A Graduation Gift

"Yeah, this is the only way. But Lionel...be careful. Don't get involved with her again. I would never agree to something like that again!"

Jill warned Lionel strictly. Alas, the mother couldn't see the sadness in her son's eyes.

He couldn't tell her he wanted to get back together with Cassandra. In fact, he deeply regretted his decision of divorcing her before. However, it was sad that she just didn't want him anymore.

"Don't worry, Mom. I understand what you are thinking,"

Lionel said with a forced, bitter smile on his face.

He turned his head around to look inside the hospital room. Horace lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Rufus's hatred towards his own father had completely destroyed him, despite how powerful he had been in the industry all his life. Now, every day was nothing but a nightmare for him.

Horace's mind started to fly back to the times when he was young. He was so ambitious and capable at the time. It was in those days that he had met a young woman from Ling family at a party, and had immediately fallen in love with her.

Lucky for him, she had fallen in love with him too. Soon, they started dating. But something always bugged Horace. It was the inheritance right of the family business.

its power and status. They couldn't have helped

family was very powerful and influential. Jill was their favourite daughter. Tactically, it only made sense for Horace to be with her in order to get the support of her family.

the temptation. He started to avoid seeing the Ling family's daughter and chose to

was no one else but Rufus. She wanted to meet Horace and talk about him, but he simply refused to see her.

Ling's daughter didn't want to kill the baby and go back to her family for support. She was left with no choice but to abandon her family and move out of the house. She not only bore Rufus for nine months in her belly but also raised him

for a very long time, eventually resting in

by so many people. And now...at this stage of his life, when

What had he been even fighting for his entire life if he had no love? He abandoned the woman he loved for Jill's wealth. He lost the chance of giving his son a good childhood and didn't see him growing up. All of these compromises, for what? Only to find out from his deathbed that he had miserably failed to take the moral path in life, and that even when he

he was old. Lord knew how much time he had left. Besides, he had already lost all will and energy. The group that he had kept afloat somehow all these years was now going to go bankrupt. All of his hard work, his tactics, and his intellect seemed to have

both physically and

the fight anymore. His health alternated between good and bad. He had lost a lot of weight in the

sick. He had to act quickly. He walked away from his mother and finally made the call. Part of him was convinced that she wouldn't pick up. Just when he was about to give up hope, she answered. "Hello..." Cassandra

like it was melting. "Do you think Rufus will forgive us if my mother apologised to him?" he continued. Cassandra didn't say anything back. He fell quiet too. Summoning courage, he spoke again, "Can you go and talk to him first, and tell me

of the phone, Cassandra listened intently, with a surprised look plastered on her face. She had never expected Lionel to call her, let alone asked