A Graduation Gift

Chapter 227 I Want To See Cassandra

"What news have you got? What happened to the Dawn Star Group?" Horace asked.

He had a feeling that something was not right, and he frowned.

Rufus's face turned pale, but he managed to maintain his composure and tried his best to look firm and confident.

"Anyway, be careful. And speed up the progress of the cases that we have now," ordered Rufus.

He didn't want to relay everything out but instead gave a warning.

Even though all the Tang family members came to empathize, no one really cared like a family member except for Horace. Ivy and Lionel were sitting at the sofa of the VIP patient ward. They preferred doing nothing than speaking to Rufus. Jill wore a smile throughout, but her smile was so cold and disdainful, and to some extent, she seemed to take pleasure in his suffering.

The visitors came and went; each of them pretended to care for him, but actually, none of them really did.

Amanda was sensitive enough to feel the awkward atmosphere in the room. Out of her instincts, she chatted with Horace to break the awkwardness.

Horace glanced at Rufus. Seeing the cold expression on his face, he diverted his eyes to the family members he brought with him, sighed silently, and stood up to take his leave.

Lionel together with Jill and Ivy, all felt relieved at the thought of leaving and followed Horace out.

The noisy ward soon quieted down and Rufus enjoyed the silence. He just sat on the bed, his face devoid of any emotions.

"Rufus, what happened to you?"

With a caring look, Amanda drew closer to the man.

His eyes swept across the room and fixed at one spot. His entire body stiffened.

He gazed at the sofa where Lionel and Ivy had sat. In the corner of the sofa, there was a lady's wind jacket with beige and purplish blue patterns.

He knew this jacket! It belonged to Cassandra!

Suddenly, he felt his blood flowing backward. Why would her jacket be in this room? She had been here!

While Rufus was still fumbling his thoughts, Jasper and Michelle pushed the door open. They were relieved to see Rufus awake and was now able to sit up.

"Rufus, finally you are awake! We were so worried!"

Michelle walked towards Rufus with a much-relaxed face now.

"Where's Cassandra?"

Rufus asked, trying his best to suppress his emotions.

"Gone! She's gone!"

Michelle was not happy to hear about Cassandra. The mention of her name was like a weight in her chest. After all, it was Cassandra who caused the car accident. Moreover, the idea that Rufus asked about the woman the moment he woke up heightened her displeasure for Cassandra.

"Was she here the whole time?"

Rufus asked further. At the sight of her clothes, he was able to confirm that she had indeed stayed with him in this room.

"What if I say yes Rufus? I was supporting your relationship at the very start. But now just take a look at yourself. You have always been cautious and calm. How could the two of you even quarrel to the point that you got into a car accident? How can I convince myself that she will be a good partner for you?"

The more Michelle ranted, the more dissatisfied she became.

Jasper was sensing the start of a heated argument, so he pulled Michelle to hint her to stop talking.

"Alright, let him be. Give Rufus some time to rest," Jasper said.

Actually, Jasper started to feel pessimistic about the relationship between the two as well. However, he also knew that Rufus had always been stubborn. There was no way that he or Michelle would be able to persuade him.

Seeing that Rufus was asking about Cassandra, Amanda gritted her teeth in anger. Though her emotions were so intense, she masked them perfectly with her worried face.

"Rufus, what is important now is for you to rest well. Forget about other things first. I'll take care of you now,"

Amanda coaxed while putting up a pleading smile, praying that Rufus would stop talking about Cassandra.

Unfortunately, her prayers went unheard. With no hesitation, Rufus took out his phone and started to call Cassandra.

Cassandra was in a daydream at the balcony located at the end of the corridor. She jerked when her phone rang. The sudden vibration and ring tone from her phone shocked her. Seeing the name of the caller on her phone screen, she hung it up instantly.

She couldn't contain the feelings of mixed emotions inside her. The thought of Rufus and Amanda in the patient room together agonized her.

Rufus's repeated calls weren't picked up, which made him furious and agitated.

Angrily, he pulled the needle in his vein out. Fluids dripped from the needle heavily wetting the bed sheet, while blood began to profuse out from the needle hole on the back of his hand.

Everyone in the room was frightened to see what Rufus had done. Jasper dashed towards Rufus and ran his arms around him to prevent him from doing further damages. The next moment, the monitor inside the room started to alarm.

"Rufus, what are you doing!" Amanda screamed.

Terrified, she held his hand, but Rufus just shook her hands off.

"Go away! I'm going to find Cassandra!"

Rufus was like a bull struggling for freedom. He was desperate to get out of what he considered as a trap.

The only thing he had in mind was to find Cassandra. He wanted to assure her that he would never give her up! Never!

"Rufus, stay calm! Remember that she is the one who caused your situation right now! Do you know how much you're hurting us by doing this?"

Michelle looked at Rufus with creased brows, as if she was scolding a disobedient child.

As much as he wanted to break free from Jasper's control, he had no way to do it—his body was too weak after the surgery and his legs were still injured.

Jasper pressed his body over Rufus and constrained him from moving. Unwilling to give up, Rufus tried to gather some strength and shove Jasper's body with his hands. By forcing himself too much, blood trickled from his wound. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

The nurses and doctors, upon receiving the alarm, hurried to take a look, only to find out that the room was in chaos.

Rufus was desperate. Though his forehead had been covered with sweat now, he still struggled relentlessly.

"I want to see Cassandra! Let me go find her!"

There was an inner force impelling him, giving him ample strength to fight back. It was so strong that he eventually managed to break away from Jasper and get down from the bed. However, his injured legs were unable to support his weight. Bang! He collapsed with a loud thud.

"Rufus!"

Amanda leaped onto Rufus. Ghastly tears were trickling down her face.

"Don't do this, Rufus. I'm so hurt! I am here with you. Am I not good enough? Why do you have to find her?" she exclaimed.

She was crying in such a disheartening manner that the spectators in the room averted their eyes from her.

"Get him on to the bed. Or else inject him with sedatives. His legs are still severely injured. He can't move for now,"

one of the doctors ordered. Soon, two of the male intern nurses helped Jasper to lift the patient back to the bed and pressed against him to keep him there.

Rufus was like an enraged lion. Blood streaks began to surface in his eyes creating a horrifying look on his face.

"Rufus, can you just cooperate for your treatment! Do you think that this is what your mother wanted for you? She had suffered so much to sustain your life! How can you disregard your own health?"

Michelle was vexed by Rufus's irresponsible behavior. She brought up his mother and chided him aloud, which finally made him cease.

The sudden arrival of doctors and nurses into Rufus's room made Cassandra nervous. 'Did something bad happen to him?' she wondered. 'Why did so many doctors and nurses rush to his ward?'

Even if she was at the other end of the corridor, she could still hear the noise, especially the roar from Rufus. He sounded as if he was in terrible pain.

Cassandra's fingers were twisted. She wished that all was well with Rufus. She was praying so hard, not minding that her heart was twisted as well.

She was so curious and wanted to take a look to see where the chaos was from. However, once she thought about the presence of Amanda in the room, her eagerness to go into the room suddenly subsided.

'He should be fine without me, right? Amanda would be the person he wants to see the most, ' Cassandra solaced herself.

However, the effect of her own conviction seemed to be limited. Cassandra turned around and covered her ears with her hands so that she couldn't hear nor see what was going on there. She was afraid that she couldn't resist the desire to rush towards his room.

The doctors and nurses managed to get control of the agitated man and prepared to inject some sedatives into his vein. No matter how he yelled or violently struggled, Rufus couldn't overpower the forces of three men that were pinning him down.

A needle pierced into his arm. Slowly, the sedative was injected, and after the fluid in the syringe was drained, Rufus's frantic movements ceased.

When he was finally still and quiet on the bed, the medical personnel exited one by one.

"Keep an eye on him. Don't stir his emotion again; otherwise, his legs will take forever to recover and he will limp for the rest of his life,"

the doctor instructed Michelle in a serious tone. She nodded firmly in return to acknowledge his words.

"Rufus, stay calm. Can't you just wait and look for her after you recover?"

Michelle walked to his bed and sat beside him. Grief-stricken, she looked at Rufus helplessly.

This young man was the flesh and blood left from her dead sister. She almost treated him as the son of her own. However, Rufus was so stubborn and hard-headed. She was so scared that he would be stirred again when he saw Cassandra.

The doctor's instruction still echoed in Michelle's ears. She was apprehensive about letting Rufus meet Cassandra.

"I want to see her now," Rufus demanded.

Though the small dose of medicine pacified him, he still had a clear mind and was resolved to see Cassandra. He had his eyes fixed at Michelle, trying to make something out from her face.

He had the feeling that Michelle knew where Cassandra was, and she could find her!

Michelle found it difficult to make the decision. In a dilemma, she turned her head to Jasper for help, who in turn gave her a nod.

"You must promise me, that even if you see Cassandra, you have to stay calm. Otherwise, your condition is going to worsen."

Michelle was left with no choice but to bargain with Rufus.