Tessa sat down on the single-seater couch next to Yanis. She kept her composure as she looked at Yanis steadily and said, “I’ve never intended to marry into the Gomez family.”

Yanis naturally didn’t believe Tessa. She gave Tessa a measured look from head to toe.

So this was the young lady Zachary had been dating for three years.

Tessa’s looks were undeniably attractive, and her demeanor was rather refined. Although she came from

an ordinary family, she didn’t carry the reserved and insecure attitude typical of people from humble backgrounds.

Yanis had purposely said those words at the door earlier to embarrass Tessa, but she hadn’t expected Tessa to stay so composed. Tessa wasn’t submissive or arrogant when she saw Yanis and even spoke confidently.

However, what did that matter?

Tessa was just a gold-digger daydreaming of marrying into wealth. No matter how well she acted, she was still beneath their status.

Yanis spoke with an air of blatant superiority. “There’s no need to put on an act in front of me. I’m a woman too, and I know exactly what you are thinking.

“I’m well aware that Zachary is popular with the ladies, and it’s not easy for you to meet a wealthy heir like him. He must have given you a lot of money to spend, right?”

Tessa replied, “I don’t care about his money.”

Yanis smiled disdainfully at Tessa’s response, her eyes gleaming coldly. “Why are you still pretending? I’ve seen plenty of girls like you acting holier-than-thou while still taking advantage of things. You say you don’t care, but if you didn’t, why did you go after Zachary in the first place?”

At that, Tessa laughed. “Mrs. Gomez, are you saying that your son has nothing going for him other than his money?”

“Why you!” Yanis was truly furious as her breathing became slightly more rapid. She glared at Tessa and hissed, “You’ve got a sharp tongue! To think Zachary praised you for being gentle and understanding. I think he has completely misjudged you!”

Tessa unhurriedly picked up her cup and sipped her drink to soothe her throat.

“You have no manners,” Yanis said as she shot her a glance. “You didn’t even think of offering me a drink while I’m here.”

Tessa faked a smile and apologized, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Gomez. There aren’t any extra cups here, and I’m sure you’ll definitely dislike using a cup I’ve used before. So I decided not to bother after giving it some thought.

“After all, it’s not like you’re thirsty, right?”

Yanis was so angry that she couldn’t even utter a word.

Where on earth did Zachary find such an ill-mannered girl?

Yanis took a slow breath, then continued speaking, “I’m here today to tell you that not just anyone can marry into the Gomez family. If you’re hoping to marry Zachary, it’s never going to happen!”

Tessa hummed indifferently.

Yanis rambled on, “Wendy is the daughter-in-law of my choice. Not only is her family close to ours for generations, but she is also Zachary’s first love. I’m advising you to give up on this. Pack your things and leave soon so Wendy can take her rightful place by his side!”

Tessa’s lips curved into a faint smile as she recalled overhearing Zachary on the phone once. He had mentioned how the Gomez Group had some trouble with their cash flow. This caused many projects to come to a halt and resulted in significant losses.

At the time, she had even considered injecting capital into the Gomez Group.

Even though Zachary assumed she came from a poor family and never intended to marry her, they had still been together for three years. There were bound to be some feelings between them, and helping him out wasn’t entirely impossible.

When she went to pick Zachary up from the party the other night, she had intended to discuss bringing investments into the Gomez Group.

Samuel would definitely not invest since she had fallen out with her family.

Her cousin, Uriah Somerton, was now the head of the Somerton family. Somerton Group was thriving and had become one of the top ten companies in the country last year under his leadership. Uriah had always doted on her. Tessa was sure if she asked, she would have been able to secure investments for the Gomez Group without issue.

But that very night, she overheard Zachary saying she was nothing more than a stand-in for Wendy. Recalling this, Tessa pulled her thoughts back to the present. She said to Yanis, “Don’t worry. I’m heading home in a couple of days and won’t be coming back again.”

Yanis hadn’t expected it to be this easy to get Tessa to back off and was momentarily stunned, thinking, “Tessa is this easy to get rid of? She’s not even asking for a single penny?”

Something felt off to Yanis, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Tessa glanced down at her watch, mentioning, “That’s all for now. I have some matters to handle in a bit, so I’ll take my leave.”

She stood up, went to her room to grab her bag, and hurried out the door-all without waiting for Yanis to respond.

Yanis was stunned. Tessa left just like that?

“She is too rude!” Yanis fumed once she recovered and muttered to herself angrily. “The guest hasn’t even said anything about leaving, and she’s gone! Does she even have any respect for me?” Yanis had specifically chosen her most extravagant and expensive jewelry today to show this unsophisticated, poor girl the vast gap between her and Zachary.

Before she came over, she had planned to intimidate Tessa and make her serve her properly. She had even imagined Tessa crying over the phone to Zachary to complain about her. She never expected things to turn out like this.

Tessa had already left, and Yanis didn’t want to stay for any longer either. Yanis stormed out of the villa, already thinking about how to express her dissatisfaction with Tessa to Zachary.

She was utterly and thoroughly unhappy with this ill-mannered girl!

The chauffeur had been waiting at the door. Yanis had just gotten into the car when she received a call from Wendy.

She took a deep breath to calm her restless emotions. Then, she answered the call fondly, “Wendy, let me tell you, this girlfriend of Zachary’s has no manners. I have just experienced it firsthand, and she was truly what they say about how poverty breeds terrible people!”

Wendy felt a rush of joy in her heart. This was great! With Tessa having offended Yanis, even if Zachary didn’t want to break up with Tessa, their relationship wouldn’t last much longer.

Wendy said gently, “Mrs. Gomez, please calm down. Don’t lower yourself to the level of that country bumpkin.

In her eyes, poor people were the same as farm girls. Even if Tessa wasn’t from the countryside, there was still no difference to her.

Yanis said, “You’re still the lovable one. That unruly girl said she would be returning to her hometown in a few days and wouldn’t be returning. At least she’s being smart.”

“Did she really say that?” Wendy asked. “Is she planning to end things with Zachary?”

Yanis replied, “That’s for sure. Even if she doesn’t break up with him, I’ll make sure they do. With the way she treated me today, there’s no way she’s staying with Zachary!”

“That’s great, then,” Wendy commented. “Are you heading back to the manor now, Mrs. Gomez? I’ll come over and keep you company.”

…

After leaving Evergreen Villa, Tessa headed straight to the law firm to resign.

She had worked there for the past three years. Tessa started as an intern and later became a practicing lawyer. This small firm had witnessed her growth.

Her assistant, Molly Fisher, had just graduated from university this year. Molly was in her early twenties and three years younger than Tessa.

As soon as Molly heard Tessa was leaving, her eyes instantly welled up with tears. “Tessa, why are you suddenly resigning out of the blue?”

“I have some family matters.” Tessa had initially thought resigning wasn’t a big deal, but seeing Molly on the verge of tears made her feel a little sad.

Molly and Tessa were not just ordinary colleagues, after all.