His Unveiled Passion novel Chapter 9

Tessa woke up from her sleep naturally, and it was already 10:00 am when she opened her eyes.

"Ahh!!!" She stretched lazily. "Not having to go to work feels amazing."

She got up from bed, washed up, and went downstairs for breakfast.

The housekeeper, Emma Grant, had prepared breakfast for two. Tessa glanced at the empty seat across from hers but said nothing.

Emma, noticing that Tessa had come down, asked curiously, "Ms. Yates, isn't Mr. Gomez coming down for breakfast today?"

Tessa took a mouthful of her oatmeal porridge before replying, "He didn't come home last night, so he probably won't be eating."

"Oh," Emma said. She realized she had spoken out of turn and turned back toward the kitchen without further questions.

After finishing her breakfast, Tessa received a message from Stephen. He asked, "Tess, should we have the engagement gown custom-made or go with a brand's latest seasonal collection?"

Was it still possible to have a gown custom-made in time?

Tessa wasn't sure when the engagement date was, either. She asked through text, "When is the engagement date?"

Stephen texted back, "It's not set yet. We'll decide when you're done there and back in Rivertown."

She messaged in response, "Okay, I should be done with everything here in nine days."

He said, "Alright."

Worried that a custom-made gown wouldn't be ready in time, Tessa replied, "Let's go with a brand's new season collection. I'll go pick one."

Stephen responded, "Okay, let me know once you have chosen."

Tessa was about to exit WhatsApp when a notification appeared from Zachary's chat. She pressed on it and saw there was a video.

In the dimly lit private room, a drunk Zachary leaned into Wendy's arms. He murmured, "Dee Dee, you're finally back. I… I knew you would come back… I've been waiting for you for five years…"

The background noise was filled with rowdy cheering. Tessa vaguely recognized several voices, some of which were Jodie and Zachary's friends.

They were all people she knew.

In the video, Wendy held Zachary with her head lowered. She smiled softly at him, "Zachary, you're drunk."

He nuzzled into Wendy's embrace as his voice came in fragments. "I'm… I'm not drunk. I'm very much sober. You're Wendy Cox, and you're the one I love the most. I didn't misspeak, right? Look, I'm sober…"

In the background, someone asked, "Zachary, if Wendy is the one you love most, then what about Tessa?"

Zachary said, "Who's Tessa? I… I only love Dee Dee…"

"Wendy, looks like Zachary can't live without you." Jodie's voice rang out. "Look at him, he's clinging to you after he's gotten drunk, and you're all he sees."

A hint of mockery flashed in Tessa's eyes at that.

She had never heard herself being addressed as Jodie's sister-in-law in the three years she had been with Zachary.

It was hardly surprising, though. Those people never saw her as Zachary's girlfriend, after all.

"How thick-skinned can Tessa be? Wendy's back, and she's still refusing to leave. How utterly clueless of her." The one who spoke was Jodie's best friend. She was the same woman who claimed that the necklace she gifted was fake and had always turned her nose up at Tessa.

Jodie's voice quickly chimed in. "How could an ordinary woman like her ever let go of a scion like Zachary so easily?"

Tessa lowered her gaze, and her lips curled into a cold sneer. Jodie would never say such things to her face. Tessa was now certain that the disdain she had seen in Jodie's eyes on her birthday was not an illusion.

Jodie acted close and friendly with Tessa on the surface, but in reality, she was no different from the rest of them. She genuinely looked down on Tessa.

"Don't worry, Wendy. We're all on your side."

"Yeah! We don't like that Tessa, either. She should know her status and stop dreaming about breaking into our group."

"I think that Tessa has been reading too many romance novels about the domineering CEO falling in love. Her mind is full of marrying into a rich family. It's hilarious! She probably doesn't even realize she's just a clown in our eyes."

"Exactly, she's not even in the same league as us. Zachary was just playing with her. Now that Wendy is back, Tessa should just get lost."

Tessa was as calm as a still lake.

She knew that Wendy had posted this video to assert her claim over Zachary. It was also to humiliate her, forcing her to face reality and leave Zachary as soon as possible.