However, Lester cropped out the lower half of the photo, leaving only the upper half where the two of them were visible. This completely changed the feel of the image. Without the background, it almost looked like a formal couple’s portrait, similar to that of an official wedding picture.

That afternoon, Lester posted the picture to his social media feed.

His caption read, “A very special day.”

The wording of this caption was not without a touch of calculation.

Since today was Valentine’s Day, he deliberately avoided writing something direct like “Happy Valentine’s Day” or “Wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s.” That would have been too obvious and might have annoyed Tessa.

At the same time, he refrained from using something entirely neutral like “Successful collaboration”, which would have completely eliminated any room for misunderstanding.

The vague and ambiguous phrase “A very special day” struck just the right balance.

It would not make Tessa uncomfortable, yet it would be enough to mislead Stephen.

Lester had added Henry on Instagram since he had handled several cases for Henry’s company.

There was no doubt that Henry would come across this post. Given his close relationship with Stephen, it was inevitable that Stephen would see it as well.

After posting the picture, Lester put his phone away, leaned back against the couch, and took a slow sip of red wine. He savored the moment with quiet satisfaction.

Meanwhile, when Tessa came across Lester’s post, she casually tapped like before scrolling past it.

…

When Henry saw the same post, he immediately took a screenshot-with Tessa’s like still visible-and sent it to Stephen.

“Someone made a move on your woman?”

“Why does this photo look like a wedding shot? I have to admit they do make a good match.”

Stephen stared at the message, his dark eyes turning cold.

The bright, carefree smile on Tessa’s face in the photo pierced through him like a blade.

He remained silent for a long time, his gaze fixed on the image. Then, he made a call.

“How’s the situation on James’ end?”

…

After returning home that evening, Tessa had just finished showering and was about to settle in with her tablet to watch a drama when her

e rang.

“Hello, I have a delivery for Ms. Tessa Yates. Are you home right now?”

“I am, but I haven’t ordered anything. Could you tell me what the package is?”

“It looks like someone sent it to you. It was shipped from a jewelry store-same- day express delivery.”

“Huh? I’m home. Just leave it at my door.” Tessa frowned in confusion. “Alright.”

Ten minutes later, the delivery man arrived and knocked on her door. “Hello, your package has been left at the door.”

Tessa got up from the couch, slipped on her house slippers, and opened the door.

A small cardboard package sat quietly at her doorstep. She bent down, picked it up, and examined it with a puzzled expression.

The sender’s address belonged to a

high-end jewelry store own.

Still confused, she brought the

package inside and dialed

number listed on the shipping label.

It was past eight in the evening, but the jewelry store was still open. The store

assistant quickly answered with a standard greeting.

Tessa spoke politely. “Hello, I just received a package from your store. I’d like to ask what’s inside and who sent it.”

“Could you provide your phone number? I’ll check our records for you.”

Tessa gave her number.

“Alright, please hold on while I check.”

A short pause later, the assistant returned with an answer.

“Ms. Yates, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Hello, Ms. Yates. According to our records, this package contains a necklace that was personally

selected for you this afternoon by a man. He provided your address and phone number and specifically requested that it be delivered today.”