Tessa’s heart sank.

Naomi’s words were like a slap in Tessa’s face, making her aware of the situation.

She quickly opened her Twitter to see the number one trending topic to be captioned, “CEO of Jacobson Corporation and Nancy Lloyd’s relationship exposed.”

When she saw the first post, she did not dare to click on it.

Nancy was an A-list celebrity within the entertainment industry, and Tessa had even watched some of the dramas she acted in.

Why would there be rumors about Stephen being with Nancy? She never heard Stephen mention that he knew Nancy at all.

“Hello? Tessa, are you listening to me?”

The phone call was still ongoing as Naomi shouted angrily, “I never knew Stephen would be such trash.

“You just told me that you two had an argument yesterday, and here he is, being photographed entering a hotel with a celebrity today. He’s such a fucking scumbag! Motherfucker!”

“They entered a hotel together?”

Tessa’s heart tightened, and at that moment, she felt a chill spreading in her body.

Finally, she clicked on the trending topic, and the whole thread was about gossip.

“Current A-lister, Nancy Lloyd, was photographed entering a hotel with a mysterious man today. Their actions were intimate, and they seemed to be in a relationship.

“Inside sources claim that the mysterious man is the CEO of Jacobson Corporation, Stephen Jacobson. As of now, Nancy’s team has not released an official statement to the press yet.”

Attached below the text was a photo of Nancy and the man. In it, Nancy was looking back at the camera, and her face had been captured clearly. However, only the man’s side profile was caught.

The second Tessa saw the photo, her blood ran cold. Perhaps others could not tell who was inside the photo, but she could immediately tell at a glance that it was Stephen.

Inside the photo, he was wearing a black coat as he stood beside Nancy. The pair of eye candies had the netizens complementing them for being a perfect match.

There was also another post below it with the caption, “Is Nancy planning to marry rich? According to inside sources, the mysterious man with Nancy is the CEO of Jacobson Corporation. The two of them are currently dating, and Nancy might marry into a wealthy family soon.

The photos attached to that post were similar to the previous one.

As Tessa scrolled down, there were multiple posts repeating the same story.

Her whole body trembled with rage as she continued scrolling. Her heart had clenched so tightly that she found it slightly hard to breathe.

Her tears fell on the phone screen, blurring the image.

Tessa hung up on her call with Naomi and called Stephen.

The phone rang for a long time, and no one answered. After the call was disconnected, she dialed his number again, yet there was still no answer.

With each call, her heart turned cold.

Someone had finally answered the fifth time she called.

With a trembling voice, Tessa choked back her tears and asked, “The news is fake, right? The man in the photo isn’t you, right? Stephen, tell me and I’ll believe you.”

There was a brief silence on the other end before a pleasant female voice sounded, “W-Who are you? I’m Nancy Lloyd. Mr. Jacobson is currently in the showers, so he can’t talk on the phone now.

“Do you need me to pass on a message to him?”

Tessa’s heart clenched in pain, and she felt her breath catching in her throat.

Not receiving an answer, Nancy asked again, “Hello? Can you hear me?”

…

“Tessa has ended the call.” Nancy shrugged as she looked at Stephen. “It’s not my place to say this, but aren’t you being a bit too cruel? If I were Tessa, I would hate you for the rest of my life.”

She handed him his phone while continuing, “I don’t mind covering you, but you should think things through. Women are hard to win back when they’ve been hurt too deeply.”

In truth, the A-list celebrity, Nancy Lloyd, had another identity. She was the second daughter of the Lloyd family in Torford. Seeing that the Lloyd family was a prominent family, it made her a genuine heiress.

Stephen’s grandmother, Rowena Lancome, was also part of Torford’s Lancome family.

Nancy’s grandfather and Rowena were siblings. So, Nancy and Stephen were actually distant cousins.

As an A-list celebrity, her schedule was packed. She was either joining variety shows or filming for a show, leaving her with little time to rest.

Hence, she did not have the chance to officially meet Tessa after returning to Rivertown. She hadn’t even had the chance to attend Stephen and Tessa’s engagement party. At that time, she was attending an important film festival abroad.

Stephen had purposely asked Nancy to act with him to make Tessa forget about him.

When Nancy had first heard that Stephen wanted her to act with him, she had assumed that he was planning to invest in a big blockbuster film.

She had grinned in excitement, commenting, “Stephen, it must be a huge blockbuster film if you’re planning to invest in it. Don’t worry. I’m an award-winning actress. You’ve found the right person. I can guarantee you that your movie will be a hit.”

Stephen’s expression was cold as he elaborated calmly, “I’m not asking you to act in a drama. I need you to act something out with me.”

Her lips twitched. “What?”

“I need you to feign being my rumored girlfriend.”

“Have you got yourself wrapped up with a clingy woman? Do you want me to act as your shield?”

Sensing that there was some gossip behind Stephen’s request, she smirked. “That can’t be right. With your identity as the heir of the Jacobson family, what woman would dare to cling to you?

“Also, don’t you already have a fiancée?

Stephen’s expression darkened as he answered, “She’s not a clingy woman. She’s the love of my life.”

Nancy stood there dumbfounded, unable to process her words.

…

Then, Stephen patiently explained the whole situation to her.

After hearing the entire story, she sighed and said, “Tessa’s so pitiful. Can I just refuse your request? I haven’t even met her yet, and you’re asking me to act as your lover. How am I supposed to face her in the future?”

“This is your payment.” He handed her a card.

Nancy scoffed and turned her head to the side. “Don’t even think of buying me with money. I refuse to do anything that will hurt other women!”

“I’ll give you 50 million.”

Nancy grinned and snatched the card. “But then again, we’re doing this to protect Tessa. Everything will be fine once we explain things to her. I believe that she’ll understand our good intentions and forgive us.”

Then, she cried in her heart, “Tessa, please don’t blame me for this. He’s just offering too much!”

Filming an entire drama for months would earn her 50 million, but that was before taxes.

All she had to do now was show up, take a few photos, and she would make the same amount. Where else would she find such an easy job?

Stephen’s expression remained indifferent. “You better put on a convincing act. Don’t let her see through it.”

Nancy patted her chest, promising, “Don’t worry. I’m an award-winning actress after all!”

…

After ending the call, Tessa sat by the window in a daze as tears fell uncontrollably.

A few minutes later, Stephen called her back.

Tessa had thought that he would explain himself, and hope immediately filled her heart as she quickly answered the phone.

With feigned nonchalance, he questioned, “I heard from Nance that you called earlier. Do you need anything?”

Nance.

He had called Nancy’s name so intimately, just like how he had used to call her Tess.

That small glimmer of hope was immediately crushed. She tried to hold back her sobs as she asked, “You two are…”

“Are the rumors between the two of you real? Are you really in a relationship with her?” were the words she wanted to say, but couldn’t get them out.

The sharp pain in her chest was suffocating.

Stephen’s voice was cold as he confessed, “Yes. We’ve already broken up, so who I’m with has nothing to do with you.”

Tessa felt her heart stop.

Her voice was hoarse as she asked, “You’re lying to me, right? Stephen, I don’t believe that you’ll get together with someone else after breaking up with me.

“Can you please tell me the truth? Are you doing all of this because of James? You haven’t stopped loving me, right? You’re only doing this to protect me…”

Stephen felt like his heart was being torn into shreds as he heard her sobbing on the other end.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and forced his voice to remain cold and steady. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

With that, he quickly ended the call before all his defenses crumbled.

If he had stayed on the line for even a second longer, he would have caved in.