A Graduation Gift

The Tang family was like a cage, despite all the opulence around. To Cassandra, it was a coop from which she longed for an
escape.
For four years, since she got married to Lionel, her dreams had began to die a slow, painful death. Patiently, she prayed and
hoped for a turn-around in her marriage. But all the time, Lionel gave her the cold shoulder, moving away from her with each
passing day, until there was an irreconcilable rift between them. How she now wished for an escape from this unfulfilling,
oppressive marriage! But what were her chances of ever falling in love with a man again?
Right now, only under the soft moonlight and the gentle night wind could Cassandra tell the strange old man what she had buried
deep in her heart all this time. She just needed someone to talk to, and this man was the perfect chance to let out the struggles
bottled up in her heart. She couldn't talk to her parents or her sister about her problems, let alone they too were in a hard place
at the moment, and were emotionally and financially drained.
"Adding to them yet another burden would break them down completely. That's not something I'd do to my parents. For all the
sacrifices they've made for me. They deserve better. Right now, I should be the one supporting them,"
Cassandra said with a blank look on her face. She gazed into the distance, eyes unreadable. It seemed that her mind had flown
back to the summer of the year when she just graduated from high school. The argument between her parents, the tears of her
mother, and her disappointment. They all came rushing back to her in an instant.
For the sake of the Qin family, she accepted the arranged marriage with Lionel. It was forced on her by the family. Putting up
resistance, she had cried, cursed and even tried to escape this horrible fate. But in the end, she just couldn't see her mother
suffer. She had compromised and agreed to this nightmare of a marriage.
"I also realize that there are things in life that I just can't change. So I think that I should be content with what I have right now
and focus on the good side of my life. But..."
Cassandra trailed off. She had agreed to this marriage for the sake of her family, that was true. But it didn't mean that she would
give up on her dreams. That was why she was determined to finish her studies in Rome, and graduated with first class honors.
"But fate again played a cruel joke on me, letting me meet a person that I shouldn't have met. And one thing led to another..."
she said, thinking back to the cruise before she returned home. When she lifted up her head, she locked eyes with Rufus, and
felt something in her heart stir.

Under the influence of alcohol, in the heat of the moment, the two of them got tangled with each other, and shared a passionate
night together. The night was unforgettable. Whenever Cassandra thought of the fateful night, she had a bittersweet feeling in
her heart. On one hand, she was happy that she could spend a night with the man she liked; but on the other hand, knowing that
Rufus and Lionel were brothers, she felt bad that they could never be together for real.
That fling would end in Rome, so she had thought. Little had she expected that she'd see Rufus again. What was more, she
even found out that he was her brother-in-law. Now, their relationship was complicated. She had no idea where the two of them
stood. She liked Rufus, and this was something she couldn't lie to herself about. But she also knew that they would never have a
future together, as long as she was married to his half brother.
The Qin family put their hope on her. They really depended on her. Besides, Horace was also fond of her, and believed in her
potentials. All these expectations put so much pressure on her. Cassandra just wanted to leave all this behind and fly away from
here.
When she woke up in the hospital and saw Rufus, she almost couldn't tell whether it was the reality or just a dream. Was she
losing her mind? Her head was in a spin!
Ever since she came back from abroad, she had come to the hospital a few times. Accidents just kept happening to her. And
every time it happened, Rufus was always there to save her.
No, Rufus was everywhere. The more she wanted to keep her distance from this man, the more she seemed to be attached to
him. It looked like their lives were tangled together in some mysterious, inseparable ways, that she could never escape.
An inner hunch told her to get away from that man if she didn't want get into trouble, but she just couldn't fool herself. Her heart,
body and soul always betrayed her. Every part of her wanted that man. A strong, irresistible desire for him, his love and all that
he was.
Whenever he came close to her, she just lost control over herself. The charm and appeal of his presence became necessary like
the very air she breathed.
When Cassandra was carried away in her reverie, the old man studied her. There was a deep frown on her face, and clearly her
mind was somewhere else. It seemed that she had a lot on her plate.
"If I were half as brave as your son, I would have left here already. I want to break free from this cage that I am in right now and
live a free life. But sadly, I am not that brave,"

Cassandra said, sounding so dejected. She just had too many things to consider. If she left her family behind, they'd suffer for
her decision; but if she stayed, she'd continue suffering in silence. Either way, it was a real dilemma.
"I envy him for the fact that he lives whichever way he wants. A carefree life and..."
Cassandra couldn't finish her sentence. Overwhelmed, her blank eyes, looking into the distance turned teary. In shame, she
looked down, obviously feeling defeated and powerless. She wiped away her tears using the back of her left hand, before raising
her head slightly to look back at the old man. She tried to conceal her misery with a smile, but it only ended up as a grimace.
"I believe that you also had your impulsive moments when you were at your son's age. And I bet that you also had quarrels with
your family. Maybe your son is at that stage where he just wants to do whatever suits his fancy and is just simply having the time
of his life right now,"
seeing the rueful reaction on his face, Cassandra assured the old man. He seemed lost in his thoughts. In pain and at a loss. Not
to trouble him more, Cassandra held back.
She learned that he too, in his youth fought against the arranged marriage his family had wanted for him. Marriage, he knew was
one of those things that parents could not force on their kids. Especially, he knew it was futile for parents to imagine they could
choose spouses for their sons and daughters. Love was not something to be forced on anyone. And the old man knew only too
well from his own marital problems. It was not until his late 40s that he broke free from the arranged marriage. Only then did he
marry the woman of his dreams.
Unfortunately, the whole thing had held the old man from having kids earlier. When he got a son at long last, in his later life, the
whole family doted on the kid. Wholly a brat, they unknowingly turned the kid into.
From a young age, his son was bright and showed promise in many things. The only problem was that he wasn't willing to take
over the family's business. He shirked responsibility.
Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. At least, by reasoning in Cassandra's line, the old man saw a younger version of
himself in his son.
Someday, everything will make perfect sense. In fact the old man wondered why he had not realized that earlier. It would have
saved him from unnecessary stress.
Let nature take its course. It just wasn't worth it, trying to force the family business on the kid.
Looking back at Cassandra with a smile on his face, he couldn't help but admire her wisdom. She also had a way with words.

The old man glanced down and saw her wristband. The hospital used wristbands for patient identification. The name on hers
took him by surprise.
As if he hadn't read it well, he leaned closer. It was clearly written out in bold font.
The flicker of surprise in his eyes escaped Cassandra's notice.
"I feel a lot better after talking to you. Thank you. You are really an amazing and kind girl,"
The old man appreciated and nodded with approval.
Then he added,"And you don't need to be miserable, just because it seems impossible to escape the oppressive coop now, that
is your marriage. There are many positive things around you that you can choose to focus on, instead of dwelling on the
negatives. As well, you are young, beautiful and intelligent. All that you need is the courage and patience to pursue your dreams.
Maybe one day, the cage will open for you to leave and follow your heart."
Touched by his words, Cassandra smiled, tilting her head to look at him. Her eyes sparkled under the meticulously balanced
hospital lighting.
"You don't need to comfort me, really. This is a golden cage after all, and maybe I don't even want to leave," she teased.
The old man laughed to her quip. He really liked her wits and strong personality. Cassandra also giggled. In the quite night, his
laughter was loud enough to draw the attention of the guard on patrol. He flashed his torch in their direction.
"It's already ten o'clock. You should get back and rest,"
The guard called out. But when he got closer and saw the old man, he was startled. Out of respect, he bowed at once and
politely greeted,"Good evening, Director Tong!"
Hearing the guard's words, Cassandra froze in place. Director Tong? 'How is that possible?' she wondered. Judging from the
medical care she was receiving, this was a high end private hospital.
All around the place, Cassandra appreciated their quality of services and every corner of the facilities, even the magnificent
buildings.
The hospital lived up to its billing as the best private hospital in G City. And the man she had been talking to just happened to be
the director of it. It was impossible to imagine that her interlocutor was none other than the hospital's director!

Slowly, she stood up, bowed and nodded to the old man in deference to his identity.
"It's time for me to go back and rest. It was nice talking to you, Director Tong. Good night!"
The old man just nodded at her with a gentle smile on his face.
Cassandra lowered her head and rushed back into her hospital room. As soon as she got in the room, she got on the bed and
hid herself under the covers.
She had thought that the old man was just another patient in the hospital. But much to her surprise, he was the director. 'Why
would he want to spend so much time talking to her?'
She had been admitted here for two reasons. First, the Tangs' family doctor, Dr. Jason, worked here. Second, Horace was good
friends with the director here. In fact, it was out of their friendship that Dr. Jason had been recommended as their private doctor.
Just now, she had said so many things to the director because she thought that he was just a stranger. And all she said was true.
Would he guess something about her? Would he go digging for more info on her? And most importantly, if he found out
something, would he tell Horace?
Thinking of these, Cassandra's hands tightened into tight fists. She had revealed too much.
'Oh my Gosh, what have I done? How could I be this silly? I let my guard down and this could get to the ears of someone in the
Tang family.'
Thank goodness, she stopped short of telling him about her affair with Rufus. That was a close shave. It made her pulse race. If
she had given even the slightest hint about the affair, her goose would have been cooked.
While she mulled over her narrow squeak, her cell phone beeped, alerting her to a text message from her sister Cloris:
"Good night, sis. I will come and see you tomorrow. Have a good rest! Kisses and hugs."
The message from her sister was supposed to cheer Cassandra up, but with what was going through her mind, it didn't. Instead,
it made her pangs of guilt worse.
'Cassandra, you should stop thinking about Rufus. You'd better forget about him. Maybe he is just using you and he'll never get
serious, ' she tried to persuade herself.

Some men would only chase a girl for a new thrill and once they were done with you, they would leave you and move on to other
women. Maybe Rufus was one of those randy morons, whose best idea of fun was sleeping with his sister-in-law. Besides, he
had never been on good terms with Lionel. Or maybe, he had no other motive but to hurt Lionel, and she was merely a pawn in
their game. Sleeping with Cassandra could be Rufus's best form of revenge on Lionel.
However peace was all that Cassandra wanted at the moment. As much as it depends on her, she'd do everything to avoid
getting herself into trouble, with anyone. But Rufus was quite the opposite. He didn't just attract trouble, all the time. Like the eye
of a storm, he was trouble itself.
To allow Rufus into her life, it was like to play with fire - she could have ended up burning and harming herself. Was that
something for which she was prepared?
Maybe because she was still sick, Cassandra quickly became drowsy. Not long after, she went out like a light.
Right at that moment, the door of her hospital room opened, and a tall man walked in with light steps. Stealthily he walked,
careful not wake the woman up.
He walked towards her, and stopped by the other bed beside hers. He lay down on the bed and turned to face Cassandra,
studying her face.
She was still asleep, but it seemed that her sleep wasn't very peaceful. She tossed and turned in her bed while moaning in a
small voice. There was a frown on her face. She seemed to be having a bad dream.
Thinking of the other night when she had been rushed to the hospital feeling weak, Rufus couldn't help but worry about her. She
was immediately admitted into the hospital and he was by her side all this while. She had been dizzy and sleepy because she
had a high fever.
Moreover, when she was also crying and kicking because she didn't feel well. The doctors and the nurses couldn't make her
calm down. He held her hand and tried to comfort her.
And miraculously, she immediately stopped crying as soon as he held her hand in his. While he was holding her hand, the nurse
gave her an injection that began to lower her fever almost immediately.
As she fell asleep, Cassandra was like a cute, little girl who wouldn't let go of her parent's hand.
Surprisingly, she had a strong grip despite her small hands. She grabbed his hand so tightly that it almost hurt.

Tears kept streaming down her cheeks from her tightly closed eyes, making Rufus' heart ache for her.
Using his free hand, he wiped away the tears on her face gently. Then he leaned forward and whispered into her ear,"Don't be
afraid. I am here. I will never let you go."
Never had he been this gentle towards a woman in his life. Slowly, she calmed down and loosened her grip. Finally, she fell
sound asleep. But he still didn't let go of her hand.
He simply just wasn't willing to let go.
Watching her small, delicate frame, he had an instinct to protect her. The way she trusted him, her love and honesty made him
long to see her back to perfect health. He badly needed her.
Keeping a watchful eye, he spent the whole night on the bed next to her. In the morning, Victor called, informing him of some
members of the Tang family were coming to visit her. It was only then that he let go of her hand, and walked out grudgingly.
As he left, he gave her one more admiring look, wishing her a quick recovery. She was still sound asleep, like a Sleeping Beauty
waiting to be kissed by her Prince Charming.