A Graduation Gift

By the time Cassandra first left the room, Cloris's growing annoyance had escalated into a burning rage that was threatening to
explode. She wanted to go straight to Arthur to ask him to clarify himself, but Edith stopped her.
Now the fact that her mother had consented to Cassandra and Rufus's marriage frustrated her to no end. Resentment gnawed
her insides as she thought of how differently her mother treated them.
"We'll explain everything when we're ready. Please trust us, Cloris,"
Cassandra said, reaching out a hand to her younger sister. Cloris almost flinched at the thought of her sister's hand touching her.
Before Cassandra could reach her, she stood up, shooting a venomous glare at Cassandra and darted upstairs without a word.
Cassandra stayed helplessly seated, following her sister with her eyes as she ran to her room. She was internally debating
whether to follow her or not. Just as she was about to go after Cloris, her mother spoke, "Cassandra, it's getting late. It would be
better for you to go back to your place. I know Cloris. We'll be able to persuade her later. Don't worry too much about it."
Sensing her elder daughter's worry, Edith assured her. Then, she turned to Rufus.
"Please take care of my daughter," she uttered each word clearly, looking straight into his eyes.
Rufus returned Edith's gaze. He needed no other words to understand. A myriad of expressions crossed over the older woman's
face, but her eyes remained clear and undisturbed as she looked at him.
When she left her family home, Cassandra was still unable to believe what had happened. Her mother finally gave them her
blessing. It was an immense relief, but all the same, it was also a source of great confusion. 'Why has she agreed so suddenly?
What has changed her mind?' she wondered.
It was Rufus's voice that broke through her musings. "Cassandra, don't think too much. I'll take care of Arthur. Trust me,
everything will be all right soon," he said.
His eyes darkened as he thought of everything that happened.
Arthur had crossed the line more than once. That man had a death wish, and Rufus never forgot an offense. He would make
sure to pay him back accordingly.
Cassandra found herself in deep thought once again as the car rolled forward.

When one held something that had been far out of reach and longed-for, for a moment, reality and dreams would overlap.
Cassandra succumbed to the quiet haze of the city lights as they passed by in a blur.
A few days later, the local prosecutor's office received an anonymous letter, much like the case of Vernon.
The contents of the letter divulged information about a certain businessman's collusion with government officials to make profit
from government projects. As investigations proceeded, Arthur's name was discovered among those who were involved.
"Mr. Ji, I've been set up! Someone wants me going to prison," Arthur declared in a voice that was both furious and terrified.
Someone was after him, he was sure of it. But no matter how much he racked his brain, he could pinpoint no single name.
Whom had he offended?
Everyone who worked in their industry had some sort of history and dirt on them. It was a prerequisite for survival. Morals had no
place in a game as ruthless as business, and with the right affiliations, anyone could get off the hook for anything. In this case
however, the evidences were solid. It would be difficult for him to escape.
All the evidence pointed to him, Arthur Zhuang. He no longer had time to cover up his tracks.
"You were careless," Clark replied coldly. "You should have been more careful."
He flicked his lighter on and off repeatedly; his face was showing up one moment and drowning in shadows at the next,
alternating with the light
Arthur gritted his teeth in frustration. "When I find out who he is, I'll kill him without batting an eyelid," he cursed, walking back
and forth as he grabbed at his hair. "This can't be happening to me. I'm at the prime of my life. I can't end up in prison like Vernon
Qin. I have so much more to do! You must help me, Mr. Ji!"
Arthur pleaded, his desperate voice bouncing off from the walls.
"Vernon Qin..."
Clark repeated as a thought came into his head.
If he remembered correctly, it was Ivy's younger brother who brought the matter about Vernon to the police.
One of his men told him of the whole matter. It had caused a ruckus and had been on the news for a time. Now, it seemed as if
Ivy was back with her little games again.

What a troublesome woman!
The seeds of doubt was among the quickest ones to grow in people's minds. Once sowed, it would take root and sprout, and
soon enough, there would be nothing but thorns and pungent blossoms. The more Clark thought, the stronger his suspicion for
Ivy grew.
"I'll arrange for my men to protect you. For now, keep quiet and don't do anything reckless. This is only the beginning."
Clark's voice was even colder as he spoke. Whoever was behind this had no idea who they were dealing with. Now that they
dared provoke him, he would show them just who he was to his enemies.
'And it seems to be the perfect time to pay Ivy a visit, ' Clark thought to himself, as he lit his lighter once again, envisioning the
woman's face within the flames.
Ever since she had started working for him, he had not asked her to do anything, except steal Lionel's bidding documents. It had
been a few days since he last saw her.
After meeting Arthur, Clark left his office immediately and drove his car to the villa where Ivy stayed. When he was some
distance from the house, the door of the villa opened to reveal a young man he had never seen before.
He was tall and had a stylish look about him. A victorious smile curled in his lips as he turned to Ivy, who had followed him to the
door.
He snaked an arm around her waist and bent down to kiss her, but she pushed him away firmly.
The man merely let out a laugh at her rejection, and retracted his arms.
As he walked to the street to hail taxi, Ivy went back inside her house. After a quick contemplation, Clark decided to follow the
taxi the man took.