A Graduation Gift

Vernon's case was finalized at court; the judges finally gave him a ten-year jail sentence.

Edith wailed with agony, however, Cassandra seemed so indifferent that not even a hint of tears could be found on her face.

Since the responsibility of managing the Qin Group fell on her shoulders, she did not have the luxury of time to allow herself to fall into sadness. There was a more pressing need for her to immediately start devoting herself to the hectic work schedule ahead of her.

Accompanied by Cassandra and Cloris, Edith stepped out of the courtroom. The sky was clean and blue; the clouds looked pure and white.

Having made up her mind to disperse all the grief-stricken memories that had been afflicting her family, Cassandra felt the need to say to herself silently, 'I will try my best to support the family, to maintain and sustain all the things that we have been enjoying.'

Finally, the Union of Real Estate was soon to be established in G City. The election of the Director of the Union was rather imminent, and everyone was highly concerned about this event. People from all walks of life were enthusiastically guessing which group would be able to win over the other, the Tang Group or the Dawn Star Group.

Although the two parties had their own strengths, it seemed that the Tang Group had a higher chance of winning the game. Recently, the Tang Group was exhibiting an overall enthusiastic aura. As the manager of their architectural design department, Cassandra was granted a resounding award thanks to her outstanding performance in an American architectural design competition. Meanwhile, the Tang Group had already invested in some projects in G City, such as the construction of Nursing Home Project and the Amusement Park Plan, which had all won the group a positive reputation as a strong foundation.

While the Dawn Star Group had undertaken just the same amount of projects as the Tang Group, due to these projects being of smaller scale, it was difficult for the company to broaden their sphere of influence in the city. Although the company did have a great number of business counterparts, it was highly likely that it would be at a disadvantage when it came to the scale factor. Given this, it was difficult to say whether or not Dawn Star Group could seize the votes of their partners.

Right at this critical juncture, a piece of rather heavy news was just disclosed by the insiders, which could possibly reverse the situation.

Vernon, who had just been sentenced to jail for bribing an official, was found to be related by marriage to Horace Tang, the Chairman of the Tang Group.

Even more shocking was the news that Cassandra was Vernon's biological daughter.

As the information was bombarded throughout the people in G City, the companies of real estate experienced much turmoil.

As Vernon was found to be guilty of his crime, the people turned cautious as to avoid any signs of connection with him. To the everyone's surprise, the Tang Group had quite a close relationship with the Qin Group.

The residents could barely stop their imagination from running wild. Since the Tang Group was so closely tied to the Qin Group, how could it be as clean and uncorrupted as it appeared to be on the surface? The inner workings were probably not much better than those of the Qin Group. They could be all tarred with the same brush.

For example, the largest private hospital in G City had planned to build a hospital branch recently. Such a crucial project ended up being taken over by the Tang Group. Although Jenks and Horace did share a friendly relationship, with someone spreading the news entangled with rumors, many still chose to believe that it was not as simple as it seemed to be—the Tang Group must have done something behind the scenes to get such an opportunity.

The discussions inevitably reached Horace's ears, who could do nothing but foamed with anger.

"Who could've done this? They exposed the relationship between me and Vernon at this crucial time. It must be part of some plan against the Tang Group!"

After slamming his hands on the table to vent his anger, Horace suddenly began to cough heavily.

In a hurry, Jill rushed up to him to pat his back and ease him as he channeled air back into his lungs.

the election for the Director of Union will commence soon. Is

Jill could barely understand the complex business world with such an

going to be affected! And the

fit so hard as if he

a panic, Jill hastily asked someone to

was both angry and anxious. Who could've

the Tang Group's reputation was damaged because of the incident, they would consequently lose the election, allowing the Dawn Star Group to take

Lionel accompanying Ivy to prenatal care which later became another hit headline for the public. If the baby was Lionel's, news would get out that he had committed adultery.

but wasn't aware of Cassandra's

became known that Lionel was a soon-to-be father of his mistress's

had been the hottest topics of people's daily conversations now in G City. Cassandra, who stood at the center

the manager of the architectural design department right after her graduation from college, which many considered a stroke of undeserved luck and envied. Very few individuals truly appreciated her talents from the beginning. It was her hard work and skills that shut the others' judgmental mouths. Not only was she acknowledged by the employees of the

efforts and accomplishments seemed so trivial under the storm of rumors.

had assumed the role because she was the daughter-in-law of the Chairman of the

their marriage was simply an arrangement where the two had agreed to not intervene in

made the absurd claim that Lionel turned to Ivy because of Cassandra's inability to bear a child.

gave Cassandra a severe headache to the extent that all she wanted to do was cover both her ears and shut her eyes until

"It's all bullshit!"

coffee at the table, Stella

straightforward and strongly worded, she indeed made sense and Cassandra had gotten used to the way

tended to be rather carefree, Stella was well capable of doing her job.

arranged an interview with one of the local business newspapers and asked the journalist reporters to craft an interview journal with the Tang Group. In the

even in the province. One of the integral reasons for its success lies in the development of its employees. I am aware that our architectural design manager, Cassandra Qin, has been allegedly involved in some scandals recently. I can promise everyone that it is because of her ability that she has assumed her current position. As for her personal life,

and ambiguous answer aroused even more

to guard? After the interview, there was a sudden shift in attitude and focus of the public, and people started believing that it was Lionel

sudden, the post headlines became criticisms on Lionel's affair and they were everywhere. The agitated public spoke on behalf of the diligent architect and condemned the disloyal husband.

fact, when Cassandra's true identity was revealed, Stella had contested her, "Cassandra, am I not your friend? How could you hide

brought her to

the company to treat me differently because of my identity as the Tang's daughter-in-law," she

secret she kept from her had hurt her friend deeply. Although she was aware that trust was paramount between good friends, she still hesitated to confess to Stella until the moment

Would I judge you and doubt your skills just because of your relationship with the chairman?" With stern words, Stella

the Tang Group, Cassandra was someone she trusted the most, but she turned out to be the one who wasn't even honest in terms of her very identity.

Can't you see how the relationship is between