A Graduation Gift

Amanda snickered, her bright white teeth peering behind her lips. Rufus looked straight into Amanda's glossy eyes, which memorized every curve and line of his face.

He wasn't the young, dashing man that he was so many years ago, Amanda noted. The Rufus of today was now so much more handsome. Well-built, well-established, and mature. Age was kind to Rufus, a trait that only few were ever lucky to have.

Amanda had merely used the opportunity to help introduce TY Securities to some major clients. When she invited him over to Paris, expecting to feel like the time back to when they were together all those years ago. Only now, they were both much older.

Amanda and Rufus could be alone together. She didn't have to worry about Cassandra getting in between them again. No one could bother them here in Paris.

She looked at his wine glass again. The drug had long dissolved in the red liquid. As long as Rufus drank, even if it was just a sip, he would be bound to surrender to her enchanting charms.

"Come on, you know what I want,"

Amanda smirked, eyes now dark and heavy. She eagerly wanted to make him drink.

She wasn't even trying to hide her desire any longer. Both of them knew that Amanda wanted him. All Rufus had to do was reciprocate.

Feigning sickness to get him to pity and pay attention to her only worked for a short time. It also wasn't the kind of relationship she wanted. She wanted to be able to hold him, and be happy with him, and she wanted him to return her feelings.

What she needed was care and love. She needed him to tell her that he loved her!

Rufus, seeming to get the grasp of the situation, lowered his eyes. He averted her intense gaze, slowly shifting to turn around to face the skyline again, elbows leaning against the railing.

"Amanda. I can only give you this much of love and care. I can never give you what you want. Not anymore. I'm not the same man."

Rufus' voice was quiet and gentle, but to Amanda, it was deafening and harsh.

crack as she asked him, "Y-You've already broken up with Cassandra. There's no one left

Cassandra was now

never be the same as Cassandra. I'm

the thoughts

had always kept her distance from him. Even when they were still

tireless. He would often get mad at her for being

seem to let her go. No matter how hard he tried, the image of that little

"Who's more important, then?"

looked at Rufus. She was trying to hold back the pain she was feeling over being rejected over

see Rufus smile quietly to himself, which made her heart clench. She could never make Rufus smile

could ever compare to

wider, letting his own thoughts consume himself.

if Cassandra would get mad, even if she got really upset, she wouldn't even ask such a

she was more important than anyone. She never had to ask those things because she had already

just...so

held her tears back even if her heart ached so much that she could barely breathe.

When she opened her eyes to

wine glass up to his lips as he chuckled, before

gulp down the wine. The dark red fluid, like a lethal poison, went down his throat and dissolved into his

at the sight of Rufus succumbing to the drug. She wiped her

own glass and gulped the wine down