Lines of concern were evidently shown on Charlie's face. He worriedly looked at his daughter, whose
face had contrarily brightened up with her eyes shining with excitement.
"What do you mean, Dad?" she asked in surprise. "You mean to imply there is a conflict between Rufus
and his father? And... And you predict it might get worse?" she asked inquiringly.
She didn't know much about Rufus. And she had no way of knowing things that he had chosen to hide
from her. Now that she thought of it, she recalled he had once reminded her that she should never
mention to anyone that he was the chairman of TY Group. She did as he said, but he seemed very
adamant hence she didn't have an opportunity to ask him further questions.
Back then, she tried to console herself thinking he said it only because he wanted to keep a low-profile.
But now it seemed like things weren't as simple as she had anticipated. 'Are they hiding a big secret
from me?' she wondered.
"My dear, you have always been my vulnerable princess. It is my duty to safeguard your pure soul from
this ugly world. There are certain things in life that are better left unknown and this fight is one of those
things,"
Charlie finished. He couldn't bring himself to explain to Amanda that Rufus was actually waiting to get
his revenge. To his fatherly eyes, those dark sides of human beings should be kept hidden from
Amanda, forever!
Hearing all this, Amanda secretly pondered for a while. And then she decided to pretend like a good girl
before her father. The best thing to do would be to act like she didn't care.
"Oh, if you say so, Dad. Don't worry, I won't contact Rufus anytime soon. I will let him deal with his
business for the moment. Is that alright?"
Amanda asked and feigned an innocent face. This filled Charlie's heart with relief.
"Yes, that's my good girl. Now you need to focus on your school. Give your hundred percent in its
preparation. And don't forget to take care of yourself. I want nothing more than this, my dear!" Charlie
said while patting Amanda on the shoulder.
Amanda had always been the apple of his eye. Seeing her in a distressed state always filled him with
sorrow.
Her mother had died when she was still young hence Charlie felt obliged to become both the mother
and father of this only child. Due to this, he was willing to give up everything to make sure nothing
horrible would befall her.
What he failed to notice were traces of evil flashing in his daughter's eyes. It made her look more like a
cunning woman rather than the pure little girl he had known.
'If Rufus's relationship with his father is strained then wouldn't it be great if I gave Horace a hard time?
Rufus would definitely be pleased!'
Amanda thought to herself, grinning secretly.
"Cassandra, your sister has called me today saying that she misses me very much. It so happens that I
have finished taping the program for this season. Luckily, our station is planning to have a tour abroad.
Hence I am considering about staying abroad for a while. It would be nice to spend some time with
her!"
Cassandra had just arrived home and Edith decided to bombard her with this piece of information.
While speaking, Edith feigned a smile. But deep down, she had mixed feelings about this matter. On
one hand, she was glad that she could finally see Cloris again; on the other, she became anxious every
time she thought about Cloris living alone. After all, Cloris had always been their pet. She never had to
do anything on her own.
Cassandra, however, was a little taken aback by Edith's words. She stood frozen for a moment. But
soon enough, she realized that it might be Rufus's arrangement.
It could be part of his plan to get Edith out of their way. He was smart enough to know that Edith would
be more than willing to visit her little girl. 'What an excellent idea to kill two birds with one stone, '
thought Cassandra.
"That sounds great! I'll help you prepare for it then. Have you already got your passport ready?"
Cassandra replied, smiling happily. It was a great relief to see that Edith had seemed to fully recover
now.
"Of course! I have spent the whole day packing. I will set off in a few days, so I need to hurry up, you
know. I will definitely need your help,"
Edith answered excitedly. She couldn't wait to see her younger daughter, and it was only a few days
before she could stay with her again. But her conscience squirmed slightly while she realized she had
to leave Cassandra behind for the sake of Cloris. There was a sudden shift of emotion in her face.
"Cassandra," she paused for a while before she continued, "I know that you and your sister didn't get
along well. You two are not at fault. It is your father and I who need to be blamed for this. If we hadn't
favored her since childhood, she wouldn't have been so self-centered and bad-tempered." Edith
paused and let out a heavy sigh. "But whatever happened, you're her elder sister. You will be each
other's closest companion when your father and I leave this world. Believe me, you will realize then that
it's a blessing to have a sibling,"
she said with sincerity, reaching out for Cassandra's hand.
"I know, Mom. Don't worry," Cassandra comforted while holding her hands. "Nothing serious happened
between us, and our relationship has improved a lot lately. There might have been some
misunderstanding, but we have sorted it out. She's my sister and I have never stopped loving her. I will
do my best to take good care of her in the future, I promise."
Cassandra hastened to put Edith's mind at rest. Every word she had uttered was true. She didn't resent
Cloris. According to her, Cloris was still a child who could act a bit impulsively at times. And the fact
that she had been spoiled might have added to her arrogance. However, she firmly believed her little
sister would evolve and mature gradually as she grew up.
"I'm so glad and relieved to hear that. Now I just hope that your father can be released as soon as
possible. Once that happens, we can lead a happy life as a family." Edith let out a dreamy smile. "Also,
I pray that you find your Mr. right soon enough. That will put our mind at rest!" she added.
Edith couldn't help but lament when recalled how they had sold Cassandra to the Tang family.
Cassandra was compelled to marry a man she didn't love at all. Sadly, it all came to nothing in the end.
"Don't trouble yourself with such thoughts. Right now your priority is this trip. I'll go shopping with you
tomorrow. We will make sure you are packed with everything you need. Just think about the happy
hours you are going to spend with Cloris. And please, don't worry about me. You are free to stay there
as long as you like!"
Cassandra changed the topic instantly. She wanted to prevent Edith from continuing further. Otherwise,
the worrying mother was bound to nag about her relationship with Clark.
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