"What? This is smaller than a hotel bathroom? You expect me to stay here?" Fiona stared incredulously out the window.
Cecilia ignored her, flipping open the glove compartment and tossing a card to Fiona. "Here. The access card. Twenty-fourth floor. Get out of the car."
Samantha remained silent, her expression unreadable. She wasn't about to let Cecilia off so easily. Once Fiona got out, she leaned toward Cecilia, her voice cold. "You. Get out and help us with the luggage."
Cecilia pressed the button to open the trunk, drummed her fingers lightly on the steering wheel, and chuckled. "I don't recall having that obligation."
"Look at all this luggage. You want us to carry it upstairs?" Samantha pulled out her phone and brought up Peter Spark's contact, holding it in Cecilia's line of sight. "Maybe I should call your father and ask whether his daughter should help me, your mother, carry bags?"
Cecilia's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. She glared at the phone, gritted her teeth, and reluctantly opened the car door.
The apartment was modest—just a two-bedroom with a living room, around ninety square meters. Once Samantha and Fiona's luggage was inside, it felt cramped. The narrow corridor barely allowed one person through. Fiona sniffed dismissively.
Walking through the apartment, she pointed at the bedrooms with satisfaction. "One for me, one for Mom. Perfect."
Samantha, seemingly satisfied, cast a fleeting glance at Cecilia, said nothing, and dragged her bags into the bedroom.
"Oh, and you—the extra person!" Fiona hopped onto the sofa, pointing at Cecilia with a gloating smirk. "No room for you. What now? Want to sleep on the couch? Or hey, the hallway outside looks spacious too!"
Cecilia gave a polite, tight-lipped smile, saying nothing.
Why bother arguing with such a simple-minded child? She had a thousand ways to handle Fiona—but there was no need to stoop to petty words.
"You going to sleep outside? Wonderful! Then bring me a late-night snack while you're at it. How about some hairy crabs?" Fiona pressed on, reveling in her cruelty.
Cecilia rolled her eyes, said nothing, and left the apartment.
She tried to act indifferent, but this apartment was the only place she could call home—Peter Spark's property. And now, the daughter of the Spark family, she was being kicked out. Ridiculous.
As she stepped outside, Cecilia realized the car had been towed. For the first time, she stood on the curb, frozen, unsure what to do—until her phone rang.
"Where are you?"
"I can't go home. Can you come pick me up?"
Earlier that afternoon, after sending Blair away, Blaze had received a call from his assistant about a late-night contract meeting. By the time he finished, it was already past midnight. Driving back, he spotted a familiar figure standing by the roadside.
The biting cold wind whipped her chestnut hair, her hands crossed as she scanned the intersection, stomping her feet impatiently. Without hesitation, Blaze dialed her number.
Just as Cecilia hung up, the roar of an engine filled the street. She turned and saw a sleek silver Ferrari parked steadily behind her, Blaze inside, waving.
"No way, that fast?"
She sniffled through the chill, sprinted a few steps, and jumped into the car. A loud sneeze escaped her the moment she sat down.
"Where's your car?" Blaze handed her a tissue and tapped the screen, turning up the heat.
Cecilia hesitated, then replied vaguely, "The story of Cinderella, the evil stepmother, and the wicked stepsister… The spin-off? Cinderella's carriage got towed by the police. Want to hear it?"
Blaze instantly understood. He knew her family situation well. After Cecilia's mother died, Peter Spark remarried his secretary. Cecilia had never gotten along with her stepmother.
"They kicked you out?"
At first, hearing Cecilia's words, Blaze assumed she was just talking about her car being towed, making it impossible to return to the villa. But now he realized the truth—she was referring to the apartment as "home." His mood brightened, though tempered by the context.
"Not just that. Fiona even wanted to exploit the leftover labor—she asked me to get her hairy crabs for a midnight snack!" Cecilia squeezed the crumpled tissue in her hand, sniffling angrily. "As if I'd do that for her. That brat!"
On Monday, Cecilia's assistant arranged a job interview for her.
Diana from the Product Department had tried—and failed—to flirt with Blaze, and was promptly fired. Ever since, the managerial position had remained vacant. Cecilia decided to recruit externally. After rounds of screening, three candidates reached the final interview stage.
One of them was a foreign-educated returnee: tall, handsome, highly educated, experienced, and a fitness enthusiast. But the most striking part? He had a baby face, soft floppy hair, round gold-rimmed glasses, and big, innocent, watery eyes—the very image of the current trending "puppy boyfriend" type.
Among the female employees, it was practically unanimous: this position belonged to a man named Leano. Cecilia rubbed her temple, inwardly sighing. What a face-focused society…
Just before leaving work, Cecilia received a message from an unknown number. Instinctively, she assumed it was Bruno—but upon checking, it was Leano.
"Dinner tonight? The car is waiting downstairs."
Cecilia froze. Bold, indeed. She wasn't a naïve newcomer anymore. She knew the game: get close to the boss, make him fall for you, then climb the ladder—classic low-tier office tricks. Male employees were all the same.
"Did anyone see the little puppy guy who came for the interview? So handsome…"
Passing the front desk, Cecilia overheard her colleagues gossiping about Leano. She paused, tapped the desk to get their attention, and warned, "Don't think he's all that."
A little puppy? More like a wolf in sheep's clothing, preying on innocent young women.
Cecilia had already rehearsed a list of rejection lines in her mind—but when she reached the ground floor, she nearly choked. The "car" he mentioned… was a bicycle.
"Miss Spark!"
Leano was running toward her, hunched over the handlebars of a dusty gray bike. The tall man looked almost comical in this position.
"Y-you… hello, Mr. Leano…" Cecilia stared at his shabby clothes and worn sneakers. He looked nothing like the polished, dazzling man from the office. "Why… why do you look like this?"
Leano parked the bike and scratched his head, blushing slightly. "The suit and shoes are rented. Actually… my mom's kidney isn't in good shape, and I've spent most of my savings on her treatment. Life's a bit tight right now."
Cecilia raised an eyebrow, a hint of sympathy in her gaze. "So… if you wanted to invite me for dinner, how come it's like this?"
"Oh, that!" Leano's face turned even redder. He leaned forward, staring at her earnestly, his watery, expressive eyes making her heart skip a beat. "You probably don't remember… but I was one of the students you sponsored to study abroad."
Blaze had always been involved in charity work. Initially, he established a fund in Cecilia's name to support children in impoverished areas. As the business grew, it expanded beyond the fund. Cecilia had always been the figurehead—the real investor behind it was Blaze.
"I see…" Cecilia murmured.
"Watch out!"
Outside the building, workers were cleaning, and one accidentally kicked over a bucket. It fell from the sixtieth floor. By the time Cecilia heard someone shouting, it was too late. She squeezed her eyes shut in fear.
Suddenly, a strong force pressed her against a wall. Leano's body shielded hers completely, holding her firmly in his arms. The bucket hit the ground with a loud crash. They had narrowly avoided disaster.
"You're okay?"
When she opened her eyes, she saw Leano's worried face mere inches from hers. The closeness was undeniable, his hands braced on either side of her. She could even smell the faint scent of his soap.
Cecilia froze, lost for words—until a sharp, icy voice cut through the tension.
"What are you two doing?"
Seeing her in the street with another man, hugging and standing uncomfortably close, Blaze's sharp gaze landed on them immediately.
Startled, Cecilia pushed Leano away. "There was a bucket falling! Mr. Leano saved me."
Blaze, dressed entirely in black, stood there radiating an aura of authority. He was a full head taller than Leano. With a single glance, Leano instinctively shrank back, looking innocent and apologetic. "Did… did you misunderstand?"
"It's a misunderstanding!" Cecilia quickly jumped in. Even though she felt Blaze had no right to intervene in her private affairs, she knew better than to provoke him now.
Blaze shot her a sidelong glance, then grabbed her arm, ready to walk away. His gaze remained coldly fixed on Leano, perhaps still wary from the earlier intimate pose. "Is he… your friend?"
Cecilia opened her mouth to speak, but Leano quickly interrupted, smiling nervously. "Excuse me… and you are… to Miss Spark?"
In a moment like this, with Blaze teetering on the edge of anger, anyone like Leano poking at the situation could make things worse.
"He's one of our candidates for the company," Cecilia explained hastily.
Fortunately, Blaze didn't lash out. He took Cecilia's arm to lead her away.
But Leano wasn't done. He ran after them, stopping Blaze. "But what's your relationship with Miss Spark? She already promised to have dinner with me tonight…"
Blaze's eyes darkened, his voice cold and controlled as he turned toward Cecilia. "You… had plans?"