Was Tessa coming back to him?

He was sure of it. Tessa wouldn’t be so heartless as to leave him like this.

Dormein

The door creaked open, and Wendy stepped inside.

The smile on Zachary’s lips faltered, freezing in place. Disappointment was evident in his tone. “Why are you here?”

Wendy caught the fleeting look of disappointment in his eyes and secretly clenched her fist. She didn’t bother asking who he had been expecting. She already knew all too well.

Instead, she forced a smile and said gently, “Emma told me you weren’t feeling well. I wanted to check on you. Are you feeling any better, Zachary?”

He nodded. “I’m fine now,”

Wendy walked over and sat down on the bed, pulling out her phone to show Zachary.

“Zachary, look at this travel guide to Rovanya I found online. We could go on a road trip and even hire a couple of drivers. Rovanya is so vast that driving would be much more convenient. After Kamath Ridge, we could also explore…”

At that moment, he suddenly felt overwhelmed by Wendy’s constant chatter.

His headache was getting worse, and her voice in his ear only made it worse.

If it were Tessa, she’d be worried about him. She’d make him chicken noodle soup and feed it to him spoonful by spoonful

“Alright,” Zachary out in impatiently. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow. I’m a bit tired today.”

Wendy put away her phone and lowered her head, her expression clouded with sadness.

“Zachary, are you upset with me?” Her voice trembled with a touch of grievance.

He let out a sigh, guilt flickering in his eyes.

“No, I’m not upset. I just have a bit of a headache. We don’t need to rush the trip. Let’s talk about it after I’ve had some rest.

Wendy nestled into Zachary’s arms, her hands gently wrapping around his waist.

in Rivertown, inside the card room of a prestigious leisure club, a group of young, affluent men was gathered around a table, engrossed in a game of cards. Henry’s eyes caught the gleam of a new watch on Stephen’s wrist. With a teasing smile, he said, “Hey, is that a new watch?”

Stephen laid down a card, a broad grin lighting up his face. “What do you think? Looks good, right? Tess got it for me.” “Wow, Tess gave it to you?” Quentin chimed in with a laugh. “Lucky guy. Being engaged really changes a man, huh?”

Henry looked at him, slightly puzzled. “Why did you get engaged to the Yates? Was that your parents’ idea? It doesn’t really add up.” Although he and Tessa moved within the same social circle, there was a clear hierarchy.

At the top stood Stephen, with the Jacobson family reigning as the most powerful. As the legitimate heir, his first choice for a marriage alliance was unlikely to be the Yates.

Stephen smiled softly. “It wasn’t an arranged marriage.”

“What?” Quentin looked shocked.

“If it wasn’t arranged, then what was in?”

“Three years ago, I approached Samuel myself,” Stephen explained. “I waited until Tess graduated, and as soon as she did, I went to see Samuel.

“I told him he could name his price, as long as I could marry Tess. Anything he wanted.” Stephen’s eyes brightened at the memory. After all these years, he was finally going to get what he had wanted.

“So, you’ve had a crush on her for a long time?” Quentin asked, disbelief in his voice.

“You’ve been hiding it well, Henry teased. “I’ve been your friend for years, and I had no idea. So, you’ve been secretly pining for her? You should’ve said something. I thought you weren’t into women at all I even thought you were pay!”

Quentin, now fully immersed in the gossip, leaned in and asked, “so, when did you start liking Tessa?” Stephen kept his purfhed on his cards, his eyelids barely lifting, “That’s a secret.”

“Oh, come on,” Quentinteased, flashing a sinlik Tessa ran away from home to dodge that arranged marriage. She probably doesn’t feel the same way about you That gift she gave you? Probably just her bring polite. Don’t get your hopes up.”

Henry looked up, his voice that. “By the way, I heard Tessa has a boyfriend. Did you know about that?”