A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 71

In this world, there are a thousand things that can bring pain:

a sharp object like a knife that lacerate through flesh; a bullet from a gun that end a life; and forces of nature that wreak havoc upon humanity…

But nothing is more dangerous than a sinister mind. Evil is indifferent to appearances, and when it lurks underneath pure, beautiful skin, it becomes twice as deceptive.

Cloris's fingers closed over a small pair of scissors as she stood behind her sister. She clutched the handles with determination. In one swift, clandestine motion, a piece of lace was cut from her sister's beautiful dress.

It was barely holding on, and threatened to snap any moment.

An eerie smile flashed on her painted lips before morphing into one of her sweeter ones, the one that charmed people and had men running to fulfill her every whim. It was a very convenient facade indeed. No one could have discovered the malicious tilt of her eyes as she waited.

She had taken the time to carefully study the dress. The piece of lace that she had damaged held the upper and lower parts in place. Once it was broken, the dress would break apart from the waist.

Cassandra would definitely become the center of unwanted attention if her dress caused a blunder at this event.

Nothing would save her from judging eyes. They would feast on the sight of her and tear her skin off piece by piece until nothing was left of her reputation.

They say clothes make the man, but after tonight, Cassandra would be destroyed by these fabrics. With these thoughts in mind, a wicked sense of fulfillment rose in Cloris.

'Cassandra, don't blame me for being cruel. You're being too ambitious, stealing the spotlight every time. You need to have a taste of humiliation!' Cloris thought spitefully as she looked at Cassandra.

Her sister was refining her make-up in front of the mirror, powdering her beautiful face innocently and ignorant of Cloris's plans.

"You look really beautiful tonight, Cassandra," she said sweetly. Yes, her sister looked beautiful, and she could hardly wait to see her lovely features twist into shock and despair later. She would surely savor the image of a devastation on Cassandra's face. As they walked out of the restroom, she let Cassandra go out first and stealthily threw the scissors into the trash bin. Cassandra was none the wiser.

A cold expression dawned on Cloris's face, giving her eyes a cruelty that was impossibly wrong on such a beautiful face.

Who could ever have imagined that a girl such as her, blooming like a flower, had poison in her veins? Her beautiful eyes were scalding in their malice.

"Cloris, let's go find Arthur. I have a plan to discuss with him," Cassandra said to her young sister. At once, Cloris's expression morphed back into practiced pleasantness.

Cassandra remembered that Rufus mentioned his plan of pursuing a real estate company alliance, which would promote the joint development of real estate companies in G City. Arthur headed one of the major real estate companies. This event would be a good opportunity to discuss plans with him.

The two sisters walked back towards the hall, oblivious of Victor's watchful eyes from the dark.

He stalked to the trash bin where Cloris had secretly disposed of the scissors. Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he picked them up and examined.

There were tiny blue fibers caught at the blades, the same as those of Cassandra's dress.

It didn't take him much time to figure out what happened. Grimly, he put the scissors into his suit pocket and hurried into the hall to find Rufus. Upon finding him, he motioned for him to come closer and murmured into his ear.

Rufus's eyes narrowed at Victor's words. His head shot up and he scoured the crowd for any trace of Cassandra.

He found her with Cloris, heading for Arthur's direction.

Several industry peers surrounding Arthur, and he was engaged in conversation, laughing at some point while holding a glass of champagne in his hand.

Arthur noticed the two sisters as they made their way toward him, and raised his glass to them.

"Ah, Cassandra, Cloris." He motioned to his associates and introduced the ladies, "Let's welcome the 'two beautiful sisters' from Tang Group, Cassandra and Cloris. Cassandra here is an excellent designer, who has won over the Dawn Star Company in a recent bidding. As a designer myself, I must say she has won my admiration!"

Admiring eyes fell on the two sisters, surrounding them with compliments.

However, before Cassandra could acknowledge the praises from the people, she felt the lace around her waist snap. Every second weighed heavily as she felt the fabric of her dress slipping down.

In a split second, her naked back and the waist were bared to everyone's eyes.

Cassandra was reeling from shock and embarrassment as she stood in the midst of the people, her mouth gaping from surprise.

"Oh my god, sister! What's wrong with your dress?" Cloris exclaimed loudly, drawing more attentions toward Cassandra.

The entirety of the hall quieted down instantly as they took in the scandalous view.

Cassandra just stood numbly in the middle of the debacle, feeling as if her limbs had turned as heavy as lead.

Women looked at Cassandra with disdain in their eyes as they spoke in hushed voices.

"I can't believe there are such women. Does she want attention that much?" one woman accused.

"How shameful, ruining the occasion. This is a corporate party, not a strip club. There are lots of old gentlemen who are old enough to be her grandfather. How could she do such a thing?" another one echoed.

In an instant, the tables have turned - the earlier compliments changing into sneers and mockery. It seemed that everyone was convinced of Cassandra's indecency.

The men in the room seemed to be more sympathetic, at least in words. With such a beautiful and almost naked body presented in front of them, how could they not to take in the view? They roamed their eyes all over her skin. Cassandra felt like fleeing, if only her feet moved.

The press and journalists who were previously gathered at the corner of the hall rushed forward and joined the ensemble.

Cameras flashed and shutters clicked simultaneously. A wardrobe malfunction in a business party!

This news would definitely sell like hot cakes on tomorrow's tabloids.

Rufus strode forward, his fists clenched.

As soon as he reached her, He took off his coat and wrapped it around Cassandra.

Turning to Victor, he ordered, "Bring the car downstairs."

Then, he turned his cold eyes to the people surrounding them. They flinched from the intensity of his gaze and at once, the press put down their cameras and the crowd dispersed, creating a path for them.

Putting a hand around Cassandra's shoulder, Rufus walked her out, away from the prying eyes of the others.

A Maserati lay in wait at the gate of the hotel. Rufus opened the passenger door and gently seated Cassandra in the seat. She was pale, and her lips were trembling. Rufus clenched his jaw and then turned to the driver.

"Get out. I'll drive," he ordered.

Not needing another word, the driver got off as he cast a glimpse at Rufus' s dark face.

Rufus took the driver's seat and drove off, leaving Victor and the driver standing on the side, both at a loss.

The driver, who had no clue of what had happened looked at Victor questioningly.

"So Mr. Luo just left? The party is about to begin. Isn't he supposed to make an opening speech? What should we do?"

Victor complained, ignoring the driver's confused expression.

After such an incident, the party would definitely be thrown into chaos. To top that off, the boss just left. Who would clean up the mess?

Just as Victor racked his brain for the best course of action, his phone rang as a message from Rufus arrived.

"Call the Public Relations Manager and ask her to deal with the situation,"

the message read. "The Public Relations Manager?" Victor murmured. Immediately, the image of a pretty girl with a lovely smile flashed in his mind.

Ah, yes. He meant Stella.

Under these circumstances, she was the most suitable person to dispel the earlier fiasco.

He called Stella instantly, told her what she needed to know succinctly, then asked her to get to the hotel as soon as possible.

Stella, who was out eating with friends at the time of the call immediately excused herself and said goodbye to her friends. Then, she hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take her as quickly as he could to the hotel.

Victor was waiting for her at the gate of the hotel, telling her more of what happened as they walked to the direction of the hall. When Stella learned that Cassandra's dress snapped and Rufus took her away, she could not hide her surprise.

For the next few seconds, Victor witnessed a myriad of expressions on Stella's face. First, there was anxiety for Cassandra, but it was quickly replaced by a trusting smile when the thought of Rufus being with her.

She knew he would not let any harm come to her friend. That was his charm. He was not only handsome, but he was also very thoughtful. Knowing that Cassandra was now with Rufus, she felt more at ease.

Victor watched her silently with curious eyes, wondering what was going on inside the woman's head.

Unable to decipher her thoughts from the quick changes in her face, he finally decided to open his mouth and ask, "Have you figured out how to deal with this? What's the plan?"

Stella rolled her eyes at Victor and said, "Don't worry. Watch and learn."

As they stepped into the hall, Stella took out a pair of black-rimmed glasses from her bag and put them on. The glasses had the desired effect, making her look more serious.

It was as if a switch had been turned on. Now, in place of the casual air around her from a few seconds ago was a professional and mature aura. Her shoulders were squared as she stood a little straighter. Victor was impressed with the sudden change.

She walked confidently into the stage, wearing a cordial smile. Then she spoke into the microphone, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. The Tang Group would like to extend our warmest welcome to each and everyone of you. It is an honor to be the host of this year's party. I am Stella, the spokesperson of the company. On behalf of our president, Mr. Horace Tang, and our CEO Mr. Rufus Luo, I would like to welcome and thank you all for coming!" She spoke clearly and steadily, and her presence commanded everyone's attention.

All eyes were on her. Conversations were brought to a temporarily halt as they listened to her remarks, then an applause sounded as she finished her speech.

Stella accepted the sound of claps and smiled brightly at the audience.

She had always been a good speaker. Years of debate competitions served her well at this time.

Proceeding without a script, she continued to speak, summing up a bit of history, and concluding with optimism for the future of the companies and businesses. Once again, the hall echoed with applause, and the party moved on smoothly.

Victor watched Stella, awestruck and visibly impressed.

She had proven him wrong. At first glance, Stella looked like any other lively girl who had just graduated from her college and those who were around her age who were always laughing and did not take anything seriously.

Now, seeing her confidently speak in front of all these people, calm and graceful… Victor saw her with new eyes.