Chapter 40 A Dirty Story


    The night unveiled a dirty story. Lionel and Ivy were nning something.


    "I can''t believe that you actually went to H City,"


    Ivy said, feigning indifference. But as Lionel watched her reactions, a fleeting hint of jealousy and her


    shortness of breath betrayed her.


    "What about it? Are you jealous? I only went there to get a scoop on Rufus, so that I can kick him out of


    the Tang Group more easily," responded Lionel.


    The whole night, he appeared a little absent-minded. Every time he reyed the humiliating scenes of


    Rufus forcing him to kneel before Cassandra and kicking him out afterward, Lionel''s anger against his


    brother kept on boiling.


    At heart, he swore that he would have Rufus paid the price!


    "So, did you find anything?"


    Ivy''s question was tongue-in-cheek. She didn''t take Lionel''s words seriously.


    In response to her teasing, he simply sneered, turned over in bed, and snuggled closer to her.


    Wearing a sensuous shade of red lipstick, Ivy whispered into his ears, "Lionel. I''ll soon get the


    evidence."


    It was veryte. The darkness was gathering outside, just like Lionel''s moods. It was time to hit the


    sack, hoping that tomorrow would be a better day. For the fretful day it had been, Lionel had feared he


    would turn and toss for the better part of the night. But by some stroke of luck, he went out like a light


    and slept quite peacefully.


    Early in the morning as the first rays of sunlight lit the horizon, Lionel convinced himself that the bright


    day would banish his mncholy and he would lift up his head again.


    The eminentndmark of G City, the Tang Group towers, with its ssy blue finish sparkled in the


    morning light.


    In good time, Cassandra arrived at the offices and headed straight to her own department. The few


    staff members who had made it earlier weed her with congrattory messages for her feat in


    sealing the multi-million dor deal for thepany.


    "Manager Qin, that was incredible! I can''t believe you made the deal, quick and easy. Someone is


    going to get a promotion," enthused one colleague.


    "Yeah, I''ve always believed Manager Qin''s credentials. With charisma, brains and go-getting attitude,


    Manager Qin deserves the position," chipped in another.


    "We feel privileged working under you. You have a lot for us to learn. Together we will make a


    difference to outpany." added yet another.


    …


    Thepliments were endless, overwhelming. By now, a small crowd had formed around her, among


    which were some unfamiliar faces. For a moment, she just stood there, not sure how to react. It began


    to feel awkward.


    Thank goodness, someone intervened. "Ladies and gentlemen, why is everyone standing here?" a


    calm female voice called out. "I suppose, it''s time for work, right?"


    That sudden interruption was timely. When Cassandra turned around she was relieved to see it was


    Ste who had came to her rescue.


    "Hi, Ste,"


    Cassandra cheerily greeted as the crowd dispersed with disappointment.


    Excited to see Ste in thepany, Cassandra walked over for a hug.


    Smiling, they headed to Cassandra''s office.


    "Ignore them, Cassandra. They''re just trying to tter you."


    Ste was above ttery. But she knew this case was a tricky one. No one in thepany had


    expected Cassandra, just new in the department, would be able to mend the case.


    "I know,"


    Cassandra said without emotion.


    "You know what? The president is going to hold a victory banquet tonight. I''ve also heard that the


    chairman woulde. I''m so proud of you, Cassandra," Steplimented sincerely.


    Thinking about the crowd she had just dismissed, she knew Cassandra would be on everyone''s lips for


    quite sometime.


    To Cassandra, mention of the victory banquet came as a surprise. Why hadn''t Rufus mentioned it to


    her? Cassandra was confused.


    "Could we go shopping for some dresses for the party after work? What do you think? Who knows, we


    might meet our Mr. Right at the bash. We need to dress up." Ste indulged herself in fantasies,


    chattering on, without giving Cassandra a chance to respond.


    "To be honest, I don''t have an idea. I''m not so good with that when ites to formal events.


    Personally, I''d wish to dress more casually."


    That was true. On any day, Cassandra would prefer a casual style. Being an experimental designer,


    she rarely dressed formal attire. Minimalist T-shirts with jeans were her favorite, but to break monotony,


    asionaldies chino pants with a nnel shirt or a cardigan sweater did her justice. Onlytely had


    she started wearing suits to work, once in a while.


    To ease the apprehension, Ste patted Cassandra on the back and assured, "It''s alright, dear. You


    have an experienced colleague to hold your hand as you learn the ropes. I''ve got your back for the


    night. There''s one particr store that I know of. They have quite a collection of dresses and I''d


    suggest we check with them after work.


    Anyway, we should get down to work now. See youter," with a broad smile, she finished and ran


    quickly to the door. ''That''s yet another oddity, '' Cassandra noted.


    When Cassandra opened her mouth to say something, Ste was already gone. ''What was the hurry,


    that she couldn''t even wait for an answer?'' as Cassandra reflected, she furrowed her eyebrows, shook


    her head and looked around the room. Everything about Ste began to feel pretty creepy.


    In the president''s office, which sat on the top floor, Rufus, dressed in a handmade ck suit, was


    standing in front of the french window. However, in spite of the stunning view outside, he cast a rather


    forlorn look. No one could tell what he was thinking.


    "Boss, I got some news,"


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    A man with a ponytail came in unannounced and reported in a husky voice.


    It was Victor, Rufus'' most trusted confidant. Their friendship hadsted for many years, through many


    business deals and personal matters. Victor came in handy both at work and off. Eventually, Victor was


    recruited to the Tang Group, where now he was working as Rufus'' personal assistant.


    "Go ahead,"


    talking with his back facing Victor, Rufus said with his face still despondent.


    "You''re right. Someone wants to get Miss Qin into trouble,"


    Victor dered staidly, almost like a robot that was devoid of emotion, filling in a very mechanical


    report.


    "Okay, I got it."


    Rufus replied, smiling. Confident, he already got a n. He ran his long fingers around the ss


    window in a rhythmic way.


    "So what about tonight''s victory banquet?"


    Victor asked seeking for Rufus''s instruction.


    "It will be held ording to schedule. Why don''t we make it a present for Lionel and Ivy?" he added.


    Then, Rufus turned around and burst into a wickedughter.


    As the saying goes, courtesy requires a return of visits received. Rufus liked to treat others the way


    they treated him. Since Lionel and Ivy wanted to y games, he would love to give them a taste of their


    own medicine.


    In a high-end fashion studio


    Ste urged, "This is it. Cassandra, you have a good shape. This dress will look perfect on you."


    When Cassandra hesitated, Ste picked up a long strapless white dress and asked her to try it on.


    But Cassandra frowned. It was a low cut dress that would expose a little too much cleavage. That was


    not Cassandra''s sense of fashion, not to mention her marital status. Even with the problems she had


    been through, she still leaned somewhat on the conservative side. Besides, Horace and Jill would be at


    the banquet too. It would be more appropriate to carry herself with decorum.


    "Why are you hesitant, Cassandra? Go to the dressing room and try it on. We haven''t done our hair


    yet. You''d better hurry up."


    Seeing how much Cassandra was reluctant, she handed her the dress and nudged her anxiously.


    At longst, Cassandra was literally pushed into the dressing room. Feeling embarrassed, she yed


    along, to avoid unnecessary drama.


    A few minutester, she emerged from the dressing room. The floor-length gown looked stunning on


    her.


    She was perfect,bining the dress, her minimalist make-up, and her shoulder-length hair. She could


    easily steal the show tonight.


    "Is it bad?"


    she asked when she realized all eyes around were fixed on her.


    The question brought Ste back to attention. Blinking, she came over and put a hairpin on Cassandra.


    "You know what, Cassandra? You''re gonna rock tonight, girl," she praised.


    Then holding hands, she led Cassandra to the full-length mirror.


    Perfectly, the dress entuated Cassandra''s curvy shape.


    "Well…I''m not sure. Don''t you think it''s a little...sexy?" she asked softly.


    Through all thepliments, Cassandra still felt worried. What if she dressed like this and saw Rufus


    on the banquet...


    Wait, what? What was she doing? Why was she thinking about Rufus?