A Graduation Gift

Chapter 139 You Have Always Been This Stubborn

The world went pitch black as Cassandra gingerly closed her eyes, then the colors of her surroundings burst out when she opened them again. She had imagined her encounter with Rufus countless times just several hours before now. Finally, she was a free person—she could come to see him without being judged and it wouldn't be against her morals either.

Maybe, while she slept, Rufus would silently go to her bedside and kiss her gently on the face. The tenderness would awaken her from her sleepy form and she would open her eyes in delight. Their eyes would meet at the first beam of sunshine, and they would smile at each other.

Or, she would welcome his arrival while she basked under the warmest sunlight at noon. They would embrace each other so tight and step on their shadows as if burying all their miseries in the past.

Or again, he would find her at dusk, where the entire sky would be a wistful red. His eyes would be attractively dark brown like always, and he would whisper to her the sweetest words from his heart…

In all the scenes that she had envisioned, there were only two of them. What she had wished for, was the life between only the two of them.

Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that when they came across each other again, there were three of them—and ironically, she seemed to be the outsider.

Her eyes scanned down her own body—dark stains were smeared on her clothes, and her hands still holding the spade she used for digging were muddy.

Beads of sweat trickled down from her forehead. Her clothes were glued to her back, and she could almost hear the sound of the fabric rubbing against her skin when she started to move.

This definitely wasn't an ideal encounter.

There by the porch stood Rufus and a proud, gorgeous woman by his side. Her eyes didn't intend to hide her boiling contempt for Cassandra.

A frown marred Rufus's face. The beautiful woman had asked a question, but her voice was drowned in his thoughts. He didn't respond, as he seemed to be quite confused with what he saw in front of him.

"Cassandra, what are you doing here?" he asked in doubt.

His voice wasn't gentle; his expression wasn't tender; he didn't even intend to give her a warm hug. It was a totally different scene from her dream.

He was even holding the hand of another woman. Cassandra didn't know how to respond, but she managed to squeeze out a few words.

"I…I'm just planting some flowers..." Silence hung like a heavy curtain in the air.

Awkwardness crept through her skin as if she was the intruder who had broken into this property and even dug an ugly hole in the yard without the owner's consent.

"Isn't it cold outside? Come in," he said.

When the words came out of his lips, his brows were still creased, and then he walked into the room.

The woman beside him followed suit, and Cassandra was left outside petrified like a statue.

Suddenly, the woman in red whipped her head around and shot Cassandra a meaningful glance. A huge smile was plastered on her face—it was a smile that meant triumph and victory.

Her lips curved into a willful smile in silence; then she turned her beautiful, arrogant head back and followed Rufus's footsteps.

A gust of the night breeze kissed Cassandra's skin, making it quiver with goosebumps.

Her body that felt so hot just now after her wearisome activities, was now like it was the coldest thing in a winter night.

'Who is this woman? Why is she able to hold Rufus's hand so naturally? Why didn't he reject her?

Why was he not excited to see me? Why did he frown at me?' she asked herself.

Overwhelmed by the endless questions, Cassandra blankly stared at the half-closed door in a daze.

The door was abruptly pushed open. The woman poked her head out of the door and glimpsed at her.

Raising a hand to wave at Cassandra, she sent a flying kiss, and then shut the door.

Cassandra felt so silly on the inside.

'That woman was saying goodbye to me. She even gave me a flying kiss to bid farewell and asked me to leave.

I must look so stupid! I thought I have settle down here, but it turned out that I've occupied someone else's place, ' Cassandra ridiculed herself.

The depressing thoughts swallowed her mind as she retreated slowly. She went back until she reached the gate of the yard, then she glanced at the faint yellow sky. The sullen sun was setting behind the thick gloomy clouds, just like her mood. In a flash, she turned around and ran. Her legs sprinted as if she was running for her life.

'The wind is blowing fast, isn't it? Otherwise, why are my tears even blown out?' Cassandra wondered.

The wind beat her face and tangled through her hair as she ran even faster.

The grieving tears streamed down her face and onto her lips. 'That's salty, ' she thought.

This place was not familiar to her. Rufus's villa was located near the suburb and was surrounded by the woods. Hardly any people could be seen in this desolate area.

However, Cassandra just ran and ran, until she lost track of time. It was only when she couldn't catch her breath anymore that she slowed her steps down.

She bent down and waited for a few moments to regain her breath. Shortly after she looked up at the sky and as far as she could see, the only thing beyond the woods was the orange sun. It radiated a dim glow which painted the entire horizon of its color before it fell completely behind the trees.

Her stiff body stood still as she watched the sun disappear bit by bit into the horizon. Soon enough, darkness fell.

'Cassandra, you see. You have waited from dawn till night. What you actually saw was not Rufus whom you have desired, nor the happy future that you have always dreamed about.

It's too bad that this is only a wishful thinking on your part, ' she internally scorned at herself.

A bitter smile graced her lips as she grinned at her silliness and naivety.

What kind of person was Rufus Luo? He was Tang Group's CEO, Horace Tang's son, the most promising young man in G City's real estate industry. Everyone had heard of his name.

He was known to be cold, harsh, and firm. He could dictate the fate of others; he could have anything he desired. That was the man Rufus was. How could she innocently believe that he was hers?

That was quite ridiculous! As far as she knew, she was miles apart from the naive young girls who dreamt of princes to love. How could she fall into the trap of a man who just occasionally cared for her? Was it because she had craved for love and affection for so long?

'Cassandra, you are an idiot!' she berated herself.

When she felt so lonely in the darkness of the woods, she recalled that Rufus had said that he would give her a home so that she wouldn't have to wander around in search for a shelter. However, right now in the dark night, she had no place to go. How was he going to keep his promise?

"Cassandra! Why are you here?"

The woman turned around in search of the sudden voice that called out her name.

When she recognized the familiar voice, she surprisingly felt like a little deer caught by a hunter.

Or else, why would Dylon happen to be around every time when she was so helpless?

Her body turned around and there she saw Dylon with a heavy set of photography equipment in his arms. He stared at her in surprise.

Cassandra's eyes darted from left to right as she fumbled for an answer. "I…I am just here for the sunset," she sputtered.

She had no idea how to explain to Dylon why she was there alone. As much as she wanted to vent her feelings to someone, she didn't even know where to start so she just found herself a simple excuse.

"Wow, really? I am also here for the sunset!" the ardent lover of photography exclaimed.

His smile shone cheerfully as usual, and its infectious delight seemed to have driven some coldness away.

"Dylon, let's go to the bar!" Cassandra suggested out of the blue.

The strong urge to get drunk got the better of her. If she was drunk, she could forget all about the sorrows, miseries, and the agonies in her heart.

She raised her head from behind the curtain of her hair and looked pleadingly at Dylon.

"Let's go to the craziest bar of G City and drink the most bitter beer!" she exclaimed.

Meanwhile in Garden villa, Rufus did not notice the secret activities of the woman beside him, neither was he aware of Cassandra's reactions. When he got inside the house, the scene that greeted him caught him by surprise.

The theme color of the living room was changed from its old gloomy grey to a lively green—green table cloth, green plants, and the greenish lily flowers which gave off a tinge of floral aroma.

The white lace curtain swung gently in the breeze. He felt as if he had entered an entirely new house.

A knowing smile crept on his cheeks. 'It seems that the little woman has renovated the room to start our new life!' he mentally applauded.

His fingers gently caressed the lilies, whose leaves still held a few water droplets. The fresh flowers randomly reminded him of the fresh, pure young woman who was seen gardening in the yard just now. Her movements were clumsy, but still enchanting.

He didn't want to show his intense feelings for her in the presence of others, though. That was why he tried so hard to suppress his care and concern and coldly scolded her. He didn't actually fake?all his irritation. He really was angry when he saw Cassandra in the cold without her warmest clothes. How could she be so careless about her own health?

Her health condition wasn't the best as she had always been weak and fragile, and hospitalized frequently. She didn't take care of herself in this chilly winter again. Rufus had to scold her so she would listen to him next time.

"Amanda, wait a second. The stuff is upstairs. Let me get it for you," he said.

After he spoke, Rufus made a beeline for the second floor.

Amanda Ke requested contact details of all real estate companies in G City. She said she wanted to invite representatives of these companies to her concert, and she didn't want to miss any of them; and the relevant documents were in his study on the second floor.

The study was at the end of the corridor. Before he reached it, he suddenly stopped midway and went a few steps back.

There was one room whose door wasn't completely closed. The door mildly swung with the gentle wind.

A hand gripped the door handle, and Rufus pushed the door open.

Then he fell into another world. This room had been empty as he remembered it, but it was now filled with the scent of the little woman. Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

The bed was tidy and clean, and the windows were free from dust.

He noticed that the windows were open, which he guessed could be for ventilation purposes. After all, it had been quite a while since someone lived here.

A white doll suddenly caught his eyes.

For some strange reason, Rufus slowly walked towards the bed and picked up the little white doll.

It seemed old from its faded fabric and slightly rough texture—it must have been washed many times.

However, the owner of the doll must have cherished it so much that even though it had endured many years, it was still clean and white.

The doll was a stuffed pony with a horn. Oh, that didn't really sound right—it was actually a creature from the fairy tales, and had a name of its own. It was called a unicorn.

The gates of his mind suddenly burst open, and the memories that had been buried for ages flooded his consciousness. He recalled a lonely little girl in his thoughts.

She stood alone in front of the claw machine. She had been so amusingly determined that she dropped her coins into the machine one after the other even if she failed in all her attempts. Still, she was not willing to give up.

'Well, Cassandra, it seems that you had always been this stubborn, ' he thought.