His Unveiled Passion novel Chapter 2

Zachary instinctively shrugged the woman's hand off his arm, and her expression instantly hardened.

"I'm also friends with Jodie. Is it really so odd that I'm here at her birthday party?" Tessa asked, a faint, almost mocking smile on her lips.

"No, it's just that I thought you weren't a fan of parties like this, so I didn't bring it up," he explained.

Tessa couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Was that honestly the reason he hadn't mentioned it?

It felt more like he'd deliberately left her out, planning to bring someone else instead.

Zachary scanned the room, his eyes icy and probing, as if silently asking, "Who let her in?"

Unnerved, Jodie quickly looked away, acting as though it was none of her concern.

"Hi, you must be Tessa Yates. I'm Wendy Cox," the woman who had arrived with Zachary said, stepping forward to introduce herself. "I'm sure Zachary's mentioned me."

So, this was Wendy—the woman who had been Zachary's first love.

Tessa's heart ached, a heavy weight pressing down on her chest. After all, she had been in a relationship with Zachary for three years, and emotions weren't something that could just be erased in an instant.

Luckily, Tessa was good at masking her feelings. She gave a faint, polite smile and nodded toward Wendy. "Ms. Cox, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Wendy flashed a bright smile. "Ms. Yates, has anyone ever told you we look a little alike?"

The moment the words left Wendy's mouth, Zachary's expression soured.

Tessa couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of him. With a subtle smile, she shifted her gaze to Wendy, meeting her provocative stare.

"What? Really?" Tessa blinked her large, dewy eyes, her voice carrying a hint of innocence. "I don't see it. You're just not as pretty as I am."

The onlookers were left in stunned silence.

Wasn't Tessa always the quiet, well-behaved one? Why did everything she said today feel so tense?

Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Jodie quickly stepped in to redirect the conversation.

"Okay, enough standing—let's sit down," she suggested.

Wendy quickly pushed aside her irritation with Tessa. Forcing a smile, she handed her gift to Jodie. "Happy birthday, Jodie. I got you something."

As Jodie took the gift, she couldn't help but notice the bag was exactly like the one Tessa had given her earlier.

Surprised, Jodie pulled the gift box from the bag and opened it. "Wow, I've been eyeing this necklace for ages. Thank you so much, Wendy."

Tessa's eyes widened. How could this be the same necklace she had bought?

Jodie then reached for the gift Tessa had given her earlier, pulling it from the bag again. "Wow! Tessa, yours is the same necklace too!"

"It must be a fake."

Without even looking at the necklace, one of Jodie's friends spoke dismissively, "This necklace costs over 50,000 dollars. Tessa's just a small-time lawyer—how much could she possibly make in a month? There's no way she could afford something so expensive."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room.

Suspicious glances began to converge on Tessa from all sides.

It was clear they all shared the same opinion as the person who had just spoken.

After all, Tessa was just an unknown lawyer; they couldn't wrap their heads around how someone like her could afford such an expensive gift.

Zachary's expression darkened. "Tessa, if you're short on money, just tell me. I could've helped with the gift. I don't understand why—"

"Why would you give a fake gift?" was what he wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

The unspoken accusation was clear to everyone in the room, though.

Tessa's eyes narrowed as she met his gaze. "Zachary, do you think my gift to her is fake too?"

Zachary remained silent, his expression hardening.

His silence spoke louder than any words could.

Jodie forced a nervous laugh, attempting to ease the tension. "No way. Tessa and I are close friends. She would never give me a bogus gift. Please stop saying things like that—it's really hurtful."

Even as Jodie tried to defuse the situation, Tessa could still sense a subtle disdain in her eyes.

Her heart sank.

She had spent over 50,000 dollars on the necklace, hoping it would convey her gratitude for all the kindness Jodie had shown her in the past.

Three years ago, Tessa had cut ties with her family after refusing to go through with an arranged marriage. She walked away from everything, moving to Haverford on her own.

Her father, Samuel Yates, retaliated by freezing her bank account and cutting off all financial support. With no family connections to lean on, Tessa managed to land a job at a law firm purely through her own perseverance and hard work.

In her first year, she worked as a trainee lawyer, earning only four thousand dollars a month. After passing her licensing exams a year later, her salary improved, but it was still modest. To those in Zachary's social circle, she was nothing more than a penniless nobody.

The heirs and heiresses in Zachary's world had always looked down on her for being "poor". They'd deliberately leave her out when they went out, making her feel insignificant.

While Zachary chose to ignore it, Jodie had occasionally stepped in, even going out of her way to strike up a conversation with her.

Tessa had believed Jodie was different from the others, but it turned out she, too, looked down on her.