A Graduation Gift

A white Bentley sped on the road, its tires gliding smoothly over the pavement. The woman in the front passenger seat rolled
down the window and closed her eyes, a blissful expression on her face. She breathed in deeply, a big smile lighting up her
features. She was filled with anticipation, and her heart pounded rhythmically in her chest as the engine hummed.
"Someone's in a good mood,"
Rufus said lightly, his eyes crinkling as he sat behind the wheel. He glanced at the woman beside him, and then turned his
attention back to the road.
Cassandra's smile grew wider at his remark. She turned to him, her face almost gleaming with joy.
"Of course. Finally, I'm on my way home. It's been a long time," she replied cheerfully and drew a long breath. "I can hardly wait."
Since her return from Rome, she had only seen her mother, Edith, once. After four years of separation, it was nowhere near
enough. She hadn't gone back to visit her family for many years, and even if that place held no good memories, a significant part
of her past stayed there, in the house where she grew up.
The smile on Rufus' lips vanished as he listened to her. He gripped the steering wheel and drove on, falling back on instinct as
thoughts swirled inside his head. Home. What an obscure concept. To the likes of him, home was a luxury.
'No, it was once a luxury, ' he corrected himself silently, fighting off the bitter taste the word left in his mouth. Now he didn't need
it at all.
He had no need for it after the only person he could call his family was already gone. When his mother died, she took with her all
the warmth he had ever known in his life. Now, he was truly orphaned. Alone, and homeless.
"You don't look well. Are you all right?" He was pulled back from his gloomy musings by Cassandra's voice.
She kept staring at him, concern written all over her face, as if she was waiting for an answer from him. After the party, the two
seemed to have an unspoken understanding, as if they had known each other better.
Cassandra's heart beat faster at the thought. Rufus found himself unable to break off from the deep pools of Cassandra's eyes.
Holding her gaze, he caught a glimpse of the red light and hurriedly slammed the brakes to stop the car in time.
He let out a relieved breath. Cassandra was surprised at the jolt. Her concern grew as she wondered whether Rufus was alright.
"Brother, is everything okay?"

Cassandra asked again, moving close to Rufus. Rufus's profile filled her eyes as she turned to him. He was breathing a little
harshly, and then he turned his head to meet her gaze and brought his hand to her cheek.
Cassandra was a little startled at the touch of his fingers. "What are you doing, brother? Are you sure everything is alright?" she
repeated.
The space between them was gradually disappearing as Rufus found himself, for the thousandth time that day, staring into her
clear, bright eyes.
"What did you just call me?" he asked softly.
"Brother,"
Cassandra said again.
Rufus winced at the word, as if something had stung him. The hand on her face pressed more firmly as he spoke.
"What?" he asked again, his tone rising.
"Rufus, what's wrong?" Cassandra said. Rufus was her brother-in-law, wasn't he? Why was he acting this way?
She held her breath as she felt him move closer. Instinctively, she closed her eyes, only to hear him say, "Remember, I don't like
you calling me 'brother.'"
As the light changed to green, the drivers behind beeped their horns annoyingly. After that, Rufus looked with satisfaction at
Cassandra's face. Then, he dropped his hand and placed them back on the steering wheel, driving on with a wicked smile on his
face.
Nothing happened!
Cassandra lay back on her seat, breathless, after Rufus had released her. She almost thought he would kiss her. Her face
warmed at her thoughts
and she slapped her forehead with a hand. Gosh, what was she thinking? Why did she expect Rufus to kiss her?
While driving, Rufus cocked an eyebrow and threw a quick glace at Cassandra. Just a moment earlier she was practically
gleaming with happiness, and now she was sitting back, her arms crossed over her chest. He chuckled inwardly at her annoyed
expression.

Cassandra could feel his eyes on her and that made her blush. "Concentrate on driving and stop looking at me," she told him off,
hiding her embarrassment in her dismissive tone. "What? You've never seen a beautiful woman before? Am I that pretty to look
at?"
She said in a challenging tone, still not meeting his gaze. She glued her eyes to the other side of the window and let the air cool
her heated cheeks.
A slight breeze rose, carrying the scent of flowers. It lightened the atmosphere in the car, and suddenly, it was comfortable.
Rufus had the same feeling whenever he stayed with Cassandra. He let himself be wrapped in the feelings of comfort as they
drove on in a cozy and warm silence.
That evening, Lionel finally returned home.
As soon as he entered, he began looking for Cassandra, walking to and fro while calling her name insistently. What happened at
the celebration party had become the laughing stock in the Tang Group. 'Cassandra and Rufus must have planned it together.'
He huffed in irritation.
Lionel's attention was caught when his father's voice boomed in the hallway. "You have got a lot of nerve to come back!"
Horace shouted, purple with rage. Part of him wanted to give him a beating.
Lionel pulled back his annoyed expression at the sight of his father. "Father, where is Cassandra?"
he asked in a controlled voice.
It was her day off today. She should be at home. However, he had called for her more than a few times and she dared not
answer. It got on his nerves even more that she had the gall to not face him.
"Do you remember who is Cassandra?" his father retorted sarcastically. "And do you even remember that you are married? You
bring shame to our family!"
Horace shouted, burned with anger. He knew his son as well as he knew the back of his own hand, and this knowledge worried
him. To his great relief, a good woman appeared, and he took matters into his own hands to marry his son to someone who
would do him a great deal of good.
Cassandra's charm and abilities were obvious to anyone with discerning eyes, but apparently, Lionel had failed to see even this.
He was about to reproach him more when his wife's voice called out to him sharply.

"Horace, please... Our son finally came back, and the first thing you do is scolding him,"
Jill brought a bowl of hot ginseng soup from the kitchen and walked up to Lionel, speaking to her son gently.
"Son, you must be tired. Come and have some soup. I made it for you."
She led him to the sofa and then put the bowl on the tea table. There was a stark contrast between how Jill and Horace treated
Lionel. In her eyes, Lionel could do nothing wrong.
"Mother, where is Cassandra?"
Lionel ignored his father's earlier scolding and turned to ask his mother instead when he didn't get an answer from him.
At once, Jill's face fell into a grimace. That woman's name hurt her ears. She snorted contemptuously, "She has gone back to
visit her family...with the illegitimate son."
She spoke the last words slowly, dropping her voice almost to a whisper. Then, she looked at Horace and gave him a long gaze.
"What?"
Lionel jumped up from the sofa at Jill's words. With the uncalculated movement, he banged his knee painfully against the tea
table, knocking off the bowl of hot soup from the table. The sound of porcelain as it hit the floor was harsh and stinging. Almost
half of the ginseng soup fell on Lionel's legs.
"Ouch!" Lionel winced as a stabbing pain fell on his leg. Jill turned pale with fear and hurriedly asked the servants to sweep away
the shards.
"Son, are you all right? Do you get burnt? Let me see,"
she asked him hurriedly. Lionel said nothing to her and ignored the burning sensation on his skin as he glared threateningly at
Horace.
"Was it you who allowed Rufus to take Cassandra back?"
he asked through gritted teeth.
"And what of it?"

Horace snapped back, challenging him. Lionel was too proud to see logic. The Qin family lived far away from the Tang family,
and it was not safe for Cassandra to go back home alone. What was more, Lionel never spared a glance for Cassandra. He
wouldn't have gone to visit the Qin family with her anyway, so why was he acting like a neglected husband now?
"You old fool! I am Cassandra's husband!"
Lionel bellowed in fury, the pain in his leg forgotten. He glared at his father with reproachful eyes, and then rushed out without
waiting for Horace's answer. Jill called pleadingly after him, but her cries fell on deaf ears.
After several hours' drive, Rufus and Cassandra finally arrived in the northernmost part of G City, where Cassandra's family lived.
People from the Qin family had been eagerly awaiting her arrival. They stood at the gate with watchful eyes, ready to greet her
with open arms.
As the white Bentley approached, Edith standing on the side, finally let out a relieved smile.
Cassandra was finally back...