A Graduation Gift

Clark looked down at the envelope in Cassandra's hand, frowning.
"Cassandra, what do you mean by this?" he asked, almost in an inquiring tone.
Even though the envelope was closed, he could deduce by its bulging shape that it was filled with money.
"Mr. Ji, I am sorry I've troubled you for so long. My sister is back. It is going to be really inconvenient for you if the three of us
continue staying in your house. I have talked to my mother. She and my sister will move back to our own house. As for me, I will
be with Lyndsy, so I won't be coming back very often. I looked up the rent in this area, so this is an approximate number for the
days we've stayed here,"
Cassandra said, looking apologetic but at the same time, indifferent.
"Cassandra, I really don't care about the money. I only want to help you."
Clark seemed anxious and discomforted.
"I know that, Mr. Ji. But I don't want anyone to think of me as someone who takes advantage of others. You must keep this
money as rent."
Cassandra extended her hand to Clark, determined to keep it there till he accepted it.
"Why are you acting this way? Is there anything I've done wrong? Is it about the place? Why do you have to leave? You don't like
it?"
He feigned a sad look, while trying to fathom what her real intention was.
'It seems like she has decided to go back to Rufus. Otherwise, why would she hurry to leave in this way?' he surmised.
To confirm his suspicion, the expression on Cassandra's face changed as she finally decided to tell Clark the truth.
"Clark...Rufus and I...have decided to be back together," she said in a low voice.
The moment she said those few words she felt relieved. It felt good to finally say it.
"Are you sure, Cassandra? What happens to Amanda?" he asked, shaking his head.

What he didn't know was Amanda had done something terribly silly, which Rufus eventually found out. So he still attempted to
stir Cassandra's aversion for Rufus by bringing up Amanda.
"They are going to dismiss the engagement soon."
Cassandra was reluctant to talk about Amanda. She could sympathize with her, but there was no room for such sympathy in
love. She loved Rufus too much to care, too much to step back.
Love didn't mean possession by force, but giving each other some space and freedom, while being loyal to each other.
Amanda had gone to unimaginable extents not to make Rufus love her, but to acquire him, which, in turn only drove him away.
"Well, if that's what you really want...All I can do is wish you all the best. But still, you should take some time to make a wiser
decision. Both of us know, Rufus is not as simple as he seems..."
Clark's words had an undertone of suspicion, almost as if he knew something about Rufus Cassandra wasn't aware of. He
sighed and trailed off without saying anything further.
"Thank you for helping me all this time," Cassandra said with a smile.
Truth was, she had wanted to get rid of Clark for a long time. It felt terrible to be monitored by him every single second.
"Don't mention it. Please don't hesitate in asking for help in the future."
Clark too made himself sound generous, hiding the hostility he truly felt.
"Surely."
Cassandra's tone was nonchalant as her heart filled with euphoria.
She hadn't imagined he would let her go so easily. It was rather unexpected for him to behave so reasonably. It really didn't take
a lot of effort to convince him.
But something was off, making her feel unsettled.
Clark stood in front of Amanda, who looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Why are Rufus and Cassandra getting back together? What did you do?"

he interrogated her. As he drew closer and closer to her, the insanity in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine.
Amanda took a step back, quivering with fear. A nightmare that she had stopped seeing long ago was visiting her again in her
own office!
There was ample daylight in the room, yet Amanda stood shaking like a leaf in chilled autumn wind. She felt like the walls were
closing in on her, like the world around her was darkening second by second.
"Do you really think you are that smart? That no one would be able to see through your silly tricks? I should never have trusted
you. I asked you to convince Charlie. Why is he summoning all the members back to the group headquarters? Does he plan to
impeach me?" Clark roared.
As soon as he heard about the summoning, his heart started to beat faster. He felt cheated, defeated, frustrated, and so he
immediately headed to Amanda's office to vent it all out.
"Amanda, you really aren't suitable to be my partner!"
Tears rolled down her cheeks in streams. Why did she have to face such a demon! Why didn't she have the strength to fight
back?
It seemed like there was nobody to help her.
The frightened look on Amanda's face fueled Clark's fury further.
Impulsively, he slid all the documents off Amanda's desk. The office looked like a war field.
"Listen, bitch. Let me warn you. You better follow my instructions, otherwise you will face serious consequences!"
Amanda blinked constantly in fear. Her heart was in her mouth, beating wildly.
"Did you think Charlie would be able to handle me? Or did you think Rufus would beat me?
If you even come close to revealing what happened between us to anyone, I will show both your father and Rufus what a whore
like you looks like when in bed with me!"
Clark spoke, shaking his head like a maniac, as a mocking and brutal smile crept across his lips.

Amanda knew he had a video of them in the bed together. He had even shown the screenshots to her before. She had tried to
fetch the original video from him for a long time but never succeeded.
Looking at him barking at her this way, she felt an eerie fear, as if a claw was going to grab her in the dark. Tears continued
trickling down her face in agony.
She didn't dare make a sound, and simply continued sobbing in silence, biting her lip.
He walked around the table and reached for her face, grabbing her jaw tightly. Only when he confirmed that she was too
frightened to make any sound, he released her, smiling ironically.
"Oh, well. You forced me to threaten you, dear. Why can't you just stay docile and keep quiet?"
Clark's head was still trying to wrap around what Cassandra had told him. He felt hostility permeating in his body. Suddenly, he
got lost in his own emotions and turned a blind eye to Amanda's pain. She now sat curling up in her chair, sobbing and shaking
like a child.
"Get up! Stop acting like a dying woman! You disappoint me!"
Clark suddenly snapped and insulted her bluntly.
Amanda slowly rose and tidied herself up, wiping her tears. Her face was bereft of any emotion, left nothing but impressions of
tears.
Not only did her body hurt, but her heart felt weak too. She felt dominated and destroyed. Hell seemed to have broken down on
her.
Suddenly, someone knocked at the door. Ivy spoke from outside.
She had just returned from the construction site and wanted to give a report about the progress to Amanda. She had heard from
her colleagues that Clark was here and got excited immediately, anticipating to meet him.
Her eyes lit up as she recalled his handsome face in her mind.
"Miss Ke...it's Ivy. Can I come in?"
Ivy put extra effort to sound soft and sweet. She even straightened her hair to look tidier and more presentable.

Amanda was startled. Hurriedly, she wiped off the remaining tears on her face and rushed to open the door.
Forcing a smile, Amanda spoke in a hoarse tone, "Come in."
She was awfully hoping that Ivy's presence would make Clark leave soon. She couldn't spend another second in his presence.
The moment Ivy stepped in, her eyes got stuck to Clark's face, completely overlooking Amanda's wrecked condition. She walked
in elegantly, beautiful and enchanting.
"Here is the project progress form,"
Ivy said, beaming as she handed the report to Amanda. But her face froze as soon as her eyes landed on Amanda.
Amanda was wearing a shirt with a black skirt, but Ivy discovered that her shirt wasn't properly tugged in the skirt, exposing a
part of her waist. It was impossible for someone like Amanda to make an error like that. She always dressed impeccably.