The Enchanted Night

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Cassandra was frozen inside and out, as though a bucket of icy water had been poured right over her head and chilled her to the bone.

Cloris's cutting words were like daggers to her heart, the pain spreading all through her body.

Rufus had been standing aside trying not to interfere in the sisterly fight. But as he saw Cloris get more and more defensive, he decided to step in.

"What do you mean, Cloris? What did Cassandra do to make you hate her so badly?" he asked, astonished at how quickly their argument had escalated.

Rufus had sensed that Cloris had been skirting around the real issue and he was curious to know what she was hiding.

But this was neither the time nor the place for Cloris to dive into it. After all, she wasn't about to destroy her reputation in front of so many strangers.

"You have no right to know!"

Cloris rolled her eyes, dismissing Rufus's incredulous questions.

"Then, who does have the right to know?"

Rufus persisted, his eyes fixed upon Cloris's stone-cold face.

"It doesn't matter. Not you, anyways," Cloris retorted.

She pushed him aside, dashing towards the door to the restaurant. Arthur hurried to pay the bill and rushed out after her.

Back in the restaurant, Cassandra was still standing in the same spot. Her hands were clenched into tight balls, her lips trembling slightly as she tried to hold back the tears.

She felt humiliated as she stood in the wake of her sister's insults. She felt like she might die right at this spot.

Sensing that things were only getting started, Joel tried to slowly remove himself from the situation but Rufus reached out his arm to stop him.

"Was it Lionel who got you out of jail?"

Rufus asked coldl

When her sister ran away from the wedding, Autumn was forced to marry Charles.

His name had been linked to innumerable ladies.

He had different girlfriends for every day of a year.

Autumn had never thought that she would fall in love with him.

in her thoughts, her sister's words still ringing in her ears. She was dumbstruck, totally confused as why all her efforts to help Cloris over the years had been in vain.

In this world, there were plenty of people who wouldn't think twice before treading all over your sincerity. Instead of showing gratitude to your kind acts, they would spit in your face with disdain. Over time, you'd slowly become numb as pieces of your heart slowly broke away.

"Stop thinking about that nonsense. It will do no good. You've admitted that Cloris is too young to understand, right?"

Rufus could read the anguish on Cassandra's face and wanted to comfort her.

"I'm worried about Courtney. How will she be able to recover if the two people that put her in such a state refuse to help her out of it? Every time I think about the anxiety plastered on Auntie Whitney's face, I can't breathe."

Cassandra's hands went to her chest, like she was losing her breath right there.

A light appeared in Rufus's eyes as an idea sprung into his mind.

He pulled Cassandra in towards him, her head resting on his chest, and gave her a kiss on her forehead.