A Graduation Gift

"Rufus, where are you? Can I come and see you?"
Her calls didn't go through to him. Amanda was left with only a desperate string of text messages to contact him.
Rufus had left the Tang Group, and he had left no traces behind. Amanda had not the slightest idea where he was.
"Rufus, I have something very important to tell you. Please send me a message when you see this."
She was no fool. She had known all along that Rufus had only agreed to the engagement because of her illness and pretense of
losing her memory. She had forced his pity into a shape that could resemble love. Despite this knowledge, Amanda was still
clinging to hope.
Rufus was engaged to her now. There must be some way that she could make him marry her.
It was with these thoughts that Amanda had desperately tried to reach Rufus. He had not blatantly rejected her, and so to her
mind, she still had hope.
They had done this strange back-and-forth chase before, but something was different this time. Rufus seemed to have made up
his mind. He no longer answered her calls or texted her back, no matter how many times she tried.
All she wanted was to be close to him. Then maybe, when time finally decided to be kind, he would turn his heart to her. But
things didn't work out like she wanted.
Rufus was deliberately distancing himself from her. He was leaving her behind. If she just stayed back and did nothing, she
would lose all hope of ever marrying him.
Amanda decided to head for the Garden Villa. At the sound of her car, Rufus's figure emerged from the doorway.
Relief flooded her as she saw his face, but the smile on her face was only momentary. His face was closed off and distant as he
stood.
Rufus was feeling irritated at Amanda's sudden appearance. It had only been a few days, and here she was at his mansion.
After seeing Cassandra, he had wanted to cut all ties with Amanda.
Rufus knew that Clark had installed cameras everywhere, but he remained in the mansion. It was his way of telling Clark that he
had no fear of him.

It was both the most dangerous and safest place at the same time. Rufus knew that no matter how long Clark waited and
watched, there was nothing he could find. He was an upright person, and he had never involved himself in shady dealings. There
was no way Clark would be able to use anything against him.
Beside, Cassandra lived right next to him. He followed her with longing eyes through his window every night. It had almost
become a ritual. Seeing her just lulled him.
Steeling herself, Amanda stepped out of the car and ran to Rufus. She was about to hurl into his arms, but he dodged her and
put a distance between them.
"Rufus, why aren't you answering my messages?"
Amanda asked sweetly.
"Did something happen?" she pressed.
Rufus did not speak. He did not particularly feel like talking to Amanda.
She went on when he only answered in silence. "I miss you. We haven't seen each other since the engagement party,"
Amanda complained, disappointment written all over her face.
"I'm very busy with work. I have a lot of matters to deal with in the TY Group, and I have to fly to the headquarters,"
Rufus answered briefly, ignoring Amanda's protests.
But his cold response did not deter her. "Then, I think it will be better if I just stay here. That way we can see each other often.
After all, we're engaged," she suggested.
Charlie had bought a house for Amanda in G City, but she wanted to be with Rufus as much as possible.
If she could stay with him for longer, she would have more chances of winning him back. She stepped closer to Rufus, but he
stepped back. Amanda almost lost her footing from his action.
"We are not married yet. Moving in would not be a good idea. You need someone to take care of you, and I don't have any
servants to do that,"
Rufus answered quickly, furrowing his brows at her persistence.

"I can take care of myself, Rufus. I want to live with you, just as we did before!"
Amanda stepped forward in another attempt to touch him. Suddenly, Rufus noticed a familiar figure.
Cassandra stood with her door open. She was about to go out, but nothing could have prepared her for what she was seeing
now. Amanda and Rufus were standing in the courtyard, their bodies very close.
Amanda lifted her head. Her eyes were fixed on Rufus, while his eyes met Cassandra's.
In his surprise, Rufus was unable to dodge Amanda. He felt her arms go around him as she pulled him into an embrace.
Cassandra's grip on the door handle tightened. Her eyes widened and she bit back a gasp as she felt a piercing pain in her
chest.
Everytime she passed the house, Cassandra could feel Rufus's gaze following her.
They had not exchanged words, but there was a silent understanding that had formed between them. She passed by his window
when she could, and his eyes would always follow her steps.
An intimate scene between the two was something that she had not expected at all.
Before she could think, she turned around and walked back inside, slamming the door in her hurry. Her chest became heavier
every second she thought back at their image.
No matter what his plan was, Rufus was still engaged with Amanda. He was Amanda's fiance. And Cassandra?
She used to be his sister-in-law. Now, they were essentially strangers.
Rufus did not miss the shock in Cassandra's eyes before she hurriedly turned back and hid behind her door.
He breathed out in frustration. Things were getting harder and harder to fix.
With cold eyes, he lowered his head and looked at the woman who had her arms around him.
He grabbed her shoulders firmly and freed himself from her grasp. Then, with a serious tone, he said, "Amanda, could you
please leave now? I will talk to you when I come back from abroad. I have things to do."
His eyes were on her, but at the back of his mind, he was devising his plans.

Tit for tat is fair play. Now, Clark had appeared in the picture and was using Cassandra to get back at him. There was no way he
would put up with that.
At first, Rufus had no plans of getting involved in the Dark Night Group. He had things of his own to take care of, and he was not
interested in succeeding the group. But things were different now. Clark was aggressively making his moves and playing dirty
tricks. Two could play at that game.
"When will you come back then?"
Amanda pressed, clutching Rufus's arm. A few days seemed so long. She missed the feeling of his arms around her, his voice,
his scent...She didn't want to leave.
"I'll call you when I get back,"
Rufus said. He just wanted to send Amanda away as soon as possible. All he thought about now was Cassandra's expression as
she turned around.
A myriad of emotions played across her face in seconds. There was surprise, confusion, and disappointment. He had hurt her,
again.
Amanda looked at Rufus and then looked at the mansion behind him. She knew that Rufus wouldn't let her in today.
However, even this would not make her give up. As long as Rufus was still willing to see her, then she still had a chance. She
was so close. If she was too aggressive this time, Rufus might push her away, just like what he did last time. Amanda decided to
take caution this time.
She nodded her head at him and said in a honeyed voice, "Okay, I'll leave then. Don't forget to call me when you come back."
Then, she stepped back and turned to walk to her car, looking back repeatedly at every step. When she arrived at her car, she
lovingly took one long and final look at Rufus and drove away.
Rufus squinted and watched Amanda drive away. When she was out of sight, he turned around and looked at the mansion next
to him, his face unreadable.
Cassandra took a day off today. She was going to do some shopping, but she had lost her energy and interest at the scene that
came in front of her just now. She had been absent-mindedly sitting since.

"Cassandra, is something wrong?"
Edith asked, pulling Cassandra away from her thoughts. Not knowing what had happened, she was concerned about Cassandra.
She had not moved from her spot for a long time.
"Nothing, Mother. I was just thinking about Lyndsy's promotion," she lied, making a convenient excuse. Edith had not found out
that Rufus was living next to them, and Rufus had been avoiding her as well.
"Your job right now is quite busy, isn't it? Have you ever thought about giving Clark's idea about the gallery a try?"
Edith felt sorry as she looked at her daughter. She had always been slim, but it seemed like she was losing even more weight.
Her cheeks were hollow and her eyes were dim, as if she was hiding some pain inside her.
"I'm fine, Mother. I enjoy my job," Cassandra said, offering her mother a small smile.
She tried her best to stay away from Clark after her conversation with Rufus. Surprisingly, Clark had not shown himself either. He
didn't come to visit the mansion, and he probably didn't know that Cassandra's voice had almost recovered.
A shiver ran down her spine as Cassandra thought about the honey that Clark gave her. She felt an urge to move out the
mansion as soon as possible. But as Rufus had told her that day, Clark came to her with a purpose, and she had yet to figure it
out.
Somehow, Cassandra had a feeling that Clark was coming at Rufus. All he did, including approaching her, was to get back at
him in some form.
If she stayed with Clark, she would be able to keep an eye on his movements, and protect Rufus.
Cassandra smiled bitterly to herself. Even now, she was still thinking and doing things for his sake. She was deliberately staying
in this dangerous mansion, and staying with Clark, a vicious man with unknown intentions, all for him.
She was willing to do everything, even put herself in danger, if it meant he would be safe.
Even if he was in the arms of another woman.