Way Back Into Love (Essie)

Florey's face was as dark as the overcast sky before a storm.

Essie had a bad feeling about this.

"Are you still thinking of seducing Hanson?" She paid no attention to the reporter next to her and asked Essie directly.

Dragon City was an international hub, and its paparazzi constituted one of the most powerful and craziest international organizations in the country. They had an unerring nose for finding gossip. People in Dragon City immensely enjoyed gossip, and entertainment magazines were the most popular and best-selling sources of such. These focused more on the entertainment circle, the rich families, and the social elites.

As soon as Florey delivered her question, all of the reporters flocked around and boxed Essie in.

"What's the relationship between you and Hanson?"

"Are you two dating right now?"

Essie slid an arm around Florey's waist and remarked, "Auntie, you're so naughty for sneaking out of the hospital. Did you forget to take the medication?"

"What did you say?" Florey was suddenly befuddled.

Essie smiled at the reporters and said, "I'm sorry. My aunt is mentally ill, and she may get triggered to have an attack. The Hanson she's referring to is not the Bella's young master, but her son, my cousin. I have to take her back to the hospital now."

The bodyguards pushed the reporters away to make way for them. Essie led Florey into the car.

Somewhere in an unnoticeable corner, a figure stood obscured by the shadows. He wore sunglasses and cap, which hid most of his pale face. He had a perfect view of what had just transpired. His firsts were clenched, and the veins on his forehead popped. Behind the sunglasses, his eyes burned with fury and resentment. He was about to storm out but managed to restrain himself at the last minute.

In another place a few meters away from him, another person was furtively observing Essie. The man was a private detective employed by Elizabeth to get everything he could dig up on Essie, as well as her whereabouts and actions.

In the Cadillac...

As the car started moving, Florey looked behind her through the rear window for some time. "What are you going to do to me?" she asked with a tremor in her voice, afraid that the younger woman would hurt her.

"No wonder you failed to get into the family back then. You're so much worse than the oh-so-decent Mrs. Xia." She chuckled, and the irony in her voice was apparent.

"You..." Florey was speechless and trembling with anger. She was pregnant at that time, but Jobson Xia chose to marry the other woman instead of her. If not for the fact that Mrs. Xia did not bear a son, Hanson would not have returned to the family.

Essie looked at her coldly. Some people just took advantage of the weak; show them your weaknesses, all the more they would bully you. She did not want to play nice with the other woman anymore.

"There are so many reporters outside, yet you still dared to come here and make trouble. Your son will definitely be on the tabloid front pages tomorrow. I can almost see the headlines: 'The young master of Bella covers up his lover, has an illicit relationship with a designer, and does dirty work.' All kinds of negative news will come out. Not only will Bella's board of directors blame him, Sunny's family will stir up so much trouble. Are you really forcing him to resign?"

Realizing the truth in those words, Florey shivered. That outcome did not occur to her at all; all she wanted was to take her revenge on Essie and get her son back.

"I understand what you're trying to say. I was just confused and agitated back then. Just tell me where Hanson is." Florey stammered out an excuse.

"I saw him for a bit the last time I had a recording for the show. After that, I haven't seen him again. What happened to him?"

"He..." Florey was going to say something, but she suddenly stopped. With a change in tone, she demanded, "Are you lying to me?"

Essie shrugged. "I am staying with my boyfriend and spend most of the time with him. I don't have the time to care about your son," she replied indifferently.

After some hesitation, Florey suddenly recalled the domineering man at the opening ceremony of the fashion week. Apparently, Essie was still a hot commodity, and everyone liked her.

"Since Hanson is not with you, I'll leave now. Ask the driver to stop right there."

Essie gave the older woman a side glance. She had come all the way from Yang City to look for her son. Something serious must have happened. Besides, didn't she have a heart surgery just a short while ago? Did she get discharged from the hospital so soon?

"You have recently left the hospital, so you shouldn't be running around the city like this. Where are you staying right now? I will ask the driver to drop you off there directly."

"No, thanks. I'll take a cab," Florey refused coldly.

Essie had nothing to say to her after that. She told the driver to pull over at the next bus stop and waited for Florey to get off.

As soon as the older woman got out of the car, the anxiety that she was trying so hard to hide appeared on her face.

Essie looked back at her worriedly.

What happened to Hanson? Why didn't he participate in the show?

Despite their relationship being in the past, she could not ignore him just like that. After all, in her heart, he would always be more important than just a friend to her.

She picked up the phone and tried to call him, but his phone was turned off.

Eva called her while she was trying to reach Hanson's assistant, Chris.

"Essie, did you have a good day today?"

"I'm fine," Essie replied a bit tonelessly, a little preoccupied.

"That's good. By the way, Hanson called me up the other day. He wanted to see you, but I didn't tell him your phone number in Dragon City. He said he missed you too much, but I said you came back to Dragon City to see your parents-in-law with that ice guy and that you were getting married. I'm sure he would be mad at you." Eva laughed on the phone, unaware of how Essie's heart started beating faster. Sometimes, Eva had the power to predict something by accident. Essie only told her that she was coming to Dragon City to familiarize herself with the environment and prepare for the competition, but Eva had unwittingly guessed her little secret.

As soon as she had arrived at Dragon City, she changed her local number and shared them with her friends, with the exception of Hanson.

Did he disappear because of this?

She was jolted out of her thoughts when her driver Tim braked all of a sudden and the car sharply careened to a stop. Fortunately, she had her seat belt fastened so she didn't end up slamming against the back of the front seat.

"What the hell?" Tim cursed and turned around to ask if Essie was hurt.

She shook her head. "What happened? Was it a rear-end collision?"

"No, a man suddenly ran in front of us. I'll go down to check if I hit him and if he's okay." Tim got out of the car, and so did Essie.

This was the bustling commercial zone. People were coming and going, and vehicles were running at a slow pace. Tim only hoped that he was able to stop in time and did not hit anyone.

In front of the car, a tall man was lying on the ground. His hair was messy, and his pale face was partly hidden by several days' worth of beard growth on his chin. Even so, Essie froze in shock, immediately recognizing the prone man in front of their car. It was Hanson, who had been missing for several days now.

"Hanson!" she screamed, rushing toward him and cradling the unconscious man in her arms. "Hanson, are you okay? Did we hit you?"

Tim was astonished at the sight. "Miss Essie, do you know him?"

"Tim, call the ambulance," she urged.

"Of course," Tim alertly replied. Tim took out his phone and was about to make the emergency call when a weak voice said, "No, don't bother. I'm fine."

Essie looked down at Hanson. "Really? Open your eyes and look at me!" Shaken to the core, she stared down at him as he lay there with his eyes closed, his face as pale as a piece of paper.

After coughing weakly several times, Hanson opened his eyes slowly. Finally, it registered to Essie that the man reeked of alcohol, and his eyes were bloodshot with drunkenness. "Essie, I finally find you," he slurred, his unfocused eyes peering up at her. "I looked for you everywhere in this city, but I couldn't find you. I was about to go crazy! Are you really going to marry him? What about me? What should I do? I can't live without you..."

"Shush, don't talk anymore, Hanson," Essie interrupted the man's drunken ramblings. "Which hotel are you staying in? We'll take you there." She then asked Tim to help him get into the car.

On the way to the hotel, he kept mumbling and laughing to himself, and Essie felt her heart break at the sight of him.

He was so drunk that she had to get him a room at the Hilton Hotel.

After she helped him to bed, she brewed some strong tea and fed him spoon by spoon to sober him up.

She never would have thought that Hanson had been looking for her for days. Even more so, she didn't think he would end up like this.

Why? Bella and Florey took priority in his heart over her!

It was already evening when Hanson completely sobered up.

Zac called her several times. She perfunctorily told him that her friends invited her to a gathering.

As soon as Hanson opened his eyes, the first thing he did was to look for her in every corner of the room. "Essie! Essie!"

There was no answer. He searched everywhere, but he still didn't find her.

Even in his inebriated state, he remembered seeing her. She took him to the hotel.

Was it just a drunken illusion?

Was she never there?

He collapsed on to the carpet and held his head in his hands.

She was getting married. Was she really marrying another man?

It was all his fault. He had failed their love, and he hurt her over and over. Now, she no longer loved him.

He started hitting his head against the wall in self-punishment.

At that moment, the door of the room was gently pushed open. Greeted by such a pitiful sight, the woman who entered rushed forward and exclaimed, "Hanson, what are you doing? Do you have a headache? Was it because of the accident this afternoon?" Worried for him, she gently took his head between her hands to hold it still.

He opened his eyes wide and looked at her without blinking, afraid that she would vanish into thin air. "Is it really you? Essie, am I dreaming?"

"No, it's me. You vomited all over yourself, so I took your clothes to the laundry room to wash them," she said in a low voice.

"That's great... Oh, God..." Overcome with emotion, Hanson stopped talking. He hugged Essie tightly, like he would never let her go. "I'm so sorry, Essie. I was wrong. I'll take you away from all this, okay? We can go abroad together. I don't need anything and anyone but you! Don't leave me. Don't marry anyone else!" Essie felt her clothes become damp, and every tear that fell from his eyes scalded her heart.

She suddenly realized that she had never understood him. He had already chosen to leave her, but why couldn't he let her go?

She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. "Hanson, what are you doing? You can't have your cake and eat it, too. We are not meant to be! Why do you still persist like this?" She sighed heavily.

Hanson gazed at her with an earnest expression. "I know I was too greedy in the past. If I could only choose one thing, then that would be you. I can't live without you, Essie." His face was covered with tears. He buried his face against the crook of her neck and clung to her tightly, like a desperate man clutching at the last straw for salvation. She was at a loss, and her heart was conflicted. "Your mother came to see you, and she looked really worried. Don't you need to call her? She had just been discharged from the hospital, after all."

"Don't mind her. Whether she agrees to it or not, I will be with you. I won't be deceived or threatened by her ever again," he declared with gritted teeth, and his eyes shone with a resoluteness that she had never seen before.