A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 190

Cassandra blanked out. It was the late evening, off-work peak hour, and the taxi was stuck in the middle of all the cars heading from the CBD towards the residential areas. The traffic moved so slowly; the taxi moved like a snail.

Cassandra leaned against the window and looked out at the buildings all around her. And her eyes happened to fall upon a huge billboard, with Amanda's smiling face on it.

It was that typical smile of her, pure and elegant, confident and amicable.

Part of her suspected Amanda had come to G city for Rufus.

What was the relationship between the two? Her head was filled up with doubts and speculations.

Endless questions clawed at her heart, because of which she felt compelled to confront Rufus directly. But she was afraid of seeing him, afraid that she would collapse at the mere sight of his face, that she would fall to her knees and wail endlessly, that she would expose her most vulnerable, fragile self. Most of all, she was afraid Rufus would despise that weak side of her.

'How do you forget to be obstinate, Cassandra? Where's your perseverance? Where does all your strength vanish to when you see Rufus?' she castigated herself.

While she was lost in her own musings, Rufus was still at work. Amanda, who was determined to get back her true love again, sat on the couch, watching him work since noon.

She hadn't left the room since she had come to have lunch with him, who kept ignoring her. However, she seemed to be mentally prepared for this cold treatment and hence wasn't really bothered by it.

As long as Rufus didn't kick her out, she felt hopeful.

Moreover, maybe it was for Charlie's sake that he wasn't saying anything harsh enough to chase her out.

When it was time to leave, Rufus turned off his computer and wrapped up everything. Amanda finally got up and walked toward him, clutching his arm with her hands.

"Rufus, let's watch a movie tonight," she said.

Her eyes seemed to flicker with hope and anticipation. She even had the tickets ready for a romantic movie, the best kind for a couple to see on a date night. All she needed was a man to watch it with.

"I have something else planned," Rufus said, trying to decline politely.

With creased eyebrows, he slid his arm from her touch as naturally as possible.

"It's okay! I can wait for you until you finish."

Amanda wasn't ready to give up. Smiling with hope, she again twisted her arms with his.

"It's a business matter. I don't know how long it'll take,"

Rufus answered coldly. Yet again, he pulled away from her.

Without making any talk further, he started to walk away. He was just about to open the door of the office, when she appeared in front of him and leaned against the door, blocking his way.

"Rufus, you don't have to hide from me. Why can't you treat me like a normal friend?" she pleaded.

The warm smile on her face froze as Rufus stared at her coldly. He was probably the only person in the world who had the power to ignore her beautiful face.

"I can, but I don't randomly watch movies with 'normal friends.' Move it. I need to get out," Rufus said, rejecting her again, this time harsher.

She persisted. He sighed and slotted his hands into his pockets, looking at her with no hint of emotions on his face.

"Rufus, do you remember the first time we watched a movie together? You said you would watch many more movies with me in the future. As the CEO of TY group, surely you can't eat your own words."

Amanda's expression juggled between disappointment and self-pity. Anyone who saw that face would've sympathized with this 'poor girl' who looked like she was going to burst into tears. But it wasn't enough to sway Rufus.

"Amanda, stop it with the tricks. How can you be so naive? You know I am in love with Cassandra. Stop wasting your time and mine."

Rufus had actually been trying to maintain distance from Amanda for quite some days. He didn't care what she did or acted like. He was convinced she would have to give up if he didn't respond to her.

To his surprise, Amanda kept going further and further. Today, she had stayed in his office the entire afternoon. If anyone had visited him during this period, he would've

definitely asked her out despite her identity as Charlie's daughter.

Charlie had just left G City. Before leaving, he had made a request to Rufus.

"Sometimes, Amanda is capricious, but she really loves you. I regret breaking you two up years ago but trust me, she still loves you. I just hope you treat her well. Even if you don't resume a relationship with her, let her down gently. Don't hurt her, please."

Rufus knew his revered mentor, Charlie, had doted on Amanda, hence he agreed to this. It was a token of gratitude for his valuable guidance.

And indeed, he was keeping his promise. Even though he didn't want to be in a relationship with Amanda, he never intended to hurt her. He had decided to allow Amanda to do whatever she wished. The best he could do was to turn a blind eye to all her actions.

But it seemed like Amanda wasn't discouraged by his indifference—from sending him flowers, to staying in his office, to blocking his way and now inviting him for a movie—she was so persistent. Finally, Rufus's patience started to fade.

"What's so good about Cassandra? She is divorced! What tricks has she played to trap you?

I have heard the clients that signed contracts with her company are none other than the regular clients of Tang Group. Did you make that happen? Rufus, you weren't a person like this. Why do you treat her so generously and kindly, and me so coldly?" Amanda was now shouting at him, having lost all her patience.