A Graduation Gift

Enchanted by Rufus' voice, Cassandra found his hug irresistible.

He whispered into her ear, in a gentle, soothing manner, giving her goosebumps. She wished that she could have immersed herself in his love forever.

"You look stunning at the last banquet. This time, you're going to shine even brighter. But beauty aside, you will also have exceptional skills. They're your most valuable assets which you could capitalize on. Use them wisely."

Carefully, he wanted to elevate her in subtle, informal ways that wouldn't make his intentions too obvious. That was why he bought her a fancy dress to mark her out for attention.

After all, people were easily influenced by what they saw. If by glamour she could grab their attention, they'd be naturally curious about her. And that curiosity was the human weakness that Rufus wanted to exploit for Cassandra's advantage.

Though she was a capable woman, she was still fairly new in the architectural design industry. If she could win the admiration of some of the bigwigs in the industry, it would be much easier for her to climb up the career ladder.

Finally, Cassandra realized why Rufus had lavished the expensive dress on her.

Initially, she believed that Rufus asked the celebrity designer to make her a gown, just to shower her with his affection. Now she discovered there was more to his move. It was for her self-development.

At the thought, her eyes became teary.

It had been ages since she felt cared for like this.

The last person to have ever cared about her so genuinely was her wet nurse. When she was a little girl, the old granny was ever so caring and treated her as a grand-daughter. She would go to all lengths to satisfy Cassandra's wishes. Growing up, however, she had woken to the cruel reality of a world where even her parents wouldn't protect her. When they forced her into marriage to a heartless man, she was devastated. Four years of that marriage had left her more and more disillusioned. But now, here was a man who believed in her. A man that genuinely cared for her, often with extravagant shows of his affirmation and affection. In a short time, he had challenged her belief that she'd forever be lonely, scorned and abandoned. The gentle but firm man that Rufus was found a way into her heart. Willingly, Cassandra would drown in his love.

For a moment, memories from childhood flooded her thoughts. Although she hadn't enjoyed parental care as much as her younger sister did, she learned to get by without throwing unnecessary pity parties.

Life in the small town then, was, in fact, quiet and soothing as she found solace in nature. On some occasions, though, she hoped a day when her parents would take move the family to a better city and give her a warmer home.

Not that she was an extravagant kid who wanted fancy stuff. No way in hell did Cassandra lust after more than the simple things she needed to get by. Clothes to cover her and food to survive would do. For as long as she had those two basic needs, plus a roof above her head, she was perfectly OK. And she found great contentment in her small, down-and-out family, imperfect as it was.

But her humble prayers went unheard. One eerily cold night, fate took away the little that she asked for. A part of her life snatched away by the cruel hands of poverty, at a time when she was least prepared.

She acutely remembered the day when her nightmare began. Ironically, it started with a rare sumptuous family meal — the beginning of her indignity, marked by an occasion that should have brought joyful laughter at the family table.

During the meal, her mom and dad kept exchanging glances silently, as if waiting for someone else to start speaking. She couldn't have possibly guessed out what they were concealing, no matter how hard she tried. After much hesitation, it was her mother who finally broke the ice.

The Qin family business was going down the slope. The only way to keep it afloat was to seek help from Tang Group. But that would only come at the price of their daughter.

Cassandra was stunned. She couldn't believe what she had heard.

The tears from her mother disheartened her.

The last people she expected to be self-serving were her parents. Why were they making such a decision without asking for her consent? It pained Cassandra that the very people supposed to protect her were the ones putting her life at risk for selfish motives.

of the day, their word still carried the day, despite her griping. There was not much she could do to stop them. After all, she was alive at their mercies. The reason she gave her consent was more out

Trapped in early marriage to a man she didn't love, her dreams began to fizzle out in slow

he was proving to be quite the turning point of her life. A fine

a guy who'd win any girl he wanted. Such a perfect guy, he was the dream man of most girls.

while both of them were

intentions by throwing a terrific birthday bash for

whatever he wanted. Without any hesitation, she'd give her undivided love.

her hands, cupped his head in her small palms and stood

girl, you want to

or not, Cassandra backed down, treating his words as a warning. It left her feeling embarrassed, but she mustered the

I just wanted to thank you,"

face

conference first. It would do you better to

a moment. A sense of warmth soon spread all

was touching to know that someone cared about her

Didn't you…" she

lips curved with the smile made her blush.

act now, I can't do it. This isn't the right time. If

his confession, she was so touched that tears of joy rolled down her

she leaned on Rufus, letting her full weight rest on

would wait. He was willing.

to bloom. Again tears of joy began trickling down her face in rivulets. How grateful she

"Thank you…"

could not express her gratitude for

up a chance, which in turn strengthened their emotional ties. Never had she felt this

kissed her

a lot coming up tomorrow,"

although his tone was serious. With his right hand, he caressed

hard job winning against the Dawn Star Group, but I

trying to fire her up.

tears away, she asserted with resolution, "Rest assured! I'm ready

each other's gaze, they smiled

Dawn Star Group was

Group and Dawn Star Group were having equal shares of the market. The Tang

from one of the best architectural design colleges in the world; he was quite a

turned around the fortunes of the company. Despite being relatively inexperienced, Arthur was smart enough to seize the best business opportunities. The company was

had entered at the beginning, the eventual two to battle it out