During the court debate, Tessa spoke with eloquence and precision. Her thoughts flowed clearly, her logic was impeccable, and she consistently gained the upper hand in every argument. With sharp, incisive questions that cut straight to the heart of the matter, she repeatedly forced the opposing lawyer onto the defensive.

Seated in the audience, Stephen watched Tessa command the stand. Talde swelled within him, his gaze filled with admiration and a quiet affection.

In that moment, Tessa was nothing short of extraordinary.

After the trial, be handed her a bottle of mineral water. “Here, have some.

“Thank you,”s

,,” she replied, taking a few sips. “The judgment will be reserved, but I think we have a strong chance of winning.

“Tess, during the debate, you were so determined, and your focus was Incredible, I couldn’t help but be drawn to you.”

Tessa smiled shyly. “Really? I felt like I became a completely different person there.”

“You were amazing.” Stephen responded, his voice sincere. “You’re on your way to becoming one of the top lawyers in the Industry.”

Then, her thoughts drifted to Zachary.

In the three years they had been together, he had never taken an Interest in her work, let alone attended any of her trials. All he seemed to care about was whether her monthly salary was enough to fund his outings with friends.

Not only did he disregard her career, but he also belittled her efforts and ambitions.

She vividly remembered the time she won a case with a settlement exceeding five million dollars. Overjoyed, she had rushed to share the news with Zachary, only to be met with nothing but his disdain. She remembered how he had sneered. “Any contract at our company is worth tens of millions of dollars. Why are you bothering with a small case worth only five million dollars? Tessa, what’s the point of working so hard for that little money? Just quit. I’ll support you.”

Since then, she had stopped sharing anything about her work with Zachary

Maybe he did care for her, in his own way, but all he truly valued was her appearance. He didn’t

understand her. Their relationship had always been about eating, drinking and having fun. There was never any real depth.

At that moment, for the first time, Tessa truly wondered if Stephen might be a better partner.

As they walked out of the courthouse, his phone rang. It was his assistant.

After hanging up, he tumed to Tessa, his face serious “someone slipped a strong laxative into your milk.” Tessa’s eyes narrowed, a cold gling flashing in them. “I knew it.”

“Do you ward me to take care of it?”

She shook her head “No, I’ll handle it. I’ll settle the score with her later.”

Wendy must have known about her hearing today and did this on purpose.

Even with the milk test results, there was no solid evidence to prove Wendy’s involvement, so calling the police wouldn’t lead anywhere.

Since it was a personal vendetta, she decided to deal with it privately.

Alter the heating, Tessa and Stephen spent a few days exploring the area,

They tried the chili garlic linguine Tessa had been craving although Stephen couldn’t handle spicy food

very well. He sweated profusely but still managed to finish the entire bowl.

They visited tourist s spots, took photos, admired the beautiful scenery, and explored historical and cultural sites.

In truth, these few days with Stephien were more fulfilling and joyful than the entire three years she spent with Zachary,

Wendy had been hospitalized for five days, and Zachary had stayed by her side the entire time.

Throughout those days, he couldn’t shake the lubit of checking his phone, hoping for a text or call from Tessa

However, all be found were messages from friends inviting him out and work-related notifications. There was nothing from Tessa.

Unable to resist anymore, he finally opened is inessaging app and texted, “still playing games?”

Stephen, who was holding Tessa’s phone to take a picture, caught sight of the forssage, and his expression darkened