A Graduation Gift

There was fire in Rufus's eyes. He could not believe what was happening.

"You can't do that,"

Rufus said furiously as his grip on Cassandra's wrist tightened.

"Rufus, you're being ridiculous. I expected more from you. Right now, you are just acting like a spoiled brat! You show up when it pleases you and before I know it, you're gone without so much as a goodbye. Where were you when I needed you? Whenever I asked for an explanation, you never gave me one. Instead, you decided to keep your secrets and keep me in the dark. What the hell were you thinking?"

Cassandra glared at Rufus, mustering all the courage she had to finally speak her mind. Finally saying all these things felt like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders.

Rufus looked at her, dumbstruck as he slowly realized Cassandra's image of him: complicated and suspicious.

As it turned out, she saw Rufus as a jerk.

He came and went as he pleased without even considering how she must have felt. Because of him, her life became full of uncertainty. He never gave her a stable life or a promising future.

"Cassandra, I am doing this for your own good,"

Rufus said. There was hesitation in his voice, possibly brought about by Cassandra's face that was red with rage. She seemed absolutely fed up with the situation.

"For my own good? You want to do something for my own good? Let me give you a very good suggestion: Disappear from my life for good and leave me be!"

Cassandra shouted as she broke free from Rufus's grip, turned, and walked away.

She had had enough of the drama. She did not want to put up with Rufus's childish whims anymore. His actions did not make sense to her. There seemed to be a huge disconnection between the mature and independent image he portrayed in public and the childish and unreasonable way he acted when he was with her.

But Rufus was not about to let her get away so easily. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his arms.

Cassandra struggled as Rufus slowly looked straight at her face. Staring straight into her eyes, he decided to tell her the truth.

"Fine, I will tell you what I am doing," he started.

could almost feel his thoughts buzzing. Finally realizing the significance of the moment, she stopped struggling and lifted her head to

my mother told me that my father was dead. It was

Cassandra's eyes. Cassandra stood still and listened

child overnight, from being a straight-A student. I started to miss all of my classes. Everyone worried about me and didn't know what to do. My mother could not stop crying. I blamed her for giving birth to me. I told her that she

the only

disease, my aunt took us abroad to have her treated. But before I left, I went to see Horace in front of the Tang Group. That day, I swore that I would come back and destroy

There was coldness in his voice. It made

go down in shambles. I wanted him to know how it felt like

burned in his eyes. The realization of the anger that Rufus had been tending to get through the years weighed down

yourself because of

story very unsettling. She could not believe what Rufus would do to Horace, his biological father, the man who gave him life. No matter what Horace did, it

Jill, bear a child like Lionel, and live a life of fortune and opportunity while my mother and I spent our days looking for shelter and struggling to make ends meet? The moment my mother died, I swore to make Horace pay.

Everytime he remembered his poor mother and Horace's absence, his hatred and

mother were still alive, I'm sure that she would not want you to do such things. Otherwise, she wouldn't have worked hard to bring you up all by herself. Also, she would

arms, she realized that his whole body was stiff.

attempt to calm him down, but her efforts were useless. Rufus

Her kindness only brought her tragedy. Well, I'm different. I live to bring him what his absence has brought her,"

was stubborn. Nothing that Cassandra said got through

You shouldn't hate him. I'm sure he also had his own battles during that time. He was also trapped in his own circumstance. Besides, he already realized that he was wrong. He even made efforts to correct his mistake by making you part of the Tang family and allowing you to take over the Tang Group. Rufus, let it go. Please don't live in

had hardened him. In fact, it was

he? My mother was disowned by her own family because of him. She even renounced her father and changed her last name to her mother's maiden name. She wasted her youth raising me all by herself. For the first half of my

filled Rufus with so

her lips, not knowing

she tried to calm him down, the angrier he would become. So, she thought that it would be

you know about it, I hope you will do what is best by staying out of it. All I ask you to do is to wait for me. Be patient with

himself down. Then, he looked

if...I don't want you to push through with your plan of

she looked into Rufus's

have been working on this plan for so many years. There is no way I can give up,"