A Graduation Gift

Chapter 242 Hatred And Desire (Part Three)

In his office, Rufus found himself agitated. Every now and then, his eyes would flit to his phone, waiting for a reply from Cassandra. But whenever his screen would light up, it was with someone else's name.

It seemed that she had made up her mind to ignore him. He heard that she didn't return to the Garden Villa and stayed in her rented apartment in these past few days.

Why was she acting this way? Was it still because he went to take care of the sick Amanda?

Cassandra worked overtime. As she stepped out of the office building, the familiar Phantom came into view.

She had purposefully stayed in her office for as long as she could, but she knew she could hide no longer. Knowing that Rufus came for an explanation, she composed herself and then walked on unhurriedly.

However, the moment she saw Rufus's figure leaning against the car from far away, she felt herself crumbling.

His eyes zeroed in on her from afar.

She was wearing tight clothes that hugged her figure. A cool breeze blew and fluttered her skirt, exposing her slender legs.

Cassandra stood there, hesitating in her tracks, and so Rufus straightened up and closed the distance between them.

"What are you thinking?"

he asked when he was standing right in front of her. Cassandra wore an unreadable expression on her face.

He took in the sight of her and wanted to sigh at the relief. A few days seemed so long when he did not see her.

"Nothing,"

she replied stiffly.

Rufus was silent for a moment before speaking again, "Come on. I'll take you home."

He put an arm around her shoulder, but she shook free from his grasp.

Rufus was stunned by her response, and his arm hung at his side. He couldn't understand why she was being so cold.

"I want to go back to my apartment. I have to work early tomorrow."

Cassandra's throat tightened but she forced the words out. She could not even bear to look at Rufus. It was all too much.

"I'll drive you here tomorrow morning," he reasoned.

Rufus could feel the start of his irritation bubbling up. He had already been trying to appease her, but all she gave him back was rejection. His pride and patience could only take so much.

"No need," she cut him off. "I don't want others to see us together."

Rufus bristled at her response.

"Cassandra, what the hell are you talking about?! You don't want others to see us together? Didn't you think about that when we started dating? Haven't you seen how hard I worked for you? You don't know half of the things I've done just to keep you by my side! And now you're telling me this!"

Rufus blew up. He was done playing the understanding, lovesick partner. He had spent the past few days on his knees, trying to please her. He looked at her with eyes as cold as snow.

He knew from the beginning that she was a competitive, stubborn woman. It was part of what drew him to her, and he had arranged everything carefully, so that she didn't have to change herself to be with him.

He asked someone else to send her a priceless dress, because he knew it would make her happy.

He didn't care about her being a divorced woman. He never mentioned the tit-for-tat confrontation between Lionel and him, and Horace's opposition to their relationship, to safeguard her feelings.

For her sake, he organized a charity dinner with the hopes of improving her image and smoothing out the path for her career.

Was all this for nothing in her eyes?

"I never forced you to do anything. Whatever you did, I never asked for them. You decided them yourself, just as how you decided to keep me by your side."

Cassandra regretted her words as soon as they came out of her mouth. She never meant to say those things, and she knew in her heart how far they were from the truth. She knew they would hurt him, but she was left with no choice. It was the only way for her to be able to push him away.

What a cruel joke all this was. She loved him dearly, but she couldn't be with him.

And Rufus said he loved her, but he was keeping another woman by his side. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Love really was complicated.

"Now you're telling me that I forced you to stay? Listen to yourself, Cassandra. For god's sake, is that really what you have to say to me?"

Rufus couldn't believe his ears. He never thought he would be hearing those words from Cassandra. Every word came to him like a blow, and he felt as if he was being pummeled to the ground with the lashings.

"I don't want to be with you anymore," Cassandra breathed out. "I've had enough of this, the name- calling, people saying that I date you because I'm hooked on your family's money, that I'm a slut, that I'm a woman of loose morals, and that I intentionally cling to you and ruin your future. I can't take this anymore. I want to break up. I can't be with you any longer!"

Cassandra shouted, her emotions desperately escaping her. Before she could stop herself, the damage had been done. She froze in dumbfounded silence as she realized the things she had just said, and the pain from her heart gripped her.

She saw the shadows darken on Rufus's face, his jaw clenched and his eyes the coldest winter she had ever felt.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if to steady himself, before speaking.

"Cassandra," he began.

It was strange how the name sounded so different now. The sound brought nothing but a cruel chill and heartache.

"You know I don't care what other people think of you. I've stopped at nothing to try to protect you and change your image. There are easier ways. If you had given up Qin Group and married me, you wouldn't need to appear in public and hear criticism from others.

But that isn't what you want to do, and I respect your determination to run Qin Group well. I supported you however I can. How can you tell me that you want to break up over this?"

Rufus's voice had the sound of breaking ice, and his heart plummeted.

Cassandra was grief-stricken. The pain on Rufus's face was unmistakable as he spoke, and she felt her own heart breaking into pieces in the fragile way he looked at her.

His gaze went deep in her bones and tormented her.

"You don't care, but I do,"

Cassandra said heartlessly, steeling herself against her tears.

"You may not care what I think, but I'm tired of putting everyone else first. The only way I can be free from all these burdens is that I have to separate myself from you. I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I can't stand back and watch my reputation shred to pieces like this. I work hard for my name, and I'm not letting it go now, even if it means that I have to let you go instead."

The harshness in Cassandra's voice masked the tears in her heart. 'No, it's not true!