Chapter 103 A Deep Kiss

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Rufus's kiss was aggressive and eager. Cassandra found herself gasping for breath.

Unable to think, she clutched his collar like a drowning person's lifeline.

Everything stood still. The stars felt as if they shone for this sole purpose. The sea kept them company and the night sky watched over them.

Rufus and Cassandra held each other as if they had the world.

They stayed like that for a long time. Then, Rufus sighed as he pulled the woman into his arms.

He lifted his head and looked at the stars. This winter didn't seem that bad.

When the design competition finally began, to Rufus's surprise, Victor reported to him that the foreign designer who claimed that Cassandra plagiarized his work was also a contender.

Rufus asked someone to keep an eye on him. Surprisingly, that designer didn't even make it through the group stage.

This only made Rufus more suspicious of him and his capabilities. If he was really talented, why would he be eliminated so early?

As for Cassandra, she eased to the final round smoothly.

The final round was open for public to see. More people could come and watch their designs.

Judges would set a theme and the designers would be given a few hours to come up with their respective entries. Then, they would be made to present their work to the panel of judges.

As Rufus sat in the audience, his eyes locked on Cassandra. He was nervous but he still looked calm as always.

He was confident that Cassandra could win the competition. And even if she lost, he knew that it would still be a great experience for her.

At last, Cassandra's work which was embellished with traditional Chinese architecture features, won the third prize. Although it was just the third prize, it was quite substantial and enough to pay off Vernon's fines.

This was also the first time that a Chinese designer managed to reach the final stage, even bagging third prize. Cassandra's talent was there for the world to see.

The awarding ceremony was grand and exciting. People clapped their hands for the winners and Rufus couldn't help smiling.

Suddenly, he noticed a familiar figure.

He found the man was Chinese and looked relatively young. He was staring at Cassandra with greed and desire in his eyes.

A name came to Rufus's mind but he did nothing. He needed a plan.

As long as he knew that this man was in New York, he would catch him. He would make the man pay for what he had done. But now was not the time to do that.

The man was gone as soon as the ceremony ended. Smiling, Rufus greeted Cassandra when she cli

“Who does she think she is? I won’t marry her even if she is the last woman on earth,” said Hiram Rong.

“Marry into a family with tens of billions of assets? How lucky I am! I won’t be so foolish as to break off the engagement. At worst, I can receive money as part of the divorce settlement,” said Rachel Ruan.

Their great-grandfathers made a pact about their engagement a hundred years ago...

ry eyes.

She panicked. She was afraid that Vernon would leave her forever. How could she and their daughters move on if he passed away? If their house were sold, where would they live?

She was very stressed and impulsively slapped Cassandra. She felt bad for what she did, but the idea of losing Vernon was just too much for her to handle.

She had gotten accustomed to a wealthy life. If she lost the house and were to be forced to wander around, she would not make it.

Standing next to Edith, Cloris murmured, "Now that father is hospitalized, I won't be able to study abroad."

Cassandra hugged her mother, trying to comfort her. It broke her heart to hear her mother cry.

She was always a responsible daughter. She loved her family very much. Even though she was not always around, she would turn up and be the first there to help whenever there were problems. Yet, they did not seem to appreciate her. They showed no compassion for her own struggles.

Rufus noticed that Cassandra had stopped crying and he felt sorry for her.

She was always this tough, being the backbone of her family. But could she really do that? Could she really support her family on her own?

"Why would father try to kill himself? Mother, do you know why?"

Cassandra asked Edith. She was desperate to know the reason. She remembered telling Vernon she would get the money before she left. Why couldn't he just wait a few more days? After all, the trial didn't begin until next month!

Edith looked at Cloris and then Rufus. She was hesitant. Rufus walked away, deciding to give them some space.

Now, it was just her family. Edith finally said, her voice trembling, "Someone asked your father to be the scapegoat."