A Graduation Gift

The desk shuddered as a phone's ringtone for an incoming text message rang out. Cassandra, who was buried in her work,
stared at the phone for a split-second, sighed, and then picked it up in a fluid motion. It was Stella.
She unlocked it with her fingerprint and read the message, "Hi, honey. It's a bright and lovely day. I've got a date with yoga!"
The text drew a faint smile from Cassandra. Stella was such an optimistic and not to mention, energetic person. Cassandra felt
drawn to her, like she was this huge magnet. She just couldn't control herself with Stella, and wanted to approach her and
befriend her.
Having such a cheery friend was like bathing under the sun on warm winter afternoon. It was comfortable as hell.
Cassandra glanced at the desk clock and saw that it was time to get off work, but she was still double checking the design
layouts meticulously. She wanted to make sure all her outputs were topnotch quality when she turned them over to the clients.
After a couple of hours, she was done. She felt relief wash over her as she yawned and stretched her tired bones.
When she was about to leave, her phone rang. Cassandra's eyes lit up. She answered the call and heard a familiar baritone from
the other end of the line.
"I know you haven't eaten yet since you're probably on overtime. Meet me at the parking lot. I'll treat you to dinner."
It was Rufus, as Cassandra had expected. He was the only senior executive who would work overtime in the Tang Group.
"It's really late. I just want to go home and get some rest."
She was excited, but she thought it was better to politely refuse.
Rufus seemed to ignore this. He only sounded more determined.
"I will see you in a couple of minutes."
Bossy as always, this was Rufus. He just went on ahead and hung up before Cassandra could say anything.
The continuous beep from the other end of the line startled Cassandra. She put down the phone, caught in a dilemma whether to
meet Rufus or not. Then her stomach grumbled like a dog about to bite.
'Calm down, Cassandra. It's just two people eating food.' Cassandra repeated to herself, biting her lip.

A few minutes later, in the Tang Group parking complex, Cassandra saw Rufus beckoning to her. He was sitting comfortable in
the driver's seat of a matte black Rolls-Royce.
"Well, where are we going to get some food?"
She slid into the car as she asked Rufus, her cheeks flushed.
Rufus just smiled at her and started the engine. The car roared to life.
"You'll know when we get there," he replied in a mysterious tone.
If it had the approval of Rufus, the restaurant had to be grand and beautiful, and the dishes had to be world-class quality. Neither
of these two elements were dispensable when it came to dining for Rufus.
It was given that these restaurants had exorbitant prices.
When they arrived, Cassandra took a gander at the place. It was grand as expected.
But the place wasn't what surprised her the most, it was the fact that they were the only two guests at the restaurant. Rufus
booked the whole joint! Mellow piano music echoed through the high ceiling. It did good to ease Cassandra's growing anxiety.
The luxurious dinner made Cassandra feel like she was in a vivid dream. Rufus and her were having a candlelight dinner. The
piano, the wine, and most importantly, the devilishly handsome man sitting right across her...it was like a romance movie.
It was all too surreal.
Out of nowhere, her eyes started to well up. She wanted to forget about Lionel, Ivy, and everything else. She was too exhausted
from the mess between her family and the Tang family.
After they finished dinner, Cassandra looked a bit upset. Rufus could tell from her melancholic eyes. His brows furrowed and
looked at her with tender concern.
"There's a nice place nearby. Would you like to go check it out? Our company is investing in a new construction project in the
vicinity. You might catch some inspiration there."
Cassandra's eyes lit up and she beamed at Rufus. She had been worried about one particular design lately and some much-
needed insipiration would be welcome.

But before Cassandra could assent, Rufus had already started the car and sped forward. The strong V12 engine of the Rolls-
Royce made her stick to the seat.
She stole a glance at Rufus and saw that he was smiling. Sometimes, Cassandra and Rufus seemed to understand each other
so perfectly well that sometimes they didn't even need to utter a word to communicate.
Rufus parked his car in front of a huge amusement park entrance. Cassandra rolled down her window and stuck her head out for
a better view.
Althought it was late into the night, the park was still packed with tourists. Neon lights reflected on every surface and the crowd
was bustling with commerce and leisure. Children and teenagers were screaming onboard the thrill rides.
Rufus took Cassandra's hand and they went in. He stood out since he was wearing a business suit amongst the crowd who had
a more casual style.
When she entered the park, all of Cassandra's sadness and disappointment disappeared. Seeing Rufus all serious, she offered,
"Why don't you take off that jacket?"
Rufus was startled by Cassandra's concern. But he listened anyway and took off his jacket.
"There you go! You look so much younger with just the shirt on!"
Cassandra squinted for a more examining look at Rufus. He was so handsome, like a prince who came straight out of a fairy
tale. No longer stood out though, he could fit right in on the crowd.
When Cassandra finished speaking, the two of them burst into laughter, not a care about how loud they were.
When they passed by the pirate ship ride, Cassandra's eyes seemed to light up. Rufus noticed and immediately went to buy the
tickets.
They lined up afterward. A couple of minutes later, it was their turn to get on. Cassandra sat down next to Rufus and buckled up.
She also held the handrail tightly, nervous and thrilled at the same time.
"Don't worry. You can always hold my hand if you feel scared,"
Rufus whispered as he leaned closer to her ears. She was taken aback and a chill went down her spine. She looked at Rufus
and smiled. It always made her feel warm and safe around him.

The ride started and the large boat started swinging through the air. The pendulum motions brought a weightless feeling and
made Cassandra dizzy. She screamed as the boat went higher and higher. They were all clearly enjoying the ride.
When they disembarked after the ride was over, Cassandra was wobbly and tried her best to keep her balance. She turned to
Rufus to see how he was doing. To her surprise, he was completely fine, as if he didn't ride the ship at all. She was impressed by
how tough he was. But she teased, "Stop pretending to be cool. You can throw up if you want to, you know?"
Rufus laughed at this. He had been trained to withstand those kinds of situations. The ride was a breeze for him. Even if he rode
the most thrilling ride in the park, he wouldn't even blink.
Cassandra and Rufus continued further into the park. They talked about the design and construction dynamics of the other rides.
When they passed by the various game stalls, an enthusiastic vendor handed her a BB gun.
"Step right up, young lady! Try your luck! Five rounds in the gun, and it's free. Let's see what you can get!"
It was a classic game in every amusement park. Hit a corresponding circle with a number and you got the prize. The smaller the
circle you hit, the better prize you got.
Cassandra peered at the prize on the topshelf, and saw a stuffed bear which was as big as a person. She realized that she
needed to shoot number 10 to get it.
"I want the huge bear!"
The festive atmosphere in the amusement park raised Cassandra's spirits. It was a rare sight to see her behave like a little girl,
all cute and energetic.
She held the gun and aimed at her target. She tried four times to no avail, the circle was just too small. It didn't even look like
anybody could ever win that bear.
At that moment, Rufus, who was silently watching Cassandra's poor attempts, stepped forward and took the gun. He held the
gun in an expert grip, aimed and pulled the trigger in a fluid motion.
Cassandra's jaw dropped, as well as the vendor's.
Rufus did it. He shot number 10! With the last bullet ball!
He shot the circle that was as small as a fingernail.

Cassandra was impressed, however she didn't forget her prize.
"Can I get my bear now?"
But the vendor shook his head skimpily and apologized, "I'm sorry, Ma'am. You can pick anything you want on the shelf except
the bear. If you really want it though, you need to buy the bullet balls, those free ones don't count."
'What the hell was that? You have got to be kidding me!' the vendor screamed at himself. The bear was expensive. He never
saw that coming. No way was he giving it out for free! What an unlucky night! He ran the business for so many years. So far, no
one could ever shoot number 10. This man must be the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.
Realizing that she couldn't get the bear, Cassandra got upset. She quickly lost interest, grabbed Rufus's hand, and started to
walk away.
However, Rufus had other plans. He wasn't about to leave like that. He took out a one-hundred bill from his pocket and handed it
to the vendor.
He was too determined to win the bear for Cassandra. The vendor greedily took the money and gave him even more bullets.
"This must be your lucky night, sir. Try it one more time!"
Rufus spared him a glance and took only one bullet.
With one hand, he shot the number 10 again!
Cassandra's mouth was agape again. She felt like an idiot compared to Rufus. To think he could do it again, with just one hand,
no less! Rufus noticed Cassandra's surprised face and burst into laughter.
"Go get your bear."
The vendor was dumbstruck. He handed the bear to Cassandra reluctantly, grumbling as he went. The bear was as tall as
Cassandra, but both of them looked cute.
When she finally hugged the bear, Cassandra seemed to wake up. It finally sunk in. Rufus just shot the small circle, twice!
"How... How did you do that?"
Cassandra wondered as she looked at Rufus intently. She just couldn't close her mouth.

Rufus glanced at Cassandra, and said in a passive tone, "I just got lucky, I guess."
Well...that was the only possible explanation. It had to be just luck.
The vendor sighed deeply, clearly defeated. Cassandra felt sorry for the guy. There was nothing she could do though, since he
met Rufus, who was apparently a skilled marksman.
She hugged the bear tightly and buried her face in the soft fur.
Rufus couldn't help but smirk at the sight. He was happy as long as Cassandra was. He didn't just get lucky though. In fact, he
had been trained at marksmanship for a number of years. That was why he was able to hit such a small target easily.
Rufus didn't want to show off his skill in public, but he wanted to help Cassandra get what she wanted. He wanted to see her
smile.
Anyway, Cassandra just accepted the fact that he was just extremely lucky.
Beaming, Cassandra looked to the sky, huge bear still in her embrace.
"Look! A Ferris wheel!"