A Graduation Gift

Cassandra immediately felt silly when she realized what she was thinking. How could she suspect Rufus of doing such a thing?

Despite everything that he had been doing to the Tang family, she understood that it all came from his hatred for Horace and his abandonment of him and his mother. As for Lyndsy, however, it did not make sense. There was no reason for him to cause her harm.

Could it be that whatever happened to Lyndsy was done by her rival?

She walked towards the main entrance of the hospital while Rufus followed behind her, keeping a safe distance. Looking at the back of her head and almost feeling her grief, he could not help but feel sad.

There were a group of reporters waiting outside already. One of them recognized her. Soon, the rest followed.

"Miss Qin, how is Lyndsy now?"

"Miss Qin, did you find out anything about the cause of the accident?"

"Miss Qin, what will Lyndsy's future be now that her face is disfigured?"

…

Countless microphones made their way towards her face. She almost felt as if she were being suffocated.

Rufus dashed to Cassandra, squeezed through the crowd and spread his long arms to give her some space.

"Lyndsy is awake now. We will address your questions later at the news conference!" he announced.

Without minding any of the burning questions the crowd of journalists had, Rufus scooped her into his arms and immediately carried her away.

It had been a while since Cassandra was this close to him. She felt the warmth of his body, his familiar scent, his care, concern and protection.

She knew that it would not be a good idea to talk to the reporters candidly. It was better if all the information was to be released during the press conference. They had to come up with something formal that the news sites can base their reports from.

When they finally got to escape the annoying crowd of reporters, Rufus started to teach her a few rules of the entertainment circle. Cassandra, though, did not absorb a word that he said. She found herself staring at the window in silence.

"Cassandra, you may be inexperienced in this kind of thing. Let me do it, okay?"

Rufus offered gently, knowing that she was still struck with grief because of what happened to Lyndsy. This was the first time that Cassandra had to deal with a situation like this so it was understandable that she was having a hard time.

A bitter smile crept on her face. 'Let him do it?' Cassandra thought. 'Do I look like a loser who can't do anything on my own?'

"Why is it that I can't seem to handle problems well no matter how hard I try?"

she said slowly, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"I tried to save the Qin Group but failed. I tried to get rid of Clark but failed. Now, with Lyndsy, I can't even be of much help too. Why do I always feel that fate is against me? Why is everything so difficult for me? I'm...so...exhausted..."

she said slowly as her eyes closed. A single tear surfaced at the corner of her eye and dropped.

ground, Rufus felt as if his heart were pierced by a sharp needle. Seeing his strong, independent little woman break down gave him agonizing pain.

and pulled her into a tight embrace. He felt her tremble against his chest. Quietly, he assured her, "Cassandra, please be mine. Stay with me. I don't want you to be in pain anymore. Stand behind me. I'll protect you. It

himself as someone who could speak lovingly to another human being. He was normally the type who preferred to keep his feelings to himself. However, seeing Cassandra hurt was

her with his words, she seemed

really was exhausted. Withstanding all the pressure for so long, this was the first time she was letting

her return to normal breathing and soothe

I'm here for you,"

some

Why do

he continued to embrace her and slowly swayed

got out of his embrace, wiped the tears off her face, and regained composure.

caused this accident," she stated with a determined look.

Now, she felt revitalized and ready to take

help

His eyes were brimmed with affection and a promise of

time, Cassandra kept silent. She

give a positive reply, this was

he went, the more likely he was to

behind the protective layer was

conversed, a set of eyes watched them

trying to guess what they

they're talking again. Rufus must have already warned Cassandra about something,

stage, they were both playing safe while they assessed the

who had the chance to strike first would get a head start!

to life itself—no matter how indomitable one might seem, he could be trapped by the shadow and fall into adversity at

storm was coming. Who was going to

as a smug

already taste his

time to take off Lyndsy's

beside her bed were Cassandra and

the bandage was peeled off, revealing her face bit by bit.

it showed itself:

Her body shook several times. She would have already fallen if it were

fall against his warm and sturdy chest. He was all that was keeping her upright. She struggled to regain her balance and her

a

immediately requested her parents. They stared at each other, neither of them daring

"Is my face..."

as horror filled her eyes. When no one reacted, her fear intensified. Slowly, she raised a hand

of her face, compared to her left, was very easy to detect. As soon as she felt the rough marks, her heart sank.

"Give me a mirror!"