A Graduation Gift

Rufus held Cassandra's hand and strode toward the stage, taking her along.

Looking at the two of them approaching, the crowd automatically cleared a path for them.

Amanda's face dulled, her lips pressed together. 'Why would Rufus bring Cassandra up here? What is he up to?' she wondered bitterly.

A hint of nervousness flashed through Lionel's eyes. Rufus's actions had perplexed him.

Cassandra, on the other hand, was in a daze. Even when they reached the stage, she still hadn't recollected her senses.

"Let Cassandra, Amanda and I perform together for this show!"

Rufus announced, taking the microphone. Then, he turned the speaker off and whispered to Cassandra, "Sing something. Anything is fine. I'll play the accompaniment music for you."

He turned the mic back on, fixing it on the stand and adjusting its height for Cassandra. He gave her an encouraging smile and a pat on her shoulder before he walked to the piano and took a seat.

Everyone in the room was shocked! The love triangle in the rumour was now on the stage, ready to perform together. What was this supposed to mean?

Some wondered if this was one of Rufus's business strategy to gain fame by becoming the hot topic all over the news.

Most of the crowd was curiously drawn to Cassandra, who, on the other hand, had no idea about what she was supposed to do. She had simply been dragged onto the stage, mindlessly, and then, asked to sing!

Even though part of her was pretty confident about her singing skills; truth was, she had never sung in front of so many people. The most she did was sometimes to hum and sing to herself in solitude.

Once, Rufus had joked saying she sang so well that she could even release an album of her own. Of course, she rejected the idea right away. She didn't want to become a publicly scrutinised singer. All she wanted was to work at her desk, drawing her sketches.

She found herself most relaxed working with the pen and the paper in silence, or making use of the design applications on the computer. It was almost meditative for her.

But in the moment, Cassandra had no chance to retreat. The mic was right in front of her, and hundreds of people were waiting for her to give them a performance. If she flinched, wouldn't she be viewed as a coward by the others in the industry?

What would they think of her—the head of the Qin Group wasn't even willing to sing a song at the charity dinner?

She couldn't let this happen!

'Never mind, just give it all!' she said to herself.

She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, preparing herself.

The crowd went quiet, all their eyes fixed on Cassandra.

"In that misty morning when I saw your smiling face.

You only looked at me and I was yours.

But when I turned around, you were nowhere to be seen.

away and closed the door.

I

will the sky

stars

will I know

she sang was called 'Fairy Tale.' Her voice was smooth and clear, like a nightingale. Every note, every tune, every syllable came out perfectly. It was almost as if she was a

no hints of forced fanciness in her voice, no impure sounds. One could confidently say she

began with acapella. Slowly, a gentle stream of piano music filled the air, mixing harmoniously with

and when we were about a thousand years

the moonlight...Did we make every minute

I gave my heart to

as the days grow older and the stars will start

I have are memories and this

will I see you

will the sky start

will the stars start

know

as Amanda, but his adept

fingers followed Cassandra's flowing voice as he raised his head and gazed at her,

was as if the light from their eyes met in the

them, completely sidelined.

misty morning, I saw your

Her voice reverberated in

music gradually dissolved in the air too.

Cassandra still held each other's gaze. They

and scooped her into his arms, kissing her on the forehead.

of affection. Amanda's eyes dripped of jealousy looking

bring Cassandra on the stage, let alone kiss

Rufus and Cassandra owned the stage. Amanda was terribly humiliated.

it seemed that anything was allowed in the name of love—they were awed by the

anger, standing in the shade of the piano. Her

Lionel arrange the performances such that hers was the last. She thought she would perform with Rufus in front of all the attendants. She wanted everyone to know how compatible she was with Rufus, so that Cassandra

and sabotage her plan by inviting Cassandra, or rather, grabbing her hand and bringing her to the stage. The duet they were supposed to perform together simply became accompaniment music for Cassandra's song.

smitten by this 'Act of love, ' that they didn't care about Amanda at all. All the guests were discussing about the

she

blushed. She murmured to Rufus, her tone both shy and angry, at the same

you make me sing without any prior information! What if I had messed up!

glow on her was alluring. Under the

messed up. I trust

was relaxed. He kept his love-filled eyes fixed at her.

couldn't stand to see them being all lovey-dovey, standing so close together.