A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 159

It was already the start of spring when Cassandra finally put up the signboard of her company outside the office building.

The peach flowers were budding wildly; the grasses sprouted vigorously; and the orioles were singing among the leaves of the willow trees. Even the air had started to smell sweet. A perfect welcome of the early spring.

Rufus would usually stay inside the Tang House most of the time, but he tried to make a point to go out and spend time with Cassandra. It was good for them both; the time they spent together was the most relaxing time of their week. It was even more comfortable when they were in each other's arms. The fragrance of her body made Cassandra all the more irresistible.

Cloris had gone abroad to study and Edith lived alone in their old house. Cassandra would give her a call once a week, just to update her about the company, but not much else, especially not her personal life.

Rufus was a forbidden topic between the mother and daughter; and even though Cassandra was still sulking about it, she was unable to say anything else. Her mother wouldn't be able to accept their relationship yet and she wasn't the one to press the issue any longer.

The Qin Group had just started over in G City and Cassandra was running around to get more business opportunities every day. Regardless of how tired she was, however, she would always clean up the villa herself each day.

In her heart, she saw the villa as her home with Rufus, and she was trying her best to keep it warm and comfortable.

Cassandra also tried to make the company feel homely to her employees. She hired highly skilled chefs to cook nutritious work lunches for them and allowed employees to take paid vacations. As time passed by, all of them had learned what kind of boss she was and plenty of her workers were thankful to her. There were also a lot more people who wanted to work for her.

For the sake of her employees' well-being, Cassandra also made sure to have regular medical exams for them, bringing them to Jenks's hospital.

While the employees were waiting in line at the physical examination center, the young people were busy laughing and joking around one another as Cassandra was calling one of her clients outside the door.

"Yes, Mr. Wang! We've completed the design you requested. A member of our team will bring it to you personally this afternoon, but if there's any other inquiry or question, please let me know!" Cassandra spoke eagerly over the phone, before hanging up.

She cherished every client she had and sincerely hoped to develop a long-term relationship with them. All the work that her company did was treated with great care, no matter how small or trivial it was.

While she was talking, a young man in white uniform passed by but he stopped as he turned towards Cassandra's frame.

"Cassandra? Is that you? What are you doing here? Are you sick?" he asked, worry in his eyes.

It was Dylon. He looked as handsome just as he always had been in the past, looking at Cassandra with a concerned expression on his face.

Cassandra laughed. "No, don't worry. I'm not sick. My workers are having their routine physical examinations here," she explained.

She glanced over towards the small crowd in the hallway to stress her point.

Dylon had recently learned of her divorce with Lionel and felt sorry for her, which was only further emphasized when he saw her contorted face before calling out to her. It must be difficult for her to go through the divorce.

The last time they met, Rufus had taken her away from the bar. Dylon thought Rufus might be someone special to her, but he refused to believe it.

He was reluctant to ask and intrude because this woman deserved happiness wherever she sought it from. Cassandra was waiting for him to talk, eyes kindly peering at him as if he were an old friend.

Dylon cleared his throat. He didn't want to risk ruining his friendship with her with his foolish desires.

"How are you? It's been such a long time! Would you like to grab a bite?" he asked politely.

Dylon smiled sheepishly as he waited for her to respond.

He was the son of the Director of this hospital and had graduated from the most prestigious medical university in the country. If he had spent more time on his residency and not his hobby, Dylon would have already become one of the chief physicians in the hospital.

However, even though he was just an ordinary physician, he was still praised for his impeccable professionalism and compassion. He was idolized by many in the hospital, but especially so by the female nurses.

Cassandra thought for a second before nodding. Rufus wouldn't be coming over to the Garden Villa tonight, so it would probably be fine for her to have dinner with Dylon.

"Yeah, sure. But is it all right if we eat later? I still have to wait for all them to finish," she replied, smiling.

Dylon tried to suppress the tingle he felt when he saw her beaming at him like that.

After work, Dylon met with Cassandra at the gate of the hospital, and left together to find a place to eat.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they found that it was packed with customers. They had to wait outside for their turn.

Suddenly, a group of people dashed toward them while they were chatting over the street side.

Cassandra looked at them and saw them hurdling their cameras and microphones.

'I-Is this the paparazzi? Who could they be here for?' she asked herself quietly.

They were running towards the entrance, just where Cassandra and Dylon were.

"Come on! Move! We'll lose our jobs if we don't get her this time!" one of them screamed.

The crowd smashed against one another by shoving and elbowing. Dylon quickly grabbed Cassandra by her arm and pulled her closer to prevent them from running over her.

"Why are they so reckless and in a hurry? Are they even professional?" he complained.

Dylon looked with his eyebrows scrunched together as he watched them running around like headless chickens.

"How are you? Were you hurt?" he asked worriedly.

He had turned his head to look at Cassandra, worry washing over his features.

"No, thanks to you," Cassandra said shyly.

She was grateful for his quick reflexes.

After the paparazzi had run away a few hundred meters, a figure slipped from the crowd waiting in line for a table in front of the restaurant.

She had a tall and slender frame, her black raincoat loose around her body. Her face was covered with a black cap, sunglasses, and a scarf; an incredibly odd attire choice for the warm spring evening.

Cassandra looked at her, frowning, trying to figure out if they had met before because she looked incredibly familiar. The woman looked up and turned to face her. When they were facing one another, the corners of her red lips quipped up and she cracked a smile at Cassandra.

Cassandra was wondering why the smile was so familiar and everything finally clicked in her head. It was Lyndsy!

She widened her eyes and opened her mouth to call her name, but Lyndsy put her finger to her own lips quickly.

Cassandra immediately kept her mouth shut. As she looked at the crowd, she shrugged her shoulders and put her tongue out at Lyndsy instead saying a word.

Lyndsy moved her way to Cassandra and pulled her sunglasses down a little, her bright dark eyes shining with mischief.

"Look! Pretty impressive how I got away from the paparazzi, huh? I can blend with the environment like a chameleon now!" she spoke earnestly.

Cassandra looked at Lyndsy from head to toe with an understanding smile.

It seemed that Lyndsy and Cassandra were brought together by fate for they could even run into each other this way. It was such a small world.

On the other hand, Dylon was still standing close, riveted to ground. It took him a while before he could compose himself. He never thought he'd ever be able to see a famous actress up close.

Despite of her beauty and quirky behavior, Lyndsy seemed to be a straightforward person. She acted a little boyish as well; clearly nothing like her characters. He didn't recognize her until much later.

"Have you had dinner? We've been waiting for our turn out here, if it's okay for you, you might want to join us! It's not a problem, right, Dylon?"

Cassandra asked and turned to Dylon for his approval.

He cleared his throat and quickly nodded to her.

Cassandra smiled at him before turning to call the receptionist to manage a table at corner. She walked back to the pair immediately afterwards.

Lyndsy was thankful that Cassandra was trying to veer the attention away from the three of them. She quietly hummed her gratitude when Cassandra came back.

Once their names were finally called, they entered the restaurant. Their table was near the very end of the room, concealed behind several large indoor plants. Lyndsy plopped down on the chair facing away from the other restaurant-goers and sighed in relief.

Cassandra sat next to Lyndsy and Dylon stationed himself on the other side of the table. Shortly afterward, a waiter approached to serve the steaming hotpot that was filled to the brim. The three of them ate cheerfully.

"Ah, I almost forgot! Thank you for helping me out last time. I still have your dress in my place. Don't worry, it's dry cleaned! I can have it sent to you later," Lyndsy said in between bites.

Her cheeks were burning from the heat and her eyes crinkled in gratitude.

"Don't mention it! I still have your dress too, so it's really nothing to worry about. Maybe we could just find another time to exchange them? By the way, you need to tell me about your new movie! Have you started shooting?"

She remembered that Lyndsy had told her that she was just about to start on her new project.

Lyndsy's smile slowly faded and she looked away.

"I-I've decided to terminate my contract with the movie. I'm also going to leave my agency soon. Actually I'm planning to start my own studio. You see, it's better to depend on myself and not someone else I don't trust," Lyndsy explained.

Cassandra wanted to hug her tight. Lyndsy was such a kind soul who never deserved to look so sad. Lyndsy was pure, authentic, and honest, but because she became a star at such a young age, there could have been a disagreement between her and her agency. She tried not to press about her decision, and instead, focused on her plans for the future.

"What about the damages? Would you be able to afford it?" Cassandra asked worriedly.

She knew about the liquidated damages that movie stars tended to face whenever they terminated their agreements. Whenever news broke out about actors terminating their contracts with their firms, they were often considered as incredibly large scandals.

"Hmph. They violated the agreement first. The director of the movie switched the leading female role without consulting me. You can't even imagine how sketchy they all are, and I wouldn't want to bother you with the toxicity. The movie producer's so, so stupid. The entire film production is such a mess. Nothing like my last few movies," Lyndsy sighed irritably.

Her face was contorted in irritation.

"Anyway, TY Group is actually pretty reliable and capable. They bring out the most brilliant scripts; they hire really talented directors; and their movies are always well-reviewed. I worked with them in that particular movie that won me the Best Actress Award!" Lyndsy said.