A Graduation Gift

Ivy's sarcasm could be felt throughout the room. Jill, in the meantime, continued watching TV, unfazed by the scene unfolding
around her.
Cassandra clenched and unclenched her fists, tempering her anger. Her lips curled into a disdainful smile.
"Well, even when you do give birth to the baby, you will still be nothing but a mistress," she hissed.
This wiped the smile right off of Ivy's smug face. Cassandra had to admit that Ivy's audacity did not surprise her. It seemed that
the world was littered with such wretches already.
She watched Ivy's face darken as animosity welled up in Ivy's eyes.
Ivy was well aware of the terms that she had agreed to: she would give birth to the baby and immediately hand it over to the
Tang family, after which she was to leave the country and never return.
She bet, not only her future but also her baby that she was going to win in the end.
She was confident that Lionel loved her more than he did his wife, and this was her most powerful bargaining chip. She was also
banking on Jill's dissatisfaction with her daughter-in-law who tended to be stubborn and overbearing. These gave her hope. Ivy
was willing to sacrifice everything for the chance to be part of the Tang family and replace Cassandra.
Her best years had been devoted to Lionel whom she had loved for the longest time. Handing him over to another woman now
was the last thing she could ever do.
Walking towards the main lobby at that moment was Lionel who entered afterwards. He caught a glimpse of Cassandra and his
eyes immediately lit up.
Her days in the hospital did not seem to make her tired or weary. On the contrary, it was as if she glowed with life.
The white dress she was wearing suited her so well that it almost felt as if it were part of her.
Cassandra smiled when she spotted her husband carrying a pile of baby products.
Never had she imagined to see him like this and the sight amused her.
As Horace came out of his study, he gave Cassandra a warm smile. He was happy to see that she was home.

"Are you feeling better now, Cassandra? I asked the cook to prepare your favorite silverfish soup for dinner. It will be great for
your health as well!"
Upon hearing this, Jill sprang up from the couch. She turned to Ivy with a motherly smile fixed on her face.
"Ivy, I ordered the silverfish specially for you. They are fresh and just got delivered here this morning. As an expectant mother,
you need more nutrition and they are great for you. I will also remind the cook to use less salt. Eat as much as you want," she
said.
Although Jill was speaking to Ivy, Cassandra knew that the words were meant for her. Ivy felt a glow inside her, feeling more
confident about her position in the family compared to Cassandra, because she had Jill on her side.
With an equally warm grin, Ivy walked to Jill and twined her arm into the older woman's. She even went as far as to lean her
head affectionately on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Aunt Jill, for being so considerate and caring of my health. I am sorry that the rest of you have to compromise for my
taste," she said.
Jill looked at Ivy and rubbed her back tenderly.
"You are carrying the eldest grandson of Tang family. Who else but you would deserve such a special treatment?" Jill replied
tenderly.
Even Horace, who was usually oblivious to such things, noticed the tension among the three women in the room.
It was the battle of three women—looking at the other two who were clearly in alliance, Cassandra was left alone.
During the course of this conversation, Rufus returned. With keen perception, he took in the situation as soon as he entered the
room. Jill and Ivy were standing close together while Cassandra looked like a deer in headlights. His spear-like eyebrows shot
up.
It took less than a second for him to read the sorrow on Cassandra's face, and his anger at Ivy rose. He knew what she was
capable of, but the blatant disrespect to Cassandra with Jill's affection filled him with outrage. This woman had no shame.
As much as he desired to help Cassandra, he knew it was not his place. She had to fight this on her own.

In the end, it was Horace who broke the tension. With a deliberate cough, he addressed his sons, "Lionel, Rufus, come to my
study."
Happy to escape the room, Lionel eagerly handed the items he was carrying to a servant and walked briskly to his father's study.
Rufus's gaze lingered on Cassandra. As he walked past her, he whispered, "Find yourself an excuse. Don't come to dinner
tonight."
Before Cassandra could reply, Rufus has already disappeared.
He was right. With those two women in the house ganging up against her, it would be futile to fight fire with fire which would only
drain her. Plus, this battle did not interest her.
As Jill and Ivy grew closer, Cassandra experienced nothing but turmoil being part of the Tang family. Thus, she felt that it was
best to keep a safe distance.
Besides, her status in the family was, ironically, something that was not even important to her.
Ivy's intense challenge and provocation meant nothing to Cassandra.
Supporting her forehead as if she were dizzy, Cassandra spoke softly, "Ah, I'm feeling so drowsy. It must be that I just took my
medicine. I think I will go and lie down for a while. If I don't come down for dinner, then I am probably asleep. Don't worry about
waking me."
Before anyone could respond, she turned and trudged up the stairs. It wasn't until she closed her bedroom door and shut herself
off from the family, that she finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Cassandra realized that her ability to keep herself composed could not compare to that of Ivy's who managed to inject herself
into the Tang family—as a mistress! Moreover, she even tried to gain Jill's affection. Cassandra did not consider herself capable
of such slyness.
In the study, with his eyebrows cocked, Horace knocked impatiently at the files piled up on his desk.
"I have vetted through the business deals for the recent period. It seems to me that a few of our regular clients have turned to
Dawn Star Group. What exactly is happening?"

Lionel had been anticipating this conversation. No sooner had his father finished his sentence, than Lionel let out a pitiful sigh.
Carefully concealing his inner excitement, he whined, "It was the dismissal of the old marketing manager. The clients he has
been working with must be reluctant to stay when he was replaced because they didn't trust the new manager."
Rufus had foreseen that Lionel would throw him under the bus.
Horace, however, was not easily fooled. His eyebrows knitted together as he looked at his younger son. Then, he slapped his
hand loudly down onto the stack of papers, startling Lionel.
"I don't want excuses!" he roared. "The old manager had only been with us for a year. How many connections could he possibly
have had? These clients have been working with us for years even. There must be other reasons behind their sudden
preference to our competitor!" he raged.
A bead of sweat ran down Lionel's forehead. He was evaluating his chances of continuing to use Rufus as a scapegoat. The
man had, after all, fired a few of his people in the company and replaced them with several of his own.
Lionel watched his loyal followers being sent out the door and his influence grow less and less within the company. Now, he
posed no threat to Rufus. But he decided that it was best to change his tactic and focus on calming down his father, instead.
"Father, I can guarantee that the lost clients will not impact our business massively. They are small accounts that will not affect
the company,"
he assured him. It was Lionel's principle to focus on big clients and huge projects. He did not pay attention to small patrons. To
him, one huge account was worth more than a hundred small ones.
The response from Horace was a fiery glare. How he wished Lionel could be more far-sighted!
"Stop underestimating our smaller clients. Even if they only contribute to 1% of our total revenue, their worth still exceed the
numbers. If all the small clients turn to Dawn Star Group instead of us, our advantage over them will significantly lessen. They
will now be ahead of us by 2%. This may sound small, but when it comes to brand equity, it makes all the difference," he claimed
loudly.
This wasn't the first time that Lionel was careless. When he was in charge, the Tang Group back then, he had lost several
clients. Luckily, the company was powerful enough to afford that so Horace was not yet too strict on him. Now, however, the
times had changed. With Dawn Star Group rising, every business opportunity was more valuable than ever before.

Naturally, Lionel did not share his father and brother's perspective nor did he understand why minor losses affected them so
much. Feeling wronged, he shot back at his father, "This did not bother you the last time it happened. Why are you pouring all
this out on me now?"
Bursting with fury, Horace was about to reprimand Lionel. Before he could speak, Rufus spoke with composure, "Arthur is after
the Director of the Union of Real Estate. He may have promised them more profits under the table so that he has more support
for the role."
Rufus's analysis was what Horace had waited for. Although a part of him already speculated this theory, the confirmation
elevated his fury.
"That young brat! How dare he has now reached his hand into the Tang Group! His father should have been thanking me for my
help from years ago! Instead, he returns the favor with this? Bastard!" the old man raged.
Glad that his father had turned his focus to Arthur, Lionel willingly supported his sentiments.
"Arthur is breaking the tacit rules. He shouldn't have meddled with our accounts in his filthy ways," Lionel chimed in.
Rufus, then, spoke with a wise assessment, unlike his brother who was merely echoing his father's concerns.
"With the current situation, we can confirm that these withdrawals are indeed big losses for us. With the newly-formed Union,
even a small company holds a huge influence. It is similar to how the world is divided into so many countries. Even the smallest
and weakest countries have their own rights, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Now, fewer clients mean less support,
which could effect our influence in the market."
Rufus's evaluation of the situation made great sense. With the big picture becoming clearer, the tension of Horace's face
gradually faded. Rufus's business sense was always spot-on. Now realizing his younger son's grave incompetence compared to
his older brother, Horace began to have displeasure with Lionel's playful and carefree disposition. Heaving a sigh and setting
aside his thoughts for now, he decided to carry on with the discussion at hand.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about! Dawn Star Group has come prepared. They planned to start small, thinking that we might
not notice. Actually, it is a critical time now for the establishment of the Union, as the election for the Director of the Union will
commence soon. If really they win, we will fall into a very disadvantageous situation," Horace said.
Rufus nodded to show his agreement. Calmly, he went over the things that they had to their advantage.

"I have been keeping an eye on all the members of the Union. After counting, we still have more support from the members. It is
impractical and impossible for them to steal our partners away in such a short time," Rufus concluded.
Putting his hands behind his back, Horace sighed again. It almost looked as if he turned ages older in such a brief moment.
"Arthur is lucky that I'm no longer young and healthy. If I were, I'd show him what happens when he pulls dirty tricks right under
my nose. This generation has fallen. They don't even know how to respect their elders!" the old man exclaimed.
A knowing glint flashed in Rufus's eyes as he concealed a mocking curl on his lips.
'Respect for the elderly?' he thought. Indeed, Horace was so old. How could his out-of-date principles work in the current
business world?
Moreover, a man like Horace was not even worth any respect!