Chapter 27 Are You Missing Me


    There was a dull sting on the hand that Cassandra had just put down. It was expected, as she put all of


    her strength in that one p, making sure that her retaliation would mark its way into his skin. Lionel


    was ring at Cassandra, and their heated gazes met. He could feel his skin warm with irritation.


    It was not the first time she hit him. He resisted the urge to bring a hand to his cheek to provide some


    relief for the biting pain on his skin. It would definitely leave a mark, but he refused to allow her the


    pleasure of seeing him affected by it.


    ced at the center of his silent but evident fury, Cassandra began to feel uneasy, her earlier grit


    wavering. "You insulted me first. I just returned the favor," she said, trying to modte her voice to keep


    it from shaking.


    She could sense his anger. It seemed to rise and thicken the air around them. She took a few steps


    back to create a distance between them. Lionel''s eyes did not leave her even as he remained in stoic


    silence. ''Did I overreact?'' Cassandra wondered to herself.


    "Cas-san-dra Qin,"


    he finally spoke, pronouncing her name syble by syble, as if taking each syble in his mouth and


    crushing it, then walked towards her step by step. He moved forward; she retreated. It was a slow


    chase as the distance between then gradually shortened. Cassandra could feel fear upy the


    crevices in her chest.


    Her hands grew cold as they touched the wall behind her - she had no more space to back up to.


    Cassandra had nowhere left to run. She raised her head in defiance, clenching her fists at her side and


    meeting his eyes. Her heart was hammering in her chest, awaiting his next move. ''I have hit him


    anyway. Nothing can change this fact. There''s no use worrying, I''ll see what he will do, '' she thought to


    herself.


    Lionel towered over her and bent his head. "No woman has ever dared hit me. And you have already


    done it twice," he hissed. "Are you sure you''re ready for the consequences?" He was leaning forward


    so close that she could feel his breath on her skin.


    He wore a brutal expression. The coldness of his eyes as he looked down on her rivaled that of a


    winter storm, and Cassandra could almost feel herself freeze under his gaze. She was petrified, unable


    to move. Fear was gripping her heart, squeezing it with cold, mmy hands.


    Despite this, she did not avert her gaze and challenged, "I can''t change the fact that I pped you. It''s


    already done. If you feel that it''s unfair, you can hit me back. If you''re a man then act like one. I''m not


    like those who would use despicable moves to frame others."


    It was the only thing Cassandra could think of to make things even. She did not expect any


    graciousness from him. She raised her face, as if preparing herself for what was toe, and her eyes


    met his with all the audacity she could muster.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "You think I''m not going to do it?" he threatened her back.


    His anger rose to uncontroble heights. The nerve of this woman! He had never hit a woman before


    nor thought about doing it - he was better than those lowlifes who would raise their hands against


    women - but his patience was sorely tried by this one particr woman in front of him.


    "Then do it. If that would make you feel that we''re even. But please, consider your actions better in the


    future. Even if it''s just on paper, I am still your wife in name. Are you that eager to see me getting into a


    rtionship with another man? Aren''t you ashamed of yourself?"


    Cassandra hurled her anger at him without holding back. Lionel was baffled by her words. ''What the


    hell was she talking about?'' But before he could question her, she started throwing an onught of


    questions which allowed him no chance of speaking.


    "I know you hate me. Do you think I wanted this? If not for my own family, do you think I would have


    married you? I don''t care what you want to do. I won''t bother your life, but can''t you at least leave me


    alone when we''re at thepany?" She was breathing hard, and tears were running down her cheeks


    as more words fled from her lips. "I won''t even ask you to treat me well, but don''t you think that it was


    too much to try to drug me?"


    Thest question sounded pitiful, even to her own ears, but Cassandra could not stop the anguish that


    was boiling inside her chest. It was just wrong. She did not even think he was capable of that.


    If not for Rufus, there was no telling what sort of scandal would have ensued. ''Was he that bent on


    destroying her?''


    "What the hell are you talking about?" Lionel snapped, cutting her off from her thoughts.


    He put a finger under her chin and forced her to hold his gaze.


    At this, she gave out a bitterugh. Now he was refusing the responsibility. "What? Mr. Tang, I didn''t


    know you had such a bad memory?! What a pity, right? Sadly, your n fell through. Were you


    expecting me to end up at the hospital with a bottle of champagne so you can celebrate? Too bad."


    Herugh was a scathing sound in the room. Her tears still streaming, she heaved, trying to catch her


    breath as the reality that she was alone dawned on her. She was barely keeping herself upright on her


    own two feet. ''What have I done wrong exactly?''


    "Cassandra Qin, what exactly are you talking about?"


    Lionel grew more and more perplexed with every passing second. He had absolutely no idea what she


    was talking about.


    He had spent his night with Ivy, so it was just impossible for him to have done anything to her. He was


    callous, true. But she should have been used to that by now.


    Lionel felt himself being pushed back and he disentangled himself from his thoughts. "Get off me,"


    Cassandra spat. "You disgust me."


    Cassandra already knew that he had hated her from the beginning, but everything that happened was


    a low blow. She tried to be as civil as she could, despite his attitude towards her, but if this was how he


    wanted things then she was prepared to return every favor. Grabbing her things and turning around,


    she hastened to leave, not wanting to even be in the same space with this despicable man.


    But before she could get to the door, Lionel had moved to block her. "Tell me clearly what did you


    mean," he demanded.


    He was not letting her go without getting to the bottom of this, and he would make her tell him.


    Cassandra wiped a hand harshly on her cheeks to dry her tears. Then, she met Lionel''s eyes, the fire


    of her rage burning.


    "Last night, the assistant you assigned to me drugged my drink. I lost consciousness and my sexual


    desire was heightened. He put a mini camera in the office. You should know the rest of the story," she


    said usingly. "If you want a divorce, then please talk to your father. If he agrees, I certainly won''t say


    no. I won''t hold you back. In fact, it would be a blessing to be free from all this. You think I like you? You


    think that I want to marry you? You absolutely disgust me!" she screamed at him.


    Her eyes were aze with wrath and resentment. She had enough of everything, and she would let


    him know now.


    Lionel''s face turned thoughtful.


    But before he could speak, Cassandra shoved him aside furiously and walked out of the room.


    Lionel was left inside, alone and nonplussed. He scrunched his eyebrows as he tried to make sense of


    what she had just told her, the words bouncing off repeatedly in his mind:


    "If not for my own family, do you think I would have married you...


    You think I like you... You absolutely disgust me...


    If you want a divorce, then please talk to your father...Don''t you think that it was too much to try to drug


    me?"


    Her face appeared back into his mind. She looked tired, defeated. Lionel felt his chest tighten as an


    unfamiliar feeling came to him. He hated this woman, so why did what she said matter? It unsettled him


    how her words impacted him. He felt strange, then confused, and irritated. Choosing to focus on the


    matter at hand, he decided to divert his attention to what had happened.


    ''Drug? Sex? Camera?'' he thought to himself.


    He stood motionless as he thought for some time. Finally, he slowly took out his phone and made a


    call, giving out direct instructions, "Help me look into something."


    …


    Darkness fell and embraced the city in somber colors.


    Inside the Tang family''s house, Horace had finally returned after some time of absence. Rufus,


    however, was no where to be seen.


    Dinner proceeded in silence, save for the asional clinking of tableware. The young husband and


    wife ate wordlessly, not exchanging even the smallest of nces. There was an obvious tension


    between the two, but it was as if the older couple who sat with them had already grown ustomed to


    the awkward atmosphere that they brought with them. They continued their meal as if everything was


    perfectly normal, until the older man spoke, "Lionel, Cassandra, you two are not young anymore. You


    should be making ns to have a baby soon."


    The words were just a murmur, but Cassandra felt as if she heard porcin shattering in the silence of


    the room.


    It was unexpected, and the subject had never been brought up before. She was so caught in surprise


    that she almost coughed her food out. A baby with that man? They could not even stand to be in each


    other''s vicinity without negative feelings, let alone touching each other. It was out of the question.


    Lionel, on the other hand, was much moreposed and continued his meal without responding to his


    father.


    Jill however, did not take kindly to Cassandra''s reaction. "What? You are not willing to? Four years ago


    you wanted to study in Rome, and we said yes. Now that we have granted you that favor, don''t you


    think it''s your turn to give back by giving an heir to the family?" she derided.


    Cassandra found herself unable to reply.


    Her eyes wandered, as if there was something missing. It was then that she realized that a space in the


    table was unupied. Rufus wasn''t back yet. It was strange. She wanted nothing else but for him to be


    away from her when he was around; but now that he was absent, she felt somewhat uneasy and


    worried.


    Unable to bear the situation she found herself in at her mother-inw''s words, Cassandra decided to


    take her leave. "I''ll think about it," she replied politely. "I''m done. Thank you for the meal. May I be


    excused?"


    She carefully put down her chopsticks, and stood up to walk to her room.


    Lionel didn''t say a single word at all throughout. He ate and listened, and when Cassandra rose to


    leave the table, he watched her from the corner of his eye.


    "Look at that woman. What''s that supposed to mean? As if we owe her something!"


    the old woman scoffed the moment Cassandra was out of earshot. Horace just warned her with a


    nce hinting her to stop. She fell quiet at once and continued eating.


    Cassandra opted to take a shower to calm her nerves. When she finished, she dressed herself in her


    sleepwear and rested her head on the window frame, her thoughts wandering. She felt a mist gradually


    creeping on her eyes, as if she was in a mirage.


    ''Where is Rufus?'' she asked herself. In the hospital, she had already sensed that something was


    wrong. There was traces of panic in him, far from his usualposure. To make matters even stranger,


    he didn''t return home tonight. Horace never mentioned him as well.


    ''Where has he been?'' she kept thinking.


    Cassandra sighed.


    There was a very strange feeling in her chest as she realized how much she had been thinking about


    him. Since when has she started to care about that annoying man?


    "Are you missing me?"


    a masculine voice spoke from behind, flowing in smooth octaves, as if from a dream. She spun around.


    For a second, she thought her ears were ying tricks on her.


    But she was wrong. There was Rufus standing behind her. ''Gosh! How long has he been here and how


    did he get in?''