A Graduation Gift

As the night grew late, Cassandra prepared herself for the hotel that they were going to stay in. To her surprise, Rufus drove
them to Hampton.
Hampton was a village by the beach in the city. It was filled with majestic and luxurious buildings, each with its own walled
gardens.
There lived the most influential people in New York city—the most powerful political families, tycoons, movie stars, socialites, etc.
Tons of paparazzi lurked to get their scoop on the city elites' lives.
Cassandra stared at an approaching convertible with her eyes wide open. 'Was the woman sitting on the front seat the movie
star who just won an award for Best Supporting Actress?' she thought.
Row upon row of towering villas surrounded the coast. Each house was a masterpiece by several architects, impressive in their
own way. They all looked sublime coupled with the stormy sea.
Rufus pulled over at a corner beside a slope, on top of which stood a blue castle. It reminded pedestrians of fairy tales from their
childhood, making them feel as if there were a prince and a princess living inside.
"Do you like it? I named it 'Dream, '"
Rufus said, taking off his sunglasses. He smiled at Cassandra. His eyes were deep and attractive.
"Dream..."
Cassandra murmured, staring at the beautiful building. Her watery eyes brightened her face in the moonlight.
She walked on the castle's white cobbled path as Rufus drove to the back to park.
The iron gate was entwined with vines and a few pink flowers sprawled and adorned the exterior wall.
As a gentle breeze blew and twilight fell, Rufus walked across the yard, to the gate, and finally opened the castle doors to let
Cassandra in.
"Welcome to Dream, my princess,"
He said as he put his left hand behind him, offered his right hand, and did a gentle bow similar to a royal curtsy.

Cassandra flashed a smile. Her eyes glittered like diamonds in the night. This was every little girl's fantasy. It was impossible to
resist such a moment.
Rufus prepared a room facing the sea for her. Late at night, the sea reflected the stars as the waves rolled to the beach. This
enchanting sight dazzled Cassandra.
She changed into a silk nightgown. The castle was empty but warm.
Lying on the bed she found herself still very wide awake. Cloris's words rang in her mind, "Mom asked me to seek help from
you." She could hear her say it again and again. It was like a python, snarling at her with its mouth open. Her mind was in such a
turmoil that she couldn't sleep.
What did she mean to her mother and sister?
Realizing that her attempts to quiet her mind would be futile, Cassandra got up and pushed the door open. She decided to
explore the castle, instead.
Downstairs, the whole house was covered in dim light.
She noticed a huge portrait hung on the hall of the ground floor.
It was of a woman and a boy which was so lifelike that it seemed more like a photo than a painting.
The woman was very elegant. She wore a gentle smile whose warmth could light anyone's heart in a cold night.
Beside her, the young boy stood, good-looking with definite features. The wisdom and confidence that shone through his eyes
looked far beyond his years.
Cassandra chuckled. She was almost sure this was little Rufus.
She sat on the staircase across the portrait and enjoyed it with her head cocked to one side.
Rufus looked so charming as a little boy. God endowed him with such adorable features that he managed to keep even as he
grew up.
What a charming little boy.
Thinking of childhood, Cassandra felt lonely.

She seldom took pictures with her parents. Cloris, though, had several pictures with them that adorned their home when they
were both little.
She wondered why her parents were not as close to her as they were to Cloris.
She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. Tears fell on her soft palms.
Her family was the pain in her heart that could not seem to heal.
"Why aren't you asleep?"
she heard a gentle voice from behind her. Rufus, in a loose robe, stood at the top of the staircase.
Taking a few steps down, he stopped beside Cassandra. He leaned against the rail. Cassandra could smell his fragrance.
"Jet lag,"
Cassandra said. She quickly wiped the tears off with her hands. She did not like looking vulnerable in front of others.
Rufus knew she was not someone who would share feelings and secrets.
He lit a cigarette and stood beside her without a word.
"Thank you, Rufus,"
Cassandra said. But it sounded frigid.
Rufus squinted his dark eyes and stared at her disheveled figure.
Cassandra wasn't this thin when they met in Rome. Stress clearly got to her. She was going through a lot. It pained Rufus to see
her this way.
The woman turned to look at Rufus.
She almost looked like a little fairy as the moon illuminated her features.
"Rufus, what does family mean to you?"

Cassandra knew that Rufus was Horace's bastard child. She wondered what it felt like for him to meet his father after years of
being absent in his life.
He paid obeisance to Horace and did very well when his father appointed him to take charge of the company. But Cassandra
wondered whether he ever blamed Horace for not being a good father.
Rufus fell silent and clenched his fists so hard that his hands began to tremble.
What did family mean to him? He didn't know if the family that Cassandra was pertaining to was the Tang family.
If it were, then that would be too funny.
The Tang family meant nothing to him. He never saw them as family.
Receiving no response, Cassandra turned her head back and murmured, "Sometimes, I feel so out of place in this family. It's like
I don't belong here."
Her body began to shake with her nightgown fluttering.
Rufus put out his cigarette and got down to his knees. He brought the sad girl to his arms.
Even though it was a relatively warm night, her body felt cold.
"Do you feel cold?"
Rufus frowned.
"No, I just feel sad..."
Cassandra gently broke loose from his embrace and stood up.
Rufus stared at her figure and stayed silent for a minute.
"Put on a coat. Let's take a walk,"
Rufus sighed. He felt helpless seeing Cassandra worry so much. He knew that there was not much that he could do to help her.
It was a quiet night. The sea was calm, reflecting the starlight above it. It looked nothing like how it did in daylight when the
waves were lively.

The sea breeze was cold as it was still winter. Cassandra rubbed her arms to warm herself.
Rufus wordlessly wrapped his arms around Cassandra's shoulder. She was surprised but didn't try to avoid his embrace this
time.
His eyes were dark. It made him feel happy to hold her in his arms.
"Now, you don't feel as cold,"
Rufus tried to say it casually as if he didn't care about her as much as he did.
"Actually I enjoy being cold. It keeps me sober,"
Cassandra replied. Her long, curly eyelashes fluttered as she blinked.
"Does it? Are you saying you are not sober right now?"
Rufus whispered to her ear with a sly smile.
"Rufus!"
Cassandra exclaimed as she pushed to break loose, but failed as Rufus held her more tightly.
"I like it when you call me by my name," he said
as he rested his chin on her head. He held her so tightly as if he wanted to embed her into his body.
Cassandra's heart raced and her face flushed. She felt overwhelmed and extremely uneasy.
"Look! A shooting star!"
Cassandra excitedly exclaimed at her discovery, pointing at the line where the sky met the sea.
A shooting star streaked across the sky leaving a hardly visible white ribbon trailing behind it against the dark sky.
The wind whipped her hair around her head and the pale moonlight poured over her pretty face, enhancing her fair skin. Stars
glittered from Cassandra's sparkling eyes which looked like the mysterious sea.

Even with the picturesque sky and enchanting waters, none of them could compare with her smile. The wonder in her eyes
gripped Rufus. He could not turn his eyes away from her.
"Shoot! I forgot to make a wish! You should have reminded me to do it!"
Cassandra complained with a frown. She looked up at him and met his intense gaze. Her face blushed for a split second, then
she reprimanded herself, "It does not seem appropriate."
Rufus flashed a light smile when he noticed that she was trying to avoid his eyes.
"You just made a wish for your birthday. Aren't you a little greedy to have so many wishes!"
Rufus chuckled as he looked at her tenderly.
Cassandra felt a little bit nervous. She looked at him with her eyes wide open.
Seeing Rufus smile like that surprised her since he usually looked so stern.
He always had a very serious and aloof demeanor, even when he was with clients. His playfulness and tenderness were not
something that he would show to a lot of people quite often. Indeed, it could melt anyone's heart.
Rufus's lips landed on hers before the blushed woman could get a hold of herself.