Chapter 443 Don'st Stay With A Bad Crowd

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There was once an Emperor from the Tang Dynasty who asked his men to spur the flying horse at high speed to bring him lychees from miles and miles away all because his favorite concubine was very fond of them. Now, in a similar fashion, Rufus was willing to give Cassandra anything to make her happy.

"You bought this for me?"

Cassandra asked, bright-eyed and pleasantly surprised.

"Yes, and I have something very important to tell you. Actually, I bought this studio for you because I know that you don't want to stay home as a housewife. Let's face it, you love working! That said, I think it would be better for you to start your own business. That's better than working for other people. I got this for you to help you start,"

he replied as he looked at her with loving eyes.

Warmth filled Cassandra. What Rufus did was genuinely sincere and thoughtful.

On the other hand, she could not help but feel that she did not deserve such a wonderful gift.

"Okay, I know you don't want to accept it free, so how about you pay me rent? What do you think?" Rufus immediately suggested.

He definitely knew her very well. The hesitation on her face had betrayed her and Rufus knew exactly how to respond even before she could say anything.

Cassandra beamed with a smile as bright as sunshine.

"You are starting to know me very well," she remarked.

It touched her that Rufus seemed very accommodating to her personal sentiments and was willing to compromise.

"I'm very flattered. Anyway, all you have to do now is think of what you want to do with this place!" he replied with satisfaction.

The smile on her face was enough to put him at ease.

Cassandra's happiness made him feel invincible.

Cassandra cocked her head with thought. There were no ideas at the top of her head at the moment.

"You don't have to answer right now. Take your time! For now, let's find somewhere to eat," Rufus suggested.

Then, he took his coat and led Cassandra out with his arm around her shoulders. Cassandra, in turn, leaned against him as they walked to a restaurant that served Western cuisine.

In its pleasant ambiance, Rufus and Cassandra found a table and took their seats.

Not long after they did, though, Arthur and Cloris walked in.

They immediately spotted Rufus and Cassandra as they entered. Likewise, the couple saw Arthur and Cloris as well.

Cloris rolled her eyes and turned towards the opposite side of the restaurant. She, apparently, had no plans of coming over and saying hello.

With knitted eyebrows, Rufus examined Cassandra's reaction from the corner of his eyes.

"Your younger sister seems to have issues," Rufus whispered.

By now, he was used to Cloris acting as she wished without any consideration for other people. Still, the desolation on Cassandra's eyes made him sorry for her. She still could not seem to let go of her sister.

"She's still too young to understand. I firmly believe that things will get better as she grows older,"

Cassandra said, more to herself than to Rufus. She tried hard to understand her sister, but deep down, she could not keep herself from being hurt by her indifference.

No sister could breathe easily with a sibling who openly hated her at all times, and Cassandra was no exception. The only thing she kept repeating to herself was that Cloris was still very young and that she

"You're my wife in name only, on paper only. My heart and love will never be yours."

Edward made it clear to Daisy that she was nothing to him. They were both victims of family greed -- the marriage was arranged for them.

Six years passed. She remained quiet, gaining a reputation in the army as a tough-as-nails colonel. When she walked into his life again, Edward fell in love with this woman...

d? Joel jumped at him and tackled.

Soon, both of them were on the ground. Joel managed to poke Adrian's eye while the latter kicked him on his knees. Noise echoed throughout the living room as the two men wrestled.

Inside her room, Ivy hurriedly changed into her clothes and went out.

"Stop it! Stop it!" she shouted to break them loose.

Hearing her, Joel and Adrian stopped fighting.

"How dare you fight under my roof! If you want to continue, get out of my house!"

she yelled as she pulled their hands away from each other.

"Adrian, you'd better get out of here! There is my home!" she shot at him.

And Adrian turned pale.

"Fine! I'm leaving! You'd better not ask me for help when you're in trouble again!" Adrian shouted.

Now, he was furious. This was already more than what he bargained for. He was not only insulted by Ivy, but also beaten up by Joel.

With bruises on his face, he stormed out the door as he cursed under his breath. It would take days for those to go away.

On a second thought, realizing how much money he had on his bank account reminded him that it was not such a bad day, after all.

After Adrian left, Joel turned to his sister and gave her an unblinking stare. Ivy shifted uncomfortably under her brother's disbelieving gaze. She started to sweat.

"What? Don't look at me like that, Joel," she murmured.

Filled with guilt, she could not get herself to look him in the eye.

"Why did Adrian come here? Did you ask him to come here? Don't you know that he can't be trusted?" Joel asked incredulously.

Never could he have expected that his sister would have anything to do with Adrian. He knew what she wanted. It was her dream to marry into a rich family.

"Do you seriously believe his bullshit? Anyway, now that you've seen how much of an asshole he is, I hope you'll know better by staying away from him!" she shot back.

Seeing Joel do dangerous acts made her feel uneasy, more so now than before. She wished that he would find better people to be around with. This would make her feel better. After all, he was her only family.

"What? We were born into this life. Why do we have to pretend to be good guys? Stop talking nonsense, Ivy, sheesh," Joel replied dismissively.