A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 204

Her eyes turned doleful. His shadow seemed to exist around her always, but never his person. There was nothing she could do but missing him. The constant nagging feeling of his absence had been killing her.

In the past, she could bear with it, as it was countered by her immense love for him. She wanted to give him a home where he could enjoy the warmth of a family when he got back.

But she realized this love couldn't stand after she had been disappointed for so many times.

Every time she felt closer to him, every time she felt she loved him more, Amanda would appear out of thin air and take him away.

Now, she truly had enough of this misery which seemed to run on a loop.

Rufus's hands rested loosely besides his thighs, but his fists tightened so much that his hands turned pale. The emotions were so hard for him to process; he ground his knuckles together, resisting the urge to scream at her or say anything out of line.

His lips were pursed, body clenched, as he tried to summon all his patience. In his mind, he told himself, 'Cassandra only feels insecure. I can't blame her for trying to escape me because she doesn't feel safe anymore.'

"Cassandra, I promised to never let you live without a home again. I am a man of my words. Stop thinking about moving out. I promise to come back here more often."

The muscles on his face were clenched too, which made his voice sound stiff and hoarse.

How could he let Cassandra go? He had almost ruined his relationship with Tang family for her, which could hinder his future prospects drastically. Yet, he'd done it anyway.

And it took her one night to make this sudden decision. How could he not feel angry?

"It's okay, Rufus. We are both adults. I really don't mind the distance as long as we have each other in our hearts. Whenever you're free, we can spend time together. Just think of our meetings as dates."

Cassandra chose her words carefully and kept her tone in check. She could tell Rufus was angry and did not want to provoke him further.

Although, of course, she understood her decision itself was enough to stimulate him to such an extent.

"Cassandra, stop it! I am saying it for the last time. I don't allow this!

If you move out, I will tear your company down right now! Don't even think I am kidding."

He had never spoken to Cassandra in such a harsh manner. He didn't stay a single second on that rooftop after that and stomped downstairs angrily.

'That damned woman! Even after I said no, she still challenged my patience!' he cursed.

Cassandra was shook for a second but regained her composure soon, looking at Rufus walking away like that, smiling wryly.

'All you know is to say no. Will you ever reflect on yourself?

If it weren't for your ambiguous attitude, why would I ever choose to leave our home? This place, after all, has experienced so much of my longing and expectations, ' she thought to herself.

What Rufus wasn't aware of was that his obstinate reaction had strengthened her determination even further.

In his office, Rufus vented his anger at work the entire day. He sent back several submissions and scolded everyone harshly for tiny errors.

It wasn't really a great deal. Everything just inspired an exaggerated response from him because of the anger he felt toward Cassandra.

"Mr. Luo, do you need to take some rest? You seem a little worn out today."

Victor had noticed there was something wrong with his boss today. He mustered up some courage and suggested him to leave early.

Little did he know the cause of his agitation had nothing to do with tiredness or sleeplessness. Rufus couldn't get the thought of Cassandra leaving out of his head.

He slouched in his chair, eyes closed, rubbing his forehead. After a while, he finally made up his mind.

He got up and told Victor, "I'm going back to Tang family. Call me if there's anything urgent."

After that, he strode out of the company and drove back to Tang family.

Immediately upon stepping into the lobby of Tang family house, Rufus sensed something awkward.

Ivy and Jill were not home, while Horace sat on the couch. The TV was on but the look on his face seemed to be far off.

He turned his head to see Rufus standing and without any greetings, got up and headed toward his study.

"Come with me," he said.

Rufus knew intuitively what he was going to talk about. Mentally prepared, he followed Horace into the study.

Horace sat in his chair and signaled him to take a seat too. Silence persisted for a few seconds. Finally, Horace asked, "Rufus, what's going on between you and Cassandra?"

Clearly, Horace had heard about what had happened the previous night. He had been waiting on the couch for Rufus just so he could confront him with it.

"We're together. She's my woman,"

claimed Rufus, fearlessly.

"Shut your mouth! She is your younger brother's ex-wife!

How can you be with her?"

Horace was offended by Rufus's shamelessness. He got up in anger, slamming his desk. The vase kept on it started to wobble and fell, rolling to the edge. Just before it could fall, Rufus caught it, then looked up at Horace.

"They are divorced. They are not related in any way, legally. My relationship with Cassandra isn't against the law. There shouldn't be any problem due to that," he replied, his expression still as if set in stone.

Rufus kept himself calm despite Horace's uproar. He didn't let a single hint of discomfort come across his face.

"No problem, you say? There is a huge problem!"

Horace said, losing it entirely. He breathed loudly and puffed his mouth. At any second now, he could explode and the repercussions could be drastic.