A Graduation Gift

Charlie avoided telling Amanda the ugly truth. She was his dear daughter. He would do anything to avoid hurting her. Rufus's plan was ruthless. As her father, it was his sole purpose to make sure Amanda was happy.

"Amanda, listen." Charlie stepped forward before continuing,"I don't think Horace is as kind and gentle as he makes out to be..."

Charlie let his mouth open, wanting to continue but could not find the words. Amanda was clever. She knew exactly what Charlie was trying to say.

She knew that Horace had his own agenda. Amanda had always been the more competitive daughter-in-law as compared to Cassandra. Her higher social standing and reputation could help the Tang family enlarge their network and access better resources. Horace was indeed a clever businessman. He took advantage of that fact.

"Father, you don't need to worry. Rufus will be the one living with me and I believe he'll protect me."

Amanda beamed at Charlie.

Charlie's hardended heart gradually softened. His daughter looked so innocent. He decided right there and then to withhold the truth.

If things got bad between Rufus and Horace, Charlie would spirit Amanda away from the Tang family altogether.

Meanwhile, Rufus left the Tang family and went back to the Garden Villa, only to find Cassandra packing her bags. This infuriated Rufus.

"Cassandra, didn't you hear what I said this morning?"

Cassandra ignored him, neatly packing her clothes.

"Rufus, I'm not breaking up with you. I just need to move out. We're not married. This?" Cassandra gestured at the whole room,"This is wrong. I have no reason to be staying with you. Your reputation is taking hits."

Cassandra kept on folding her clothes as she explained.

She didn't stop, so Rufus went to her side and grabbed her wrist to catch her attention.

"I'm telling you. Don't test my patience. I don't care what people say about me. If you think you don't have any reason to live with me under the same roof, then I'll give you one. Let's get married."

Rufus reached into his pocket and took out the gorgeous diamond ring he always had with him.

"Just slip it on. Let's head to the office and get registered!"

Cassandra's mouth was agape, visibly dumbstruck.

The diamond was almost the size of a small rock. It rested on a platinum setting and almost blinded her because of its sheen. It looked priceless. However, Cassandra didn't feel excited at the moment. She found the proposal foolish. It wasn't even done in a proper way. It felt rushed, forced even. Rufus only did this because he had to stop her from leaving. Cassandra felt her eyes welling up. She felt so sorry for herself.

She closed the ring box gently, and handed it back to Rufus.

have to force yourself

a deep breath and looked directly into

don't want to marry

saw Cassandra close the box.

marry you, but not

them. She bit her lower lip as she looked at the tall man in front of her.

understand what we want. We need to ease into each other's life. When the time comes, we can reconsider if we really want to

You knew first hand how bad that relationship was. It was a failed marriage. I don't want that to happen again. I've developed this kind of phobia about marriage. It's not just about the two of us anymore. It's about two families. I need to clear my head and not to ruin our relationship at the same time.

own. But as of now, we really

had always wanted to say these things to Rufus but she never was able to muster the

his jaw and fists, trying his best to hold his temper at bay. He was about to lose himself,

to understand Cassandra because deep down, he knew she was

neither he nor Cassandra felt

had his own revenge on the side. He always treaded carefully as if he was on thin ice. Cassandra sacrficed

Cassandra, and she had never said anything about it and just persevered.

each other more? You have your own goals to achieve and I have the

eyes. Under the bright light, her thick eyelashes

us living

voice. Cassandra could

him was a torture for

by her own choice. He thought she would wait for him and was willing to be his woman. But judging from what she just said, she

the wrong way, Rufus. I'm moving out

headlines she saw today. They were all rumors about

That was when she decided to leave the Garden Villa

to the brink of collapse. What was worse, they couldn't even enjoy their private life because paparazzi would be at every corner stalking

if that's

rage. The ring fell out and bounced towards the

in fear as Rufus shifted his anger into sorrow

But as for me, I have a clear conscience. I have always treated you well and cared about you. If you really feel that you

to look at Cassandra's face, drained of all color. His

Cassandra would see her mistake and apologize. He wished that she could admit that her persistence and pride

However…

"Rufus, you're ridiculous,"

icily. She then closed her luggage promptly and stood up,

his hardest not to grab her hand. He could feel her clothes touch

enthusiasm when they first met in Rome. She was wasted at the time. He remembered her serious no-nonsense attitude when they