Cassandra's eyes were wide open, astonishment covering her face.
Fireworks lit up the sky in a dazzling array of pattern after pattern.
Some were green, the sparks raining down like a meteor shower.
Some were purple, glowing like smiling faces.
Some were gold, blossoming out like wild flowers.
And then there were the red, holding their shapes in burning hearts as the entire sky was painted bright
with the color of romance.
As each explosion lit up the sky and scattered like falling flower pedals, the dark night shone as bright
as day. Cassandra was enchanted.
She couldn't keep her eyes from the sky. Her astonishment slowly turned into jubilation and she
couldn't wipe the smile off her face.
The burst of each firework reflected in her eyes and Rufus gazed as each color lit up her shining eyes.
"Like it?"
His voice was so soft and warm that even with two simple words, Cassandra could feel her knees
buckle.
"A lot! It's so beautiful. Thank you."
She felt her voice choke, her eyes starting to well up a little bit as the gratitude spilled out of her.
Rufus smiled, instinctively leaning over and leaving a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I'm glad you like it."
He'd shipped the entire set of fireworks equipment along with all the fireworks from overseas but had
thought little of the cost. All he could think of was making sure Cassandra liked it.
For Cassandra, the fireworks painted the most picturesque scene into the night sky. But for Rufus, the
real beauty was in her eyes.
In her pure eyes, the fireworks bloomed. These were the clearest eyes he'd ever seen in his entire life.
As the fireworks faded into the night sky and the sounds of the explosions slowly drifted away, a sense
of peace fell over their night.
Rufus removed his hands from covering Cassandra's ears, making their way down to cup her cheeks.
He gently lifted her face, his eyes never wavering from hers, full to the brim with love.
"So, how are you going to thank me, huh?" he asked, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face.
His hands felt as hot as magma but his movements were soft as a feather; as if he was handling an
invaluable piece of treasure.
His fiery eyes seemed to burn through her and Cassandra couldn't help but feel a little unsettled. She
could never really behave calmly in front of him, especially when he spoke with such an irresistible tone
and looked at her with such passion in his eyes. She felt as though she might fall down at any time,
melting into a pool of liquid at his feet.
"Rufus, I... I… How do you want me to thank you?" she stammered with a bashful look.
This was nothing like her normal, articulate self. Within seconds, she'd been transformed into this shy,
stammering girl. The last few words came out as soft as a murmur, barely audible if he had not been so
close to her.
A wicked smile crept across his face and just like that, his lips were pressed fiercely against hers.
He closed his eyes, relishing the taste of this woman. A feeling of contentment filled his body.
Cassandra, on the other hand, was caught off-guard by the impromptu kiss. Her eyes stayed wide
open in disbelief, and she could see nothing but the thick eyelashes of this man.
Though he kept his eyes closed, he could feel that her mind was elsewhere from the kiss so he
naughtily bit her lip.
"I don't have anything to eat so if your mind continues to wander, I'll have to have a taste of you
instead," he threatened playfully.
Cassandra instantly closed her eyes.
She had really eaten nothing when she was waiting for Rufus. Her stomach had been crying for food.
Before he could finish 'tasting' her, she would probably faint due to hunger.
Cassandra couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed by his brash suggestion and she didn't dare to
move as far as her body was begging, afraid he might push it too far. So she stayed how she was,
wrapped up in the kiss until her entire body became so soft that she had to lean into his arms to keep
herself from falling.
Time passed in silence. After what felt like a century, Rufus pulled away unwillingly from her seducing
lips. It was only then that he opened his eyes to gaze upon her pink cheeks and twinkling eyes.
Suddenly, a round of firecrackers exploded just outside the window. Just as one stopped, another went
off as families set off their crackers in celebration of the Lunar New Year.
It slowly dawned on Cassandra. If these families were starting to set off their firecrackers, it must have
passed midnight. And tonight, it meant the 15-day long Spring Festival had come to an end.
"I'm glad I got to spend my birthday with you,"
Rufus said. Cassandra was taken aback by his abrupt confession.
"What? Your birthday is right on the fifteenth day of the first month? Why didn't you tell me?"
Cassandra exclaimed.
She was upset that his birthday had slipped right under her nose.
She hadn't gotten him any present and worse, it was he that had gifted her the wonderful display of
fireworks. Surely, this was backwards.
"What do you want for your birthday? Let me treat you, okay?"
Cassandra looked up at him, the look of frustration and wonder mixing across her face. He felt a little
amused.
"There's no need for that. You are my gift," he said, cupping her face affectionately.
And he meant it. Cassandra was indeed the best gift he had ever received and nothing else could
compare with how important she was to his life.
"No, I've got to get you something," she insisted.
She was turning obstinate, embarrassed at her own carelessness for overlooking this occasion.
When it was her birthday, Rufus had organized a wonderful surprise for her and yet now on his
birthday, it was her again that had received the surprise. He had been so thoughtful and meticulous
both times and here she was, not even knowing it was his birthday. She blamed herself.
A sense of love and pity filled him. 'She is as stubborn as she has always been, ' he thought.
In truth, he didn't care much about celebrating his birthday. Even his father, Horace barely paid
attention to the day so he could barely expect Cassandra to.
"I thought you already got me a birthday present. What about our dinner tonight?"
Rufus asked as he pushed the stray strands of her hair off her face, hoping to distract her from her
frustration by changing the topic.
The little trick worked as her eyes immediately lit up.
"Yes, I got the recipe from someone else. Come and try it," she exclaimed in excitement.
Cassandra grabbed his hand, pulling him down the stairs to the dining room. This newfound excitement
casting out any frustration from before.
She sat him down at the table, laying out a table cloth in front of him and setting out the tableware.
Then she ran into the kitchen to prepare the tea stew chicken she had cooked earlier that night.
Cassandra removed the lid of the pot, the fragrance of tea and chicken filling the room, making her
stomach growl.
Rufus couldn't help but smile. As she sat the chicken in front of him, he picked up his fork to cut up a
small piece of the chicken and put it in his mouth, savoring it slowly.
"Well, this is great. If becoming an architect doesn't work out for you, you should definitely consider
becoming a chef," he said with delight.
He wanted to make sure she felt complimented for her cooking skills, in an attempt to pacify her regret
for not knowing it was his birthday.
Cassandra seemed to buy it. Her smile was so wide across her face and her eyes started to squint as
she ran in and out of the kitchen to serve the other dishes she had been cooking up that day. They
enjoyed her lovingly-prepared dinner but more importantly, each other's company.
Outside the Garden Villa parked a red sports car. A woman sat in her car, her eyes filled with the blood
red streaks of fury. She was struggling to keep the tears of rage from streaming down her face.
As she watched the fireworks light up the sky, Amanda spotted the unmistakable silhouette of two
figures, entangled in an embrace through the window. The sight failed to light up the heart of Amanda.
She couldn't bare the embarrassment she'd felt since the show.
She had even asked someone to buy a birthday cake so that she could surprise him when he went up
on stage. But how was she to know that the person who came up to accept the offer wasn't Rufus, but
Lionel instead?
Nevertheless, she managed to force a polite smile and complete the signing of the contract. When the
curtain fell, she had rushed to backstage to change her clothes as soon as possible but the only man
she was looking for had already gone.
She followed him to his house in the hope of still giving him his present. But it was too late now. It
seemed he already had the best present right next to him. Amanda looked down at the birthday cake
and the nicely wrapped gift box she was clutching. She felt like a joke.
She threw the gift box down, a ceramic unicorn inside rolling out.
The horn of the unicorn crashed onto the floor below the seat, the figure cracking with as much ferocity
as the breaking of her heart.
Amanda was used to having all her wishes come true. But this was the one that evaded her. She had
tried and failed so many times with Rufus. She had spent hours crying over him, hurting over him,
confronting her father for him. Even more, she had thrown the opportunity to perform overseas away
just to come here, to his city.
'I did all this for you, Rufus, ' she lamented.
'You know that. You know my heart is with you. But you've trampled over it again and again.
When you heard that Cassandra was gone, you pulled me out and asked Victor to take care of me as
you rushed off to find her. This time, you drove off immediately after the concert, again just for her. You
couldn't even stay for just one second for me. And here you are, enjoying the fireworks with her.
Where did you learn this romance from? When we were together, you were as dumb as a stone. You
didn't even dare come close to me. Anytime I wanted to touch you, you instinctively moved away,
keeping a safe distance between us. Was it because you were afraid? Was it because you'd been hurt
by a loved one before? I've tried so hard to be close to you...
But what about now? What changed? You hold her in your embrace. You kiss her. You look at her with
such burning desire as if you are going to melt her!'
Amanda couldn't contain her overwhelming sorrow any longer. She grovelled on her steering wheel, a
wail of grief escaping from her lips.
'What's so good about Cassandra anyways? She was married to someone before! She flirted with
other men when she still had a husband waiting for her back home. Why would you choose her,
Rufus?' Jealousy roared inside of her.
But her undeniable pride held the tears in her eyes.
'No, stop it, Amanda. Are you going to give up now?' she berated herself. 'How can you give up!'
She had never got over the mistake she made last time. And this time, she was determined to get what
she wanted, no matter the cost.
'I want Rufus back at my side. I want Rufus to only have eyes for me.
I am the only one who truly loves him, ' she thought, with newfound conviction.
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