Sienna thought to herself, “I knew it.” Still, she nodded and said calmly, “They’ve ended things, yes.”

Marissa clearly looked relieved to hear that.read sw

Sienna noticed the change in her expression and asked bluntly, “Do you still have feelings for Stephen?”

Marissa blinked dumbly. It seemed that she didn’t expect Sienna to air it out in the open just like that.

“Yes,” she admitted readily. “My feelings for him have never changed, even after all these years.”

Sienna was somewhat surprised as she replied, “I didn’t expect you to harbor such long-lasting love for him. It’s been seven years, hasn’t it?”

Marissa lowered her gaze and murmured, “Yes.”

Sienna couldn’t help but pity her. She couldn’t imagine how hard it was to stay devoted to someone for that long. read sw

Yet, love was an odd little creature. Persistence didn’t always mean that one would be given the key to the other’s heart.

So, Sienna smiled and said, “However, Stephen is still very much in love with Tessa. I have a hunch they’ll get back together.”

The smile on Marissa’s lips vanished into thin air. “And why’s that?”

“There are other factors at play behind their breakup,” Sienna slowly began.

Then, she let out a sigh and continued, “They didn’t end things because they’ve stopped loving each other or because they’ve gotten tired of the other. It only happened because Caleb’s illegitimate son, James, was aware that Tessa was Stephen’s weakness.

“James abducted Tessa in the past and had nearly murdered Tessa countless times. In fact, she was shot by one of James’ goons just recently. She’s still recovering from the ordeal.”

Marissa was shocked to hear that. “I can’t believe that happened!”

Sienna sighed wearily before saying, “Fortunately, James has been arrested.”

Marissa furrowed her brows. She looked solemn and somewhat dazed. Sienne couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

Nevertheless, she looked at Marissa earnestly and advised, “Marissa, you can’t force love.”

Marissa curled her lips into a bitter smile.

“I know, but…” she trailed off for a moment. Then, she finally found the words and continued, “I can’t let it go. I want to fight for a chance to win Stephen’s love now that I’ve returned. They’ve already broken up, so technically I wouldn’t be a homewrecker.”

Sienne parted her lips upon hearing Marissa’s response. Yet, she knew she wouldn’t be able to convince Marissa otherwise.

Marissa also knew what Sienna wanted to say. The latter likely wanted to tell Marissa to give up.

However, what Sienna didn’t know was that Marissa had tried her best to forget all about Stephen seven years ago. Alas, nothing came out of it.

She had decided against returning to the country to take over the family business after graduating from one of the world’s top ten universities. Instead, she chose to start her own fashion brand.

Her brand had done exceptionally well abroad and was now a listed company.

Now, she was finally worthy. She was confident enough, accomplished, and qualified to stay by Stephen’s side.

She had gone around inquiring about Tessa’s career the second she returned to the country. She was relieved when she learned that Tessa was just a small-time lawyer.

That was because she had the advantage in terms of ability and career.

When Sienna saw that there was no persuading Marissa, she decided against wasting her time.

However, she looked visibly troubled when she returned home.

It had gotten so obvious that Henry couldn’t help but ask, “Penny for your thoughts?”

“Henry, do you know that Marissa likes Stephen?” Sienna asked.

“Marissa likes Stephen, you say?” Henry raised a brow, intrigued. “I didn’t know that. When did this start?”

There were plenty of women in love with Stephen. Fortunately for them, Stephen wasn’t the sharing type when it came to such matters. Plus, Marissa had confessed her feelings for him privately, so it was no surprise that Henry didn’t know anything about it.

Sienna was only in the loop because she had a friend who was friends with Marissa’s best friend. Marissa’s best friend had accidentally let it slip during one of their gatherings.

She had immediately begged them not to tell anyone, saying that Marissa would definitely cut her off if news got out.

Marissa had always been proud. She was the Scotts’ heiress and had plenty of suitors vying for her attention. She wouldn’t want anyone to know that she’d been rejected.

Sienna was never the type to wag her tongue. Since she’d promised Marissa’s friend not to breathe a word about it, she’d kept that information to herself all these years. She’d even kept it from Naomi and Tessa.

At the time, she only knew that Marissa’s confession had been rejected and wasn’t aware of the reason why Stephen had rejected her in the first place. That also meant that Sienna had no idea that Stephen was in love with her best friend, Tessa.

Later, Marissa was long out of their lives when Tessa and Stephen got together. She had assumed that Marissa had forgotten all about Stephen and saw no need to bring it up.

Yet, Marissa had returned with the express intention of pursuing Stephen. Sienna figured that also meant she wouldn’t be breaking any promises if she told someone else about it.

So, she answered Henry honestly, “She confessed to Stephen before she went abroad, but Stephen rejected her.”

Henry arched a brow. “Is that right? Stephen’s never mentioned it.”

“Why would he tell you about this?” Sienna pursed her lips. “She met up with me today and said that she’s still interested in Stephen. She wants to pursue him.”

Henry was shocked. “What? Hasn’t she left the country years ago? You’re telling me she hasn’t moved on after all these years?”

Sienna frowned, looking distressed. “You heard that right. To make matters worse, Tessa’s clearly not over Stephen either. Who do you think Stephen would choose?”

Henry chuckled. “Isn’t it obvious? Stephen will always choose Tessa over any other woman.”

Sienna’s frown turned upside down as she replied, “That’s good to hear. After all, you’re his best friend. You’d know him better than anyone.”

Henry remarked, “Stephen’s been in love with Tessa for years. There’s no way he’s going to give up on her that easily.”

Suddenly, he inquired, “What’s that Lester guy’s deal? I know that Stephen will always pick Tessa, but what about Tessa?”

“Well…” Sienna shook her head and said hesitantly, “I’m not sure. I only know that Lester went all the way to Lacroix Summit just to get a charm for Tessa when she was in the hospital. I can tell that he really loves her. If I had to choose…”

She trailed off and considered her

options. Eventually, she realized it

was a near-impossible decision.

“They both love Tessa a great deal, and they’re both a good match for her in terms of appearance and background. I can’t tell you what decision Tessa would make.”

Henry raised his brow. “Stephen and Tessa got together through their engagement. Neither of them

courted the other. So, if Stephen net

wants to win Tessa over, he’ll have his work cut out for him. I’ll be honest-I’m looking forward to seeing Stephen court Tessa.

“It’ll definitely be a treat. It’s a sight that I’ve never once had the chance to see for more than 20 years.”

Sienna couldn’t help but grin. “Now that you mention it, I’m also looking forward to seeing such a rare sight.”