The Enchanted Night

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This had to be the most embarrassing moment of Cassandra's life. All the board members were staring at her. A deadly awkwardness went through her body and she felt like everyone was analyzing her. 'This couldn't get any worse, ' she thought.

And worse of all, Rufus noticed it too. This was a big blow to her confidence.

"I have no idea as to why this design is similar to mine. But I'll look into it until I figure out what the truth is, I promise!" explained Cassandra.

Her explanation had no impact on those present. The board member who had spoken earlier screamed at her angrily, "How can they be so similar if you didn't plagiarize? That project is ahead of yours! Look into it? What will you look into? Truth is in front of our eyes, so please don't try to fool us. Don't try to find any excuses anymore. Just admit what you've done!"

This insult came as a surprise and Cassandra tried hard to stop herself from crying. She had no clue how to respond at this moment.

Whatever she would say would be in vain. Indeed, the bottom line was that the project had already begun in H City. ZC Group discovered the mistake hence it was reasonable for them to reject and return her design. Undoubtedly, they had asked for compensation. However, she knew this wasn't a mistake from her side. She was being set up by someone. She knew she didn't steal someone's work but had no idea how to convince everyone of her innocence.

Cassandra knew that she was not a design genius, but she was diligent enough. She had achieved her reputation through her hard work. But now she was being wrongly accused. 'How can I stand this injustice?' she wondered. Normally, she was a kind and forgiving lady, but when it came to her work, she was pretty serious. Swallowing her grief, she was determined to punish the person who had set her up.

Cassandra clenched her fist and stayed without uttering a word. Never before had she experienced such a public humiliation. A lump was rising in her throat which made her feel like crying. But she did everything in her power to hold back the tears since she knew showing her weakness would do nothing but to embarass her more.

Seeing Cassandra standing there helplessly, Rufus had the urge to help her. However, he controlled himself because helping her in front of these board members who were as sly as the foxes would make his emotions too obvious. And it would only create more problems for Cassandra.

"Well, I have a plan now. Why don't you take your annul leave, Manager Qin? You shall look into the matter and give us a satisfying explanation. As far as we know, ZC Group has not filed a lawsuit against us. To make things easier and quicker, I will send some men to investigate it as well. And guys, If Manager Qin is genuinely wronged, I'm sure the truth will come out eventually," said Rufus, trying to stop everyone from accusing Cassandra.

Cassandra immediately understood that Rufus had said those words to buy her more time. Earlier, she felt alone but his help made her feel truly thankful. She cast him a glance which indirectly meant thank you.

On the other hand, Rufus's words indeed subdued the situation. The board members decided not to push Cassandra too hard. They sighed, stood up and left the meeting room.

When everyone went away, Rufus signaled Leo to leave him and Cassandra alone. Obliging Rufus, Leo closed the door and left along with the others.

The moment the door was shut, Cassandra's tears started to flow. She could not hold them anymore. In front of Rufus, she had no fear of showing her vulnerability.

She squatted down, grabbed her knees, put her head into her arms and started sobbing sadly.

Watching the scene in front of him, Rufus felt a sudden pain surge in his heart. It felt as if he was being pricked by a needle. He hated seeing her look so miserable.

Now that everyone was gone, he had no intention to staying away from her. He stood up, walked to her and squatted beside her. For a moment, he watched her cry. Slowly, he stretched his hands and held her. In a forbearing tone, he said, "It's okay. Don't cry. I don't know about the rest but I trust you! At the moment, our priority is to find out how this happened. I can tell something is definitely fishy."

Cassandra raised her eyes and looked to Rufus throug

Jean Wen sacrificed herself for family interests. Before her husband divorced her, she made every effort to please him.

"You are inexperienced in bed," he said coldly.

"You! Give that land to my family, or I won't agree to divorce," Jean replied furiously.

"Fine. It is exactly what I am thinking about," he sneered.

they serve pretty good steak. What do you think?" she asked eagerly.

The man smiled and asked, "Are you referring to the one in CBD? It's too expensive. If yes, am I allowed to change the destination? How about we go to the beach for a barbecue?"

At first, Cassandra was a little puzzled to hear he had refused her proposal. But soon she realized that he said it only because he didn't want her to spend too much on him. As a man, he did not want the woman to buy him an expensive dinner.

She was somewhat touched by his considerate behavior. This guy was indeed careful, sensible and sweet. Somehow, Cassandra felt very comfortable being around him.

The wind was strong by the sea. The fact that it was winter made things worse. Sitting outside for the barbecue was definitely not a good choice.

Hence they went inside. The man selected a dining table by the window which seemed like the perfect place. Now they could enjoy the dinner as they relished the beautiful campfire scene which was happening outside.

"What would you like, Cassandra?"

He casually asked while his eyes were glued on the menu. Just when she was about to answer, she found herself shocked. 'How did he know my name?' she thought, looking startled.

Since he didn't get a reply, the man raised his head and looked at her. A beautiful smile appeared on his face as he noticed her confusion. Even though she was surprised, his smiling crescent eyes made her feel warm and peaceful.

"You gave me your name card. Don't you remember?"

She bit her tongue and passed him an awkward smile. In truth, that incident had almost slipped out of her mind. Hesitantly, Cassandra said, "I... May I know you name, please?"

The man's deep eyes looked at her with concentration. After a moment, he replied in a serious tone, "Name is simply a code. You can call me whatever you like. My friends call me Delight."

"Haha!"

Cassandra couldn't help but let out a loud laugh as she heard his reply. But at the same time, she didn't want to sound rude. Therefore she reached out to cover her mouth with a hand and explained in a hurry, "I'm sorry... I wasn't laughing at your name!"

Seeing her acting so funny, the man did not feel offended at all. Instead he burst into a hearty laughter and replied, "I'm Dylan Tong. But you can call me Delight. I'm serious!"

Now Cassandra decided not to hold back her laughter. She laughed out happily. 'Dylan Tong? Delight? Haha now that is a funny name! But yes, he is just like his name. He makes people feel delightful, ' she agreed in her mind. Slowly, she glanced at him and passed him her sweetest smile.

Outside the window, the waves were beating against the shore and the fire was burning. But inside the restaurant, the air was so warm and soothing. There was something about the atmosphere here that made people forget all about their sorrows.