A Graduation Gift

"Cassandra, when I can finally settle all the things that I've come here to accomplish, I'm gonna take you away from here, away
from this wretched city. We'll go to any country of your choosing, anywhere you fancy, and then we'll settle down there, wherever
that may be, so we could live happily and forget all of the things that happened here. Will you come with me?"
Rufus wrapped his arm around her shoulders and touched the back of her head to push her against his chest.
His powerful heartbeat brought music to her ears. It was unflinching yet soothing at the same time.
Cassandra broke into tears at once and they even got into Rufus's clothes.
Those words had brought music to her ears, and the picture he was painting just felt so real and so enticing. But Cassandra had
already been through a lot during their time together. She wasn't sure whether it would be right to give him a chance again or
not.
"Please stop crying. I swear I'm gonna make you happy every single day."
Rufus could feel that her shoulders were trembling, so he lifted his hand, caressed her cheek, and wiped off her tears dry.
Then he sealed her lips with his and kissed her passionately, unable to hold it in. Everything bad that had happened seemed to
have gotten washed away the second their lips touched, all that was left were their hearts beating like a drum.
If she was being completely honest, the kiss managed to get rid of some of her worries, and so, Cassandra basked in Rufus's
warmth, feeling quite relieved. She could tell that her heart was beginning to ease up and beat steadily.
"So, what is your goal right now? Are you waiting for Amanda's full recovery?" Cassandra just couldn't keep it in.
It was obvious that she was quite agitated. If Amanda didn't start to get better any time soon or at all, could that also mean that it
was possible for Rufus to keep going along with their stupid act for the remainder of their lives?
They wouldn't even have any opportunities to get married to each other. Would they have to keep hiding from everyone until hell
was frozen over?
Taking in a deep breath, Rufus's heart pounded hard beneath his chest. Cassandra could feel it thumping so loud as though it
had been hit by a surge of adrenaline.
"You must have faith in me, Cassandra. I have to ask you to be strong, and I'll find a way to get out of this mess soon enough. I
don't want you to be having any senseless ideas. You're the one I want, the only one. I couldn't care less what Amanda might

do!"
Horace had been looking all over for him for the past few days, so Rufus deduced that Lionel wasn't able to hold on the
business. Thus, Horace was eager to get him back to Tang Group to take the charge.
Rufus wouldn't dare let this chance of a lifetime slip away—a chance to get back at his father, to lay waste to his company, to
destroy everything he held dear, and most of all, to ruin his precious reputation.
While Rufus was still deep in thought, Cassandra was beginning to feel restless in his arms. Despite the fact that she absolutely
had no clue as to what was really going on inside that mind of his, she could tell that something was about to happen, something
that was grand-scale.
"Rufus, would you please be honest with me and tell me what you're planning to do? You told me that you loved me and how
much you wanted to spend the rest of your life together with me, so why couldn't you stop keeping any secrets from me from
here on out? If you insist on keeping me in the dark, the two of us being together forever...I don't see it happening. Do you get
what I'm trying to say?"
Pushing Rufus away from her a little, Cassandra looked straight into his eyes, furrowing her eyebrows.
"I'm only doing this for your own good, Cassandra! Please trust me on this!"
Of course, Rufus was still hesitating whether he should reveal everything to her or not, because he genuinely didn't want her to
get caught up in what was about to come. He was thinking that it would be best for her to stay out of harm's way, at least just
until everything was taken care of. Only then would they be able to go on living together without ever looking back.
"Rufus, I'm going to be frank with you! If you don't start talking now, then I'm gonna make sure this would be the last time the two
of us would meet. You won't ever see me again! If I'm completely being honest, I think Clark and I would make a great pair. I
don't really mind being his girlfriend!"
Cassandra turned away and shifted her gaze somewhere else after blurting out those words, trying to get a rise out of him, and
hoping that maybe he would change his mind somehow.
"What? Have you lost your mind? You don't have the slightest clue what that man is capable of doing! He's already a lost cause!
And now you're telling me you'd rather be with him?"
Out of astonishment, Rufus grabbed hold of her arms without warning. Everything happened so fast that Cassandra had been
left at a loss for words.

His reaction was so far beyond what she had expected, and he even had no control over how hard his grip had been, prompting
Cassandra to cry out in pain.
"Let go of me, Rufus! You're hurting me!"
She quickly bit her lip to prevent herself from screaming in pain, greatly bewildered at the sight of Rufus getting so worked up
and losing his temper whenever Clark was involved.
Looking at her, Rufus instantly realized what he had just done, albeit unintentionally, and so, he let go of Cassandra immediately.
However, he still looked so different in her eyes.
"Cassandra, please don't ever say that again, even as a joke. You need to keep a safe distance from Clark. He is a dangerous
man. I'll manage to get your mother to leave without him noticing as soon as possible."
Rufus already had something arranged, but they should stay on the safer side, making sure not to arouse any suspicion from
Clark.
The people who were involved in the drug trafficking ring were all ruthless outlaws, so it wouldn't be surprising to Rufus if they
were to do something unthinkable. However, if Cassandra ended up getting involved, he would have to think things through.
Pulling up Clark's roots could be a gargantuan task, and apart from that, the man who had been backing him up was such a
prominent person in G City. If he got even just a little bit careless with his moves, it could very well end up biting him in his
behind, and he could also end up being the one destroyed instead of Clark.
But there was just no way for Cassandra to find out what he was scheming. She kept massaging her arms, which he held with a
forceful grip, glaring at him, feeling extremely irritated and tongue-tied. It was just that she had never seen him bearing such a
grim look on his face before.
'Rufus, Haven't you noticed that you're no longer as calm and composed as you were back then? You're letting your emotions
get the best of you now, but just what is it that makes you look so different in my eyes?' she asked herself.