Rufus and Amanda's earlier exchange came back to her. He sounded so gentle as he reassured her
over the phone.
Thoughts began to swirl inside her head. She had been in love with Rufus for so long, and at times, he
seemed to be so affectionate.
But it was not only to her. Both she and Amanda occupied a space in his heart.
The clock ticked rhythmically inside the office, the sound creeping thickly through the walls. Cassandra
closed her eyes against the piercing pain that came with every heartbeat. When a heart got tired, even
love became a burden.
"Amanda, why are you standing there in the cold?"
From afar, Rufus saw Amanda's figure in the doorway, her thin skirt fluttering against the wind.
She was sick, but she still stood in a draught.
Rufus pulled Amanda into the car and drove to the hospital.
"Where does it hurt? Is it your disease?" he asked.
When he found out about her condition, Rufus took it upon himself to learn more about the disease.
From what he found out, her condition couldn't be cured; even the latest medical advancements could
only control it.
Amanda nodded absentmindedly, her face blank.
"What's wrong? Are you in pain? Hold on. We'll be in the hospital soon."
Rufus felt himself toward Amanda's sorry state. She was lethargic and listless, like a dry leaf swaying in
the autumn wind. It was no use denying their history. She was the girl who made him know what love
felt like; although they had parted ways, they spent wonderful times together. He would always have a
certain fondness for her, and he felt sympathy pour out from him as she suffered severely from an
incurable illness.
"Rufus, if someone wants to hurt me, will you protect me?"
Amanda asked, turning her head to Rufus. Her sudden question caught him off-guard, her eyes boring
into his.
"Is someone threatening you? You have the protection of your father. No one in the world would dare
lay a finger on you," he answered.
Amanda dropped her gaze as a sad smile fell on her lips.
She deliberately left out her father's name, because there was something else she wanted to hear from
Rufus. Instead, she asked again, "How about you? Will you protect me?"
The hands that were folded on her lap were now twisting the fabric of her skirt, her knuckles white from
the tightness of her grasp.
"Of course. You're like a sister to me. I will protect you,"
Rufus comforted her as he felt waves of grief flow from her.
He let himself linger on the word 'sister, ' knowing full well what it would mean. He was putting distance
between them, so as not to lead her emotions.
This too was kindness. It was the only thing he could give her now that his heart belonged to another.
As Rufus put his attention back to driving, he didn't catch the subtle shifts in Amanda's expression. For
the past days, she had been uneasy, scared, and lost, but Rufus's words were like a finishing blow.
Still, she steeled herself and played along. "Can I call you 'brother' then?"
Amanda asked softly, turning to him again. His elegant profile was prominent even in the darkness of
the car. Her heart quickened as she took in the sight of him. At that moment, she could swear with
certainty that no one but he could make her heart beat like this.
"Sure."
In Rufus's mind, her calling him 'brother' was an unspoken agreement—Amanda wouldn't be trying to
go back to the time when they were lovers.
Little did he know that Amanda thought differently. The word put a distance between them, true, but it
was a necessary setback. There was more to the word 'brother' than met the ears. Even as it put
distance between them, it left no room for questions or excuses if she asked him to stay with her as
much as she wanted.
However, a thought suddenly appeared at the back of her mind. Amanda shivered at the image of the
man she saw in the hotel.
He appeared like a nightmare, a shadow with watchful eyes that followed her every movement. She
knew it was absurd, but she could not shake off the feeling that she was being watched.
Why did he come to this city? Shouldn't he be living an extravagant life, with wine and women to fill the
hours of his days?
Despite this, she had met him twice in G City.
Last time at a cocktail party, he had Arthur send a message, saying that he missed her very much. She
felt her throat lurch even with the sweetness of the words. The walls spun around her and she
struggled for air. The next thing she knew, she was at the hospital after a bout of hypoxia.
Her skin crawled at the memory.
With his hateful smile, he had demanded everything from her. Not even murder could shake his
composure. He could kill anyone whenever it would please him.
It was as if he had no semblance of morals. The only thing that made him decide was whether he
wanted something or not. He would get whatever he liked, whichever way necessary, and abandon
whatever he disliked.
He had even abandoned her like a piece of rubbish.
Up to this day, his words rang clear.
"What bad taste Rufus has for women," he sneered.
Then he swaggered off, never appearing in front of her again.
Amanda thought she had been freed for good, but now he came back to haunt her again.
The memory of the past descended like a dark fog that trapped Amanda. An old, familiar, dread knotted
her stomach. She could set her mind at ease only when Rufus was around.
Rufus returned to Tang Group and resumed his work like usual. He tried to contact Cassandra in his
spare time, but she came up with various reasons to ignore his messages and calls.
"Cassandra, what is it? What do you want?"
Cassandra's eyes lingered over the message on the screen, a cold smile on her lips.
'What do I want? I want nothing. I don't want to have anything to do with you any more, ' she answered
in her head.
She didn't want to reply, so she threw her phone aside, ignoring the multiple buzzes and vibrations.
She buried herself in reviewing the design draft submitted by the design department.
Since her relationship with Rufus was revealed to the public, she had been having fewer and fewer
clients.
Maybe Rufus was desperately trying to create an image for her, but the world was unforgiving. As a
woman, it dictated that it was immoral to divorce a man and then fall in love with his brother.
Her client list shortened as days went by, and Tang Group might suffer even more.
Cassandra was determined to break up with Rufus, even as she felt her chest constrict in his absence.
However, she didn't know what the effect would be to Tang Group. It was difficult to predict people's
attitudes, and there had always been a distinction between how the world viewed men and women.
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