A Graduation Gift

The muscles on Rufus's face tightened. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.

"Their happiness would bring me pain, and their pain would be my happiness."

His face remained closed off and distant, the coldness of his eyes unchanging. Cassandra could tell from the firm lines of his face that he was restraining himself and fighting against his own anger.

She was at a loss with his stubbornness.

"Are you really going to stay as an outsider and just watch your family fall down?"

Cassandra pressed again.

"This is my business, Cassandra, and the decision will be mine. Have you forgotten what they did to you?"

Rufus's eyes closed in on her as he continued.

The people she was calling as his family had treated her with nothing but disrespect. Why was she standing up for them now? Had she forgotten? If so, he would remind her of everything now. His eyes glinted with cruelty as he spoke, "Let us recount, shall we? First, there is Jill. Form the moment you stepped inside the house, she had insulted you, from head to toe, and over and over again. Then there's Horace. During the time when you almost lost the company your family worked hard to build, he sneaked in and tried to buy it behind your back instead of helping you. And of course, let's not forget Lionel. From the beginning, your marriage had been a farce. But he just had to take things further and got another woman pregnant. His lover even moved in the Tang house. Have you forgotten that embarrassment? How can you be telling me all this?"

Rufus did not bother masking his words. He knew he was rehashing old pains and reopening past wounds, but if that was what it took for Cassandra to see sense, he would go that far.

Cassandra took deep breaths to calm herself down. She knew he was intentionally wounding her, coaxing her to agree with him. It would be all too easy to give in and lash out in anger, but she knew that was not what either of them needed. "No, I haven't," she began. "I haven't forgotten any of that. But I know that holding on to my anger will do me no good. It would be so easy to choose revenge, but seeing them suffer will not give me the peace that I am looking for. It would just torment me further, just as how it is eating at you now." She stepped closer to him, holding his gaze steadily. "Listen to me, Rufus. It is easier to be angry, but the right thing to do is to forgive. I'm sure that when things have worked out, you will understand that family is the most important thing in your life. You're angry, but more than that, you are hurting. And we both know that punishing them would not give you happiness. Don't let this become a regret."

Cassandra tried her utmost to convince him, but Rufus would have none of it. His gaze was icy as he answered her, "I have already made my decision a long time ago, Cassandra. Nothing you say can persuade me. Stop wasting both of our time."

He walked to the window and looked outside before continuing, "I'll make arrangement for you soon. Just stay patient and wait for me."

With that, he jumped out of the window and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Once he was back in his room, he sent Victor a message, instructing him to switch the camera to the original one Clark installed.

Rufus knew that Clark had installed cameras near the house. With the help of a hacker, he got inside the system and now had the whole thing under his control.

All that was left to do now was watch as Tang Group bit the dust. When there was nothing left, he would leave this place peacefully, finally claiming his long-sought-for vengeance.

Cassandra watched the darkness that mirrored her heavy heart. How could she make Rufus understand and let go of his anger?

She had tried all she could earlier, but it seemed that her words fell on deaf ears.

hatred had already dug deep into his heart. It would not be easy for him to disentangle himself from

flashed before her eyes. She

of anxiousness rose inside her. The Tang

eyes his goodness. He was just being blinded

at this moment that she made her decision. She would convince him no

to go back to her dormitory. As she was walking back, her books in her arms, she spotted

started to recognize

man was standing under the big tree outside the dormitory, his back to her. As if sensing her eyes, he turned

as their eyes met. The warmth in his smile could melt even the frost of winter.

been waiting for you," he

far away

him. Earlier that year when she went back to G City, he turned her away mercilessly. Her wounds from that time had not yet healed. She had become quiet and withdrawn for a long time after, nursing her pain. She forced herself to turn to distractions and blatantly avoided anything that would remind her of

heart was pounding in her chest when she finally reached him. She was a little out of breath

"Why are you here?"

him to hear her shivering from anticipation. Her hands, however, were white-knuckled from the too-tight grip with which she held her books.

how she was feeling, despite

naive. You'll never escape me, Cloris, ' he

in this university, so I

a gentle smile and reached out to remove a leaf on

shivered at his

his fingers let go of the

will you go

could not control

vacation almost

asked back, not answering her directly. His voice was soft as he spoke, and his eyes

could hardly believe her ears. Did he mean that he

the wings of a butterfly, readying itself for flight. Gathering her courage, Cloris

eyes both questioning and expectant

and laid it gently on

all my fault." The hand on Cloris's shoulder pressed lightly,

would be better to let you go. Things are different now. The Dawn Star Group is the best and most

words, but she felt herself