His Unveiled Passion

Stephen sat down and picked up a set of cutlery. However, he handed them over to Tessa, saying, "Tess, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? You should eat."

Melody stood to the side with an indulgent smile on her face.

Tessa shook her head. "I'm not hungry. You should eat without me. I'll eat something later."

Meanwhile, Samson was sitting across the table and eating with gusto. He was practically inhaling his food as he sighed with satisfaction. "That really hits the spot."

Stephen turned to look at Tessa once more.

Tessa could only smile helplessly before saying, "I just woke up, and I don't have much of an appetite. You should go ahead and eat."

Only then did Stephen begin to dig in.

It had been a while since he had the chance to eat Tessa's home-cooked meals.

It still tasted the same. He missed it greatly.

When Stephen and Samson rushed over, they only brought a suitcase and a backpack along with them.

They would have driven all the way here, but had no choice but to make the rest of the journey on foot upon reaching the muddy road near the town. So, Samson only packed a few changes of clothes in his backpack and carried them the rest of the way here.

After their meal, they promptly excused themselves to take a shower, changed into a clean set of clothes, and retired for the day.

The rescue team had arrived and began to distribute relief supplies to the

villagers caught in the heart of the disaster. Naturally, they also cleared the roads that had been blocked by mud, debris, and all sorts of garbage.

They had also repaired the village's power system.

It was already 4:00 pm by the time Stephen woke up from his slumber.

The weather was great, and the sun was now shining brightly up in the sky.

Stephen looked out from the second-floor window and saw Tessa in the courtyard. She was basking in the sun with her eyes half-closed, looking utterly content with the warmth caressing her face.

The corners of his lips twitched into a small but genuine smile.

For some reason, he couldn't help but think that Tessa had an uncanny resemblance to a tiny turtle sunbathing on a rock.

Honestly, it was quite adorable.

There was a slight change between Stephen and Tessa after they returned from Haverford.

The main difference was Tessa's attitude toward Stephen.

She was no longer as aloof as before, nor did she sound like she was constantly

a hair's breadth away from taking a jab at Stephen. Although they hadn't gotten back together, there was now a faint undercurrent of intimacy between them.

It was so obvious that even Marissa could tell that something was up between them.

That afternoon, Marissa sought Tessa out at Everbright Law Group.

Once she was in the office, she began brewing herself a cup of tea, remarking somewhat jealously, "Alright, spill. What happened

between you and Stevie? You net

used

to be so cold toward him, but now, you two are exchanging looks of yearning."

Tessa huffed in amusement as she shot Marissa an exasperated look. "Looks of yearning? I'll have you know that you're in a law firm, and slander is a punishable crime."

Marissa harrumphed upon hearing Tessa's words. "And I'll have you

know that I have a working pair of eyes. Gosh, your eyes might as well have been chips of ice whenever you looked at him. It's different now, though. Your eyes are positively

sparkling! Have you two reconciled?"

Tessa tried to change the subject, commenting, "I'll be accepting that compliment

about my eyes, thank you very much."

"Don't you change the subject. Be honest with me. Did something happen between the two of you?" Marissa demanded.

Suddenly, she covered her mouth and gasped dramatically, "Don't tell me! Have you two... done it?"

Tessa was rendered speechless by Marissa's playful demeanor. After a while, she said, "Marissa, have you forgotten that we're love rivals? Is this how you're supposed to treat a fellow rival?

"Done it? Done what? I can't help but wonder just what's in that brain of yours."

Marissa muttered under her breath, "Naturally, I only have Stevie in my mind. Who else could there be?"

Tessa regarded Marissa with amusement as she replied, "I'm confused. Are we supposed to be love rivals or friends? Your interrogation is making me lean toward the latter."noveldrama

Marissa tilted her head in thought and mumbled, "Our relationship, you say? I remember there being a word for it. What was it again?

Then, her eyes lit up and she blurted, "I've got it! It's frenemies. That's right. We're frenemies. After all, we're best friends and love rivals. It's fitting, no?"

Tessa burst into giggles. "Marissa, I don't think that's what you think it means."

Best friends and love rivals? Was there even such a thing in this world?

Marissa let out an imperious snort before saying, "Well, I don't care. I want to be with Stevie and be the closest person there is to him.

However, I also want to be you net

friend. You'll just have to settle for second place, I'm afraid."

Tessa teased, "Marissa, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Your plate's going to crack under all that weight!"

Marissa tilted her nose up in the air and declared righteously, "Don't you know who I am? I'm an heiress. Why can't I have all the good things in the world?"