She looked up and saw Lionel standing in front of her desk, smiling genuinely. She got really confused
and hurried to end the conversation.
"What are you doing here?"
Cassandra asked, quickly hanging up the call. She got up and kneaded the back of her waist. She had
been sitting for hours now, her body was going numb.
Seeing how tired she was, Lionel couldn't help but ask in concern, "Cassandra, isn't it more tiring to
work here than it was designing in Tang Group?"
It seemed like a casual question full of earnest concern. Cassandra only smiled at him, poured some
water in a glass and handed it to him.
"I put my heart and soul in whatever job I do. It doesn't matter which one is more tiring. As long as I am
passionate about my work, I can learn from every job and just get better,"
Cassandra said, not answering his question directly. She didn't want to answer it as she was no longer
'Manager Qin' in his design department now.
"Still...I think it's a shame you changed your job. You've learned architectural design abroad and
accomplished so much in the field. All of that for what? Now you've completely abandoned your career
as a designer!"
Lionel said, looking at Cassandra with a regretful look on his face. She didn't know how to respond to
something like that. Why was he saying any of this to her?
Didn't he know why she had to give up her job? It was all due to the agreement she had signed when
they got divorced.
He had blocked all her ways of staying in the industry. And now, he had the audacity of coming and
saying it was a shame? What did he want?
Cassandra didn't say a single word. Her silence made Lionel's heart beat faster. He kept trying to figure
what she was thinking but it only made him more anxious.
After a while, he snapped out of his thoughts and took a step forward. "Anyway, Cassandra, let me
show you a design. It's done by the current design department at Tang Group. What do you think of it?"
he said, laying the draft on her table.
He stood eyeing the drawing as Cassandra still tried to grasp what was happening. She looked back
and forth, alternating between him and the drawing. The draft was seriously castigated by the client
with a lot of red marks on it.
Finally, she took it in her own hands and started reading it closely. Soon, a frown appeared on her face.
"The design is aesthetically pleasing but not very practical. Architecture isn't all about making pretty
buildings, you know. A proposal has to have a proper methodology of construction, as well as how one
would incorporate the services,"
Cassandra said as she turned the cover to read the name of the client.
"Ah, he is an old client of the company. This design is definitely not gonna work for someone like him,"
She was very sure since she had worked with this client before. She knew he laid a lot of emphasis on
functionality in the building because of their previous interactions. No wonder he wasn't happy with
something as sculptural as what Lionel had brought.
"Yeah, you are right, Cassandra. He wasn't satisfied at all. In fact, you know what he said?" Cassandra
raised her eyebrows with curiosity. "He said he wanted you to design the project!"
Lionel hadn't expected Cassandra would find the problem right away. It seemed like the client knew she
would understand what he wanted, which was why he asked for her to design the project for him. She
really was something else.
"Are you serious? But that's impossible..." Cassandra said, shaking her head. "I am no longer a part of
Tang Group..."
She gave out a helpless smile, shrugging. Then she folded the drawing, kept it neatly in the file, and
handed it back to Lionel.
There was a time when she dreamt of becoming one of the best designers of the world. But there was
no chance for that dream to come true now. She didn't even know if she would ever go back to her
design career.
"Cassandra..." Lionel said, sighing, his eyes shut, "come back to Tang Group. It would be as if the
agreement never took place!"
His eyes sparkled with excitement as he imagined her back in the office. Then he noticed the look on
Cassandra's face, which only made him sure about how much she was craving to go back to being a
designer. It was her speciality after all.
"That's not going to happen,"
Cassandra refused without a second thought, in a determined tone.
"Lyndsy treats me very well and her career is just on the rise currently. She needs a responsible and
capable team to help her. I am convinced about staying in the studio. I will never go back to Tang
Group."
Cassandra was no fool. It didn't take her a lot of time to realise why Lionel had showed up out of the
blue. He never contacted her unless he needed help. This time, he had come asking her to join the
Tang Group. Sadly for him, she would never agree.
"Cassandra, you are a designer, and one of the best in the country at that! You must hate me for
forcing you to sign that stupid agreement. I agree that it put a stop to your career abruptly. But you
need to understand I was fooled by Ivy at the time. I was just so angry that I made the lawyer draw up
those harsh terms."
Seeing how confidently she had refused him, Lionel was quick to explain himself.
"I know I was seriously wrong. But I've realised how foolish I was. I was blinded by a deceitful woman! I
cannot thank you enough for not holding a grudge against me. The other day when you agreed to help
me to talk to Rufus, it made me feel even guiltier.
Cassandra, please give me a chance to prove I have changed. Please give me a chance to make up
for my mistakes."
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