Chapter 97 An Unpeaceful Winter

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All of a sudden, Cassandra became the backbone of the whole family. She stayed calm as much as she could. Edith and Cloris finally managed to calm themselves down. They listened to Cassandra and went to the bathroom to wash up before going to bed.

When Edith and Cloris left the living room, and she was left alone, Cassandra felt that she had been drained with all her strength. She lost her balance and fell down on the floor with a loud thud.

Cassandra was bothered however, why the heating machine inside the mansion wasn't turned on. Strangely, all the servants were gone too, the tables and the pieces of furniture were covered with dust. It seemed that it hadn't been cleaned for a long time.

Just half a year ago, the Qin family was very wealthy and decent. How come the luxurious mansion turned into such a shabby, deserted house overnight?

Although their business wasn't doing great, at least they were still earning profits. They didn't need to be this wretched.

Cassandra walked out of the house while holding her throbbing head. She found Rufus beside his parked car by the gates. He had been waiting for her, still.

As he saw her coming, Rufus lit a cigar and puffed a heave of smoke from it. He was smoking heavily and there were butts everywhere.

Cassandra thought Rufus had left after what seemed like eternity dealing with her mother and cleaning up the mansion. She didn't expect him to wait for her.

She walked towards him very quietly. He was looking at the sky so she lifted up her head too. The sky was filled with stars tonight and the moon cast a shy glow that illuminated the ether.

"It's late now. Why don't you just come inside and stay for the night? Our guest room is comfortable enough. You can leave the next morning."

Thinking about how Rufus drove several hours to bring her back, Cassandra felt grateful and moved.

"Thank you, but I'm fine. I'll be staying in my car."

To Cassandra's surprise, Rufus rejected her.

"Although the heating machine is out, I can give you an electric blanket. You won't feel cold."

Cassandra thought Rufus was afraid of being cold since the heating machine didn't work.

Cigarette smokes rose up in the air as Rufus put out his cigar. His face went serious after hearing Cassandra's words.

'Afraid of feeling cold?' he thought. Of all the things to consider, he wasn't bothered by the thought of a slight chill. Rufus was not afraid of the cold at all.

He wasn't a spoiled son from a rich family who hadn't been through any difficulties. Rufus used to sleep on bare concrete floors and all he got was a thin mat. The mat, however, didn't help him stay warm during those cold nights.

Even though he was very tired and sleepy, all he could do was take some naps. He couldn't sleep well because he kept on shivering.

Unlike Rufus, Lionel was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. When he was a child, he was surrounded by a bunch of servants. He got the best meals, the best clothes, and the best education. Besides, there awaited a large company for him to inherit.

Sadly for Rufus, it was the other way around.

He went into the training camp. Those years which he had spent there were so painful that he could never forget that experience for the rest of his life.

He shed more sweats and tears more than Lionel ever had in his life. The difficulties he had overcome was much more than those of Lionel. If he were on his place, Lionel could never have endured what Rufus had gone through.

Thus, there was no way for Rufus to be afraid of the cold.

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...

arm, letting Jill give his arm a rub-down.

"You're right. So I am not going to get involved in this. What I could do is to connect Cassandra with the police. She has to solve the problem on her own."

Jill's massage skills were great. Horace was very relaxed.

Seeing Horace so chilled and unperturbed, Jill felt happy too. This was one of the many rare occasions that he was not contradicting her opinions. She thought, 'So, the massage is working.'

Ivy was the one who suggested the idea of giving Horace a massage to Jill. She told her that she learned it from a famous Japanese masseuse. Moreover, she hyped that aside from the relaxation and relief the massage would ignite the cold treatment Horace had for her. She assured Jill that Horace's passionate feelings for her would be restored anew.

Jill was fond of massages. She frequently visited wellness spas to relieve herself from stress. But by herself, she knew nothing about those skills and would never offer to learn them.

However, Ivy told her that she once gave the massage to Lionel, and he enjoyed it very much. Lionel even would ask her to do it for him once in a while.

"Thank God, I'm pregnant now. Otherwise, I have to massage him again. Auntie Jill, why don't you learn the skills and use on Uncle Horace? I'm sure he will be very happy if you do that for him," Ivy cheerfully suggested.

Horace sat in front of a chair the whole day and was always busy with his work. He used to find a masseuse twice in a week. Thinking about this, Jill thought if she learned the skill, she could not only help Horace ease the burden but also enhance their relationship. 'So why not?' Jill thought.

After learning the craft from Ivy, she decided to give it a try tonight. Horace was impressed.

He praised her by saying, "You really impress me, honey. I didn't know you know how to massage." Moreover, to show his genuine happiness, Horace even bought her two limited edition bags from abroad.

Jill gave the bright colored one to Ivy. She thanked her for teaching her the massage skills and was beginning to like her even more.

As for Cassandra…

she walked out of the detention center and headed to another building, looking for the official that Horace had mentioned to her.

The bright skies of the day gradually turned dark. 'It must be an unpeaceful winter, ' Cassandra concluded.