse. "She really came back."
Louis didn't dare respond and could only lower his head.
Rufus paid him no more attention but staggered, step by step, toward the tombstone that belonged to "Cecilia."
On the tombstone, Cecilia in the photo smiled gently and peacefully.
He reached out his hand, his fingertips trembling as they caressed that cold photograph.
"You lied to me..."
"You liar..."
He knelt down, his forehead pressing heavily against the cold tombstone.
Extreme ecstasy and extreme despair finally tore him completely apart.
Rufus let out a childlike, suppressed and painful whimper, his shoulders shaking violently. Then that whimper turned into neurotic, intermittent mad laughter.
She was alive—how wonderful.
She hated him so much—how wonderful.
At least hatred was a profound connection.
At least he could still truly and tangibly feel her, rather than holding onto a cold tombstone and a pile of false memories.
He laughed for a long time, then cried for a long time, until the night grew deeper and the cold seeped through his suit.
Rufus slowly stood up, took out his phone, and made a call.
"Mr. Chapman?"
"All previous business plans targeting the Hensley Group are suspended immediately," Rufus said, his voice eerily calm with an ominous undertone.
The person on the other end paused, thinking they had heard wrong.
"From now on, the target has changed."
Rufus's gaze pierced through the night toward the endless distance, the corners of his mouth curving into a sick and cruel arc.
"Use every means available. I want Stefan to lose everything."
"Also..."
He paused, his possessive desire for Cecilia nearly overflowing through the phone screen.
"Find out everything about Cecilia—no, Amelia's current home address, her parents' information, everything. I want to know all her weaknesses."
"No matter what method you use, I want her back by my side. Even if... I have to tie her up and bring her back."