His Unveiled Passion

The person approaching was Zion Jenkins, one of Zachary's friends.

He was the same man who had shown sympathy toward Tessa during that evening's gathering.

Tessa had known Zion for nearly three years and had always thought highly of him.

"I'm just picking up a few things," she said.

He glanced at the bag in her hand. "Is that for Zachary?"

Tessa didn't feel like explaining, so she gave a silent nod.

"This brand of watch isn't cheap. Even the most basic models cost five figures. You really don't need to

get him something so expensive. Zachary..."

"Didn't deserve it" was what Zion wanted to say.

Zachary had openly confessed that he couldn't let go of Wendy and was only using Tessa as a

placeholder.

Last night, he even abandoned Tessa and walked out with Wendy in front of everyone.

After leaving the birthday party, Zachary and Wendy spent the night together at a hotel. Tessa had no idea

what had transpired, but Zion knew exactly what had happened.

They had a small group chat for their circle of friends, and despite being with Zachary for three years, Tessa had never been added. But as soon as Wendy came back to the country, Zachary added her without a second thought.

Earlier that afternoon, Wendy had shared a photo of herself and Zachary in bed in their group chat, casually suggesting that Zachary keep it as a memento.

However, within minutes, she retracted it, claiming it was sent by mistake.

Zion had caught the message just in time. He had thought about saying something but ultimately decided against it. It wasn't his place, and it felt smarter to stay out of it.

As Zion thought it over, he had initially planned to tell Tessa the truth and urge her to move on. But just as he was about to speak, he hesitated and stopped himself.

"Zachary doesn't need things like this. You really don't have to spend months of your salary on such an expensive gift for him."

Zachary had been his close friend for over a decade, and it was difficult to bring himself to say anything too harsh.

Still, part of him considered telling Tessa that the gift might not even mean anything to Zachary.

Yet, those words seemed too cruel, and Zion couldn't find the strength to say them.

Despite everything, Tessa knew Zachary didn't deserve her love. The gift hadn't even been meant for him. She nodded and gave a polite smile. "Alright, I won't do it again next time."

After a bit more conversation, Zion and Tessa parted ways.

As Zion watched her walk away, he let out a deep sigh. "She's such a good person... How did she end up caught up with Zachary?"

Unable to shake the feeling, he opened WhatsApp and sent Zachary a message.

"Hey Zachary, your girlfriend is really something else. I just saw her buying you a watch that costs thousands, and she did it like it was nothing. That's probably a few months of her salary. You'd better appreciate her."

Zachary was having dinner with Wendy when he received the message.

The frustration that had been building inside him vanished in an instant as he read it, and his expression gradually softened.

Maybe Tessa was trying to make up for things with the gift. If that was the case, he could at least meet her halfway.

He intended to accept the gift, apologize for his earlier tone, and assure her not to take it too seriously. Afterward, he'd throw in a few compliments to smooth things over-Tessa would definitely appreciate that. "Zachary, what's going on? Who's messaging you?" Wendy asked, looking at him across the table. Zachary quickly hid his phone and answered casually, "It's nothing."

Wendy didn't push the issue.

A few moments later, he excused himself to the restroom. Seizing the opportunity, she quickly grabbed his phone from the table.

She had seen him enter his password before it was his birthday, making it easy to recall.

Without hesitation, Wendy typed in the password and opened WhatsApp.

She went straight to Tessa's conversation and saw that the last message was from a week ago. Tessa

had asked if he was interested in taking a trip during the upcoming holiday, mentioning that it was her only chance to get away and explore.

She had even shared a few travel guides for places she was excited to visit.

Zachary had taken five hours to reply. "There'll be so many people during the holidays. What's there to enjoy?"

After that, Tessa had stopped messaging him altogether.

As Wendy casually scrolled through the travel destinations, a flash of mockery flickered in her eyes.

It seemed their three-year relationship wasn't as solid

on a trip with Tessa.

it appeared. He couldn't even be bothered to go

With no other significant messages from Tessa, Wendy left the chat and absentmindedly scrolled through Zachary's feed, eventually stopping at Zion's message.

She couldn't help but scoff. Reflecting on the times Tessa had seemed entirely indifferent, a sense of contempt bubbled up inside her.

Wendy had assumed Tessa was finally ready to move on, but instead, Tessa was still trying to win Zachary back with gifts.

With that, Wendy exited the app and turned off Zachary's phone. After placing it back where it had been, she took out her own phone and called Yanis.

"Hello, Mrs. Gomez. I was with Zachary at the jewelry store earlier and happened to run into the woman he's seeing. She was trying on rings and pushing him to propose..."

...

With the gift in hand, Tessa returned to the villa and resumed packing her suitcase.

As she carefully placed the gift for Stephen inside, his cold, handsome face suddenly drifted into her mind.

She and Stephen had known each other for a long time.

Their families lived only a few hundred meters apart in the same neighborhood, so they frequently crossed paths when they were younger.

Stephen was four years older than her, and the first time she saw him was at the Jacobson manor. Tessa's parents had taken her to visit the Jacobson family when she was only ten. By then, Stephen had already become the picture-perfect image of a young male lead from a school drama.

Tessa still remembered the first time she saw Stephen-it took her breath away.

His face was strikingly handsome, with an almost intimidating presence, and his eyes as cold as winter's

snow.

When her mother asked her to greet him, Tessa would respectfully call out his name.

Looking back, she remembered how Stephen had kept his distance, offering only a brief, indifferent "Hello."

At the time, she thought he must be hard to get close to.

That misunderstanding had stayed with her for years.

When Tessa was in high school and struggling with math, Stephen's mother, Sophia Jameson, somehow caught wind of it.

With a smile, she turned to Samuel and suggested, "Why don't we have Stephen help Tess with her tutoring? He was top of his class in math and even scored 747 on the math section of the SAT!"

By that time, Tessa's mother had already passed away, and Tessa had undergone a significant change.

In the five years since, she had transformed from a carefree, lighthearted child into a quiet, rebellious teenager.

"I don't need you to teach me," were the first words Tessa said to Stephen when he walked in.

At the time, Stephen was only 21. He stood tall and slender, easily over six feet. He wore a simple white t-

shirt and dark grey jeans, and his slightly messy hair added a youthful, almost boyish charm to his look. "But I'm going to teach you anyway," he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Tessa braced herself, expecting Stephen to be strict and demanding.

But to her surprise, after a quick glance at her math test, he simply furrowed his brows and patiently walked her through each problem.

As he explained each mistake, there was no trace of impatience.

His voice was deep and smooth, with a slight gravelly tone, and as Tessa listened, she found that math wasn't nearly as dreadful as she had once thought.

For problems with multiple methods, Stephen took his time to explain each approach in detail. Tessa's initial resistance and dismissive attitude gradually gave way to admiration and respect. "Wow, Stephen, you're amazing! It's been years since high school, and you still remember all this so clearly."

"Not everything," he replied. "I refreshed my memory by going through the textbook before coming." After a brief pause, he gently tapped her on the head with his pen. "No need for all the formalities." During the summer of her sophomore year, Tessa was tutored by Stephen for two months.

At the time, Stephen was a third-year student at Rivertown University. He chose to spend most of his summer at home, focusing on tutoring rather than going out.

His days were filled with helping Tessa-whether that meant tutoring, reviewing her test papers, or grading assignments.

Summer vacation was always short for high school students, and by the time Tessa went back to school, Stephen was still enjoying his break.

Every day after school, she would come home to find him lounging on the couch in her living room, ready to continue their tutoring sessions.

Thanks to Stephen, Tessa's math scores soared, jumping from a failing grade to an impressive 692.

With math no longer a barrier, she thrived in all her other subjects and aced the SAT. She was accepted into Rivertown University, where she eventually became Stephen's junior.

At that time, Tessa viewed Stephen as nothing more than a kind older brother.

She admired and liked him, but there was no romantic feeling.

So, when Samuel told her she was meant to marry into the Jacobson family and wed Stephen, she couldn't bring herself to accept it.

To her, Stephen was family-how could a sister marry her brother?

As she got lost in these thoughts, the bedroom door creaked open. Zachary stood in the doorway, his eyes locked on her. "Have you packed everything?"

"Yeah, almost," Tessa answered.

He leaned casually against the doorframe. "Tessa, is there something you want to tell me?"