A Graduation Gift

Cassandra was frozen inside and out, as though a bucket of icy water had been poured right over her head and chilled her to the
bone.
Cloris's cutting words were like daggers to her heart, the pain spreading all through her body.
Rufus had been standing aside trying not to interfere in the sisterly fight. But as he saw Cloris get more and more defensive, he
decided to step in.
"What do you mean, Cloris? What did Cassandra do to make you hate her so badly?" he asked, astonished at how quickly their
argument had escalated.
Rufus had sensed that Cloris had been skirting around the real issue and he was curious to know what she was hiding.
But this was neither the time nor the place for Cloris to dive into it. After all, she wasn't about to destroy her reputation in front of
so many strangers.
"You have no right to know!"
Cloris rolled her eyes, dismissing Rufus's incredulous questions.
"Then, who does have the right to know?"
Rufus persisted, his eyes fixed upon Cloris's stone-cold face.
"It doesn't matter. Not you, anyways," Cloris retorted.
She pushed him aside, dashing towards the door to the restaurant. Arthur hurried to pay the bill and rushed out after her.
Back in the restaurant, Cassandra was still standing in the same spot. Her hands were clenched into tight balls, her lips
trembling slightly as she tried to hold back the tears.
She felt humiliated as she stood in the wake of her sister's insults. She felt like she might die right at this spot.
Sensing that things were only getting started, Joel tried to slowly remove himself from the situation but Rufus reached out his
arm to stop him.
"Was it Lionel who got you out of jail?"

Rufus asked coldly. He'd never trusted Joel, and the guy always seemed to find himself in the middle of trouble wherever he
went.
Joel dared not speak as he tried to dodge around Rufus to get to the door. Tiny beads of sweat were forming on his forehead
and his shirt was starting to cling to him.
"Just answer my question before you leave."
Rufus wouldn't let him go so easily and he stepped in front of Joel, blocking his way yet again.
The man in front of him had planned to rape Cassandra before, and besides, he stole her design and sold it to someone else
later. Thus, he needed to get things straightened before Joel would do something to hurt her again.
"Mr. Luo, I don't know what I might have done to offend you but would you please let me go. I have to be somewhere," Joel
asked politely.
He tried to hide the fear in his eyes. It was Rufus who had caught him for stealing Cassandra's design. But since he was long
gone from the Tang Group, Joel thought he would never see him again. And yet, by some horrible luck that was plaguing him
tonight, he'd run into Rufus.
"Are you sure that you've never done anything to offend me?"
Rufus raised his eyebrows at Joel, his face otherwise expressionless. It amused him that this man stood before him pretending
to be innocent, one eye constantly darting to the door, trying to find a way to escape.
Of course, Joel knew exactly what Rufus was talking about. While he didn't offend Rufus directly, the same could not be said
about his woman.
The beads of sweat started to drip off from his forehead. His chest was constricted as he held his breath in fear.
The girl with whom he'd come to the restaurant had already left. She didn't want any part of whatever situation that was
unfolding. Joel was left alone, helpless.
"You'd better watch where you're going. If I see you out in public ever again, I'll send you right back to prison without so much as
blinking my eyes. Look into my eyes and know that I'm serious. You don't want to disobey me."

Rufus knew all too well that Joel was Ivy's younger brother and with Ivy seeing Clark recently, these siblings were causing
trouble wherever they went.
Joel finally let go of his breath and, seeing his opening, shot past Rufus with a speed as quick as lightening and disappeared out
the restaurant.
Cassandra was still out of sorts and her usual happy mood was descending into winter gloom. With just the two of them left, she
quietly came to Rufus's side.
"Rufus, let's get out of here." Her voice was downtrodden.
She couldn't shake the grief that had fallen over her face. She was pale as the white walls of the restaurant.
Rufus nodded quietly, and without a word, escorted her out to the car.
As they stepped outside, the cold air blasted onto their faces, cutting Cassandra's face but she felt nothing at all.
She was still stuck in her thoughts, her sister's words still ringing in her ears. She was dumbstruck, totally confused as why all
her efforts to help Cloris over the years had been in vain.
In this world, there were plenty of people who wouldn't think twice before treading all over your sincerity. Instead of showing
gratitude to your kind acts, they would spit in your face with disdain. Over time, you'd slowly become numb as pieces of your
heart slowly broke away.
"Stop thinking about that nonsense. It will do no good. You've admitted that Cloris is too young to understand, right?"
Rufus could read the anguish on Cassandra's face and wanted to comfort her.
"I'm worried about Courtney. How will she be able to recover if the two people that put her in such a state refuse to help her out
of it? Every time I think about the anxiety plastered on Auntie Whitney's face, I can't breathe."
Cassandra's hands went to her chest, like she was losing her breath right there.
A light appeared in Rufus's eyes as an idea sprung into his mind.
He pulled Cassandra in towards him, her head resting on his chest, and gave her a kiss on her forehead.