A Graduation Gift

Cassandra was starting to get more and more anxious and uneasy as the minutes passed. She had a strong feeling that
something very bad was about to happen.
Clearly, the women in front of her were here to cause trouble. 'Stupid! How stupid I was to believe that they could actually be
serious about buying the place, ' Cassandra thought with regret.
"Give me the phone and get out, now!"
Cassandra demanded. She looked at the two with firm authority. The two shameless women did not scare her.
"Wow, take it easy, will you? We only came here to see the place. Is that the proper way to treat your customers, Miss Qin? By
driving them away?"
Amanda scoffed. What's done is done. All she wanted to do was to intimidate Cassandra and show her what she was capable of.
So what if she looked like some uncivilized tramp? Her image was the least of her concerns. Right now, she was happy for as
long as Cassandra was irritated.
"You know very well why I must treat you this way. I don't have to remind you of what you just did and the real reason why you're
here. I will not say this again: Get out, now!"
Cassandra raised her voice sternly with a frown. Then, she waited for Amanda and Ivy to do as they were told. However, the two
only exchanged knowing looks but still did not back off.
"Or else, what? I'm curious what you'll do about it," Amanda said mockingly. "I know what you're planning. You're going to Rufus,
right? You'll cry your heart out and tell him that his fiancee scratched you. But here's the thing: Do you think he'll believe you
without proof?" she continued.
A sinister smile was on Amanda's face. Arrogance filled her as she was sure that there were no witnesses. It would be
Cassandra's word against hers otherwise.
Just then, the door was suddenly opened. Against the light, they saw a tall, well-built man walk into the room.
"Of course I will believe her," said a cold, calm voice.
It was Rufus. With a furrowed brow, he threw a cold, judging look at Amanda and Ivy. But when he turned to Cassandra,
suddenly, it turned to concern and reassurance.

"Sorry, I'm late, Cassandra,"
he said to her gently. He was informed by his men that Cassandra was going to entertain interested customers in Lyndsy's studio
that afternoon. But then, he also received news that Amanda was going there with Ivy.
Unconvinced that they were really interested buyers, he hurried over without a second thought. His anger shot up overhearing
what Amanda told Cassandra when he arrived; he would never have expected the Amanda he knew, with her pure and innocent
front, would say those were words.
The moment he came in and saw the two women standing in front of Cassandra and the latter with scratches on her neck,
everything immediately made sense.
His heart sank, partly because he worried about Cassandra, and partly because he hated himself for ever believing in Amanda.
"Seems that I have been too nice to you, Amanda,"
said Rufus as he approached her. Amanda was now very pale. She trembled as she had never heard Rufus talk to her this way.
"She started it, I swear!"
Amanda blurted, pointing at Cassandra. Naturally, the real culprit would be the first one to point fingers at others. Amanda was
no exception. Clearly, she wanted to pin it all down on Cassandra.
"Oh, really? Do you have proof?"
Rufus said sarcastically, lifting his eyebrows. He knew now that he had to take everything Amanda said with a grain of salt. As it
turned out, she had been hiding her true self from him this whole time.
"It's true! Tell him, Ivy. Tell him how we were treated by this woman, and how she started the quarrel!"
Amanda urged in great anxiety, pulling Ivy by the arm. She was doing really well, looking like a pure and innocent lamb, which
was very different from how she was when she threatened Cassandra.
"It's true! We were here only to check out this place, and yet, she kept provoking us!"
Ivy exclaimed. Obviously, she took Amanda's side. Still, Rufus's grim face terrified her. In her panic, she shrank nearer to
Amanda as soon as she finished speaking.

'Why is he suddenly here?' Ivy thought. 'How did he know what was happening?' This was not part of her plan. She had wanted
to get the two women to fight so that she could profit from their conflict. Never did she expect Rufus to arrive even before the
climax.
Now, things seemed to have gone completely out of control. She didn't know what to do! Oh, how she wished she could just slip
out of this immediately.
Rufus fixed his gaze on Ivy when he heard her words. This, of course, intimidated her even more.
'This woman has been causing troubles ever since she was still in the Tang family, ' he thought. Back then, Rufus paid her no
attention. Never did he imagine that she would have the audacity to coax Amanda into doing this to Cassandra.
"I heard that your brother was let out. Is that correct? Did he go through due process? I wonder,"
Rufus asked in a threatening tone. He could have turned a blind eye to this matter, but now, he was determined to teach Ivy a
lesson.
Ivy looked at him, stunned. A flicker of fear flashed on her face.
She knew what Rufus meant to say. He knew something and he was not afraid to use it.
"Also, weren't you the one who sent your brother to approach Cassandra's father before he went on his trial? He asked him to
commit suicide, didn't he?"
Rufus questioned, taking a step closer towards Ivy while his gaze became even more intense.
Ivy opened her mouth to respond but no words came out. His words and his eyes sent shivers down her spine. Her whole body
clenched and she was unable to move.
"Actually, I'm impressed. I never thought you'd manage to press my buttons. You did such a good job giving the woman I love a
hard time. Was it because you thought I wouldn't make you pay the price?"
Rufus narrowed his dark eyes. Ivy was still frozen under his cold, icy gaze.
Amanda, on the other hand, felt her heart break at Rufus words when he called Cassandra 'the woman he loved.'
She knew, of course, more than once, he had told her that Cassandra was the love of his life. But now that he actually took her
side and she was seeing him protect her right before her eyes...It all just felt too real and it hurt. It tore apart her body and soul.

"Listen, Ivy. I want you to get out of my face. I never want to see you ever again,"
Rufus ordered, raising his voice and pointing to the door. If looks could kill, Ivy would have been dead already.
Trembling from head to foot, Ivy shuffled and rushed out without another word.
Rufus scared her. He was a very intimidating man. Moreover, he knew so much of her secrets. She dared not defy him.
From now on, she was determined to avoid this dangerous man. His anger was so strong that it could be felt even if he didn't do
anything.
With Ivy gone, Amanda was all alone and helpless. She looked around in desperation.
"I can explain, Rufus..."
She tried to say something but her words were met with contempt on Rufus's face.
"You don't have to, Amanda. This is the last straw. Stop pretending to be innocent. I've had enough of your lies and deception,"
Rufus answered flatly. He had now seen through her. He was not going to believe any word that came out of her mouth
anymore.
The coldness and indifference in his eyes filled Amanda with despair which quickly turned into defiant pessimism.
She allowed herself a bitter smile before asking, "Why, Rufus? Why couldn't you just believe in me and take my side for once?"
She knew that the answer would hurt, but she was still unwilling to give up until she heard it.
"I have, for so many times. But this time, I saw the truth myself,"
Rufus replied. His eyes were still cold. There was no light in them. He had no emotion, no sympathy.
"So you have chosen her, and now you're dumping me?"
Amanda went on asking. She wanted to hear him say it even if it meant losing her dignity.
"No. I have never chosen you," he replied simply.
This dissolved all her hope.

The light in her eyes disappeared totally. She put on a sad smile.
"You know that I love you, Rufus. I have loved you with all my heart, and now you tell me that you don't care about that? Not one
bit?"
Then, she pointed at Cassandra furiously and shouted, "But what about this woman? What has she ever done for you? She used
to be another man's wife. Now, she is living with Clark! I can't believe that you have chosen her over me! What does she have
that I don't? Don't you have a heart?"
She found it so difficult to accept that Rufus was leaving her for Cassandra after all that she had done for him.
"Whatever you have done, you did it for yourself and to get what you want. But for me, all you ever did for me was to lie and hurt
the woman I love. What you have for me is not real love,"
Rufus answered back. By now, he had already realized how crazy Amanda was. He would not have believed it if he didn't see it
with his own eyes.
"Oh...now, I get it..." Amanda said slowly. "Everything I've done...They're nothing to you because you don't love me at all. Right,
Rufus?"
Tears streamed down her face. She caught herself almost screaming the last few words.
"That's right, I don't love you. You can go now,"
Rufus replied calmly. He wanted her to leave. He no longer wanted to argue. He just wanted it all to end.
Amanda made no response this time. She gave Rufus a resentful look before looking Cassandra straight in the eye.
She stared at her intently. The resentment in her eyes devoured her inch by inch.
Then, she straightened herself, raised her chin, and walked out of the room as proud as a peacock. But as soon as she got out
of the door, she burst into tears like no one else was watching.
Cassandra felt overwhelmed when she heard her sob.
"You might have been a little bit too harsh, Rufus. She's just a girl..."
Cassandra somehow felt sorry for Amanda. Her conscience always got the best of her.

"He who shows mercy to an enemy denies it to himself, my dear,"
Rufus said seriously. He still showed no compassion for Amanda and no longer wanted to talk about her. Come to think of it, it
was very likely that she had fooled him before. But what she did today was no longer tolerable.
Stretching out his rough hand, Rufus touched the scratches on Cassandra's neck gently. This filled him with sadness.
"Does it hurt? Let's go to the hospital and have them treated,"
he said worriedly. However, when he took her hand as they were about to leave, Cassandra stopped him.
"No, thank you. I'm waiting for someone, actually," she said in polite refusal.?