A Graduation Gift

He knew what Rufus's silence meant even before he gave out his answer. Charlie understood that he was unwilling to deal with
Clark, but there was no better candidate than him to be the next head of the group. He had to somehow convince him to agree.
"I don't want to meddle in other people's business. You know that,"
Rufus insisted and shook his head in refusal.
"You are one of us. That makes this your business. You can't just run away from your responsibilities,"
Charlie pressed, and looked at Rufus meaningfully.
Rufus knew what Charlie wanted from him. He knew that the older man wanted him to be the next leader. It was not a bad
position, but for the time being, there were other things on his mind.
He shook his head again. "I can help you with the investigation, but I can't give anything more than that."
Rufus had made up his mind and refused, finality in his tone.
Despite Rufus's stubbornness, Charlie was inwardly delighted.
'A man of honor and principle. As expected of the man I chose, ' he praised him secretly.
'It doesn't matter if he's not yet agreed. When the time comes, he will inevitably be involved in it. There will be a significant
change within the group, and Rufus will definitely be there.'
Satisfied, Charlie didn't press him any longer. He stood up and pat him on his shoulder.
"We are not in a hurry. Think it over more carefully. You've given a lot of contribution to the group. With your accomplishments of
establishing and developing TY Group, you have already defeated Clark," he said, and then his voice changed into a more
serious tone. "As for the relationship between you and Amanda, I trust that you will give me a satisfying answer."
Charlie pressed his shoulder slightly as he spoke the words, which gave away the warning that came with the contact.
Amanda was his only daughter. He would make Rufus choose her. He was well aware of the respect that the young man had for
him, and he would use it if necessary. Rufus would not be able to refuse.
As for love, that could come later. They had already been together once, and they would have no problem doing it again.

As for Cassandra... Charlie squinted his eyes as he remembered the woman who refused to get off the taxi and talk to him.
He would deal with her on his own.
Cassandra rubbed her temples with one hand as she looked over the letters of resignation that had just been submitted to her.
She was well on the way to being a general without soldiers. Almost all the employees were gone and there were only a handful
of people left.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Come in, please!" she answered, straightening herself up. Maggie, one of her employees entered the office.
"Maggie, can I help you?" she asked, straining to keep her voice steady.
Cassandra's heart sank inside her. 'Did she come here to submit a resignation letter too?' she thought despondently to herself.
Maggie stood in front of the desk with an anxious expression for some time before speaking, "Manager Qin, there's something I'd
like you tell you. But it's just my guess, and I could be wrong..."
Maggie bit her lower lips. She seemed to be struggling with her thoughts as she faced Cassandra.
"Sure. Go ahead, please," Cassandra said, sitting up a little straighter.
Something in her gut told her that bad news was coming, but she forced herself to calm down and hear her out.
"I think...the employees who left were targeted on purpose," she began. "They found a job right after they left. It's strange how
quickly they were accepted in their new companies. I feel like someone is deliberately trying to sabotage us."
Maggie was a fresh graduate and was not very knowledgeable about how the corporate world worked. This was her first job. And
she seemed not very sure of what she had just said.
"Really? Do you have any evidence?"
Cassandra felt her heart sink. Despite the heaviness in her chest, she forced out a smile in order not to scare Maggie.
"I received an email from a headhunter. He provided me with details about a job in another construction company, with 30% raise
from my wages here. This feels very strange, because I have just graduated, and I don't have the experience to attract

headhunters."
Maggie handed her a sheet of paper.
"This is the email I received," she said as Cassandra took the paper from her hand.
Cassandra looked at the email. There was nothing strange about the message of the way it was written, but Maggie was right. A
headhunter would not reach out to her, seeing that she was a rookie. There was no logical explanation for it.
"So, what do you think?" Cassandra turned her attention back to the young employee. "It's alright, Maggie. If you want to leave, I
won't stop you,"
she said and smiled at her.
"No, I didn't come here to tell you about this and resign. Manager Qin, you have been very kind to me. I know that you took me to
A City so that I could search for my uncle. I would never leave you in a difficult time like this. I owe you that much," Maggie raised
her eyes to hers and announced. "I won't leave this company!"
Upon uttering those words, her face turned beet red. She had never been a talkative girl, but Cassandra was grateful for her
trust.
"Don't stress yourself over it. This is just a temporary setback. I'll figure out a solution to this problem."
Cassandra's smile did not falter. There was no way she could break now in front of such a loyal employee. The least she could
do was match that with determination.
"I know that you're a good woman, and you are nothing like the rumors say. I won't leave here unless you ask me to. Even
though we don't have any projects now, I'll do my best to help with other things!"
Maggie returned Cassandra's smile shyly.
"Thanks, Maggie. All right, you can go back to your work now. I'll think of something."
After Maggie left, Cassandra's smile withered immediately. She hung her head low in frustration and slumped in her chair.
With the email Maggie received, Cassandra was able to confirm that the people who left were hired by the same headhunter.

But who was behind this?
She should've noticed it. Most of the staff left within just one month! It was abnormal how quickly they left. She paid them even
when there were no projects to be done, but they still went away one after the other.
With no staff, the project could not be carried out. If things continued as they were, the company would fall into ruin in no time. It
was too well thought out to be a coincidence. Someone was out to destroy the Qin Group.
Cassandra shivered at the terrible guess.
When Vernon went into jail, she was anxious about the Qin Group's future. There had been many problems so far, but this was
on a whole new level.
To make matters worse, she did not even know who she was up against. Her enemy had no face or name.
A painful throb cramped in her stomach. She had been stressed out this month, and her period had been late in arriving. It was
only now that it occurred to her how much time had lapsed since her last bleeding.
'Is my period coming now?' she thought as she pressed a hand to her belly to ease the pain.
This was just a minor pain. She had more serious things to think about. Before anything else, she had to find out the person
trying to bring the company to ruin.
Suddenly, the phone on the desk rang. Cassandra jumped in surprise at the sound.
It was her work phone. It was mostly used to answer calls from clients. They hadn't been having new projects for a long time.
Who could be calling this time?
She picked up the phone. An unfamiliar voice spoke from the other side.
"Miss Qin, I'd like to talk to you about investing on Qin Group."