A Graduation Gift

While Amanda was engrossed in the task of changing water for the flowers, Horace suddenly entered the house.
"It's been a while since I saw you, Amanda. Why don't you come around often?" Horace questioned with a smile. "I heard Lionel
mention that the construction of your school is under way. I am guessing you must be tied up at the moment, am I right?"
Horace added. He seemed to be in a very good mood. Amanda looked at him with some embarrassment.
"I'm sorry for not being able to come around often. You are right, Uncle Horace, I've been extremely busy lately. Until today, I
wasn't able to manage a day off from work. As soon as I got an opportunity, I intended to meet you. Anyway, here I have
wrapped some gifts for you,"
Amanda replied, smiling sweetly. She went ahead and pointed her fingers to the gift boxes lying on the table.
Ever since she got engaged to Rufus, she hadn't paid a visit to the Tang family. In truth, she wanted to meet them, but Charlie
always stopped her from doing so.
"You should at least ask Rufus to accompany you. It will seem a bit inappropriate if you visit them alone," Charlie argued.
He had said it deliberately that way, knowing with certainty that Rufus would never agree to it.
Furthermore, the whole engagement story itself was merely a sham. Charlie had asked Rufus for a favor. Together, they had put
on a show. Yet they didn't expect it would become such a huge local news. What bothered Charlie the most was the predicament
in which the Tang family put them into. Every time Charlie thought about Horace's eagerness to build connections through
marriage, a frown appeared on his face.
Horace had planted the seeds of hatred in Rufus's heart a long time ago. Charlie hadn't figured out what was going on in Rufus's
mind. Hence he had no idea how the young man would take actions to revenge on his father. In any case, Charlie's biggest
concern was Amanda. As a father, he wanted to safeguard her from all the dangers.
It so happened that they were just sorting out the gifts to store away when Horace came to visit today. Indeed, it could help
reaffirm the engagement and spare Amanda the embarrassment when the boxes were all there for Horace to see.
"That's all right. There is no hurry. I'm more than happy just to see you and Rufus," Horace smiled kindly. "By the way, Amanda,
have you seen Rufus lately?" he then inquired, feigning a casual tone.

Horace had been dying to see Rufus in the past few days. However, Rufus had always managed to dodge his requests. Hence
he had no choice but to go to Amanda for help.
"He was with me when the construction began, but I haven't heard from him since then. Well...he's been quite busy lately..."
Amanda's voice trailed off.
Even the mention of Rufus's whereabouts annoyed Amanda. She was unnerved by the fact she didn't know where he was.
She thought she was Rufus's fiancee only for namesake. She wasn't allowed to have any rights over him. What was worse was
that he didn't show any interest in this relationship. Last time when they met, she had specially arranged a reporter to take an
interview with them, wishing to show the public what a loving couple they were. But Rufus had simply remained silent throughout
the whole process, showing very little willingness to cooperate.
"Well...Amanda, here is the thing. There has been some misunderstanding between me and Rufus. He has left home in a hurry
and never bothered to return back. You know, the Tang family really can't exist without him," Horace said in a soft voice. Taking
several seconds to catch his breath, he continued, "So I was wondering if you could put in a good word for me and persuade him
to come back home. At the end of the day, he's my son and we are family. I don't see any reason why we should bear grudges
against each other. Can you do it?"
Horace knew how to act like a kind old man in front of Amanda. And this time, he tried his best to sound like a father who truly
cared for his son.
"No problem. I will persuade him to go home. Don't worry, after all he's a member of the Tang family. Eventually, he is bound to
return."
Amanda nodded with an understanding smile. Deep down, she wasn't even sure that Rufus would listen to her. Yet she promised
readily, considering that it was Rufus's father who was asking her for help.
Just when Horace was about to leave, Charlie returned. There was a good deal of greeting before Horace finally left. And once
he was out of the scene, Charlie's smile was replaced by a frown.
"What brought him here? Why did he come to see you?"
Since Charlie knew that Rufus had already left the Tang Group, he became laden with anxiety. The war between Rufus and
Horace might break out at any moment. Rufus was capable of bringing down the Tang Group whenever he pleased.

At this critical moment, Charlie felt compelled to ensure that his dear daughter would be at a safe distance away from all the
troubles.
"He came for Rufus. He seemed tensed, Father. But he didn't go into detail about what was worrying him,"
Amanda answered while picking up the phone and dialing Rufus's number. As usual, no one answered the call.
She threw the phone away irritably. A feeling of gloom contorted her beautiful features. She couldn't understand why he was
ignoring her.
"Listen, Amanda. I want you to stay away from Rufus for a while,"
Charlie requested, looking desperate. He understood how forlorn Amanda seemed when Rufus didn't answer her phone. He
realized the depth of love she had for him. But he grew more anxious seeing all these.
'What if Amanda somehow gets involved in this feud? She is definitely going to get hurt at some point, ' he thought with brimming
anxiety.
"But why, Father? Why should I stay away from him? He is my fiance after all!"
exclaimed Amanda. She turned her face away from her father as soon as she finished speaking, looking very displeased.
Charlie sighed before sitting down beside his daughter. She could be very headstrong when it came to things concerning Rufus.
And now Charlie felt tongue-tied. He was uncertain about the words he had to utter.
"To be honest, dear," he finally said, "I have come to realize you were not ill at all. You lied to me, love. But don't worry, I am not
going to scold you for it. I am fully aware that you did it because you really like Rufus. Feigning illness must have seemed like
your last resort. I completely understand." Charlie tried to use a soft tone while he spoke. He knew she would feel agitated if he
raised his voice. "I'm your father, so I won't back down. I have made up my mind to help you. No matter what I do, your
happiness will be of the utmost importance. I can't bear to see you in pain. Now the problem is, Rufus had an argument with his
father. And as the days passed, their issue became more and more intense. I can't predict how their relationship is evolving or
what may happen between them in the future,"
Charlie said with great earnestness, reaching out to put his arm around Amanda's shoulder.

"So I only wish that you could keep out of this affair. I don't want you to get hurt in this ugly fight. Nobody knows when things will
escalate since we can't foresee the development of the conflict."