Hobbs was looking for Tessa. He remembered how lovely she was under the moonlight when he saw her that night in the garden.
She was completely different from all the opulent-looking women who threw themselves at him.
However, he couldn't find Tessa after looking around in the hall. Losing interest in the celebration, he walked outside to get some fresh air while also avoiding the women who wanted to approach him.
Unexpectedly, minutes after stepping outside, he ran into Tessa, who was also out for some fresh air.
Noticing the captivating woman standing not far away from him, Hobbs was astounded.
"Miss Reinhart."
With a warm smile on his face, he took the initiative to greet her.
Tessa was a little surprised as she had not expected Hobbs to be here.
She then took a look at the celebration hall behind him and teased, "Are you out here to avoid the people inside, Mr. Hobbs?"
Hobbs couldn't help but laugh when he heard that.
He found Tessa to be more lively and adorable than she was when he saw her that night.
Then, he looked at her and sincerely praised her by saying, "You look really beautiful tonight, Miss Reinhart."
"Thank you. You look stunning too."
Tessa didn't give it much thought and politely praised him back as a courtesy.
Hobbs realized that too. His smile widened as he realized that the woman in front of him was far more interesting than anyone else in the hall.
"Why are you out here right now? Isn't it time for you to shine yet?"
"My performance is the finale, and there's still some time left," Tessa replied honestly.
That surprised Hobbs a little. "So you're the finale, eh? You must be a fantastic player."
To that, Tessa simply replied humbly, "I still have a lot more to learn."
When Hobbs heard this, he teased, "Are people from your country all this humble?"
"Shouldn't everyone be humble?" Tessa blinked and returned the question.
Hobbs was stumped for words.
After a few seconds, he laughed. "You're right. We should all be humble. You've made me even more excited about your performance now. It should be fascinating."
"It will be, but I hope you won't be disappointed. After all, everyone fancies something different," Tessa responded, her eyes shining with confidence as she looked at him.
And just like that, both of them had a pleasant chat outside.
Meanwhile, Elisa's performance had ended.
After taking a bow, she returned backstage.
Tessa was aware that Elisa's performance had ended as well, as she saw a few crew members walking out. Thus, she leaned to the side so that they wouldn't knock her over.
However, someone unintentionally stepped on her gown's hem when she passed by, causing the shoulder straps to detach on the spot.
Feeling her gown slip off, Tessa immediately yelled. Her expression changed to a terrified one as she quickly pulled her gown up to cover her chest.
Though she managed to get her body covered, her face was pale from shock.
Everyone else was stunned as well.
The person who stepped on her gown began to apologize over and over again. "I'm sorry! I didn't step on it on purpose. I'm really sorry!"
The crew was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes, as she knew the gown was expensive just by looking at it. It wasn't something she could afford to compensate for.
At the same time, doubts arose in her heart.
I didn't step on it hard. Why did the straps snap so easily?
However, Tessa was unaware of this. She merely clutched the gown tightly while calming herself.
Biting her lower lip, she stated lightly, "Bring another gown for me."
As soon as she finished her sentence, someone covered her shoulders with a suit jacket that appeared to still have some warmth to it.
Hobbs was the one who did so. After realizing what had happened, he quickly removed his coat to put it on her shoulders.
Coincidentally, Elisa, who had just finished her performance, witnessed the scene.
She immediately scrunched up her face. From her vantage point, it was as if Tessa and Hobbs were hugging each other, not to mention that Hobbs' coat was even on Tessa's shoulders.
However, the truth was that there was nothing between them; they were not even in any physical contact.
Tessa was holding onto Hobbs' coat at this point. "Thank you," she said, her gaze filled with gratitude for him.
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