A Graduation Gift

She looked up and saw Lionel standing in front of her desk, smiling genuinely. She got really confused and hurried to end the
conversation.
"What are you doing here?"
Cassandra asked, quickly hanging up the call. She got up and kneaded the back of her waist. She had been sitting for hours
now, her body was going numb.
Seeing how tired she was, Lionel couldn't help but ask in concern, "Cassandra, isn't it more tiring to work here than it was
designing in Tang Group?"
It seemed like a casual question full of earnest concern. Cassandra only smiled at him, poured some water in a glass and
handed it to him.
"I put my heart and soul in whatever job I do. It doesn't matter which one is more tiring. As long as I am passionate about my
work, I can learn from every job and just get better,"
Cassandra said, not answering his question directly. She didn't want to answer it as she was no longer 'Manager Qin' in his
design department now.
"Still...I think it's a shame you changed your job. You've learned architectural design abroad and accomplished so much in the
field. All of that for what? Now you've completely abandoned your career as a designer!"
Lionel said, looking at Cassandra with a regretful look on his face. She didn't know how to respond to something like that. Why
was he saying any of this to her?
Didn't he know why she had to give up her job? It was all due to the agreement she had signed when they got divorced.
He had blocked all her ways of staying in the industry. And now, he had the audacity of coming and saying it was a shame?
What did he want?
Cassandra didn't say a single word. Her silence made Lionel's heart beat faster. He kept trying to figure what she was thinking
but it only made him more anxious.
After a while, he snapped out of his thoughts and took a step forward. "Anyway, Cassandra, let me show you a design. It's done
by the current design department at Tang Group. What do you think of it?" he said, laying the draft on her table.

He stood eyeing the drawing as Cassandra still tried to grasp what was happening. She looked back and forth, alternating
between him and the drawing. The draft was seriously castigated by the client with a lot of red marks on it.
Finally, she took it in her own hands and started reading it closely. Soon, a frown appeared on her face.
"The design is aesthetically pleasing but not very practical. Architecture isn't all about making pretty buildings, you know. A
proposal has to have a proper methodology of construction, as well as how one would incorporate the services,"
Cassandra said as she turned the cover to read the name of the client.
"Ah, he is an old client of the company. This design is definitely not gonna work for someone like him,"
She was very sure since she had worked with this client before. She knew he laid a lot of emphasis on functionality in the
building because of their previous interactions. No wonder he wasn't happy with something as sculptural as what Lionel had
brought.
"Yeah, you are right, Cassandra. He wasn't satisfied at all. In fact, you know what he said?" Cassandra raised her eyebrows with
curiosity. "He said he wanted you to design the project!"
Lionel hadn't expected Cassandra would find the problem right away. It seemed like the client knew she would understand what
he wanted, which was why he asked for her to design the project for him. She really was something else.
"Are you serious? But that's impossible..." Cassandra said, shaking her head. "I am no longer a part of Tang Group..."
She gave out a helpless smile, shrugging. Then she folded the drawing, kept it neatly in the file, and handed it back to Lionel.
There was a time when she dreamt of becoming one of the best designers of the world. But there was no chance for that dream
to come true now. She didn't even know if she would ever go back to her design career.
"Cassandra..." Lionel said, sighing, his eyes shut, "come back to Tang Group. It would be as if the agreement never took place!"
His eyes sparkled with excitement as he imagined her back in the office. Then he noticed the look on Cassandra's face, which
only made him sure about how much she was craving to go back to being a designer. It was her speciality after all.
"That's not going to happen,"
Cassandra refused without a second thought, in a determined tone.

"Lyndsy treats me very well and her career is just on the rise currently. She needs a responsible and capable team to help her. I
am convinced about staying in the studio. I will never go back to Tang Group."
Cassandra was no fool. It didn't take her a lot of time to realise why Lionel had showed up out of the blue. He never contacted
her unless he needed help. This time, he had come asking her to join the Tang Group. Sadly for him, she would never agree.
"Cassandra, you are a designer, and one of the best in the country at that! You must hate me for forcing you to sign that stupid
agreement. I agree that it put a stop to your career abruptly. But you need to understand I was fooled by Ivy at the time. I was
just so angry that I made the lawyer draw up those harsh terms."
Seeing how confidently she had refused him, Lionel was quick to explain himself.
"I know I was seriously wrong. But I've realised how foolish I was. I was blinded by a deceitful woman! I cannot thank you
enough for not holding a grudge against me. The other day when you agreed to help me to talk to Rufus, it made me feel even
guiltier.
Cassandra, please give me a chance to prove I have changed. Please give me a chance to make up for my
mistakes."