A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 63

Surely, this was a case of sense over sensibility.

Cassandra was still weak which was why Rufus reminded himself to treat her better, thinking anything less than normal behavior would hurt both her health and her heart.

Neither did he want to be bitten again so he decided not annoy her anymore.

As he stepped outside the bathroom after a long bath, Rufus saw the her lying on the sofa, fast asleep already.

He stared at her sweet face, looking so serene in her sleep it made him smile.

Perhaps, she was dreaming. What could she be dreaming of? Maybe, him? He couldn't help wondering like a teenager.

Gently, he picked her up in his arms and put her to bed. He kept his arms wrapped around her waist and held her against his warm body.

She purred comfortably, and turned on her side, snuggling into his chest.

If only she could remain this way...

Soon, Rufus closed his eyes, enjoying the calm he felt.

With the first rays of the sun, the sky was clearing up after the heavy rain.

Sunlight shone brilliantly, reflecting off the ground, making its way into the room. Cassandra got woken by a single dazzling ray that fell right into her eyes, peeking from behind the curtains.

Her sleepy eyes cracked open and caught sight of Rufus's gentle gaze stuck on her face.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!" he said, softly.

He'd been watching her for a long time, eyes filled with adoration. To him, she looked beautiful even while she drooled like a kid in her sleep.

He'd even taken a picture of her sneakily, snickering at the photo for a while afterwards.

Even in his dreams, he couldn't imagine himself to treat another woman so gently and patiently.

Cassandra was still drowsy and groggy. She had no memory of what had happened last night in the rain.

"What? Don't you remember anything? The passion with which you attacked me last night? Has your memory drifted away with the rain?

He teased her, amused at her panicked expression.

She racked her brains to recall what had happened and it didn't take long for her to realise she was being pranked.

Cassandra glared at him but upon meeting his gentle and affectionate gaze, her own anger melted. She didn't know in what manner was she supposed to look back at him.

"You put on my clothes, leaving me no choice but to wear no clothes and had me fighting the temptation to touch you the whole night. How will you make it up to me?"

Cassandra slapped the hand he had on her jokingly but was shocked by a sudden shriek.

Damn! It was his right hand, wrapped in gauze. Her face changed immediately, overcome with guilt and concern.

"I am so sorry, I totally forgot about your hand." she murmured apologetically.

But then in a flash, it occurred to her she was the one being joked upon this entire time. Her defence was justifiable and there was no need for her make the apology.

Annoyed, it dawned upon her how she wasn't herself whenever around him.

Realizing she had better distance herself from someone who made her feel so small about herself, Cassandra got up and rushed into the bathroom to change. Her own clothes, now dry, were inside the fancy washer-cum-dryer. Ah ha! They had a sweet and fresh smell of the detergent.

She took a minute to groom her hair and put on some light makeup.

Suddenly, she stopped. Remembering something, she wiped all of it and mussed her hair deliberately.

Through the semi-transparent glass, Rufus watched her buzzing around in the bathroom.

He walked to the bathroom and pushed the door open, catching her off guard. "You want to look a little pathetic to elicit sympathy, right?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes at Rufus's reflection in the mirror.

"Well, I can't say I spent the night with you, right? It has to look like I was working overtime again and got stuck in the office."

Rufus chuckled, tossing a glossy paper at her.

"No need to worry about it! Also, I have fixed this for you. You can thank me later."

She picked up the paper, starting to inspect it. It was a diagnosis report for Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome. The name of the patient on it was 'Cassandra Qin'. She couldn't believe it. And it was issued by Director Tong's hospital.

"How... How did you manage to get this?"

In her mind flashed the careless remarks she had made yesterday. It seemed those words were a result of great deliberation.

He appeared to have been more thoughtful than she was. All she had thought of was feigning illness to make Lionel change his baby plans. Turned out, Rufus had come up with a more concrete solution.

According to the report, it would take at least a year and a half to get cured of this ailment. That was a long time to keep Lionel at bay.

On second thoughts, she felt apprehensive about pulling off this charade in front of Jenks Tong.

Rufus could tell she was reluctant but kept himself calm and composed.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It is a real certificate for a real patient and she just happens to have the same name as you, besides having a similar figure."

Cassandra sighed in relief, also amused at the coincidence. Rufus, sure enough, handled affairs more thoroughly than she did. She was amazed at his foresight.

But... 'But why on earth does he go out of his way to help me?' she couldn't resist but wonder.

Her cheeks flushed at the thought of this improper, unnecessary affection he showed toward her which she denied liking to herself.

Anyway, what mattered was she had managed to get rid of Lionel's pressurizing temporarily. And she expected Jill to find faults in her, anyway.

And truly, that's what happened. When Cassandra showed the certificate to everyone, Jill lost her temper, breaking out into curses.

She had pinned her hoped on Lionel, thinking Horace would treat her better when Lionel had a baby. To her bitter disappointment, the certificate dashed her hopes.

Horace didn't say much at first, simply frowning. As he prevented Jill from nudging Cassandra, he turned around to comfort Cassandra.

"It doesn't matter as long as it is curable. I will ask Jenks to arrange the best doctors and prescribe the best medicines for you! From now on, nursing your health should be your priority. Don't worry about any other trifles. Also, you'd better quit your design work for the branch hospital..."

Hastily, Cassandra interrupted Horace. She could never allow herself to let go of a project that would teach her so much simply because of a disease that she didn't even have!

God knew how many architects in G city coveted the opportunity to design the branch hospital. If it was not a private hospital and she didn't have Jenks's trust, she knew well her fortune wouldn't have turned out to be so good.

"Father, it's okay, I can still work. I can balance between my work and health. I promise my work won't affect the treatment!"

Horace shook his head but then agreed, looking at Cassandra's determined eyes.

"Well, alright. Just let Rufus know if you have any difficulty. He will adjust the workload accordingly."

They finally decided upon that and all was set. Cassandra had Rufus to thank, again.

Just as they finished talking, everyone took their places at the table except Lionel. He still hadn't come home. Horace's face darkened as he noticed his absence.

"So he goes back to his old habits as soon as I stop reprimanding him, right? Jill, I just don't know what is it that you teach your son. I mean, talk about Rufus. He comes home for dinner every single night!"

Jill was already annoyed at the entire episode regarding Cassandra and whatever her healthy issue was. She couldn't take that comment from Horace and flew into a temper.

"Horace, Lionel is our son. How is everything my fault? You think you have no role in spoiling him? Good way of not taking the responsibility."

Horace raised his eyebrows, eyes wide with anger.

"Jill Xie, you are getting bolder day by day, huh? How dare you charge me! Day in and day out I work hard for the Tang Group, for our whole family, and look at you! Have you ever put any thought into helping me out or taking the effort to discipline your son? What have you even taught him? I still remember you covering up for him when he was 16 and brought home that girl from his class to stay overnight right under our nose."

The mark of that affair was so deep in Horace's heart, he shook with anger at the memory of it.

"Whenever I tried to discipline him, you always took his side, crying you would die for your son. And I am the one not taking responsibility? You better reflect on yourself first," he said, slamming the table.

Cassandra and Cloris looked at each other awkwardly while Rufus looked nonchalant, listening silently.

In comparison to all the stories he knew about Lionel, this bringing-girl-home affair was simply nothing.

Even though Cassandra was Lionel's wife only in name, this was still a little embarrassing for her.

On the other hand, Cloris reassured herself for being in love with Rufus, who shared no characteristics with Lionel.

Just then, Lionel stepped into the living room.

Immediately, he noticed her mother's red, wet eyes. He could imagine what might have transpired.

"So you finally got back? I couldn't get through to you last night, especially because it was raining so heavily. Cassandra always calls me if she is working overtime and isn't coming back for dinner. Why not you?" Horace said, at the verge of thundering at him.

Lionel had spent the entire day with Ivy the previous day, but he dared not mention it at the time. If he did, it would surely lead him to a reprimanding.

"I also worked late last night. I called you, Cassandra, right?"

With that, he took a seat next to Cassandra and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, with a look of phony affection all about his face.

"Don't try to fool me again! Do you think I know nothing about the things you are up to?"

Horace pounded the table, getting more irritated by his casual behavior.

"Keep screwing around with those whores! I'm really ashamed of having a son like you! You are not worthy of Cassandra! I can't imagine you ever wanting to work despite of being ill!"

Lionel got puzzled, and turned to look at Cassandra.

"You're ill? What happened?" He asked. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't go on. He asked again, almost yelling, "Tell me what it is!"