The Enchanted Night

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A Maserati was driving fast on the road. In the driver's seat was Rufus, talking on the phone.

"Are you at your studio right now? I am coming with Cassandra. There is a small problem with her dress."

After these words, he hung up the call, turned his head to look at Cassandra and noticed the little woman was shell-shocked from what had just happened at the party. With a blank look on her face, she said nothing.

Seeing her like this, Rufus couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows. He silently let out a sigh.

There was no doubt, Cassandra was good at her work, and was a nice person to get along with. The only problem was that she was too trusting, almost naive and often let her guard down when around the people she shouldn't trust.

The night was warm, and the city was lit by bright streetlights. A cool breeze blew in the car through the rolled down window. Something unreadable flashed through Cassandra's eyes. She gently bit down on her lower lip and finally opened up to talk.

"The lace strap of this dress couldn't have easily torn by itself. Someone must have cut it."

From her small but firm voice, Rufus knew she was thinking through. A hint of anger flashed through his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifted. But he said nothing. He just hummed, letting her know that he understood what she was thinking.

It seemed that the little woman finally registered what had transpired. By now, she was calm enough to rationally think. Yes, Cassandra might be trusting and naive, but it didn't mean that she was stupid. What had just happened wasn't accidental. It was not that easy. Someone must have intentionally cut the lace strap of her dress to embarrass her. But who was it? Who would have wanted to do this to her?

Closing her eyes, she racked the brain for who would have a motive and the chance. It couldn't be Michelle Ling, because when the dress was delivered, Cassandra took enough time to confirm it was intact. There was no way Cassandra could have missed any sign of damage then.

Besides, Michelle Ling was a name synonymous with quality, class, and professionalism. The dress couldn't be of low quality that the strap would tear in the middle of the party. Who else could it be? Rufus? No, there was no way he would stoop that low to embarrass a woman. Not especially a woman that he loved. There was no chance in hell when the same dress had cost him a pretty penny. He wouldn't have a reason to pull such a lousy stunt. Then...

Cloris!

Cassandra couldn't help but shudder when her sister's name crossed her mind. Carefully, she thought back of the details when Cloris was with her.

A terrible hunch began to eat at her heart. She didn't want to accuse her sister. But the more she remembered what had happened when the two of them were together alone, the more she believed Cloris was culpable. Suddenly, without any good reason, Cassandra's head started to hurt.

With her fingers she rubbed her temple, trying to relieve the pain. It didn't work. What was worse, she even wanted to throw up.

"Stop the car,"

She demanded, out of the blue. Startled, Rufus glanced at her and realized she wasn't kidding. Right now, she looked so beat, that Rufus immediately pulled over to the side without a word.

As soon as the car stopped, Cassandra quickly opened that door and got out of the vehicle to stand by the roadside.

The cool breeze blowing on her face helped her feel less dizzy and nauseated. But at the same time, her heart grew cold. If Cloris was here, Cassandra feared she might have committed a felony.

Cloris was her biological sister for God's sake! Why did she have to do that to her? Cassandra's head began to spin again. She frantically tried to find a motive behind her sister's actions.

By that time Rufus had also gotten out of the car and walked to stand beside her. He reached out and steadied her wobbling body, his eyes full of worry for her.

"What is wrong, Cassandra? Is it carsickness?"

asked a panicked Rufus in a gentle tone that pulled Cassandra out of her trance. They locked eyes as she lifted her head. That was when she finally understood why her sister would ruin her evening.

The very first time Cloris saw Rufus, Cassandra knew that she liked him. So coming to the party, the naive girl must have thought that he was going to pick her over Cassandra, for a dance. It hurt her to see the man she liked give all his attention to Cassandra.

The now jilted girl must have come to the party fantasizing about Rufus, only to realize that she didn't feature anywhere in his plans.

But Cloris overreacted in throwing such a childish tantrum. A rather foolish move, taking that

When her boyfriend betrayed her, all light and joy was gone from Cherry’s life. Deserted, bereft of hope, she married a man that she had barely met, but she had never expected him to be her ex-boyfriend’s uncle.

Cherry thought that she had finally found her happiness, but she had no idea about the dark secrets that were bound to unfold and haunt her forever...

ncontrolled anger would trigger his asthma.

Walking up to Horace's side, she gently patted his back, and whispered something into his ear, to calm him down.

"Horace, it has already happened. There's no way you can go back in time and change things. On the grounds of your health, you also need to be careful. Getting so carried away by anger will only hurt your health..."

But ignoring her, Horace threw her hands off his shoulder and got even angrier. He was also mad at her.

"Shut up. And you as well! All these years, I've worked hard to provide you two with everything you ever needed. But see, this is the kind of brat you've raised! Both him and Rufus are my sons, but look at the big difference between them! Always, Rufus works hard to excel at whatever he does, and forever steers clear of trouble. And your son? He only knows how to waste time and money. Now, by his silly mistakes, he's put the family business in danger, yet he doesn't seem to care."

That comparison offended Jill to the bone. There were few things she hated, like anyone comparing her son to that bastard, Rufus. But she couldn't say a word at the moment. Horace was just so angry; if she dared cross his line, he'd skin her alive. The wise thing she could do as at now was to calm him down.

"Horace, Lionel already knows what he did is wrong. Snapping at him and throwing at him whatever you can get your hands on won't change the fact. What we should do right now is to find the best way out of this problem,"

Jill said while secretly gesturing for her son to apologize to his father. In contrition, Lionel knelt down on the floor in front of his father, his face genuinely apologetic.

"Father! I already realized my mistakes! But Ivy has been with me for so many years. It would be shameful to abandon her, especially now that she is expectant with my baby. Also, I can't dictate to her nor can I divest her of her small wish. In fairness, we shouldn't take that away from her. Besides, she has promised me that we can keep the child. As soon as the child is weaned, she has promised to leave, go out of the country and never try to get in touch with us. Once she's gone, Cassandra and I can bring the child up. Nobody will know about this!"

Horace's breath was still labored. Anger made his head so dizzy, he almost couldn't breathe.

Somehow, Lionel's words touched the old man.

He also wanted to keep his grandchild. This was his first grandchild after all.

The baby could not leave their family. Memories of how he missed milestones in Rufus's upbringing haunted Horace. Only recently had Rufus come home, a grown man. The same would not happen to his first grandchild.

But there was one thing he didn't like. That was the mother, Ivy. For some reasons Horace just didn't like this girl.

"What's so good about that woman? For many things, I don't approve of her. Partly, I have issues with her family background. But again, I don't understand why you are so bewitched with her, Lionel. You are just out of your mind! How could you abandon Cassandra and get tangled with that low-life kind of woman?"