A Graduation Gift

Rufus's face remained emotionless even after the maid had told him all the details.

Was Jill merely behaving this way because she thought of Horace as a grumpy, old, arrogant man? It couldn't be denied, though, that Horace's health had deteriorated day after day—he was getting old and therefore, grumpy and arrogant as many men had come to be.

Rufus had no other thought in his mind but to make sure he executed his plan right away. Horace was, after all, old enough now—he might die before experiencing what it was like to be betrayed by his own son and at the same time, lose his own company. Horace deserved no less after all he'd done to Rufus and his mother. He did not deserve to die a peaceful death.

Meanwhile, in the ward, Jill still hadn't stopped sobbing and Lionel was starting to become impatient. He kept bugging the nurse, asking what time his father was going to wake up. In fact, he did it so much that the nurse had started to avoid him.

Rufus waited outside the ward the whole night. Before dawn, Horace finally woke up.

"Horace, Horace, how are you feeling now?"

Jill rushed towards Horace the moment he opened his eyes.

Rufus was also wide awake and alert outside the ward—he was calm and so sure of what he was going to do.

The doctor came in to check all of Horace's vitals and was seemingly satisfied. He spoke in a cool tone, "Everything looks good here. He doesn't need as many people to stay with him—one is enough. The rest of you can go home and rest. Mr. Tang needs quiet too."

The ward was so crowded that the doctor advised them to leave in order to give Horace some peace and quiet.

Rufus scanned the room with his eyes before he offered to stay, "I will stay here and look after him. You can all go home first and come relieve me later."

Rufus's tone was calm and somewhat matter-of-fact. Jill glanced at him from the side and murmured, "Such a hypocrite," before yawning and leaving the room with Ivy.

"Father, I have to go and attend to a few appointments. I'll be right back after I'm done,"

Lionel said as a goodbye to his father. When he left, only Rufus and Horace were in the room.

Although he had already woken up from his coma, Horace still looked pallid and weak.

He tilted his head as he looked at Rufus with a confused look on his face, as if his mind was buzzing about something.

Rufus didn't make a sound, instead he just gazed blankly back at his father.

"Rufus, I had a dream. I dreamt of your mother,"

Horace said in a weak but yearning tone.

"She stopped talking to me. I'd lost all contact with her for years. I had no other way to find out you were my son," he continued.

as if he

and stoic but

into a deep sleep. Rufus took this chance to call Victor so he left the room and made

me what

Dylon's apartment. Victor would've stopped it if

only Miss Qin spent the night at the

reported in a

he had already expected this, Rufus still couldn't help but

now and get me the files I

he hung up the call, Rufus immediately pulled up a photo saved on his

of his mother, young then, sporting a huge smile. Her hair was roughly tied

the coming years after that photo was taken, she became sick. Hellen was practically

ten years

Jill and they had Lionel. Horace had this whole new and happy

all the time but she endured the pain day in and day out. She never

took all the burden of supporting Rufus, which was

too caught up with all the money and power Tang Group and Jill brought to

shut his phone and raised his eyes. Once again, never had he been more sure of

you. Soon, you'll know what it feels like to lose your loved ones!' Rufus angrily thought in his mind.

the apartment. When she woke

the day. When she got

and from a considerably near area, she could hear

"What happened?"

asked as she made her way to the sound of the crying—it was an employee who was wiping

but couldn't handle it because she bursted into tears and was

uncle is in A City. She can't contact him since

piped in,

something. Now she wasn't so

my office," Cassandra

going to talk to this young lady

employee to her office and shut the door closed. When she started speaking, Cassandra used a comforting tone, "Don't cry, we don't know anything

piece of tissue and handed it

and treated me like their own. I've tried calling them but I can't reach them. Manager Qin, I'm

continued to stream down her

you're worried about them. How about you take a few days off? You can rest and spend some time with yourself while you wait for news, okay? Would