A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 101

As she entered Rufus's office with her completed design, Cassandra found him sitting on the sofa, swirling a glass of wine. He seemed lost in thought.

"Mr. Luo, this is my design of the nursing home. Please check it before I submit to our partner,"

she said as she put her work on Rufus's desk and waited for his reply.

Rufus took a sip of wine and closed his eyes, enjoying its flavor and sensation as he swallowed it down his throat.

"How is your father doing?"

asked Rufus instead of acknowledging Cassandra's request. One of his subordinates managed to locate the IP address of the poster. It was in New York. He already sent someone to look into it.

Cassandra's thoughts on the matter interested him.

"My father… He should be punished by what he has done, but I don't think his company should go bankrupt. I am determined to do my best to save it," she replied.

In reality, Cassandra had no idea how to help her father's company. Still, she was not about to show weakness in front of Rufus. She did not need anyone's sympathy, especially his.

Rufus stifled a sigh. He knew everything about Cassandra and her situation. The only way to save her father's company was by paying a fine. It would be impossible for her to come up with such a vast amount of money.

Rufus stood up and gave her an envelope.

"Open it," he said.

Cassandra hesitated. A part of her did not want to take it.

"What are you thinking about? Just take it,"

urged Rufus as he pushed the envelope closer to her.

"No, Mr. Luo, I can't accept your money!"

Cassandra stepped back stubbornly.

She knew that raising the money would be difficult, but she was determined to try.

She would not let the Qin Group go bankrupt. She would sell their villa and rent an apartment for her family if she had to.

Since the villa was bought many years ago, it had already increased in value. It would sell for a good price. Cassandra also had some friends back in Rome who were willing to lend her money. Another option was to apply for a loan.

The last thing she wanted to do was to borrow or accept money from the Tang family. This included Rufus. It would be a huge blow to her ego.

A smile spread across Rufus's lips when Cassandra refused him.

He knew that she would refuse his financial help, so he made sure that the envelope did not contain money.

"Calm down. It's not money, but it is something that will help you. Open it,"

he assured her gently.

After thinking for a while, Cassandra took the envelope and opened it.

In a few seconds, Cassandra's face lit up with excitement.

It was an entry notice from the International Architectural Design Competition. Held every five years, it was a stage coveted by designers all over the world.

She was supposed to take part in this competition after she graduated, but she completely forgot about its occurrence this year due to the many things that happened recently. It was a pleasant surprise that Rufus had already registered for her.

"I've sent your CV to the judging panel, including your previous works. They liked your designs and hoped you can take part in the competition in the United States,"

Rufus said, happy with Cassandra's reaction. Still, he did not let his emotions show on his face.

"This competition is sponsored by a huge company, so its prize pool is quite large. Winning would definitely give you a huge amount of money," he said.

Skimming through the invite, Cassandra found that the competition was to open in five days. A part of her felt scared that it was too late to prepare.

"This is too sudden. I didn't prepare anything for it. I might be eliminated at the very first round,"

she said as she pressed the notice against her chest, worriedly.

"It's an improvised competition. Advance preparation will not work. The topic will be given on the spot and very few people can guess what it is as early as now,"

Rufus reassured Cassandra again. It seemed that he knew more about the competition than her.

Looking at the prize money on the paper, Cassandra felt thrilled.

'This is more than enough to pay off the fine.

If I win this competition, my father's company will be saved, ' she thought.