His Unveiled Passion novel Chapter 5

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 as it appeared. He couldn't even be bothered to go on a trip with Tessa.

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.