His Unveiled Passion

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. In hindsight, it all seemed so absurd.

The night Tessa consented to the arranged marriage, Samuel had reactivated her access to her bank account. 50,000 dollars now felt like little more than pocket change.

"Give me the necklace. I'll replace it with a proper birthday gift later," Zachary interjected. "Tessa didn't know any better. Sorry about that."

Jodie glanced between Tessa and Zachary, clearly torn.

Refusing to hand over the necklace might be seen as disrespecting Zachary.

However, if she complied, it would imply she believed the necklace was fake. On the surface, it would humiliate Tessa, but since Tessa was Zachary's girlfriend, it would also tarnish his reputation in the process.

"If he wants it, just give it to him," Tessa said, folding her arms and glaring coldly at Zachary. With that, Jodie reluctantly handed the necklace over to him.

Standing off to the side, Wendy suddenly spoke up. "Zachary, don't be too hard on Ms. Yates. She had good intentions."

Zachary remained silent, his face set in a grim expression.

To ease the tension, someone suggested they play a game.

Wendy smiled and walked over, eager to join the drinking and games.

Uninterested in the commotion, Tessa made her way to a quiet corner and sat down on the couch.

Zachary followed and sat beside her, his expression still cold.

Tessa didn't acknowledge him, her attention absorbed by her phone.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his tone low and measured. "If you were short on money, you

could've bought something more affordable. It would've been better than gifting fake goods."

"If you're so sure it's fake, then just give it back to me," she replied flatly, her eyes still focused on her phone.

"You're making me look bad. Don't you realize that?"

Tessa closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths.

After a moment, she opened them again and turned to face him.

"What exactly did I do to embarrass you? The receipt's in the bag. Can't you check it yourself, or should I take you to the store and have them confirm it for you?"

Zachary froze for a moment before lowering his head to look for the receipt.

After finding it and confirming the necklace was real, his expression softened, and his tone became less

harsh. "Why didn't you mention the receipt earlier?"

Tessa let out a cold snort. "I couldn't be bothered."

With that, she turned her attention back to her phone.

After a long pause, Zachary finally muttered an apology. "I'm sorry. I misjudged you earlier."

Tessa pretended not to hear, completely focused on her game.

He sat beside her in silence, though his gaze frequently drifted toward the group playing games.

More specifically, his eyes were fixed on Wendy.

As Tessa finished her game and glanced up, she caught Zachary staring intently at Wendy.

When Wendy lost a round and was called to drink, Zachary hesitated at first.

But when he saw her down a third drink and reach for a fourth, he stood up abruptly. Striding over, he snatched the glass from her hand in one quick motion.

"With your stomach problems, how can you drink so much? Wendy, are you trying to hurt yourself?"

It was clear to everyone that Zachary was seething with anger.

The once lively atmosphere in the room immediately fell silent, and all eyes turned to them.

Irritated, Wendy lifted her chin and met Zachary's furious gaze. "And why do you care?"

"You're done drinking." With that, he turned to the group who had been encouraging her, his cold stare sweeping over them. "Anyone who tries to get her to drink again will answer to me."

The others quickly looked away, too intimidated to meet his gaze.

Sitting on the couch, Tessa observed the scene unfolding before her, a mocking smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Without warning, Wendy stood up and reached for the glass of wine in Zachary's hand.

Zachary raised the glass high, deliberately keeping it just out of her reach.

Refusing to give up, Wendy rose onto her tiptoes, but her balance faltered, and she stumbled straight into Zachary's arms.

Zachary instinctively caught her, his other arm pulling her close. "Careful. After all these years, you're still as careless as ever."

Wendy's cheeks flushed as she leaned against Zachary's chest, tilting her head back to meet his gaze. "Zachary, you're so annoying," she teased, her voice laced with a hint of affection.

The crowd around them began teasing the two of them once more.

Just as Zachary was about to respond, he looked up and was taken off guard by Tessa's cold, unblinking stare.