A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 167

Cassandra shot Rufus an inquisitive glance. 'What is he trying to say?' she wondered in puzzlement.

Rufus stood up and moved a little closer to Cassandra. He was about to get down on one knee.

"Cassandra, I..."

Before he could finish his words, his phone buzzed and interrupted him. With its vibration, he found it hard to focus. Halfheartedly, he reached for the phone and answered.

"Rufus, my father is here in G city. He is showing ardent desire to see you,"

Amanda's voice spoke from the other line.

Rufus glanced at Cassandra and hesitated.

"Go ahead if it's urgent. You have been with me for the whole day. There must be a bunch of work on your desk. I have to call the supervisors for some arrangements after cleaning up anyway."

Cassandra gave him a little chuckle and then nodded her head considerately.

It had been ages since Rufus last met Charlie. Back in Dark Night Group, Charlie supported him a lot, hence Rufus had nothing but respect for him. Since his honorable teacher was present in G City, he felt obligated to meet him.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Hanging up the call, Rufus was still disconcerted about not being able to profess his love. But on the other hand he didn't want to do it hastily so he put if off for some other day.

"I am sorry that I have to leave. But don't worry, I will see you in a couple of days."

After this, he lowered his head and planted a soft kiss on her cherry lips. Without saying another word, he left the house.

As he opened the door, gust of wind blew in and Cassandra shivered slightly.

The cheerful smile on her face died down. It was replaced with distress.

When he picked the phone, Cassandra got a glimpse of the caller's name. It was Amanda, but she acted like she hadn't seen it and pretened that it was a call from work.

It hurt her a lot but she knew it was the right thing to do. She had no grounds to confront him.

Sitting in solitary, she was overwhelmed with grief. She turned around and looked at the dinner she had made with so much love. The word Rufus uttered before he left broke her heart into pieces.

Rufus said he would come to see her in a few days and she believed him. Their rendezvous were always wonderful and he wouldn't leave without having sex with her.

But now she started to question these meetings. 'Am I just a timepass for him? Am I a piece of toy he comes to enjoy with once in a while?' she wondered.

When he desired her, he would come and spent some time with her. But when he found something better to do, he would be gone for several days. And while he was gone, she would be compelled to live in this isolated place with memories of him. All she had for company was the rattling of windows at night.

'With Amanda's one phone call, he left me. This makes it pretty obvious about who is more important to him. I am definitely not his first priority, ' she told herself.

She presumed that all these days he must have been trying to balance the two of them. Maybe he finally realized who was better—and he was leaning more towards Amanda.

Cassandra blankly stared at the cold steak and tears started to well up in her eyes.

Clouded with tears, she could barely see anything. But she realized her life was symbolic to the steak on that plate. When it was steaming hot, it tasted delicious and made everyone's mouth water with desire. But once it became cold, it would only end up being thrown away.

What Rufus said still lingered in her ears. A sad smile entered her lips as she recalled his promise. He had pledged before God that he had eyes only for her.

Ironically, she had been deluding herself. It turned out that she didn't occupy a very important space in his heart.

She was too self-righteous to think that after all kinds of hardships, everything would go smoothly and they would have a happy ending. In fact, the gap between them was not only her absurd marriage, but also his deliberate concealment.

After Rufus hung up the phone, she wanted to interrogate him. There was a part of her that wanted to deliberately propose to go with him. Somehow she managed to suppress these thoughts and settled for a stoical smile.

Fights were not her thing and she despised having them. Nothing forcibly done was going to be agreeable. If Rufus chose Amanda, then that was his decision and her words couldn't change a thing.

There were so many questions she had in her mind, but she decided to sit in this isolated mansion feeling tongue-tied.

After the rainstorm, stars twinkled all over the sky. The crescent moon broke through the clouds, casting a bright light over Cassandra in the dining room. She was overcome with a feeling of alienation. It seemed like this feeling would never go away.

Rufus arrived at the hotel where Charlie stayed. In the presidential suite, Charlie, wearing a radiant face, was chatting with his beloved daughter.

His face brightened when he spotted Rufus.

"Rufus, you haven't come to see me for more than a year. You would call me from time to time in the past, but why are you so busy this year?"

he blamed Rufus without scruple in a stentorian voice.

Rufus walked up to him and replied with great respect,"I've been busy helping my father manage Tang Group this year. On top of that, I have to take care of the business of my own company. I really didn't have time to visit you. I hope you will excuse me."

Rufus used to visit Charlie every year in the past, but this year in G City, he didn't even have time to return to TY Group, let alone attend to other things.

Charlie stood up and studied Rufus with a satisfied smile on his face.

"I have been paying close attention to you. Tang Group is increasingly prosperous under your leadership. Congratulations!"

Charlie thought highly of Rufus. When he first joined Dark Night Group, Rufus left a deep impression on Charlie. Therefore, Charlie was very fond of him. Due to this, he tried to deal with Rufus in a very strict manner. He saw great potential in him and wanted him to achieve great success.

Luckily, Rufus had lived up to all his expectations. He was finer than the rest, both in physical fitness and in business training.

His development was the most remarkable among all the members. In a matter of few years, TY Group had risen to fame, and its business began to expand rapidly.

Later, he joined Tang Group to help his father with his family business. The profit gained in the year with his aid was much higher than the sum of what they had achieved in the last few years.

Only the best teenagers in the world were chosen to join the Dark Night Group.

They trained business talents and outstanding people in all walks of life.

During that year, when it came to physical skills, Victor was one of the best; while Rufus, on the other hand, was excellent in both physique and finance.

Most of the members trained in Dark Night Group had their business all over the world, and Rufus's achievement had exceeded the record over the years.

Members of Dark Night Group couldn't expose the secret that they were once trained in the group. The group stayed concealed and they vigorously hunted for talents from all over the world. Their goal was to train them to become the best.

When these people were capable enough in all aspects, they would graduate and start their business.

Because of these members, Dark Night Group had become the biggest, most complex and least known behind-the-scenes pusher in the world.

Charlie was the Chief coach of Dark Night Group. He was responsible for training members and maintaining the ties between members and the group.

"I'm flattered,"

Rufus, with downcast eyes, answered in a humble voice.

He felt honored that Charlie had such a high opinion of him. Also, Charlie had helped him a lot secretly. When he set up TY Securities, Charlie asked his friends to grease the wheels, so his business would move smoothly.

As the saying goes, he who teaches me for one day is my father for life. In Rufus's heart, Charlie was just like his father.

Horace, on the other hand, never managed to gain such respect from Rufus. He was not fit to be a father since he always chased money and fame.

Amanda stood beside Charlie. A dull red flush suffused her face the moment she saw Rufus.

She pulled back her long hair in a pony tail, exposing her clear and smooth forehead. In a black knitted dress, she looked like a noble black swan.

Rufus who came in a dark green suit with dark blue stripes looked as handsome as Apollo. No one could tear their eyes from him.

What a perfect match they were.

"Amanda, go downstairs and find out when my meal will be delivered."

Charlie suddenly turned to his daughter. Amanda was stunned, but she quickly nodded and walked out of the room.

'Father can just call the reception for this. Why did he have to ask me to go personally?' Amanda wondered.

"What's wrong?"

Rufus immediately asked as he detected that something must be wrong. He was certain that Charlie had something to tell him.

Instead of beating around the bush, Charlie explained,"Rufus, I came for Amanda this time. You know that she is my only daughter. I love her dearly and hope she can accompany me in my old age. But she told me that she wanted to build a piano school in G City. I don't feel very good about that,"

Charlie's voice was low and somewhat sad, he was a father who loved and cared about his daughter after all.

Rufus felt relief wash over him when he realized this was what Charlie wanted to say. In a cheerful tone, he replied,"You don't have to worry. I will make a clean break with Amanda and won't be involved with her ever again. In fact, I refused to help her when she told me that she wanted to build a piano school in G City."