A Graduation Gift

Inside the Tang mansion, the rooms were lit up brilliantly.

When Rufus and Cassandra returned home, they saw Horace and Jill casually drinking tea in the living room.

The older pair looked up. As soon as Horace spotted Rufus, he greeted him with a splendid smile and open arms.

"Rufus! Good to see you. Have you had your dinner already? Would you like to eat something?"

However, his enthusiasm was not well received. Rufus remained aloof and nodded briefly at the question. Cassandra, who had been hiding behind him, stepped out timidly, facing her in-laws with a forced smile on her face.

"Hi Dad. Hi Mom."

Her voice came out timid. Seeing her, Jill shot up from the sofa, looking positively resentful.

"How is it that you two have come home together?"

Surprised to see them standing so close that their shoulders almost touched, Jill lashed out at Cassandra. Her blatant stare made Cassandra quiver with unease.

She had to look away in order to avoid further questions. Acting composedly was the only way to avoid exposing the truth.

"Well, I was hanging out with some friends tonight. I happened to come across Rufus at the pub's exit. So we came home together. It's no big deal."

and smooth words amused Rufus greatly. A corner of his mouth curled up in a lop-sided grin as he realized that she had no qualms about lying to the faces of her in-laws. She was quite a skilled actress. However, he had no intention of staying

Cassandra's direction. Then, without further delay,

retire to her room as well. However, Horace's words stopped her in her tracks.

work with Rufus tomorrow. You might need some time to understand how the company operates. I know you topped in your classes

in his eyes.

"Sure, Dad."

She stared at Cassandra with open hostility in her eyes, as if prying her daughter-in-law's mind to see if she was hiding something. She did not trust

you, Cassandra. Rufus just came to our family not so long ago.

Cassandra successfully captured the warning in her tone. She lifted her chin and looked at Jill with her pretty eyes, not saying anything in return. She was not a fool. She knew what Jill was trying to imply. Jill looked suspicious and resentful. Cassandra secretly clenched her fists.

what is the harm in that? He has only just come here. There are a lot of things he needs to learn. Cassandra is his sister-in-law, of course she has a responsibility to show him around and teach him about our family business. Cassandra, please don't feel shy to

was good that Cassandra wanted to help Rufus feel

new to the business too. She doesn't know much about the

As a woman, she was intuitive about these

my brother-in-law well. I just happened to run into him today. I think I'll go upstairs

gaze. Jill just rolled her eyes and snorted with derision. Then, she clutched Horace's arm and sauntered to their room with him. Once they left, Cassandra exhaled softly. How long would she able to hold on to her pathetic lie? Jill had her breaking out in a cold sweat just now.

on her chest, still shaken by Jill's sharp misgivings. Taking a deep breath, she slowly pushed the bedroom door open. The room was shrouded in darkness. As she was about to switch on the lights,

never fail to surprise me. We have been so intimate with each other. Yet

heart ringing in her ears. Why was he in her room? What did he want? Did he actually get a kick out of giving her a hard time? Was that it? The way he kept pestering her was so uncalled for. She wished he would just leave