Way Back Into Love (Essie) novel Chapter 127

Essie liked to sleep in, so she didn't get up until noon.

They were just about to go hiking on the mountain after having an early lunch when William called all of a sudden. "Essie has hit the headlines again."

The headline read, "Essie met a strange man in a hotel and stayed there until midnight."

In the photo, Essie and the man seemed locked in an intimate embrace.

Upon seeing the photo, Essie guessed that it was taken when she was about to open the door and go out. Fortunately, they didn't recognize Hanson. Otherwise, it would have been more troublesome.

Zac was no longer in the mood to go hiking. His face turned gloomy, as if it was covered by the horrible clouds before a heavy storm. When she told him that her friend had come, he thought she was talking about Eva, but it turned out to be a man.

There was only one man in the world who was able to get that close to her. The man's hair was a mess and his face was covered with stubble, but Zac still recognized him after looking at the photo for a long time.

However, he didn't show any expression on his face. Instead, he just asked in a low voice, "Who is he?" He wanted her to say it herself.

Essie tried to make herself look calm. Then, she opened her mouth and said, "Hanson."

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything. He took out a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator and took a swig, as if trying to cool down his anger. "I thought you two were over," he said. His voice sounded like the calm before a storm, slow and solemn, but terrifying.

Essie walked to the window and opened it so that the wind and sunshine could get in. "He came to find me. He didn't know where I was so he wandered all around Dragon City, looking for me. He ended up exhausting and weakening himself," she said frankly. Her heart ached at the thought of Hanson being a drunk mess.

"So, you feel touched by his actions. Do you want to come back to him now?" He glared at her angrily, and a hint of indescribable pain and disappointment quickly rose to his eyes. His eyebrows were knitted together and he was so angry that his chest was heaving due to his heavy breaths.

Essie lowered her eyes, making her long lashes cast a shadow on her eyes. "I have told him about our marriage, and he is engaged now. I don't want to have too much contact with him before we've gotten our freedom back. Even though I will accept him again one day, I will wait for everything to be settled first. After that, I just want a simple and calm love," she told him slowly and gently.

This made his heart stir like waves, and mixed feelings surged inside it. He didn't know whether he should feel relieved or worried. Perhaps, he was feeling more of the former. He knew that Hanson was much more important than him in her heart, and to top that off, he had given her such a troublesome task. The fact that she didn't leave him behind and run away with Hanson in spite of that was a relief for him.

"I'll deal with it. Don't answer the reporters."

Essie nodded, feeling secretly relieved when she saw that he was neither angry at her nor blaming her. It seemed to her that he was ready to turn over a new leaf.

But then again, he needed her now, so of course he was trying to win her over and let her take some sugar-coated bullets. He wouldn't want to have a falling-out with her.

Soon, Mary called them and asked them to go home. Apparently, they had seen the scandal on the Internet.

Valery arrived at the house long before they did. She was the most excited to see what would happen. She wanted to wait and see how Essie would get divorced by Zac and be exiled from the house.

But when she saw Zac and Essie walking in hand in hand as if they were not affected by the gossip at all, the excitement in her heart suddenly decreased by half.

Hadn't he read the news yet?

"Zac, have you seen today's entertainment news? Oh, it seems like Essie is seeing another man!" She couldn't wait to tell on Essie as soon as possible.

Mary patted Valery's hand to calm her down. She sat up straight and acted as the hostess of the house. "Essie, what happened? You have only been in Dragon City for two days, but you have already caused such a big issue."

Essie didn't say anything. After all, it was Zac who had told her not to say anything. He was in charge of handling everything now.

"Mommy," Zac said calmly. "Didn't you see that the man in the photo is your son?"

What? Essie was shocked. She did not expect Zac to pull this trick. It was perfect! Because it was a sneak photo, the image of the man was not very clear. With his head down, it was difficult to recognize him. But someone could always find an excuse to attack a person who was not causing anyone any trouble in the first place. After all, Essie and the man in the photo were holding each other, and it was difficult to find a convincing reason for them to be doing that. In this case, it was even worse. Essie was safe with Zac. She didn't need to explain herself to them or do anything to save her face. Mary was worried that if this went on, she wouldn't be able to stop Essie and Zac from announcing their marriage, and she would certainly have to deal with the aftermath for them.