A Graduation Gift

On a warm, winter afternoon, the soothing sunshine found its way into the patient ward, lighting up the dull, off white walls, filling
the space with life. There was Cassandra, lying on her bed, just having prepared a cup of coffee for herself. She looked out as
the sun shone in between the gently moving leaves, falling quietly in a daydream with her eyes open.
The hot Yirgacheffe, with its flower-like fragrance, induced warmth to her cold hands.
Quietly, the door opened, snapping her out of her reverie. She saw Edith walking in.
She wore an extravagant, pink fur coat which looked very warm apart from making her look absolutely gorgeous. Cassandra
didn't remember her mother to be very fond of such fashionable clothes. Perhaps, it had been too long. She had no clue when
and how things had changed so much.
But then again, maybe all women secretly wished to live an opulent and lavish life.
No wonder when her father's company was on the brink of shutting down, she was sacrificed to trade for the wealth of the family.
'Right. Who could deal with poverty after living such a luxurious life?'
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, wondering what had brought her mother, an infrequent guest, here. Inquisitive, she
asked, "Mom, what brings you here?"
Edith wore a grim look. Without reacting, she took off her coat and placed it casually on the couch near the door. Now she
walked towards Cassandra, already beginning to scold her harshly, "Have you taken a look at yourself? What sort of nonsensical
attitude is this? Can you at least refrain yourself from your outrageous behavior? Have you completely forgotten you represent
Qin family? Don't lose your status, you dumb girl!" She threw a folded newspaper in Cassandra's direction as she finished.
The newspaper flung open, and landed on Cassandra's lap.
It was a local newspaper, and the page in front of her had a section called, 'Unreliable Rumors', which targeted at the scandals of
the celebrities of G City. It was clear this wasn't a trusted source and only curated news for gossip.
Cassandra read the highlight. It was about the on-going affair between the head of a well-known company and his sister-in-law.
Indeed, it was fancy and scandalous.
Soon, her eyes reached the part that mentioned about the wardrobe malfunction that had occurred to Cassandra at one of the
parties. Her gown had almost slipped down her body but Rufus had pulled it up in time.

Well, this was true. She couldn't deny it, even though the extent of exaggeration was a little too much.
Sheepishly, she forced a smile, pretending not to be bothered by the news. She crushed the paper into a ball and casually threw
it into the bin across the room. Feigning a light tone, she answered, "Mom, do you really believe this fake bullshit? It's clear they
write just about anything for more readership."
Unconvinced by her explanation, Edith scoffed, "Yeah, I don't want to believe in it, either. But news like this never rises from thin
air. I'm sure some fishy business might have occurred to spark a story. You better mind your behavior, and don't lose the respect
your father has earned."
Cassandra's eyes blinked repeatedly, trying to cope with what her mother had just said. Her heart clenched at the mention of her
father.
"Did someone say anything in front of dad? Just take it like a pinch of salt and forget about it."
Edith was still pissed. It seemed like she hadn't finished with this just yet.
"Cassandra, I have looked at the evaluation of Cloris's internship. The final grade was not A. She cried for so long after she
came back. What happened? Why didn't she get the best grade?"
Cassandra could easily picture her sister weeping incessantly with her inconsolable face. Anyone who saw that would feel sorry
for her 'agonizing miseries'.
A freezing chill struck her heart, even though the heater was blowing out warm air.
Edith loved Cloris and had coddled her too much over the years. Ever since Cassandra could remember, Cloris had been the
center of attention in the family, receiving most amount of care and support by their parents. No matter what sort of difficulties
their parents were going through, when she played cute, all their worries would get expelled.
And now Cloris was being 'ill-treated' in Tang Group. How could Edith stand this!
"She is your sister! Shouldn't the human resource department consider that before assessing her?" Edith complained, talking
from the point of privilege.
Her voice was harsh, filled with anger and discontent.

The burning rage coming off her mother made Cassandra feel even colder. She felt her heart sinking into a lifeless well, devoid
of all sunshine, all warmth, all hope. The sun that shone outside didn't matter anymore; the leaves didn't catch her notice; and
the cold winter feeling was back.
At first, she was surprised to see her mother. In fact, she'd gotten excited, thinking she'd come here to see if she was recovering
well. She'd felt that rare, warm feeling of being cared for by her own mother after a long time.
Yet, as it turned out, 'rare' was an understatement. It was more like 'never'. Unexpectedly, first, her mother scolded her for the
fabricated news, and then blamed her for Cloris's low grade. This was what she cared for and why she'd decided to come and
see her.
Why didn't they help Cloris? Because they didn't know Cassandra was Horace Tang's daughter-in-law. But how could she
announce something like that to them?
Her parents didn't really understand her pain. They probably believed it was a good marriage even though it was clearly
arranged for business reasons.
Definitely, they had no idea about the kind of situation she was in. Lionel had brought Ivy home. If that got unveiled to the public,
it would become a huge joke for both families.
What she was actually concerned about wasn't herself, but her parents and the face of Qin family.
Unaware of the change in Cassandra's emotions, Edith continued to reprimand her daughter, "I know Lionel and you are not
married by choice, but, you are his wife, after all. How can you allow them to disrespect you like that by giving your sister only an
average grade?"
All she could do was smile helplessly at the unreasonable blame. She didn't know how to even begin arguing back.
"Look, mom, the decision came directly from human resource sector which I couldn't influence. I manage the architecture
department and wasn't in charge of evaluating Cloris's performance."
The answer was far from satisfactory for Edith, who now had to stand up to show her elevated discontent.
"At least you could talk to them. Coudn't you tell them Cloris is your sister? I'm sure they would take a blood relation in account.
And even if you don't have a lot of power, Lionel does!"

Cassandra opened her mouth, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally decided to unveil everything to her mother, "Mom... In the
company, only very few people are aware of my relationship with Lionel. Most of them don't even know I'm Horace's daughter-in-
law..."
Cassandra stopped, looking at her mother's astounded face. Her mouth turned into a wide 'O' shape. It was as if she'd seen a
ghost.
"What's the reason for this? If people don't know your true identity, how will you be able to fulfil your role in the company?" she
asked, flabbergasted.
According to Edith, obviously, the tag 'daughter-in-law of Horace' would bless her with convenience and comfort in workplace.
There was no reason she shouldn't take advantage of that.
Cassandra could only force out a wry smile. Helplessly, she replied, "Mom, I am the architecture design manager. I am only in
charge of construction proposals. As for my relationship with Tang family, no one cares about it!"
Edith kept shaking her head in disagreement.
"That shouldn't be the case. Your dad is going to join the Union of Real Estate led by the Tang Group. If other companies come
to know his daughter is married to Horace Tang's son, he will gain more business opportunities."
Cassandra fell into a daze.
The coffee in her hand had been untouched for too long and went cold, just as how her heart felt.
Vernon's principle when he did business had always been profit instead of friendship, which eventually caused the divestment of
his business partners and consequently the financial crisis of the family.
It was Cassandra's marriage with Lionel Tang, the heir of the Tang group, that had provided enough funding for the business to
survive.
To Vernon, Cassandra was just a tool which he could reap profit with. Cloris, on the other hand, was the one who he really
treated like a daughter.
Once in a while, Edith would feel sorry for Cassandra but the feeling didn't stay too long; Cloris had won too much affection from
her mother than Cassandra ever could.

As a matter of fact, Cassandra knew it was in the nature of mammals to love the better looking offspring more.
Tigers, too, for instance, amidst the litter of cubs, would cater the most to the cutest ones.
Whilst the most independent and unsocial little beast would be given up on, or sacrificed in unforeseen circumstances.
This was the indisputable, undeniable rule of nature.
However, unlike animals, humans were supposed to be civilized and rational. Why would any human, differing from animals in
terms of the qualities of sympathy and love, treat his or her own daughter in this discriminatory manner?
Forcing herself to swallow the bitter feelings, she put up a smile, as she had been doing for years, acting as if nothing mattered
to her.
"Mom, I'm so tired. I want to rest for a while."
Only then did it occur to Edith Cassandra was here due to her illness. Suddenly, her heart melted with the leftover love from what
she had given to Cloris and she transformed into a caring mother. With a tender smile, she spoke softly, "How do you feel now?
Better than before? When can you be discharged?"
'Discharged?' Cassandra thought in her heart. 'I would rather hide in the hospital forever than to face the Tang family. Even lying
on the bed like a dead body was better than living there.'
Unwilling to reveal her true intention, she just answered ambiguously, "The doctor said I would still need to stay for a few more
days till I fully recover. It depends, really. Can't say for sure."
Edith nodded and reached out for her hand with an amiable look, saying, "Cassandra, try to develop a good relationship with
Lionel. You are young, and try to have a child as soon as possible. When your baby is born, your status in Tang family will
enhance even more. And then, even if you resign from the post, they will still treat you well."
Cassandra could understand her mother's concern and that she meant well - she only hoped that her daughter would have a
better life in Tang family, but...
When she thought of the fact that Ivy had moved into the Tang family house, expecting a baby, the light in her eyes ebbed away.
Baby... What a distant dream!

Her dream was different than her mother's, and much simpler. All she wished for was to be an ordinary person, to be in an
ordinary marriage with no complications involved and then maybe to have a little daughter.
Daughter, yes. Whenever she thought of having a kid, she always hoped it would be a girl. She would give her all the love she
could summon. They would wear the same clothes, watch the same shows, listen to the same music. Her daughter would
basically be a mini version of herself, yet, better.
It was common for daughters to sympathize with their mothers. She imagined a future where she did not feel lonely, given the
presence of her daughter around her all the time. Whenever things would bother her, her daughter would be there to listen to her.
The soft, beautiful girl would console her, hug her and expel all her fatigue and worries.
Cassandra appreciated these small bits of love from her mother but did not feel they were intense or unconditional. In fact, they
felt flawed, limited and fabricated.
She wanted to give her daughter all the love she herself had craved for all her life, so that she would grow up without any gaps
or regrets in her heart.
But, sometimes, this felt like an unattainable dream. She was afraid she would never get that chance.
For no other reason but the fact that her husband was Lionel Tang.