As Rufus drew closer to her, Cassandra's heartbeat began to race.
"What...d-do you mean..by that?" she asked, stuttering a little.
The air was filled with an impending doom. Cassandra could feel perspiration forming on her forehead.
Watching her uneasiness, a sinister smile crept up on Rufus's lips. If someone witnessed him in this
expression, he or she would have believed he was a Satan from the hell.
"Since you've doubted my good intention, I think it's time for me to show you my atrocious side."
His malicious smile conveyed that he was about to lure her soul out. His eyes reeked with cruelty which
Cassandra had never seen before.
Suddenly, Rufus flung the bouquet of roses disdainfully aside. Without any second thought, he
callously stomped on the flowers lying on the ground. His brutal contact led the flowers and the stems
to break apart. White fluid oozed out of it. To Cassandra, it seemed akin to a sacrificial offering.
"Rufus, just stop!" she groaned.
Her body started to quiver. In such a tiny apartment, she knew she didn't have a place to hide.
Wrath was roaring from his heart while fire was gleaming in his eyes. If this fire were real, it could have
burnt down the whole place in a matter of seconds.
Cassandra winced each time she looked into his eyes. Haltingly, she began to retreat. If he were his
normal self, he would certainly have felt sorry for his love.
But today, he was engulfed by immense jealousy which, as a consequence, blinded his eyes. Rufus
was oblivious to the fear on Cassandra's face.
When she realized he was getting closer, Cassandra began throwing random things at him. She hauled
whatever that was within her reach—pillow, alarm clock, as well as other miscellaneous items in the
living room. However, Rufus dexterously dodged her attack. His strong body continued to advance
towards her.
"You…Stop! If you don't then I'll call...the police!" Cassandra spat out her feeble warning.
It wasn't just her body, even her voice was trembling. She dashed behind the couch to escape from the
man's hunt. It was as if they were playing the game of The Eagle Catches the Chickens.' The eyes of
the eagle turned sharp and grim. Watching her futile attempts at escape, Rufus became even more
determined. While the chicken, Cassandra, was quivering in horror.
"You want to call the police? Go ahead and do it. Do you need my help? Shall I call the head of the
police station as well?" Rufus offered sarcastically.
He was nonchalant to her threats. Any attempts to resist him would do her no good. If anything, it
would only ignite the fire on him which was already roaring.
Terrified, Cassandra was prepared to dial the police using her trembling fingers. Seeing her boldness, a
sharp light flashed across his eyes. Before she realized it, he lurched forward and grabbed the phone
from her hands. As she was registering the situation, he hurled it away.
Cassandra was horrified. 'Just a moment ago, he was at the other side of the sofa. How did he manage
to reach here in a blink of an eye?
He is so agile! There is no way I can escape him!' Cassandra thought with misery.
"Woman, I see that you take pleasure in challenging me."
The wicked smile once again surfaced on his face.
Cassandra used her pale hands to cover her face. With the phone out of their way, he was coming for
her.
She felt her body being engulfed with his arms. Effortlessly, he carried her straight into the bedroom.
Cassandra felt like she was about to blank out. He forcefully threw her onto the bed and her mind
finally registered what he was about to do. Before she could stop him, she found him flopped on top of
her body.
His hands gently trailed on her soft face. This genial touch filled her with some relief and she opened
her eyes. That was when she noticed that the fiery look in his eyes still persisted.
"You need to know you are just mine. From this moment onwards, you don't have the permission to
hang out or keep any sort of connection with other men!"
Rufus spat out in a dominating voice.
"Rufus, you have to let me go. You have no right to force me into anything. And if you dare to do
anything against my will, I will never forgive you!" she retorted back.
In spite of his strength, Cassandra wasn't willing to give up. She writhed and struggled under his power.
Using all her might, she attempted to push him off her body. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't
break free from his control.
"You don't' want it? Are you sure you don't want it?"
he questioned with a haughty smile. He had spent a great deal of time with Cassandra hence he was
fully aware where her weakness lay. This made him well adept with tackling her.
Upon hearing his words, Cassandra trembled and Rufus felt it too. Watching this, he let out a naughty
smile which celebrated his victory.
"Stop fighting and be docile. Otherwise you will suffer."
When he spoke this time, Cassandra once again detected some gentleness. Yet she was doubtful
whether she had imagined it. His eyes squinted as he looked at the little woman beneath.
Their eyes locked for a second and she started to believe he didn't intend to harm her. Slowly, she
abandoned the fight and let him do as he pleased. With a smile, he went on to enjoy his feast. While he
savored her, she felt like she was floating in the sky. His embrace was strong and tight. It seemed like
they were in this position for a century.
The chasing and the screaming had drained all the energy out of Cassandra's body. She fell asleep
with her hands wrapped around his muscular body. Rufus gazed at the woman sleeping peacefully
beside him. He gingerly removed her hands off his body and covered her exposed body with a blanket.
'I could watch her all day, ' Rufus thought. Earlier he had been hard on her. Now his eyes contained
nothing but warmth. He relished and scanned every detail of her face.
'Cassandra, you look like an angel from heaven when you are sleeping. But sometimes your actions
make me believe otherwise. Why do you do this to me? You torture me with your actions. Why do you
take gratification in ripping my heart open?
How I wish that you would be more obedient! I hate being a devil in front of you, but you leave me no
choice. Please don't go against me all the time, ' Rufus hoped beseechingly from within.
He had to admit that her stubbornness was something that attracted him. Her brave and challenging
words fascinated him a great deal. Yet sometimes it went out of control and stole his peace of mind.
Not wanting to disturb her, Rufus quietly left the bedroom. Once he was outside, his eyes fell on the
roses that were lying scattered on the floor. Guilt consumed him and he regretted his earlier actions. He
squatted down to inspect them. Prudently, he set aside the ruined ones and handpicked the good ones.
Meticulously, he placed them on the side table.
Right after he returned from overseas, he rushed to find Cassandra. This trip made him realize how
hard it was to live without her. To make their union more memorable, he had ordered the best roses he
could find. All his excitement was shattered when he caught Dylon with her in the room. The sight of
another man stimulated his fury. He lost his sanity and claimed ownership over her by forcing her into a
sexual intercourse.
Now that he was back to his senses, Rufus felt ashamed of his impulsiveness. As a way of making
amends, he took care of the flowers he had indignantly shattered. Gradually, the aroma of the roses
permeated the room, creating an atmosphere that would easily evoke the most romantic memories.
Unconsciously, Rufus was affected by the smell and had the urge to wake Cassandra up.
A sudden desire to kiss awake the Sleeping Beauty and enjoy her body was once again stimulated. But
the sight of her sleeping in the most tranquil manner dissipated this yearning.
Just as Rufus set down the roses on the bedside table, his phone vibrated. He looked at it and realized
it was Amanda's call. He had no desire to talk to her, so he set the phone to silent mode. All he wanted
to do tonight was to spend time with Cassandra. They had enough fights and misunderstandings in
their relationship. He didn't wish to do anything that would deteriorate the situation.
He knew it was partially his fault too. A healthy relationship wouldn't be possible with concealment. If
he had made things clear to Cassandra in the very beginning, they could have saved a lot of problems.
The presence of Amanda seemed to have a great impact on their relationship. 'I really need to discuss
about this with Cassandra, ' he thought with determination.
He peeked at the phone once again and realized Amanda hadn't given up. She was still calling,
nonstop. A little annoyed with her persistence, Rufus decided switching the phone off would put it to a
full stop.
Just when he was about to push the switch off button, a message popped on his screen.
It stated, "Rufus, would it be possible for you to come to the hospital? I am diagnosed with a rare
disease. And I want to see you."
The message was short, but it was enough to send shocks through his body.
'A rare disease? What could this rare disease be?' he wondered in bewilderment.
Even though he had no feelings for Amanda, he still didn't wish her ill. In fact, he wanted her to live a
happy life. Knowing that something was wrong with her right now, he didn't have the heart to leave her
alone.
He glanced at Cassandra who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Taking a deep breath, he
straightened his clothes and walked out of the room.
As soon as the door shut, Cassandra opened her eyes. She sat up on the bed and stared blankly at the
door in front of her.
She had dozed off for a few minutes, but the second Rufus left the room, she woke up. After this, she
found it hard to go back to sleep. The sound of him tidying up the roses brought a smile on her face.
Rufus returned a while later; she could tell even with closed eyes that he had brought in the roses by
the flagrance of the flowers.
Just when she thought everything was going to be alright, he left her. She had heard it all—the
constant phone call and the sound of the message.
Her hope faded and all she could feel was the sound of her heart sinking.
'Rufus, how can I trust you? Every time I put my faith in you, you give me a reason to distrust you. A
call from another woman is enough for you to abandon me, over and over again, ' her mind howled in
fury.
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