The Enchanted Night

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"Mom, I'm sure Mr. Ji has many girls lining up to be with him. Don't worry about it."

Cassandra refilled Edith's bowl with some food and gestured at her with her eyes to drop the topic of conversation.

Cassandra blushed red with embarrassment. She was afraid that her mother was coming on too strong with her intrusive questions, leaving very little to the imagination. Edith was being so blunt that she might as well have announced that she wanted them to get together.

However, Cassandra didn't have feelings for Clark. She felt like she was being forced into a marriage yet again.

Cassandra's blush seared through her cheeks and for a minute she thought her face was on fire. She suddenly felt awkward, demure, and coy, and even went as far as attempting to hide her rosy features behind her slim fingers, when Clark threw a meaningful look at her.

"I like girls who are independent and filial to their elders."

Clark's requirements were not very high. At least that was what Edith thought and she could further confirm that Cassandra was exactly the right type of girl for him.

"Filial piety is the most important of all virtues. Cassandra loves and respects us very much. When the Qin Group had fallen on hard times, she fought for a way out single-handedly. Alas, I couldn't do anything to help her given my poor health. In the end, she had suffered bitterly…"

Edith lowered her eyes, her face full of pain. Cassandra held her hands and stopped her from going on talking, "Mom, it's all over. Our life is better now, isn't it? I used to be so busy all the time that I only got to see you once a month, but now I have so much time to spend with you after work."

Cassandra felt awkward when Edith mentioned the Qin Group to

“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...

nstincts told him that Cassandra was not too far away from him.

But that feeling was fleeting and soon it was gone, not be found anywhere.

Stars lit the sky like snow-flakes in the night, yet appeared still, like an old photograph. He took a drag on his cigarette, feeling the wind blow his hair into a tousled mane. He felt so empty in this vast house without Cassandra.

Rufus tilted his head and glanced over at the warm light coming from the villa next door, from which he heard sounds of laughter.

He tried to remember what it was like to have a home that didn't feel so cold like the one he was living in right now.

Once upon a time, there were happy laughter and cheerful voices that echoed through the halls of this house. When he and Cassandra had dinner together, he felt like he had everything in the world he could ever ask for. Now, he couldn't bear to spend another second with Amanda without looking for an excuse to get out.

The smoke he slowly blew out drifted into the wind, turning into nothingness. Soon after, dropping his half burned cigarette to the ground and squashing it beneath his foot, he walked back inside reluctantly.