His Unveiled Passion

Tessa looked up at Zachary with confusion in her eyes, asking, "What?"

Zachary figured she was probably still upset and didn't want to give him the gift just yet. That was fine; he could offer her a way out first. Gently, he said, "I'm sorry about my tone earlier at the shop. Don't be mad, okay?"

That should be enough, right?

She sighed and looked up at him. With a serious expression, she replied, "I'm not mad."

He dismissed her words. "You don't mean it."

"Think whatever you want," Tessa replied.

Zachary instantly grew impatient at her response. "Tessa, I've already apologized. What more do you want from me?"

Tessa continued with her packing. Then, she said flatly, "I don't need your apology."

Zachary stared unblinkingly at her for a while. A moment later, he asked uneasily, "What about the gift?" Tessa turned to look at him. "What gift?"

"Zion said he saw you buying a watch for me," Zachary elaborated. "Didn't you get it to say sorry? I'm back now, so why aren't you ready to bring it out?"

Tessa was about to say it wasn't for him, but he continued speaking, ignoring her, "That's enough. It won't be fun if you keep making a fuss."

She suddenly laughed after hearing that.

Frowning, he asked, "What are you laughing about?"

"Whatever you just said is hilarious," Tessa replied, meeting his gaze. Then, she added, "I did buy a

watch, but it isn't for you. I don't think I did anything wrong, so why should I apologize to you?"

"It wasn't for me? Then, who did you get it for?" Zachary's eyes flared with anger, and he clenched his fist subconsciously.

"It's none of your business," she responded nonchalantly.

"None of my business?" Zachary was furious. "I'm your boyfriend! How is it not my business when you are buying gifts for another man?"

Compared to his anger, she was much calmer.

She looked at Zachary in amusement, querying, "Aren't you Wendy's boyfriend?"

Zachary explained instinctively, "Wendy and I aren't in that kind of relationship."

His tone was much quieter than when he had accused her earlier, and his explanation also lacked

conviction due to his guilt. The relationship he had with Wendy was better described as an affair rather than a romantic one.

They had already crossed the line-doing things they shouldn't have when Tessa was still officially his girlfriend.

He liked Wendy for her outgoing and bold, flirtatious nature. Yet, he also liked Tessa for her beauty and gentle, considerate personality.

Zachary didn't want to tell Tessa just yet that he and Wendy had already gotten together.

He tried to explain again. "My mom indeed had me go ring shopping with Wendy today, but the ring wasn't for Wendy. We were only there to help my mom get one since she bought a new dress. She said she didn't have any matching jewelry to go with it.'

He continued, "She said Wendy has good taste and knows how to match things together. She asked me to take her along. We weren't there just for rings.

"We looked at necklaces, earrings, and bracelets as well. All of these need to be carefully chosen to match her new dress as a set. I know you misunderstood, but I was upset at the time and didn't explain on purpose. I was just trying to make you jealous."

"Jealous?" Tessa's eyes were icy. "You're aware I would get jealous?"

"I'm sorry, Tessa..." he muttered.

She replied coldly, "I hear your apology, but I won't accept it. The gift was definitely not for you."

Zachary's voice suddenly rose several notches. "Then, who was it for?"

"My fiancé," came Tessa's elaboration.

"Heh, you'll truly say anything to force me into marriage, won't you?" Ridicule filled his eyes. "You're implying I have to agree to marry you and be your fiancé before you'll give me the gift. Then, you'll forgive me, right?"

Tessa frowned. How could this man be so full of himself?

Where was his confidence from? Did he really think she couldn't live without him?

Disappointment was evident in Zachary's eyes as he shook his head at Tessa. "Tessa, I thought you understood the vast distance between our statuses. I believed you would be sensible, but here you are, trying to force marriage on me over and over again. I'm really disappointed in you."

She was dumbfounded.

He turned and walked away after he finished talking. The bedroom door slammed shut with a loud bang. Tessa shook her head in resignation.

She had originally planned to use today's incident to finally break up with him. She wanted to tell Zachary that she was the heiress to the Yates family from Rivertown and was about to return home to get engaged to Stephen.

But Zachary didn't even give her a chance to speak.

Tessa speculated that Zachary was so certain she was determined to marry him because she had given him that confidence.

She had always played the role of the obedient, well-behaved girlfriend in the past. She never checked up

on him, never got jealous, and never pried into his privacy. Other than physical intimacy, she almost always did whatever he asked.

Perhaps this gave him the illusion that she couldn't live without him.

What Zachary didn't know was that she had been so understanding because she had long known that he never intended for them to have a future together.

A year ago, she had planned to take Zachary back to Rivertown and tell him about her identity as the Yates family's heiress. However, she had accidentally overheard his conversation with Yanis, his mother, on the phone.

Zachary had said, "Mom, don't worry. I know you would never agree to let her marry into the Gomez family. I'm just dating her for fun. If it ever comes to marriage, it'll have to go through you first, right? "I'm not a love-struck fool. I know how to distinguish between marriage and dating."

What a clear distinction, indeed.

Tessa knew from that moment on that Zachary never intended to go the distance with her.

To put it bluntly, he didn't like her all that much.

However, she wasn't the kind of woman who lived or died for love. She could pick herself up and move

on. If Zachary just wanted to date, then so be it. She had only needed companionship, emotional support, and a warm embrace in this unfamiliar city where she had no one to rely on.

That was all.

She had protected herself well, too. Her first kiss and her first night were still intact.

Why didn't she break up with him sooner?

Because she still liked him at the time and had grown used to his companionship. Emotions were

complicated and were rarely as clear-cut as black and white or an either-or choice.

Tessa never mentioned being the heiress of a wealthy family again after that incident. When she learned

that she was just a substitute, she suddenly found it all meaningless.

She could accept not having a future with Zachary and that he didn't love her that much. However, she couldn't accept him seeing her as a substitute for Wendy.

She was Tessa, and she was her own person.

...

Tessa hadn't expected Yanis to look for her.

Yanis was dressed in an elegant, form-fitting, deep blue dress. She was adorned with exquisite sapphire earrings and a matching necklace. The large gemstone on her hand also matched the color of her dress. She was just as Zachary described. She was the type of wealthy woman who would buy an entire set of jewelry to match a single dress.

"You're Tessa?" The wealthy lady looked at her as if she were an unpleasant thing, her gaze full of criticism.

Tessa greeted her politely, "Hello, Mrs. Gomez."

"Hmm." Yanis stepped into the house, her eyes sweeping across the space before settling on Tessa. "I've heard about you and Zachary."

She sat on the sofa with her legs together and angled to the side. She was the picture of elegance, yet the words she uttered were anything but.

"How could a girl like you think she can marry into the Gomez family?"