A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 113

The next morning, Cassandra was about to head to work after finishing her breakfast when Horace stopped her.

"Cassandra, how is the reconstruction project of the amusement park going?"

Horace asked. He sounded happy today. It was rare for him to be this enthusiastic about a project of Tang Group.

"I've already taken the case. We are about to start the design work soon,"

she replied as a smile spread across her face. The thought that she would design her favorite Ferris wheel herself made her feel very lucky.

This was something that she had wanted to do for such a long time. Now, she was determined to build a unique and beautiful Ferris wheel.

"You seem to have lost a lot of weight recently. I heard you cough a lot during breakfast. Please take care," Horace said.

Cassandra felt moved by his care.

Horace had been rather aloof ever since she requested for a divorce. He had not been treating her affably these days because of that. Sometimes he would totally ignore her during the meals; and the most he did was a nod when Cassandra greeted him in the hall. This was the first time he had started a conversation with her and asked about her work after that day.

'Maybe this is the first step to reducing the tension between us, ' thought Cassandra.

She went back to the dining table and sat down beside Horace to describe her new idea.

"I'm planning to focus on the Ferris wheel in the amusement park. It's large and will take up lots of space. What's more, there will be LED lights installed in it. It will beautifully light up the night sky. It is going to be the centerpiece to all the other parts of the new amusement park. Also, there's a small river inside the park that I am planning to widen so it will be another attraction. With the Ferris wheel beside the bridge..."

Cassandra could talk all day about her design. She was in her element. Her eyes brightened with excitement.

"Why don't you suspend the case and hand it over to someone else?"

Horace suddenly interrupted, still with a smile resting on his face.

"Wh... Why?"

Cassandra was bewildered. The amusement park was her main project. The government was going to create a huge landscape to increase the number of tourists in the city and the amusement park would be located in that area. This was why both Tang Group and the government were investing a lot of resources into the reconstruction.

Rufus frequently went on business trips to visit cities with similar projects to conduct surveys and gather insights. He wanted this to be perfect. Therefore he had barely come home lately.

Work aside, the project was very special to Cassandra. It was where she and Rufus went on their 'first date.' Although it was more for work, it was still a memory she held close to her heart.

Now, Horace wanted her to hand it over to someone else. Surely, she hesitated.

"Father, I've been following up this case and done a lot of work. I dedicated so much of myself to it. I believe that I'm the one who knows this project the most. No one else is more fit to handle this than me. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to change the person-in-charge before the start of the design work?"

Cassandra looked at Horace. His calm smile made her feel uneasy. She could not see through him. Still, she tried to persuade him.

"It's common to change the designer indeed. You hand it over to others in order to help regulate the amount of contribution everyone has in the project. And I will have other works for you of course,"

he explained. If Cassandra kept the amusement park project to herself, she might earn a bad reputation in the industry. People would interpret it as a way for her to hoard power and influence. This was not a good reputation to have for an architect.

"But...Rufus told me that I would be in charge of the project. This has also already been relayed to the members of the committee..."

Cassandra still struggled to convince Horace to change his mind. This was her dream and she desperately tried to fight for it.

"Rufus is the President but I am the Chairman. He will not object to me. I will personally call him about it," Horace replied.

He clearly was no longer pleased. His tone seemed to grow colder. He did not appreciate Cassandra—or anyone, for that matter—challenging his authority. The fact that this was not the first time Cassandra did this annoyed him.

Seeing Horace's expression, Cassandra realized that her argument was hopeless. There was no use trying to push it further now.

To feel better, she reminded herself that Horace meant well. He just did not want her to be too stressed. He was also protecting her reputation and simply doing his best to be a compassionate father-in-law.

She later realized, though, that there was no way to twist it. It was disappointing and she would not feel better about it.