A Graduation Gift

Chapter 222 Unless I Were Dead

"You want my position? Okay, let's call all board members together and initiate voting. The candidate with the most votes wins, I'll happily resign if I don't win," Rufus said assertively.

Rufus's insolent smile and confidence humiliated Lionel. He didn't take Lionel seriously and didn't even see him as a threat.

Rufus had good reasons to be confident. He was far more qualified than Lionel in progressive thinking and far more learned overall. Lionel himself was uncertain about the vote. Those senior executives on the board were smart and foxy. When he was the CEO, Lionel needed to respect and listen to them as he used their discretion to make decisions or pass a plan. He needed their consent as well. Rufus, however, didn't need to do that. He was so talented and experienced that they would listen to him and follow his instructions strictly instead. Rufus had no problem running the Tang Group.

What if the senior executives made things difficult and the company became unmanageable for Lionel when he went back?

Every time he thought that there was no one to trust or rely on in the company, Lionel felt frustrated and jealous of Rufus.

Rufus had already taken away Lionel's authority. He had no say on the board. He was part of the executive members but the members didn't take him seriously. So his restrictive power was pretty much of no use.

"Lionel, go back to your bedroom! You stay out of it!" Horace commanded

He lifted his head up and glared at Lionel.

Lionel knew that he wasn't able to replace Rufus. He knew he shouldn't get involved in the conversation in the first place.

Horace, who had the final say in the company, wanted to restrict Rufus's authority and power. He would then be able to force him to break up with Cassandra. But Rufus stood assertively and showed no form of surrender.

Horace's plot failed dismally.

"You go back too. Let's talk about it another day," Horace said arrogantly.

Feeling infuriated, he pretentiously waved at Rufus and asked Jill to help him upstairs. Disappointment showed on his face. He was at a loss for words, and this didn't happen often. He was humiliated by his own son.

Jill glared at Rufus, annoyed.

Rufus grew up as an illegitimate child. Since his return there had been no peace and serenity in the Tang family. Their lives were filled with quarrels and sadness. Jill felt irritated, blaming all drama on Rufus. She didn't like this man at all.

Rufus just smiled rebelliously. He didn't seem to care about his father's feelings as the Tang family had never truly accepted him. He had always been an outsider and could think of it never changing.

Why then should he show compassion and care about them?

Rufus's eye showed conceit and hatred. He swore one day he would turn this luxurious mansion into a despicable hell hole.

Cassandra's cell phone had been vibrating in her bag. She knew it was Rufus calling again but still ignored him.

Cassandra and Rufus had never communicated frequently before. Since she moved out, Rufus called her continuously. She had put her phone on vibrate mode as the annoying ringtone rang countless

times in a day.

She decided to be obstinate this time. There was no difference whether they got back together or broke up since she would be the one getting hurt.

Rufus was preoccupied with Cassandra. His mind became saturated with her and how to hold onto her. He became enraged easily at times. His assistant was fearful of going into his office, for fear of being scolded for minor things.

"Pardon me, Mr. Luo?"

Rufus was absent-minded when the assistant reported her work to him, which was rare as he was always serious about his work. His attention was in the wrong location and not in the office. His assistant battled to get his attention by calling him several times.

"Oh? Okay. Just leave the files on my desk,"

Rufus told the assistant uninterested.

The assistant felt great relief. Working with Rufus had become extremely stressful. His face looked cold and perplexed with dark gloomy rings around his eyes, and his tendentious mood was tangible.

The assistant turned around and left the office quickly. She breathed a sigh of relief, with hands on her chest.

Resting his chin on his right hand, Rufus started to think about Cassandra again. She didn't answer his calls. No one ever did that and it pissed him off.

Was she serious this time?

The thought about Cassandra sobbing yesterday made Rufus feel upset.

Cassandra decided to go to the Garden Villa to pick up her things and return the key to Rufus after work or find a way to leave it for him. She didn't actually want to see him.

She was packing her bags in the mansion. Looking around, she felt overwhelmed at how mixed her feelings were. She remembered the beautiful moments spent in every corner—the kitchen where she sat on the counter spooning with Rufus or trying to cook special meals together; the fireplace where they lay in each other's arms on the rug; the bed where there was fiercely erotic lovemaking.

Cassandra regarded this mansion as her own home. She cleaned every part of the furniture and swept every corner and now she was leaving. It was sad and reluctant for her to be leaving. 'Better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all, ' she thought. Her heart sank. She felt gutted, wishing there would be a way to make it work. But she knew the answer, and carried on collecting her possessions.

She didn't ask for much. She just wanted a steady relationship. Her wish seemed to be too much of a luxury that Rufus couldn't afford.

When she finished, Cassandra carried her luggage and slowly walked out of the mansion, making a mental note of every part.

Rufus planted the trees and flowers for her in the courtyard. But she would never be able to hear the trees rustle or watch the flowers bloom with the man again.

She smiled, at the memories, but her heart was broken.

'Goodbye Garden Villa. Goodbye Rufus, ' Cassandra thought to herself as the tears started again. Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

Her phone vibrated again. Rufus kept calling her. Cassandra stared at the screen, sighed and finally answered the call.

"Where are you? Why don't you answer my calls?"

he sounded anxious. Cassandra ignored his call. No one dared to do that to him, ever.

"I'm in the Garden Villa," she answered bluntly.

Cassandra sighed and bit her lips, determined to keep the tears from running.

"Did you change your mind?"

Rufus couldn't help smiling. He thought Cassandra was moving back to the mansion.

"Rufus, I put the key in the mailbox. I'm leaving. I'm on my way out," she said quickly, implying that she was leaving him. She battled to show her determination to Rufus over the phone.

"Cassandra, what do you mean?"

Rufus immediately got nervous. 'Is Cassandra breaking up with me?' He couldn't believe she was being dead serious. He turned around at once and drove to the Garden Villa.

"Rufus, you're driving. Be careful. I'm hanging up."

Cassandra could hear Rufus hit the breaks. She was concerned about his safety, so she hung up.

"Wait! Don't you dare hang up again!" he shouted.

Rufus punched his fist in the steering wheel, then stepped on the gas, racing boisterously.

Cassandra hung up on Rufus, again! How dare she!

Rufus couldn't believe that the little woman would return the key. It seemed that she had made up her mind. Thinking that she would never visit him or the Garden Villa, he felt forlorn and disappointed.

It was the first time that Rufus cared about a woman like this. He loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. It was the first time he would go to these lengths to please a woman. The result was unexpected. He had even contemplated marrying her before. This was something he had never considered with any woman before.

Rufus knew Cassandra was special. She was sensitive, passionate and capable at everything she laid her hands on. He tried his best not to let his male chauvinism breakdown her self-esteem and hurt her. He tried without avail.

When the Qin Group were looking for a new office, he asked the office owner to lease the office to her at an extremely low price. Then he made up the difference secretly.

Rufus would normally let the people know that he did them a favor. In the business world he would never do anything that was unprofitable, but Cassandra was one of a kind. He loved her and wanted her to be happy. He wanted to be a part of everything with her. He was willing to do things she wanted. This was a serious character change for him. And it was all because of her.

'Cassandra doesn't repay my kindnesses. She cares about the Qin Group more than she cares about me.

Her family treats her appallingly and yet she tried her best, even sacrificed her marriage, to save her father's business. But why does she reject me cruelly even though I have done so much for her?' he thought sadly.

The more Rufus thought about it, the more he got annoyed. He called Cassandra again, but she didn't answer him.

Cassandra slowly walked down to the street. There were vines on the wall, carrying pockets of beautiful yellow flowers, which had such a sweet happy fragrance.

Rufus and she had known each other as lovers for about a year. However, one would think they had known each other for at least ten years. All couples fought, so did they. The conflicts between them were so intense and frequent that it had to come to a stop.

'Love hurts but ours tortures, ' Cassandra felt exhausted.

Rufus kept calling her, which made Cassandra irritated. 'Does this man not take no as an answer and since when did he become so childish?' she was getting annoyed.

Cassandra answered the phone again. He asserted angrily and fast, "Cassandra, save your words until I arrive. I'm at the Garden Road now!"

Rufus was anxious and angry but most of all desperate.

"Rufus, I've left the villa. You don't need to come here," Cassandra said rebelliously.

She saw a taxi driving to her direction and waved him down.

"Cassandra, do you think I'm playing a love game? I tell you what. I want you to be my woman. Do you hear me? I won't let you go!" Rufus cried out.

This woman meant everything to him. She was the one. He could never find anyone else like her. He couldn't let her go.

"Rufus, we can still be friends," Casandra said pitifully.

She felt as if a knife was piercing her heart, but she still turned him down.

She was afraid that she would cry next, then would run into his arms again. She missed him so much already. She feared that she would never be able to leave again, once she went back to him.

"Cassandra, don't ever think about leaving me, unless I am dead!" he said loudly.

His voice was mixed up with a high-pitched braking sound and then crashing.

Then Cassandra heard the busy tone from the other end of the phone.

Her eyes widened. Cassandra's pulse started racing. Her mind became erratic. She shouted into the bleeping phone, "Rufus, what's going on? Rufus, no please no! Rufus, answer me, please..."