A Graduation Gift

Lines of concern were evidently shown on Charlie's face. He worriedly looked at his daughter, whose face had contrarily
brightened up with her eyes shining with excitement.
"What do you mean, Dad?" she asked in surprise. "You mean to imply there is a conflict between Rufus and his father? And...
And you predict it might get worse?" she asked inquiringly.
She didn't know much about Rufus. And she had no way of knowing things that he had chosen to hide from her. Now that she
thought of it, she recalled he had once reminded her that she should never mention to anyone that he was the chairman of TY
Group. She did as he said, but he seemed very adamant hence she didn't have an opportunity to ask him further questions.
Back then, she tried to console herself thinking he said it only because he wanted to keep a low-profile. But now it seemed like
things weren't as simple as she had anticipated. 'Are they hiding a big secret from me?' she wondered.
"My dear, you have always been my vulnerable princess. It is my duty to safeguard your pure soul from this ugly world. There are
certain things in life that are better left unknown and this fight is one of those things,"
Charlie finished. He couldn't bring himself to explain to Amanda that Rufus was actually waiting to get his revenge. To his fatherly
eyes, those dark sides of human beings should be kept hidden from Amanda, forever!
Hearing all this, Amanda secretly pondered for a while. And then she decided to pretend like a good girl before her father. The
best thing to do would be to act like she didn't care.
"Oh, if you say so, Dad. Don't worry, I won't contact Rufus anytime soon. I will let him deal with his business for the moment. Is
that alright?"
Amanda asked and feigned an innocent face. This filled Charlie's heart with relief.
"Yes, that's my good girl. Now you need to focus on your school. Give your hundred percent in its preparation. And don't forget to
take care of yourself. I want nothing more than this, my dear!" Charlie said while patting Amanda on the shoulder.
Amanda had always been the apple of his eye. Seeing her in a distressed state always filled him with sorrow.
Her mother had died when she was still young hence Charlie felt obliged to become both the mother and father of this only child.
Due to this, he was willing to give up everything to make sure nothing horrible would befall her.

What he failed to notice were traces of evil flashing in his daughter's eyes. It made her look more like a cunning woman rather
than the pure little girl he had known.
'If Rufus's relationship with his father is strained then wouldn't it be great if I gave Horace a hard time? Rufus would definitely be
pleased!'
Amanda thought to herself, grinning secretly.
"Cassandra, your sister has called me today saying that she misses me very much. It so happens that I have finished taping the
program for this season. Luckily, our station is planning to have a tour abroad. Hence I am considering about staying abroad for
a while. It would be nice to spend some time with her!"
Cassandra had just arrived home and Edith decided to bombard her with this piece of information. While speaking, Edith feigned
a smile. But deep down, she had mixed feelings about this matter. On one hand, she was glad that she could finally see Cloris
again; on the other, she became anxious every time she thought about Cloris living alone. After all, Cloris had always been their
pet. She never had to do anything on her own.
Cassandra, however, was a little taken aback by Edith's words. She stood frozen for a moment. But soon enough, she realized
that it might be Rufus's arrangement.
It could be part of his plan to get Edith out of their way. He was smart enough to know that Edith would be more than willing to
visit her little girl. 'What an excellent idea to kill two birds with one stone, ' thought Cassandra.
"That sounds great! I'll help you prepare for it then. Have you already got your passport ready?"
Cassandra replied, smiling happily. It was a great relief to see that Edith had seemed to fully recover now.
"Of course! I have spent the whole day packing. I will set off in a few days, so I need to hurry up, you know. I will definitely need
your help,"
Edith answered excitedly. She couldn't wait to see her younger daughter, and it was only a few days before she could stay with
her again. But her conscience squirmed slightly while she realized she had to leave Cassandra behind for the sake of Cloris.
There was a sudden shift of emotion in her face.
"Cassandra," she paused for a while before she continued, "I know that you and your sister didn't get along well. You two are not
at fault. It is your father and I who need to be blamed for this. If we hadn't favored her since childhood, she wouldn't have been

so self-centered and bad-tempered." Edith paused and let out a heavy sigh. "But whatever happened, you're her elder sister. You
will be each other's closest companion when your father and I leave this world. Believe me, you will realize then that it's a
blessing to have a sibling,"
she said with sincerity, reaching out for Cassandra's hand.
"I know, Mom. Don't worry," Cassandra comforted while holding her hands. "Nothing serious happened between us, and our
relationship has improved a lot lately. There might have been some misunderstanding, but we have sorted it out. She's my sister
and I have never stopped loving her. I will do my best to take good care of her in the future, I promise."
Cassandra hastened to put Edith's mind at rest. Every word she had uttered was true. She didn't resent Cloris. According to her,
Cloris was still a child who could act a bit impulsively at times. And the fact that she had been spoiled might have added to her
arrogance. However, she firmly believed her little sister would evolve and mature gradually as she grew up.
"I'm so glad and relieved to hear that. Now I just hope that your father can be released as soon as possible. Once that happens,
we can lead a happy life as a family." Edith let out a dreamy smile. "Also, I pray that you find your Mr. right soon enough. That will
put our mind at rest!" she added.
Edith couldn't help but lament when recalled how they had sold Cassandra to the Tang family. Cassandra was compelled to
marry a man she didn't love at all. Sadly, it all came to nothing in the end.
"Don't trouble yourself with such thoughts. Right now your priority is this trip. I'll go shopping with you tomorrow. We will make
sure you are packed with everything you need. Just think about the happy hours you are going to spend with Cloris. And please,
don't worry about me. You are free to stay there as long as you like!"
Cassandra changed the topic instantly. She wanted to prevent Edith from continuing further. Otherwise, the worrying mother was
bound to nag about her relationship with Clark.