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."

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 back with Horace and wasting time, so he

Cassandra's direction. Then, without further delay, he bolted straight to his room

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

to work with Rufus tomorrow. You might need some time to understand how the

a sincere look in his eyes. She knew

"Sure, Dad."

hand, Jill did not look happy at all. She stared at Cassandra with open hostility in her eyes,

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

the words from between her teeth. Her voice was not loud, but it had a hint of steel beneath it, and Cassandra successfully captured the warning in her tone. She lifted her chin and

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 stern look, finding her reaction over the top. It was good that Cassandra wanted to help Rufus feel more welcomed. Jill was

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

gritted her teeth and snapped back. As a woman, she was intuitive about these things. Cassandra gulped

him today. I think I'll go upstairs now. It has been

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

was about to switch on the lights, she

with each

her the shivers. She could feel sweat start to form on her smooth forehead, but she didn't reach to wipe it off. In the pitch darkness, she heard the loud pounding of her 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