Now it was clear as day why Clark was raging with hostility when it came to Rufus. They were rivals in
business, but most of all, Cassandra was caught dead in the middle of it all. She even had plans to stay
close with Clark as an undercover agent for Rufus. If everything Lyndsy said was true, it could mean
that he was just using her to bring down Clark in their business competition.
An innumerable number of weird ideas began to float in Cassandra's head, which was giving her a
headache.
"Stella, let me bring Cassandra home first. I think we'll both agree that she's not in a condition to be
enjoying hotspot right now."
Lyndsy was under so much distress, feeling sorry for Cassandra. When she noticed that Cassandra
was completely out of it, she came to the realization that she never should have told her anything about
it for her own good.
But Lyndsy's remarks somehow helped Cassandra pull herself together. Resting one hand on the table,
she faked out a smile.
"I… I'll be just fine. We shouldn't keep the hotpot waiting. Come on, let's eat."
Cassandra wasn't aware how strong she really was, at least not before being hit so hard.
The truth was that she wasn't in the mood to eat, but she knew she had to snap out of it.
Lyndsy and Stella had some fun light-hearted conversations as they ate the hotpot. They got along
quite well after finding out that they shared the same interests. Lyndsy was more than happy to invite
Stella over to work in her studio.
Everything appeared to be going along quite well, however, it was actually far from the truth.
Cassandra's thoughts had actually drifted into a distant space. She put a spoonful of chopped green
onion into her mouth, but it wasn't enough to faze her at all. In fact, a long period of time had actually
passed and she still didn't realize what she had done.
When they were done having dinner, Stella and Lyndsy brought Cassandra back to the Garden Villa.
She chanced upon Clark who had just come out of the entrance to the courtyard.
His height, well-built physique and handsome face wouldn't pale in comparison to Lyndsy's male actor
friends.
"Thank you for accompanying Cassandra on her way back. I appreciate it."
Clark walked closer to them and gently wrapped his arm around Cassandra's shoulders.
In spite of that, Cassandra was still so down in the dumps, so she couldn't care less about whatever
Clark did to her.
Lyndsy and Stella couldn't help but sigh as they silently watched Clark and Cassandra.
Clark was indeed a fine man, kind and understanding; sadly, Cassandra didn't have any feelings for
him whatsoever. She only had eyes for Rufus.
Waving Lyndsy and Stella goodbye, Clark slowly headed toward the courtyard, with his arm still
wrapped around Cassandra's shoulders.
"Cassandra, your mother mentioned how you've been getting yourself quite busy with work these past
few days. Do you usually come back at this hour every day?"
Clark tried striking up a conversation, with a worried expression sprawled onto his face.
"Not really. It's just that I went out for dinner with my friends after work today."
Cassandra wasn't really up for answering any questions. Her thoughts were scattered all over the
place. From the moment she found out about the cold hard truth during dinner, her stomach had been
turning nonstop.
"Your mother is worried sick about you. As soon as I got back to the villa, she updated me on how
things were going with you. And right now, I can tell that there's something that's been bothering you."
Clark was informed by Edith how Cassandra had been shutting herself in her bedroom more often
upon returning home from work. Edith was afraid that if there was something eating away at
Cassandra; it would be bad for her health if she didn't open up about it to anyone.
That was what Clark heard. However, no one had any idea that Rufus had been climbing to her window
so that he could meet her in secret. That was actually the reason why she had been keeping her door
locked.
"You're wrong. My mother is just being so paranoid."
Looking so worn out and feeling so down, Cassandra didn't have any strength left to argue with Clark.
"By the way, have you finished the jar of honey I brought you? You finally got your voice back."
A dubious smile crept onto Clark's face. Truth be told, he actually got a bit startled when he checked
the kitchen and the jar of honey was nowhere to be found.
Right now as they were talking, Cassandra's voice was as beautiful as it had been. So, Clark was
apprehensive, scared that she might've discovered something while he was gone.
"Yeah. I've already finished all of it. You still weren't back home yet when I used it all up. I got rid of my
sore throat after about ten days."
Cassandra tried her best to keep a straight face. There was no way she could ever let Clark notice that
something was amiss.
"If it's alright with you, would it be okay if I ask for more? I actually get fond of its taste."
A soft smile wandered across Cassandra's lips and left just as soon as it came.
"Sure thing. That won't be a problem. I'll go ahead and ask my friend to bring you some more of that
next time."
Clark's eyes lit up from what Cassandra just said. After all, it was actually the first time she had ever
requested anything from him.
Could this also mean that Cassandra was beginning to open up to him?
At the thought of that, Clark broke into a childish grin and asked her, "I already asked your mother to go
to bed. I told her I'd just be the one to wait for you to come home instead. What do you say we go for a
walk in the garden to help ease the digestion?"
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