A Graduation Gift

The woman had bushy eyebrows and pink, plump lips. Her raven black hair cascaded down her shoulders. With her hands, she was stroking a Persian cat.

The cat had white luscious fur and a pair of large, clear odd eyes—one yellow; the other, blue. It purred as it curled on the woman's knees.

The woman looked at Cassandra with indifferent eyes, then stood up and walked to the stairs. Meanwhile, a middle-aged woman wearing a pair of glasses was coming down the winding staircase.

She was the wife of Mr. Gary Zheng, Whitney Qiu.

Whitney Qiu was somewhere in her forties. She had a very fair complexion. She was living proof that a comfortable life tended to make one age well.

Knowing that this must be the woman she was looking for, Cassandra immediately approached to introduce herself.

"Mrs. Zheng, nice to meet you. I'm Cassandra Qin, the eldest daughter of Vernon Qin,"

she said, beaming. She was doing a great job hiding her nerves. For some reason, she felt odd being in the castle.

"I know who you are. Mr. Li has told me that you were coming. It was clever to have him put a good word for you. Otherwise, I would not even consider seeing you,"

Whitney Qiu replied. Cassandra was confused. 'Who's Mr. Li?' she thought. It took her a second to realize that Mr. Li must be the mediator Rufus hired.

'This mediator must be very reputable to have this kind of influence, ' she thought.

Whitney looked down at Cassandra from the second step of the stairway. She had a way of making people feel so severely inadequate.

Coming to her senses, Cassandra recollected herself and managed a smile.

"Mrs. Zheng, has Mr. Li told you about the current situation of Qin Group? Right now, I am..."

She gestured Cassandra to stop before she could finish talking.

"Hold on. I do not want to hear about the shares my husband left. I assigned someone else to handle it. I am a woman who is not interested in business,"

she imposed. This made Cassandra feel very disappointed. Deep inside, she knew that Whitney Qiu only refused to cooperate because she was aware of the current situation of the company.

Still, a part of her did not want to believe that she came all the way to Norway for nothing.

due respect, Mrs. Zheng, you seem to have misunderstood. I came to tell you news about my family, not really the company. It has been a while since we last met, I almost feel like I should call you 'Auntie'. Would it be okay for me to talk to you

sweetly. She decided to change

Whitney's expression

Smarter than

once built the business with Vernon, was one of the co-founders of Qin Group. Unfortunately,

to get involved in any relationship at her hometown. She also hired TY Group to manage her assets. Business dealings were not something she

girl who used to be playmates

her daughter was happy and her husband was still alive...

of the past suddenly coming

it made her sad to remember and realize that it was now all

one word, "Auntie", brought back

stepped down from the stairs and sat on the couch. She poured some tea into

Cassandra,"

grace and sophistication. 'This is a true lady. She still remains elegant at her age, ' she

she stroked the golden teacup.

heard that you are a designer

did not seem indifferent to

designer for the Tang Group now," she replied, hiding the astonishment that it was Whitney Qiu who started the conversation. Her eyes were getting brighter.

why are you still trying to save the Qin Group? With your family's holdings, your family would still

asked, puzzled in her insightful eyes.

father's dream. He works for this his whole life. He started this company when he was young. He had his share of successes and failures. This company is the product of everything that he has worked for. Right now, he is no longer capable of taking care of it the way he did before, but I am. As his daughter, I am determined to do everything I can to have it remain the same until he gets out of

shared, her eyes glowing with sincerity.

Qiu was

young and full of life. He and Vernon were good partners, and he had

had been in the red for years. Her shares did not have much value. The only thing that kept her from

to put all her eggs in one basket. This mentality made her wealthy

your father is admirable. He is very lucky to have you as

was not something Cassandra was accustomed to.

was it Courtney who went upstairs just now? She seems to really love

felt curious about Courtney, especially when she shot her

her age, even more than her mother