A Graduation Gift

Remorse and guilt filled Cassandra. Seeing Edith worry made her even more concerned.
"Mom, it has nothing to do with Cloris. As for what she said, I will find a way to investigate it!" she promised.
By this time, what she initially came for was no longer significant. Besides, there was nothing they could do about it anymore.
What happened had happened. She was the one who gave the flash drive to Lionel but she was certain that she was not the one
who caused the mess.
The real culprit was Arthur. He was the one she needed to confront, not Cloris.
"Cassandra, what's wrong?"
Edith asked, wondering why her daughter looked so puzzled. She studied her expression in hopes of making something out of it.
"Mom, believe me. This has nothing to do with Cloris. I'm sure of it. I'll do what I can to fix it. As for Arthur..."
she reassured her mother. Then, she glanced at Cloris, worried.
"Please be careful around him. He is not a man that can be trusted,"
she said with conviction. The fact that he made Cloris do something so harmful to someone else spoke volumes of what kind of
person he really was.
Moreover, she also remembered a time when she was still working with the Tang Group and Arthur stole a project that had
already been awarded to them. Since then, she had known that he was not a man of ethics.
Cloris glared at Cassandra, irritated.
"What do you think you are saying, Cassandra? Arthur has always treated me with respect. Don't you dare stir things up
between us!" she remarked.
Cloris loved Arthur and she trusted him with her whole heart. Hearing Cassandra talk about him the way she did, offended her.
Unwilling to argue, Cassandra merely stood up and looked at her sister.
"Mom, I'll go now. Please keep an eye on Cloris. I don't know what will happen to her otherwise,"

she said softly as she made her exit. Arthur had always played dirty tricks. She could not imagine what worse things he could
come up with. Cloris was so naive. At least Edith had a suspicion that something was wrong. As for Cassandra, her primary
concern was to make sure that her family was safe.
"Ok, I know what to do,"
Edith replied. Knowing what happened to Cloris was enough to shock her. Realizing what her daughter had been through made
her more vigilant in safeguarding her family. Despite Arthur's gentleman facade, she learned to anticipate something else that he
could be hiding.
Cassandra walked out in haste. Rufus, who had been waiting at the courtyard, grew concerned when he saw Cassandra's
urgent demeanor.
"Cassandra, what happened?" he inquired.
He had a few guesses on what had happened, but since he did not see it firsthand, he could not be so sure.
Seeing Cassandra's anxiety confirmed his suspicion that there really was something problematic that occurred.
"I need to talk to Arthur,"
she replied calmly. Still, there was conviction in her voice.
Rufus reached out, grabbed her by the arm, and looked at her straight in the eye.
"Cassandra, relax. What are you planning to do with him?" he asked.
Rufus had a strong feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong.
"Rufus, there is something I want to tell you,"
she took a deep breath and looked at Rufus.
"What is it?"
he asked. A part of him already knew what she was about to say but opted to ask anyway.

"The reason why I wasn't able to help you in the studio and the reason why I wasn't able to go out for a while was because I
helped the Tang Group prepare for the bidding,"
she confessed. Telling Rufus the truth relieved her. It felt as if a huge weight were taken off her shoulders.
Contrary to how she expected him to react, Rufus was calm. He merely looked at her with a knowing gaze and a slight smile.
'What a silly woman you are, Cassandra, ' he thought to himself. 'How could you have thought that I really had no clue?'
"Unfortunately though, a virus was apparently planted in the flash drive where the presentation was saved. It ended up
destroying all the documents right when it was already time to present it in the bidding. The Tang Group failed to get the project.
And the person responsible for all this is Arthur,"
she continued coldly. In her mind, she pictured Arthur as a hideous snake, sneaking around and twisting his cold and slender
body. Venom shot from his mouth as he came up behind Cloris. The image sent shivers down her spine.
"Do you think confronting him now will lead him to admitting it?"
Rufus asked, challenging Cassandra's plan of action.
"What should I do then? He used Cloris as a tool to harm us. I can't just let him get away with this. He can't keep doing this to
us,"
she replied defensively. Her heart clenched thinking about how manipulative and diabolical Arthur was, and the harm that he was
capable of making.
"Cassandra, I won't let you go alone. Arthur is not easy to deal with,"
Rufus said, staring at Cassandra. His message was clear: he did not agree with Cassandra's impulsive decision.
"This is my business and I have to solve it myself. You don't understand, Rufus. This is personal. My family is in danger,"
she insisted. Rufus's advice did not sound reasonable for her. Right now, she wanted to fight Arthur. The last thing she needed
was for Rufus to get in the way.
"You are my girlfriend. Your business is my business,"
Rufus replied. He was more determined to defend his position than Cassandra was.

This stunned Cassandra. Looking at his eyes, she saw a glimmer of strength that somehow made her feel safer. It brought her
comfort.
"Cassandra, if you still see me as an outsider, then I believe that there is one thing I need to do to convince you how serious I am
about us,"
he declared. Suddenly, he took her hand and led her back to the villa.
Edith did not expect what happened when Rufus pushed the door open. He entered with Cassandra and walked over to Edith.
"Auntie, I want to marry Cassandra. I am hoping that you could give us your blessing,"
he announced, stunning everyone.
Cassandra tried to get out of Rufus's grip but he held her hand so tightly that no matter how hard she tried, it seemed impossible.
"Oh, Rufus... What are you talking about?"
Cassandra panicked. Edith had just started to accept Rufus. She could not believe what he just said. He did not even discuss it
with her in advance!
"Cassandra, this is not the first time I propose to you, but you have rejected all my previous proposals. This time, I am asking
your mother. If she agrees, you will no longer object, will you?" he asked.
By now, Rufus had already realized that no matter how romantic he made his proposal to be, nothing held more weight than
Edith's approval. It was important for her to accept his proposal to Cassandra.
As for Edith, she stood dumbfounded. Never had she seen anyone propose directly in front of his would-be mother-in-law.
Then, she remembered the time when she saw Rufus and Cassandra staring at each other in the kitchen. Their gaze was filled
with love and a certain kind of gentleness that she never saw when Clark and Cassandra were together.
Something told her that that was the kind of love that could endure for a lifetime.
"Well, as long as you both want to be together, then I will not object,"
she replied. She said it so calmly. Yet, her answer surprised Cassandra.

Edith had been so opposed to Rufus before. She thought that it would take her a long time before she would be able to accept
him. She did not expect her to agree so easily!
"Mum! You... Why did you say yes so easily?"
Cassandra asked incredulously. Rufus's unexpected proposal embarrassed her a bit. With Edith's unexpected acceptance, she
blushed even more fiercely.
"I merely got out of the way. The rest is for you two to discuss further,"
she replied, stifling a smile.
She did not want to lose her composure in front of Rufus. After all, she was an elder.
Even more unexpectedly, Rufus bowed in front of Edith.
"Thank you for your trust, Auntie. I promise that I will take care of Cassandra!"
he said in an ecstatic, trembling voice.
For the first time in his life, he felt wonderful. Joy was like a wave that swept over him and it took him so much effort to hold it
back and maintain composure.
"Rufus? I haven't even said yes yet!"
Cassandra reminded. Was she not part of the decision-making process? Why did he act as if it were already a done deal?
"Are you planning to disobey your parent's order, Cassandra?"
Rufus remarked sheepishly as he pulled Cassandra into a tight embrace.
Standing not so far away, Cloris watched everything unfold.
"That's funny, Mom. Why don't you agree with me marrying Arthur but agree to them getting married? ? ?"