A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 103

Rufus's kiss was aggressive and eager. Cassandra found herself gasping for breath.

Unable to think, she clutched his collar like a drowning person's lifeline.

Everything stood still. The stars felt as if they shone for this sole purpose. The sea kept them company and the night sky watched over them.

Rufus and Cassandra held each other as if they had the world.

They stayed like that for a long time. Then, Rufus sighed as he pulled the woman into his arms.

He lifted his head and looked at the stars. This winter didn't seem that bad.

When the design competition finally began, to Rufus's surprise, Victor reported to him that the foreign designer who claimed that Cassandra plagiarized his work was also a contender.

Rufus asked someone to keep an eye on him. Surprisingly, that designer didn't even make it through the group stage.

This only made Rufus more suspicious of him and his capabilities. If he was really talented, why would he be eliminated so early?

As for Cassandra, she eased to the final round smoothly.

The final round was open for public to see. More people could come and watch their designs.

Judges would set a theme and the designers would be given a few hours to come up with their respective entries. Then, they would be made to present their work to the panel of judges.

As Rufus sat in the audience, his eyes locked on Cassandra. He was nervous but he still looked calm as always.

He was confident that Cassandra could win the competition. And even if she lost, he knew that it would still be a great experience for her.

At last, Cassandra's work which was embellished with traditional Chinese architecture features, won the third prize. Although it was just the third prize, it was quite substantial and enough to pay off Vernon's fines.

This was also the first time that a Chinese designer managed to reach the final stage, even bagging third prize. Cassandra's talent was there for the world to see.

The awarding ceremony was grand and exciting. People clapped their hands for the winners and Rufus couldn't help smiling.

Suddenly, he noticed a familiar figure.

He found the man was Chinese and looked relatively young. He was staring at Cassandra with greed and desire in his eyes.

A name came to Rufus's mind but he did nothing. He needed a plan.

As long as he knew that this man was in New York, he would catch him. He would make the man pay for what he had done. But now was not the time to do that.

The man was gone as soon as the ceremony ended. Smiling, Rufus greeted Cassandra when she climbed down the stage.

She had beads of sweat on the sides of her face. She looked very happy which turned Rufus on. He wanted to kiss her flushed face.

"Shall we celebrate later?"

Rufus said with his husky voice, which Cassandra found very attractive.

"I want it to be a big celebration but I'm scared you'll get tired easily,"

she replied sticking her tongue out playfully. She was very happy, indeed.

As Rufus and Cassandra beamed at each other enjoying the moment, Cassandra's phone rang.

"Edith", the caller ID indicated. She answered it immediately.

It was Cloris who was speaking at the other end of the phone.

"Cassandra, where are you? Come home, please... Father...tried to kill himself in the detention center," she was choking up and sobbing.

Cassandra was dumbstruck. She felt as if her whole world was spinning.

She joined the competition to help her father. Why would he do that? Why would he give up?

When she got back to G city, Cassandra was told that Vernon was out of danger.

Apparently, Vernon found a box cutter somehow and cut his wrist. Luckily, one of the staff found him in time. Otherwise, he would have succeeded in his attempt.

Lying in bed, he looked pale as a bottle of IV fluid dripped steadily beside his bead.

Cassandra wasn't allowed to enter the ward so all she could do was watch him from the outside.