A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 72

A Maserati was driving fast on the road. In the driver's seat was Rufus, talking on the phone.

"Are you at your studio right now? I am coming with Cassandra. There is a small problem with her dress."

After these words, he hung up the call, turned his head to look at Cassandra and noticed the little woman was shell-shocked from what had just happened at the party. With a blank look on her face, she said nothing.

Seeing her like this, Rufus couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows. He silently let out a sigh.

There was no doubt, Cassandra was good at her work, and was a nice person to get along with. The only problem was that she was too trusting, almost naive and often let her guard down when around the people she shouldn't trust.

The night was warm, and the city was lit by bright streetlights. A cool breeze blew in the car through the rolled down window. Something unreadable flashed through Cassandra's eyes. She gently bit down on her lower lip and finally opened up to talk.

"The lace strap of this dress couldn't have easily torn by itself. Someone must have cut it."

From her small but firm voice, Rufus knew she was thinking through. A hint of anger flashed through his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifted. But he said nothing. He just hummed, letting her know that he understood what she was thinking.

It seemed that the little woman finally registered what had transpired. By now, she was calm enough to rationally think. Yes, Cassandra might be trusting and naive, but it didn't mean that she was stupid. What had just happened wasn't accidental. It was not that easy. Someone must have intentionally cut the lace strap of her dress to embarrass her. But who was it? Who would have wanted to do this to her?

Closing her eyes, she racked the brain for who would have a motive and the chance. It couldn't be Michelle Ling, because when the dress was delivered, Cassandra took enough time to confirm it was intact. There was no way Cassandra could have missed any sign of damage then.

Besides, Michelle Ling was a name synonymous with quality, class, and professionalism. The dress couldn't be of low quality that the strap would tear in the middle of the party. Who else could it be? Rufus? No, there was no way he would stoop that low to embarrass a woman. Not especially a woman that he loved. There was no chance in hell when the same dress had cost him a pretty penny. He wouldn't have a reason to pull such a lousy stunt. Then...

Cloris!

Cassandra couldn't help but shudder when her sister's name crossed her mind. Carefully, she thought back of the details when Cloris was with her.

A terrible hunch began to eat at her heart. She didn't want to accuse her sister. But the more she remembered what had happened when the two of them were together alone, the more she believed Cloris was culpable. Suddenly, without any good reason, Cassandra's head started to hurt.

With her fingers she rubbed her temple, trying to relieve the pain. It didn't work. What was worse, she even wanted to throw up.

"Stop the car,"

She demanded, out of the blue. Startled, Rufus glanced at her and realized she wasn't kidding. Right now, she looked so beat, that Rufus immediately pulled over to the side without a word.

As soon as the car stopped, Cassandra quickly opened that door and got out of the vehicle to stand by the roadside.

The cool breeze blowing on her face helped her feel less dizzy and nauseated. But at the same time, her heart grew cold. If Cloris was here, Cassandra feared she might have committed a felony.

Cloris was her biological sister for God's sake! Why did she have to do that to her? Cassandra's head began to spin again. She frantically tried to find a motive behind her sister's actions.

By that time Rufus had also gotten out of the car and walked to stand beside her. He reached out and steadied her wobbling body, his eyes full of worry for her.

"What is wrong, Cassandra? Is it carsickness?"

asked a panicked Rufus in a gentle tone that pulled Cassandra out of her trance. They locked eyes as she lifted her head. That was when she finally understood why her sister would ruin her evening.

The very first time Cloris saw Rufus, Cassandra knew that she liked him. So coming to the party, the naive girl must have thought that he was going to pick her over Cassandra, for a dance. It hurt her to see the man she liked give all his attention to Cassandra.

The now jilted girl must have come to the party fantasizing about Rufus, only to realize that she didn't feature anywhere in his plans.

But Cloris overreacted in throwing such a childish tantrum. A rather foolish move, taking that kind of shameful revenge against her own sister and best of friends. Did she feel better now, after embarrassing her kith and kin?

In disappointment, Cassandra closed her eyes. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Never in a million years would she expect her sister to deal her a cruel blow like this. Also, she blamed herself for hurting Cloris. For all that her younger sister knew, Cassandra was married to Lionel. No matter what challenges the marriage had, Cloris did not expect that her elder sister to have an affair with Rufus.

'Cassandra! What the hell are you doing right now? You know that Cloris likes Rufus, but still, you can't learn to keep your distance from him. Don't you think this embarrassment serves you right?' she silently cursed at herself.

The gentleness of Rufus's hand on her waist was heartwarming, but no matter how long he kept it there and stroked her, it failed to cheer up her cold heart. She was in a bad place right now.

Then Cassandra broke away from his touch and walked ahead without saying a word.

Rufus froze for a short second, but he quickly realized what was happening to Cassandra and walked up to her. Grabbing her hand, he firmly pulled her close.

But it wasn't that easy. Much to his surprise, the little woman struggled hard against him.

Her body was tense, and she tried to break free from him again. The look on her face was cold and desperate. She was nothing like the gentle girl she had always been.

"What exactly is wrong with you, Cassandra?"

Rufus couldn't help but shout in frustration. To be honest, Cassandra frightened him. He had no idea what she was thinking right now. And to make things worse, she refused to talk. Only a short time ago, he thought they were on good terms.

"Let go of me. You are my brother-in-law, for heaven's sake. Be respectful."

Cassandra's tone was stone cold, and there wasn't the slightest hint of emotion on her face.

Brother-in-law? Did she just call him brother-in-law? Why would she want to do that? Rufus couldn't believe his ears.

That form of address made him angry all of a sudden. It surprised him that she wasn't even grateful for how he had saved the day by whisking her away from humiliation at the party.

Besides, he had passed up the chance to give a speech at the party, just to save her! As if that was not enough, he was taking her straight to Michelle's studio for another dress at a tidy sum of money. But what was she doing as a reward for all his kindness? By calling him brother-in-law, she must have intended to snub him.

"Cassandra, don't make me mad at you,"

with darkened eyes, he warned. From the look on his face, one could tell he was trying very hard to contain his anger.

The corners of Cassandra's lips lifted into a bitter smile. There was no need to fight here. If anything, she was worn out right now, she just wanted to get home as quickly as possible and forget about the drama today.