A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 43

The air suddenly seemed to freeze, and Lionel's face had turned grim. After Rufus finished his wine, he glimpsed at the couple in front of them casually, before turning to give Cassandra a reassuring grin.

Cassandra was touched. Warmth began to rise in her heart. As she gazed at the man who stood beside her, her eyes couldn't help but turn watery.

No one had ever protected her like Rufus. No matter how desperate the situation was, the man seemed to materialize out of nowhere to defend her. She felt so safe around him.

"Mr. Luo, it looks like you care a lot about your subordinates. How magnanimous of you,"

Ivy spoke ironically, breaking the awkward silence among them, while casting a meaningful glance at both Cassandra and Rufus.

"Rufus, you've gone too far!"

Lionel said out loud, unable to keep calm any longer. This man had, once again, shown too much concern for his wife. Not once, not twice, but many times now. Though who else could he blame, except for himself? It was he who had always pushed his own wife away.

"Well... She already stated that she couldn't drink. Why was it so important for you to press her into submission, just because you're her superior?"

Rufus questioned, his voice dripping with contempt. To him, Lionel's actions were simply childish and naive. He already brought his lover along to publicly humiliate Cassandra. Now, he was even trying to get her drunk. It pissed Rufus off completely.

The words rendered Lionel speechless. How could he argue with that? He fumed silently, unable to get another word out. All he could do was to glare at his wife fiercely.

When he found nothing to say, Ivy pounced on the opportunity. "Mr. Luo, do you have some sort of affection for Manager Qin? Is that why you are protecting her? I wouldn't find it surprising. Manager Qin is young and beautiful. It's quite natural for you to fall for her, isn't it?"

Ivy thought she was being clever, but she was only adding fuel to the fire. Lionel's entire body became tense at her words. He wondered how Rufus would respond to what she said.

'Perhaps, ' he thought, 'keeping my marriage to Cassandra a secret from the Tang Group employees has been a mistake.' He opened his mouth and was about to say something when Cassandra beat him to it. She had been silent for some time, but now she glanced at Ivy disdainfully and jeered, "Would you mind reminding me of who you are?"

Cassandra smiled at her disparagingly. The arrogant woman had been provoking her and Rufus throughout this encounter. At first, Cassandra didn't care to take notice, but now she was increasingly getting annoyed.

Ivy was stunned. She didn't think Cassandra would ostracize her so publicly, and she glared back at her in disbelief.

"This is a celebration banquet for Tang Group. How did someone irrelavant like you get in here? Or are you here as Mr. Tang's arm candy?"

Cassandra continued derisively. She crossed her arms across her chest as the cold grin on her face widened. She was Lionel's wife. Ivy, nevertheless, was only his mistress! How could a mistress who held no status in the Tang family insult her like this?

Ivy was caught by surprise. Never had she imagined that Cassandra could be so severe and straightforward. The very next moment, her arrogance was gone, to be replaced with pity and grief. Hugging Lionel's arm, she said, whining, "Lionel, I was just speaking the truth. How could Manager Qin insult me like this?"

Lionel, on the other hand, was surprisingly not mad at Cassandra's rebuke. In fact, he was delighted. His disturbing thoughts were forgotten. He stared at his wife, tilting his head to the side. It was the first time he had seen Cassandra being so harsh to someone. Thrilled, he assumed that she was jealous.

A surge of inexplicable joy rushed into his heart at the thought.

"The banquet has begun. I have some things to take care of. Sorry, but I have to leave."

Cassandra quickly excused herself, utterly disgusted at the woman who painted herself as a victim. She couldn't stand to be in her presence for another second. She turned around and left without waiting for a response.

Rufus glowered at the pair silently before turning to follow Cassandra.