A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 236

After a short moment's silence, Cassandra asked. For a second, she panicked thinking there must be something wrong with Rufus's leg. 'Maybe his leg hurts which is why he is unable to drive, ' her anxious mind guessed. Immediately, she directed her eyes on his leg and got ready to bend forward in order to check on him.

Before she could move much, Rufus clutched her with his strong hand. He held her chin with his other hand. Slowly, he leaned forward and gave her a passionate kiss.

The street was filled with people. Even though the windows were up, Cassandra still felt very self conscious and shy.

"Cassandra, right now I just had a taste of your lipstick. But tonight, I will be eating you completely," Rufus confessed with a smirk.

And his eyes were glinting with pleasure. His words and his actions brought a scarlet red tint to her cheeks. Gingerly, she pushed Rufus away and turned her face to the window. She couldn't bear looking into his enticing eyes.

Seeing her cute reaction, Rufus chuckled. He finally withdrew his gaze from her and started the car. They slowly drove to the hotel that held the charity event.

When they arrived there, they noticed it was already packed with people. Since both of their names were on the invitation list, they were instantly allowed to enter inside.

Everyone present in the hall were dressed in black. It was their way of mourning and showing respect to those who lost their lives during the deadly earthquake.

Even the decoration of the hall was plain and simple. No gaudy colors were used for anything. 'Whoever decorated this place did an amazing job, ' thought Cassandra. It was elegant yet it retained the gravity of the tragedy.

Rufus was dressed in a sleek black suit that made him look striking. Cassandra's black dress complemented his outfit. Rufus was tall and collected whereas Cassandra was petite and soft. As soon as they walked inside, many pairs of eyes fell on them.

Cassandra caught a glimpse of some people looking towards her and whispering among their friends. And to be honest, it made her edgy and restless. She had no idea what they were talking about. But she knew it couldn't be good. Gossips spread like a wildfire and Cassandra fell victim to it several times. Last time, she was ordained by Ivy to apologize in front of so many people. Even now her cheeks flushed with humiliation at the thought of this. She felt a sudden urge to leave and began to regret her decision to attend this event.

Rufus must have felt her hesitation and distress. He put his large hands on her, trying to silently comfort her.

"Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen to you while I am here,"

Rufus whispered in her ear. Hearing his low and soft voice, Cassandra couldn't help but feel at ease. She felt her earlier trepidation dissipate. 'Rufus is here with me. There is nothing to worry about as long as he is by my side, ' her mind said, consoling her. Putting on a smile, she straightened her back and walked further into the big hall with him.

Lionel walked towards them, arm in arm with Ivy. The look on Ivy's face was that of pure hatred. She glared at Cassandra with her spiteful eyes. Her gaze was like a sharp knife, intending to pierce Cassandra brutally.

Cassandra knew the sort of feeling Ivy had towards her. Her presence usually left her terror-stricken. But today, it was different. Rufus was by her side and that was all the support she needed. Cassandra tightened her grip on Rufus's arm and flashed Ivy a victorious smile. This vexed Ivy even further.

Meanwhile, Lionel's eyes fixated on Cassandra. They were intense but unreadable. Of course, Ivy noticed this.

Ivy realized that Lionel was finding it hard to tear his gaze off Cassandra. Slowly, he was goggling at her beauty. All this made Ivy boil in rage. But they were in a party right now with dozens of people around hence Ivy constrained her anger. With a heavy heart, she zipped her mouth shut. But her venomous eyes continued to watch Cassandra.

Rufus had a lot of acquaintances in this party. From time to time, people would grab him for a personal chat. But Cassandra tried her best to be with him all the time. There were times when she caught people staring at them. Their relationship was looked down upon by the wealthy people. All of them probably thought he was making a mistake.