Always Been Yours (Tessa and Nicholas) novel Chapter 2

Five years later, Tessa sat in the lounge of a luxurious private yacht treading through the waves of the expansive, glittering blue sea. She had an arm around her mahogany-colored violin as she quietly tuned it.

The other members of the orchestra took up their own space around her, chattering excitedly among themselves about the owner of this very yacht, who happened to be the regaled Little Prince of the Sawyer family.

Rumor had it that the Little Prince was already worth billions even though he was barely over four years old, and his great-grandfather—Old Master Sawyer—did not hold back when it came to celebrating the young boy’s birthday. In fact, this very yacht was his gift to the Little Prince, and he bought it without so much as batting an eyelash.

“Hey, why do you think the Sawyers appointed our orchestra to perform during the Little Prince’s birthday celebration? I mean, there are plenty of other orchestras more famous than ours!”

“Who knows? I only heard that it was the Little Prince who hand-selected us to perform today. It’s only thanks to him that we get to perform on a glamorous yacht like this one, and our fee practically quadrupled for this event!”

At the mention of this, the other members of the orchestra began to sound off their envy. “We should all be so lucky to have only one-tenth of the Little Prince’s riches. Think about how easy our lives would be then!”

“Destiny favors some over others, and the Little Prince seems to have taken almost all the favor! Our jealousy of the little boy is all we have to our name.”

……

Upon hearing this, Tessa felt the corners of her lips curl up in a bitter, humorless smile. Indeed, she thought darkly, there are those whom destiny favored and granted them victory from the moment they were born, just like the Little Prince of the Sawyer Family.

Then there were those like her, who had fallen behind before the umpire could even shoot the blank and start the race. Tessa’s father was a piece of scum who fooled around behind his wife’s back and ignored all the things she had done for him, abandoning her and forgetting their past struggles together as soon as his business peaked in its success.

When Tessa’s mother passed away, Tessa and Timothy had no one else to rely on but each other.

As a result, Tessa had been forced to sell her own flesh and blood just to get the money for Timothy’s medical treatment. I never even got to see my baby… she thought ruefully. Every time she was reminded of this, a searing pain tore through her heart, threatening to rip her to shreds.

Now that she thought about it, her baby ought to have turned four this year, which was around the same age as the Little Prince. I don’t even know if it’s a dashing baby boy or an adorable baby girl. I don’t know where the baby has gone or if he’s doing well…

Suddenly, her eyes grew misty, and she couldn’t help the prickling sensation in her nose that signaled oncoming waterworks.

Just then, a shrill cry pulled Tessa out of her thoughts. “Tessa! What are you doing here?”

The mistiness in Tessa’s eyes cleared as she turned in the direction of the voice, only to see someone whom she wished she never had to see for the rest of her life—Sophia Reinhart!

Sophia was dressed in an elegant evening dress, and her face was delicately made-up. There was a haughty tilt to her chin as she looked down her nose at Tessa, just like she had six years ago.

Tessa grimaced in disgust at the sight of Sophia, for she didn’t expect to see her here.

“Hah! So it really is you!” Having made sure that the woman in the lounge was Tessa, Sophia crossed over to her, the sound of her stilettos clicking against the floor echoing throughout the room. When she came to a stop in front of Tessa, she sneered arrogantly, “I didn’t think you’d still be alive. Why, I was under the impression that you and that useless brother of yours died a long time ago!”

Timothy… Tessa gritted her teeth. If Sophia and her mother, Lauren, hadn’t so brutally cut off Timothy’s medical funds, Tessa would never have needed to give birth to that man’s child, let alone go through the devastation of parting with her own flesh and blood.