A Graduation Gift

Chapter 208 The Secret Investor (Part One)

Standing by the corner of the street, Cassandra fixed her gaze at the crossing from behind a bush.

She was hiding and waiting for someone. She hoped that Rufus would come and look for her. Patiently, she waited for him to call out her name. She was expecting to see him so anxious because of her. That was what she wanted, and the reason why she was hiding behind the bush. She was curious to see what Rufus would do.

Besides, she really wanted to hear Rufus say that he was sorry and that maybe they should talk about their relationship. Cassandra assumed that they just needed to talk things over and everything would turn out fine. She hoped that he could be honest and tell her what was happening between him and Amanda. She didn't like being left out by her own boyfriend for the sake of another woman. She just wanted to know everything.

When she finally caught sight of Rufus, her heart beat faster. She was nervous but excited at the same time.

Rufus was looking around for her. He looked very anxious and desperate, and there was a deep frown on his face. Undoubtedly, he was restless because he couldn't find Cassandra.

Seeing Rufus's behavior, the corners of Cassandra's lips lifted into a striking smile. She was contented to see that Rufus cared so deeply for her. She looked at Rufus with soft eyes while hiding behind the bush.

'Rufus, I knew you would come here to look for me. I knew that you would tell me the truth, ' she thought to herself, clearly very satisfied with his actions.

But right when she was about to walk out and show herself to Rufus, his phone rang. He picked up the call and talked for a few seconds. Then he turned around and left. Seeing that Rufus was about to leave, Cassandra was held frozen on her hiding spot, her heart slowly shattering into pieces.

Cassandra kept hiding, wishing and praying that Rufus would not leave and would continue to search for her. What she saw next blew all her hopes away. Rufus got in his Range Rover and drove away without looking back. After a moment, he completely disappeared from her sight. Cassandra was left alone and devastated.

It was a just a phone call. But it was also a call that made Rufus give up looking for her. It must have been Amanda who called him. Cassandra had no doubt about it, judging from the way he hastened. If it were somebody else, Rufus would haven't taken the call and just ignored whoever it was. The caller must be somebody more important than Cassandra and the thought of it broke her heart causing tears to well up in her eyes.

Once, twice, thrice...

How many more times was she going to be hurt by Rufus? How bad did she want it to happen for her to realize that she didn't mean much for him? How many times more was she going to be heartbroken till she would learn to stop her foolishness?

The smile on Cassandra's face turned into a bitter smirk. She was silently laughing at her own folly. How stupid of her to think that she meant something to Rufus? Realizing that she was now completely alone, she felt cold all over her body. Her heart throbbed rapidly. She wanted to shout and cry and curse, but she just didn't have the energy to do anything. The night grew cold and Cassandra felt like she was falling into an inescapable deep hole.

'Cassandra, just let it go. It is what it is. After all, he already told you that he wanted to break up with you, right? Then this is it. This is the end, ' she said to herself.

Cassandra touched her face and she hadn't realized that she had been crying all this time. Tears kept falling down her face. She cried and cried until she was numb.

She was very discouraged. She couldn't help but feel sorry for herself. How could she be this fragile and allow herself to be hurt by a man? Bracing herself up, she was reminded that, it was just a break- up, so there was no need to be this sad. She had been through so much that she shouldn't be this emotional over a break-up.

Cassandra took a deep breath and wiped off the tears from her face. She tried to contain her emotions and frustrations. She didn't want to cry. Though no one was here to see her like this, she felt weak whenever she cried. From that moment on, all she wanted was to be strong and take good care of herself. She swore not to cry for Rufus anymore, he was not worth it after all.

Cassandra gently patted her face and tried to calm down. She gathered up all her strength and was prepared to move on with her life. She could be sad for a short moment, but she whould pick herself up soon.

"Good-bye, Rufus," she said with conviction.

"Miss, do you need a ride?"

A taxi drove over and pulled beside her. The driver rolled down the window and asked her if she needed a ride. In fact, he saw Cassandra from afar. She was standing by herself with big suitcases. He thought that she must need a ride right now. Luckily, he was right.

"Oh, yeah. Please help me with my suitcases. Thank you,"

Cassandra answered. She had already made up her mind as to where she would stay from now on. There was an apartment not far from the company that would be ideal for singles like her.

The driver helped her put the suitcases in the trunk and drove downtown.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Cassandra was directing the way to the apartment, but suddenly, the driver stopped his taxi in front of a hotel.

"Why did you stop here? What is wrong?"

Cassandra was confused. Was something wrong with the car? Did they run into something making the tires flat? Or the driver was waiting for someone?