Ch. 1081..1090
Chapter 1081 Why Aren’t There Other Tourists?
The whole family woke up early that weekend. After a simple breakfast, they drove over to the beach. Timothy went with them. They got to the pier and took a yacht out into the ocean. While they were making their way to the island, Gregory pressed his face against the window to stare at the blue skies outside. “This place is so beautiful, Mommy.”
“It is. It really puts you in a good mood, doesn’t it?” Tessa was pleased with the view before her eyes, and she beamed as she responded to her son. Nicholas sat by the side with a loving smile on his face as he gazed at the mother and child.
A while later, the yacht arrived at an island, and Tessa helped Gregory off the boat. They were instantly mesmerized by the view of the island. There was a stretch of greenery that welcomed them, and birds were chirping in the air as they walked around. As they walked along the shoreline, they couldn’t see the end of it. The clean and clear ocean water lapped against their feet as they took a stroll on what felt like heaven on earth. The place was gorgeous.
“Woah! Mommy! I love this place!” Gregory cried out in joy. Tessa loved the place just as much—she felt like she had walked into a painting. “Do you like it?” someone said gently into her ear. Nicholas leaned in to wrap his arms around her waist as he lowered his head to gaze at her. Tessa nodded. “I love it. How did you find this place?”
“I just happened to stumble upon this island. There used to be aboriginals who lived here back then. There aren’t a lot of them, but this place is very popular among tourists,” Nicholas explained as he walked along the shoreline with an arm around her. Gregory realized that he was falling behind, and he was about to jog over to his parents when he felt someone tugging on the back of his collar. “Let go of me, Uncle Tim! Mommy and Daddy are getting farther and farther away!” Gregory was frustrated to have Timothy holding him back.
However, Timothy didn’t let go of the boy—instead, he bent down and picked the kid up. “You idiot. Couldn’t you tell that Daddy was trying to leave you behind because he wanted some time with Mommy?”
“Daddy’s mean! He’s always stealing Mommy away from me,” Gregory protested. He was a smart child, so he knew exactly what his father was doing. When Timothy saw the huge pout on Gregory’s face, he let out a loving chuckle. Timothy walked a distance behind the couple while Nicholas continued to tell Tessa about the island. “This place is very well preserved, and the weather here feels like springtime throughout the year. I figured that you’d like this place, so I bought a villa here. The beach is right behind our house.”
Nicholas led Tessa to a lavish-looking villa while they talked. When Tessa saw the huge house in front of her, she was too stunned to believe her eyes. “This probably cost a lot of money, didn’t it?”
“It’s fine. It’s all worth it as long as you like the place.” Nicholas slipped his hand into Tessa’s as he led her into the house. The villa was huge. The interior design was a fusion of Western and Eastern elements, and the detailed and meticulous touches on the place made Tessa feel almost like she was in a fairytale. She was extremely fond of the place. There was a floor-to-ceiling window in the hall that had a golden-and-blue view of the sand and the sea outside.
As Tessa stood on the balcony and gazed out, she could even look into the ocean because of how clear the water was. There were patches of seaweed swaying along with the calm waves, and there were a few fishes swimming around at a leisurely pace. The surface of the ocean glistened as it reflected the sun.
The entire view was too mesmerizing for Tessa to look away. This feels like the perfect place for a getaway, she thought. “Daddy, I want to play in the ocean!” Gregory was still a child, so he couldn’t control his urges to play in the water when he saw the view. Nicholas thought that it was a good idea, so they all went out to the beach with Nicholas still holding Tessa’s hand. The moment Gregory stepped onto the sand, he started running around in circles while giggling with joy. Both Tessa and Nicholas beamed happily at the sight of the young boy.
Right then, Gregory seemed to have found something fun to do. He jogged over to Tessa a while later, looking as if he had just found a treasure chest. “Mommy, this seashell is so pretty. I want to give it to you.”
Tessa looked at the tiny object in Gregory’s hands. “This isn’t a seashell. It’s a conch!” It was a nicely-shaped conch, and it had a rather small tip. Right then, Tessa realized something odd about the beach they were at. “We’ve been here for so long. Why aren’t there any other tourists around here?” she asked.
Chapter 1082 I Won’t Lose
Tessa turned to give Nicholas a puzzled look. Timothy had noticed this a while ago, and he could guess the reason for the empty island, but he turned to look at his brother-in-law anyway.
Nicholas gave Tessa a gentle pinch on her nose when he saw the confusion in her eyes. “This part of the beach is a private beach that belongs to our villa. Outsiders aren’t allowed here,” he said with a laugh.
Tessa’s initial surprise was followed by a surge of happiness. This means that I can play on the beach with my children in the future, and we won’t have to worry about outsiders bothering us! Gregory didn’t understand what a private beach was, but he was just as happy when he saw the waves crashing onto the shore.
“Mommy, I want to play in the water!” Gregory held his head up to give his mother a puppy-eyed look. His delicate and flawless facial features made him seem especially adorable, and Tessa couldn’t bear to reject the young boy when he looked like that.
Furthermore, Tessa was also tempted to play in the ocean when she saw the amazing view in front of her. So, she turned to look at Nicholas without saying anything.
Nicholas gave in at the sight of his son and wife staring at him, but he was still concerned about their safety. “You guys can play close to the shore. Don’t go too deep into the waters,” he reminded them.
The earlier part of his sentence was directed to Tessa, while the latter part was specifically toward Gregory. Once Gregory received his parents’ approval, he quickly urged Tessa to make a move. “Let’s go, Mommy. I’ll pick some seashells for you,” he said.
“Okay!” Tessa had a loving look in her eyes as she allowed the small boy to drag her toward the ocean. As Nicholas and Timothy watched the mother and son from the back, they both thought about how nice and peaceful life felt at that moment. Soon enough, they could hear Gregory and Tessa’s laughter from a distance away.
The sound of the waves and the hot weather made the ocean seem especially tempting to Timothy. After a short while, he decided to challenge Nicholas. “Why don’t we have a little swimming competition, Nicholas?” Since Timothy had put up the offer, Nicholas saw no reason to reject him.
Soon enough, two eye-catching, well-built figures walked down the beach toward the ocean. Even though Timothy was busy with work, he was very particular about his physique. He had pale skin, but his body was firm and sculpted. Nicholas, on the other hand, had a slightly tanner skin tone from his years in the army. He had eight-pack abs while Timothy had a six-pack—both of them together made a gorgeous sight.
When Gregory saw his father and uncle walking into the ocean in their swimming trunks, he called out to them in an innocent voice. “Do you guys want to play in the water too?”
“Yeah. We’re going to have a little competition. Between your father and me, who do you think is going to win?” Timothy asked with a cheeky grin on his face.
Gregory didn’t hesitate before responding. “My daddy, of course! Daddy’s the best!”
“What about me?” Timothy felt rather dejected, so he turned to look at Tessa. “Tessa, you tell me—who do you think will win?” Tessa could immediately tell what was going on in Timothy’s mind, but she blinked a few times before responding. “You know me, Timothy. I’m really bad at telling lies.” In other words, she was implying that she supported Nicholas as well. Her words felt like a stab to Timothy’s heart.
“Well, since you guys are looking down on me, I guess I’ll have to make sure that I defeat Nicholas!” Timothy could feel his competitiveness arising as he shot Nicholas a challenging look. Nicholas simply ignored the other man—he turned to give Tessa a gentle smile instead. “I’ll win,” he stated. Just these two words were enough to make Timothy furious.
“Do you have to be so confident, Nicholas? You’re going to embarrass yourself if you lose in front of Tessa,” Timothy uttered.
“I won’t lose,” Nicholas replied firmly. What he said was true—Timothy lost the swimming competition in the end. Gregory jogged over after they were done. “I told you, Uncle Tim! Daddy’s the best.”
Timothy felt even worse after hearing the boy’s words. Tessa couldn’t bear to see the look on her brother’s face, so she went over to comfort him. “It’s no surprise that you’ve lost. Nicholas used to be in the army, you know.” Timothy felt a little better after that, but he still wasn’t happy about losing. So, he challenged Nicholas to another two rounds of swimming.
Chapter 1083 The Attractive Couple
Being the good-tempered man Nicholas was, he went along with Timothy’s requests. Meanwhile, Tessa stayed on the shore with her feet in the water as she kept an eye on Gregory. She had just recovered a while ago, so she didn’t do anything too strenuous. After they were done playing at the beach, they all returned to the villa. That afternoon, the cook prepared a grand feast consisting primarily of seafood.
However, both Tessa and Gregory were mildly allergic to seafood, so they didn’t try the prawns at all. Instead, they ate mostly fish and oysters. Despite not having the full experience of the meal, both of them were extremely satisfied. Even Timothy was pleased with the meal. Gregory started feeling drowsy after the meal. Timothy thoughtfully brought the young boy upstairs to nap in his room while Tessa and Nicholas sat behind the large window and enjoyed the view outside since they weren’t sleepy.
The weather was perfect that day, and the sand and sea looked like a beautiful gold and blue painting. Every now and then, a few seagulls flew past them. “How gorgeous,” Tessa sighed as she gazed at the perfect view outside the house. “I’m glad you like it,” Nicholas said as he lowered his head to look at the woman in his arms. Then, he bent down to plant a kiss on her lips.
Tessa felt a sweet sensation in her heart. She looked like she was thinking about something for a while before she let out a smile. “I do like this place a lot. Perhaps we could come here to retire after our kids are all grown up,” she suggested. Nicholas couldn’t help but laugh when he heard her words. “You can come here whenever you want. If you like this place, we could move here for good, too,” he replied.
“Now’s not the time to do that. You have a company to run, and I don’t think I’m fit to stay on the island with my condition!” Tessa was speechless in relation to the man’s suggestion, but she also felt warmed by his words. She knew how much Nicholas loved her. “When the child is born, we could visit this place for holidays more frequently. That would be good enough,” Tessa suggested. Nicholas thought about it for a while and figured that she was right.
Even though this tourist spot is considered developed, the facilities can’t be compared to those in the city. Their medical facilities, which are the most important facilities, are not very advanced. That’s enough to put me off.
Both of them talked for a while more before Tessa fell asleep in Nicholas’ arms. Nicholas looked lovingly at his wife who was deep in her sleep. He carefully carried the woman back to the bed before he quietly slipped into bed for a nap.
Later that day, Tessa woke up to find herself in bed. Nicholas wasn’t in the room, but that didn’t bother her. She washed up before heading downstairs to find Nicholas sitting on the couch and going through some documents. His icy features softened when he heard footsteps coming from upstairs. “You’re awake,” he said while looking up.
Tessa nodded and looked around to realize that Gregory and Timothy were nowhere to be seen. “Where’s Gregory and Timothy?” she asked.
“Timothy brought Gregory out to explore the place a while ago. There are a lot of tourist attractions on this island,” Nicholas replied. “Are you interested in taking a walk? I could show you around the island,” he said. Tessa was intrigued by the idea, but she then saw the laptop on the coffee table. “Would I be disturbing your work?” she asked hesitantly.
“No. I’m done with work,” Nicholas uttered as he shut his laptop down. The screen of his laptop clearly showed that he was in the midst of a meeting, and the rest of the higher-ups in the call looked utterly lost when Nicholas turned his laptop off. Edward, in particular, felt rather taken aback. I feel like President Sawyer is becoming more and more of an incapable boss now that he’s married, Edward thought.
Tessa wasn’t aware of any of this, and she happily slipped her arm into Nicholas’ as they headed out. Both of them didn’t have a car, so they simply walked hand-in-hand down the main road, which was positioned right by the ocean. When they looked to their side, they could see the clear ocean water and the sea foam that came with the waves. Everything felt perfect.
There were quite a number of tourists and locals by the beach, and all of them were enjoying themselves. Perhaps Tessa and Nicholas’ good looks were what attracted everyone’s attention—many of the people at the beach noticed the couple the moment they showed up.
Chapter 1084 Do You Want a Picture?
“They’re such a perfect match,” someone commented. “They aren’t just a perfect match; they also seem really in love with each other,” another one added. “Yeah, that handsome guy is really thoughtful. When a car passed by them just now, he held one arm out to protect the pregnant lady while he used his other hand to cover her nose and mouth,” someone said. “I’m so envious!” another one cried.
A few daring children ran over to Tessa with huge grins on their faces. “Are you going to give birth soon, Miss?” Tessa felt her heart melting at the sight of the children’s innocent and wide eyes. She rubbed her belly lovingly while speaking in a gentle tone. “Yeah, I’m about to have a baby soon,” she replied. “I bet your baby will look as good as you and your husband,” one kid said. “Can I give your baby these flowers?” another kid asked. “Of course,” Tessa replied. She was especially patient with these friendly children.
Nicholas watched them from the side with a fond gaze in his eyes. After chatting with the children for a while more, Tessa and Nicholas continued to stroll along the main road. However, being the pregnant woman that she was, Tessa felt rather worn out after walking for a while. Nicholas could tell that she was tired, so he held her close while speaking to her gently. “There’s a café nearby. Why don’t we sit for a while?” Tessa followed his gaze to see a unique-looking café in front of them. She nodded and allowed Nicholas to support some of her weight as they slowly made their way to the café.
They entered the café and saw that there weren’t a lot of people inside. They found a spot by the window, and they drank some milk while munching on some cake. The atmosphere of the place felt calm and peaceful. They people-watched from their window seats—there were some families on vacation and a few couples who were bickering and chatting. Tessa beamed as she held her cup of milk with two hands. Life cannot get any more peaceful and pleasant than this, she thought.
Every now and then, she would realize something interesting outside the window and tell Nicholas about it. He patiently listened to her while gazing at her warmly. Both of them were enjoying their time alone when a young lady jogged over to them with a camera in her hands. “Hey, do you want a picture? You guys look really cute together,” Alina Lassiter commented as she gazed at the couple with twinkling eyes. Tessa was about to reject the girl’s offer when Alina continued speaking. “You guys don’t look familiar, so I bet you guys are here for a holiday. Why don’t you take a picture to have it as a keepsake? My pictures aren’t costly—it’s only 7 bucks per piece. I promise that I have good skills. If you don’t like the picture, I won’t take any money from you,” she uttered.
Tessa couldn’t help but laugh at how much of a smooth-talker the young lady was. It almost felt like the young lady was trying to scam them. Well, it’s true that I haven’t taken a picture with Nicholas for a while. It’s rare for us to be here and the view’s great, so why not?
However, Tessa didn’t agree to it immediately. Instead, she gazed at Nicholas with a cheeky look in her eyes. Nicholas beamed when he understood what Tessa wanted.
Alina, on the other hand, was momentarily mesmerized at the sight of Nicholas’ smile. Before she knew what was going on, she heard a playful voice say, “You can take pictures of us, but I’m not going to pay you if my wife isn’t pleased with the pictures,” he said.
“Of course,” Alina uttered with a smile. “Since you have agreed to this, let me introduce myself first. My name is Alina Lassiter. Do you have any specific spots you would prefer to have your picture taken?” she asked. Tessa instinctively looked at Nicholas again. “You can go anywhere you want to,” he said in a soft voice. Alina felt her heart melting when she heard his words. He’s so sweet!
In the end, Alina couldn’t help but interrupt them. “We can take some pictures now. Stay in this pose where you’re looking into each other’s eyes.” Then, before Tessa and Nicholas could say anything, Alina held her camera up to take three photos at once. After that, she held her camera close to look at the shots. “Oh gosh. This is perfect!” She felt like every shot she took belonged in a fashion magazine because of how good the couple looked.
Chapter 1085 Pay Me Tomorrow
Both Nicholas and Tessa were looking deep into the other person’s eyes when the picture was taken, and one could feel the connection between their gazes even through looking at the photo. Their sharp and flawless features made the photo look even more eye-catching.
“Look. Did I do a good job? You look really good, Mr. Sawyer. Of course, you look extremely stunning too, Mrs. Sawyer.” Alina handed the camera to Nicholas and Tessa while praising them.
Tessa took a look at the picture and agreed that it was a good shot. She nodded in satisfaction, and they took a few more photos in the café before switching spots to find another background. Their first spot was at a flower garden that Alina suggested—Alina thought that it’d be a waste of the couple’s gorgeous looks if they didn’t take pictures at a spot as magical-looking as the flower garden on the island.
“Lower your head and look at her, Mr. Sawyer. That’s right!” Alina gave out orders to Nicholas as she took pictures of them. Nicholas didn’t seem to mind it, and Alina took a few more stunning shots of him holding Tessa in his arms.
After they were done at the flower garden, they moved to the seaside. With their backs facing the ocean, Nicholas wrapped his arms around Tessa for a few pictures, and he pressed his forehead against hers for a few others. They were looking into one another’s eyes, and their gazes were filled with love.
By the end of the photoshoot, Alina didn’t need to give instructions at all—Nicholas already knew what sort of poses to do.
Lastly, they went to a child’s playground that made them feel like they were in a fairytale. Before Tessa knew what was going on, she watched the man getting onto one knee before kissing her belly with a gentle gaze in his eyes.
“Nicholas…” Tessa was shocked, and she lowered her head to look at him. When he looked up to meet her eyes, she felt like she could drown in that loving gaze of his. “This is our precious little gem. I can’t wait for our baby to see the world, and I hope everything goes smoothly until then,” he uttered.
Tessa pressed her lips together as she felt tears forming in her eyes. Meanwhile, Alina, who was watching this from afar, didn’t stop pressing the shutter at all. What sort of magical love do they have for each other? I’m so envious! she thought. The three of them traveled to a few more spots throughout the afternoon, and they ended up with more than 100 pictures.
Toward the end, Tessa was starting to feel tired, but Alina was still excited about the photoshoot. It had been a while since she had such an enjoyable shoot.
“There’s a water park on the island, Mrs. Sawyer. Why don’t we take some pictures in the water there?” Alina tried to convince Tessa to take more pictures.
As they went around, Alina gradually noticed that Nicholas was fully compliant with his wife’s orders, even though he seemed like the stern and icy one. Mr. Sawyer will agree to anything as long as his wife says so, she thought.
Unfortunately, Nicholas saw right through Alina. “That’s enough. My wife is getting tired,” Nicholas uttered.
Alina felt rather bad when she heard this, and she quickly turned to gaze at Tessa. Tessa was indeed starting to feel tired—after all, it was hard for her to walk too much with such a huge belly.
Tessa smiled when she met Alina’s gaze. “Let’s end things here for today. We’ve taken quite a number of pictures, so I think it should be enough,” Tessa said.
“We did take a lot of them. I scrolled through the pictures, and I think there are more than a hundred of them,” Alina replied with a smile. Even though she felt like it was a shame for their photoshoot to end there, she was still happy with the photos she had taken. Furthermore, she couldn’t tire a pregnant lady out for the sake of her own enjoyment. At that thought, she quickly assured the couple about their photos. “I’m pretty sure you guys will be pleased with how the printed pictures look,” she said.
“Alright. We look forward to the end product,” Tessa replied with a smile.
“How much are these?” Nicholas asked upon hearing Alina’s words.
“There’s no rush. I’ll tell you the amount when you come over to collect these pictures tomorrow,” Alina replied.
Nicholas was surprised to hear that Alina didn’t want her payment right there and then.
Tessa was just as puzzled. “Aren’t you afraid that we won’t show up?” Tessa asked.
“I trust that you guys aren’t that sort of people,” Alina replied Tessa with a firm smile. “Alright. It’s getting late. I shouldn’t take up any more of your time—I’ll head home to work on the pictures now. Bye!” Alina waved them goodbye before rushing off excitedly.
Tessa felt oddly amused at the sight of the girl who was rushing away.
Nicholas, on the other hand, curled his lips into a smile when he saw the tired but happy look on Tessa’s face.
Chapter 1086 Dinner by the Ocean
“Let’s go home too,” Nicholas said as he slipped his hand into Tessa’s. He was gentle and careful as he helped her back home. The smile on Tessa’s face widened as she liked the idea of heading home with her loved one. At that thought, she tilted her head upward to gaze at the man’s sharp and perfect jaw. Days like these feel perfect, she thought.
By the time they got home, Timothy and Gregory were already back. Gregory jogged over to them when he saw them entering the house. “Mommy! Daddy! Where did you guys go?”
“We went to take some pictures,” Tessa replied as she led Gregory over to the couch. When Gregory heard what she said, he turned to stare at Nicholas while speaking in an accusing tone. “You’re mean, Daddy! You stole Mommy away from me, and you didn’t even bring me along to take pictures with her. You’re so mean!”
Nicholas raised an eyebrow as he teased the kid. “Well, who’s the one who was in a rush to head out to play right after waking up?” Gregory could no longer argue against Nicholas after hearing what he said. The kid simply stared at Nicholas while feeling bad for himself. “Daddy’s bullying me, Mommy.”
Tessa beamed as she reached out to hug the kid who was complaining to her. “It’s fine. I’ll take revenge for you,” she uttered to comfort him. Gregory was pleased to hear this, and he turned to flash Nicholas an arrogant look. “I told you, Daddy. Mommy loves me more!”
Nicholas stared at the kid speechlessly. Is it too late to leave this kid in Vienna? Gregory had no idea that he had nearly been sent off. After showing off to Nicholas, he continued acting cute in front of his mother. “I want to take pictures with you too, Mommy.” Tessa couldn’t say no when she saw his puppy dog eyes, so she immediately made a promise to Gregory. “Of course we can do that. You can follow me out tomorrow, and we can get Miss Lassiter to take some pictures of us.”
“Yeah! You’re the best, Mommy. I love you the most,” Gregory cried. He wrapped his arms around Tessa after getting what he wanted. They giggled for a while before Tessa asked Gregory about his day. “Well, Uncle Tim brought me to the water park. He was really cool! He brought me along while competing with other people, and he won every single time. He also showed me a lot of fun stuff,” Gregory said while prancing around excitedly.
Tessa gave the young boy a playful pinch on the nose. “Did you have fun, then?” she asked with a smile. “Yeah! I had a lot of fun. I want to go out with Uncle Tim again tomorrow.” Gregory was so excited that he had forgotten about his plan to take pictures with his mother the next day. Tessa chuckled as she was amused by the young boy. “Well, are you saying that you’re not going to take pictures with me since you want to go out with Uncle Tim?”
“No! I want to take pictures!” Gregory hastily changed his narrative before turning around to look at Timothy. “I’ll play with you the day after tomorrow, Uncle Tim,” Gregory uttered almost immediately. “Alright. I’ll bring you out to play the day after tomorrow,” Timothy replied. After that, Timothy took a look at the time. “I made a reservation at a restaurant by the ocean, and it’s about time for dinner. Let’s head over there,” he uttered with a smile.
Tessa nodded, and they all took the car to head to the restaurant. The restaurant was located in a nice spot where there were no other tall buildings nearby—this allowed their guests to enjoy the sea view outside. The whole place was also decorated in a homey and comfortable manner. “I heard that this restaurant uses top-notch ingredients that they obtain directly from the oceans here. I also heard that the cook is really skillful. You need to try their food, Tessa,” Timothy said to his sister while he helped Gregory to set up his cutleries.
Tessa felt rather eager for her meal after hearing her brother’s words. Soon enough, the waiters brought their dishes over. Nicholas could tell how excited Tessa was for the meal, so he quickly began peeling the prawns for her once the first dish was served. “Thanks, Nicholas.” Tessa’s grin was so wide that her eyes turned into straight lines when she saw the fresh prawns in her bowl.
Nicholas smirked in return. “You can taste it to see if it’s good. I’ll peel more prawns for you if you like it,” he offered. Tessa nodded before popping one into her mouth. Her expression immediately turned into one of pure enjoyment.
Chapter 1087 Let the Lady Play
A moment later, Tessa glanced at Nicholas with sparkling eyes and said, “It’s delicious!” At the sight of this, Nicholas went on to peel a few more shrimps for her.
Next to them, Timothy couldn’t help his exasperation. He didn’t mind having a meal with his sister and her husband, but he felt like he was getting heartburn from their lovey-dovey exchange. “Uh, Tessa, Nicholas, some of us are trying to eat here. Can you refrain from rubbing your relationship in my face while I’m still single?” He put his hand to his chest in an exaggerated manner as though Tessa and Nicholas had plunged a sword through his heart, then shot them a wounded look.
Tessa was about to retort when Nicholas beat her to it. “We’re hoping this might give you that extra push you need in order to find a girlfriend.” Then, Nicholas returned to peeling shrimps for Tessa and addressed her indulgently, “Is there anything else you’d like to eat? I’ll get it for you.”
She shook her head and didn’t want him to starve. “You don’t have to, and you barely ate a bite!”
As she said this, the waiter served the last dish, but he did not leave immediately after setting the plate down. Then, the waiter said politely, “Dear guests, there will be a live performance in our establishment shortly after this for you to enjoy while you dine.”
Gregory blinked his doe-eyes at the waiter and asked curiously, “Excuse me, sir, but what sort of performance is it?”
The waiter replied with a smile, “Usually it’s a piano or a violin performance, but the musicians are set. They’re refined artists who play the instruments beautifully, and some of our customers only dine here to hear them play.”
Tessa could hear the subtle pride in the waiter’s tone as he said this, and she found herself looking forward to the performance later.
Unfortunately, the restaurant ran into some trouble at the very last moment.
Another waiter hurried up onto the stage and apologized to the customers. “Ladies and gentlemen, our resident pianist has a case of food poisoning and is being treated at the hospital right now. We sincerely apologize for having to cancel the performance this evening, but our manager has mentioned that should anyone here know how to play the violin and the piano, then by all means, the stage is yours.”
Some customers were clearly displeased by the unexpected announcement, but they mostly just grumbled to themselves and chose to ignore it.
Meanwhile, Tessa’s wistful gaze immediately fell upon the violin displayed on stage, and while this was just a habit for her. However, when she heard that there would be a performance, she quickly looked at the instruments on the stage, only to make a surprising discovery.
The violin displayed in the glass cabinet was by no means expensive, but it was of a renowned brand nonetheless. Tessa heard that the same violin had been sold off at a charity auction years ago, and that was the end of it. She certainly didn’t think she would see it displayed here.
The longer she stared at the violin, the more her fingers itched to touch it.
Nicholas was the closest to her, so he naturally caught the longing look in her eyes. He smiled in amusement as he appraised her. She reminded him of a kitten who could not play with its favorite toy, and it was only a matter of time before she grew restless.
As hesitation filled Tessa, she heard someone chuckle lightly next to her. She turned to look at him inquisitively and saw the teasing gleam in his eyes.
She realized that he had seen the conflict written on her face. Glaring at him indignantly, she demanded, “What’s so funny?”
Nicholas smirked, but his gaze was loving as he drawled, “Go on stage and perform if you like the violin so much.”
Her heart warmed when she heard this, but she was still hesitant. “But it’s supposed to be a piano performance tonight.”
Timothy leaned in and suggested, “Maybe you could ask the waiter and see if they’d let you play the violin instead.” He had seen the wistful glimmer in Tessa’s eyes as well, but Nicholas had beaten him to encourage her.
Tessa had no idea of her brother’s intentions, but his words seemed to snap her out of her hesitation. She stood up with a certain resolve and walked up to the waiter. “Excuse me, I was wondering if the piano performance this evening could be replaced by a violin performance instead?”
She might be speaking to the waiter, but her gaze had wandered over to the violin in the glass case.
The waiter understood where she was going with this and pointed out anxiously, “This violin is one of our establishment’s most prized possessions. We can’t take it out on a whim, and most times, it stays locked up in that glass cabinet.”
As soon as the waiter said this, a nearby customer who overheard the conversation snapped, “You can call it a prized possession all you want. As long as it stays in that cabinet, it’s no better than an old fiddle. Someone ought to play it and bring out the excellence of its craftsmanship!”
“He’s right. Besides, didn’t you just say that anyone who knows how to play these instruments could volunteer to perform tonight? Your refusal of this lady’s request seems a little embarrassing on your part, don’t you think?”
Chapter 1088 A Siren’s Song
“We paid to dine here just so we could hear your in-house musicians perform, but you ended up canceling the performance! If you refuse to let this lady go up on stage and play us a tune, then you’d be defrauding customers like us!”
The customers’ complaints rose to a clamor. Since the waiter couldn’t afford to offend them, he appeased them and said, “In that case, I shall refer to our manager and see what he has to say about this.”
A moment later, the manager came out dressed in a business suit. He spoke to Tessa directly, “Ma’am, I think my employee has clarified that we will only have piano performances tonight. If you can play the piano and captivate the crowd with your performance, I’ll make an exception for you and bring you the violin.”
She nodded and agreed readily, “Well, then, I’ll perform with the piano first.”
She understood that the manager had his hands tied as well, and she didn’t blame him for trying to make things hard for her.
Gregory hurried over to Tessa and wrapped his arms around her leg. He stared at her with wide eyes and asked, “Mommy, are you going to play the piano? Can I play with you?”
He still remembered what it felt like to perform on the piano alongside Tessa, and he would do anything to relive that.
Tessa couldn’t bring herself to turn the little boy down, so she glanced up at the restaurant manager and inquired with a smile, “My son knows how to play the piano as well. May I have him perform with me?”
The restaurant manager, as expected, had no qualms with that whatsoever.
Within minutes, Gregory happily led Tessa to the piano and climbed onto the stool. It wasn’t long before the familiar and lively tune of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” filled the restaurant.
Gregory and Tessa played wonderfully, and the performance was breathtaking. As soon as the show ended, the crowd cheered and applauded heartily.
“She must be a professional! What a stunning performance!”
“And that little guy is quite the pianist for his tender age!”
The manager immediately knew what to do next when he heard the crowd’s approval of the performance. He took the violin out of the glass cabinet as soon as Tessa and Gregory came down from the stage.
A bright smile lit up Tessa’s face when the violin was handed to her. She carefully took it, then lovingly inspected it over and over. At last, she asked tentatively, “May I play it?”
“Of course,” the manager said with a firm nod, having already seen her talent.
Tessa, oblivious to the manager’s and the crowd’s opinions, excitedly returned to the stage with the precious violin. She only cared that she had the manager’s permission to play it.
Meanwhile, the other customers were ecstatic to see that she had come back up on stage, this time with the violin in hand. The piano performance earlier had left them wanting more.
Tessa bowed, and the crowd politely applauded, though Gregory packed in much more enthusiasm than everyone else in the room.
On the other hand, Nicholas gazed at his wife, who looked radiant with confidence, as she took center stage.
Before long, a light and elegant melody resonated through the restaurant. Like a siren’s song, the violin’s sound drowned out everyone’s thoughts and lured them into a dreamscape.
When the song came to an end, Tessa still hadn’t gotten enough of the violin. She liked how full and unique it sounded.
As for the crowd, they slowly snapped out of their reverie like they had just woken up from an idyllic daydream and started clapping, breaking into raucous cheers. They enjoyed every bit of Tessa’s performance.
“She’s got to be a professional musician!”
“You don’t say! I think everyone here can tell!”
“I personally find it astounding that a young woman like her has mastered two classical instruments! She must be a prodigy.”
The crowd agreed with this statement wholeheartedly. Even the manager had to admit that Tessa was quite a remarkable violinist.
He took in the crowd’s reaction and beamed as he walked up to Tessa. “Ma’am, you played the violin beautifully. Your evening meal is in the house, but I wonder if you could play us another song.” He grew shy toward the end, and the request came out somewhat meekly.
Tessa, however, did not mind at all. Nothing would give her more satisfaction at that moment than to play the violin a second time, so she agreed.
The other customers overheard their conversation and immediately began applauding wildly to welcome her back on stage.
Soon, Tessa lodged the violin between her collarbone and jawline and played a song she had composed.
Unsurprisingly, she lured the crowd into yet another stupor.
Chapter 1089 Picture Perfect
Tessa returned the violin to the restaurant manager after she had wrapped up her performance and returned to her seat.
Gregory’s eyes lit up when he saw her. “Mommy, you are incredible!” he gushed and showered her with compliments.
Next to him, Timothy and Nicholas couldn’t help chuckling at how besotted the little boy was over his mother’s musical talents.
Just like that, the quartet finished their dinner happily. They were tired after the day’s events, so they returned to their rooms after the meal.
Everyone seemed to be in a festive mood, and they slept in the following day. Tessa reluctantly crawled out of bed, but she had only just made her way downstairs when Gregory bounded up to her. He babbled excitedly, “Mommy, you said you were going to take pictures with me today. Come on, let’s go! See, I even got Uncle Timothy to help me button up my new suit!”
As he said this, he spread his arms out and spun so she could look at his new clothes. He gave her a bright grin as he said with all the pride a toddler could muster, “I bet I’m way better looking than Daddy! For today, at least.”
The little guy looked adorable in his burgundy suit, which perfectly complemented his delicate, childish features.
Tessa laughed, but she nodded and praised warmly, “Yes, you’re the most handsome prince in all the land.”
On the other hand, Nicholas had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. I’m going to let Timothy babysit the brat for the next couple of days, he thought in exasperation.
Later that day, the foursome headed to the agreed meeting place after their meal and saw that Alina was already waiting for them.
She appeared to have been waiting for a while. She grinned and jogged up to them when she registered their arrival, then said, “Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer, you’re finally here!’
“Sorry for being late, Alina,” Tessa said sheepishly, feeling bad that they had kept Alina waiting.
Alina flapped her hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I only came much earlier just in case. Anyway, I’ve already developed the photos. I think it’s my best work in this lifetime!”
Tessa looked forward to seeing the photos when she heard this. Before she could say anything, however, Alina had happily thrust the photos into her hands. Alina said, “Take a look, Mrs. Sawyer. Aren’t they just perfect? I wanted to pick out the best one at first, but then I realized every single one of the photos was brilliant, and I couldn’t bring myself to delete any of them. I figured I’d develop all of them instead!”
The photos were all carefully sealed, and as Tessa glanced through them, she had to admit that these rivaled even airbrushed fashion shoots. More importantly, the photos captured her and Nicholas’ loving sentiments toward one another.
Meanwhile, Nicholas stood beside her and admired the photos with satisfaction.
Timothy leaned forward to take a better look at the photos and was pleased with how well they had turned out. He praised it wholeheartedly, “These are gorgeous. It makes my heart full just looking at them.”
He was especially surprised by the one where Nicholas got down on one knee to kiss Tessa’s baby bump.
It was only when Timothy spoke up that Alina realized somebody else had tagged along with Nicholas and Tessa. She looked up at him, and when she glanced at his face, she was stunned.
But as handsome as he was, she knew her business relationship with Nicholas and Tessa demanded more attention. She went on to shower the couple with compliments, “Mr. Sawyer, I personally think this is one of the best and most meaningful photos I’ve ever taken. Not to mention, the aesthetics are off the hook!”
Tessa nodded in agreement. While all the photos were beautiful, the one of Nicholas kissing her baby bump was her favorite.
Gregory was curious about what the adults were gushing over, but he was too short to look at the photo himself. He rose on his tiptoes and jumped into place to get a glimpse, but it was in vain. “Mommy, I want to see the photo, too!” he pleaded, tugging on Tessa’s sleeve helplessly.
Tessa laughed, but just as she was about to lower the photo to the little boy’s height, Timothy swiftly picked Gregory up and asked, “Can you see it now?”
Gregory nodded earnestly. “Yeah, I can see it. I think Mommy and Daddy look really good together, like a match made in heaven,” he said as he stared at the photo that Tessa was holding.
When Tessa heard this, she began to show him the other photos.
When she got to the one with the kiss, Nicholas felt as if something were tugging on his heartstrings.
Chapter 1090 Family Portrait
“Do you still have a digital copy of this photo?” Nicholas asked Alina as he pointed to the photo. He planned on using it as his phone wallpaper.
When Gregory saw the photo, he grew quite jealous. He quickly tugged on Tessa’s hand and whined, “Mommy, when will we take a photo together? I want to take one with my baby sister, just like Daddy did!” I can’t let Daddy be the only one who gets close to my baby sister, or she will not want me around when she’s born!
Tessa had no idea what was going on in the little boy’s mind and simply thought he was jealous. Bemused, she looked up at Alina and asked, “Are you free today? I’d like to take a photo with my kid.”
“Yes, of course! I’ve got nothing going on anyway,” Alina said, nodding enthusiastically. She glanced over at Gregory, and the more she appraised him, the more she found him endearing. He had delicately chiseled features. Clearly, his parents’ stunning genetics had been passed down to him.
“Mrs. Sawyer, your son is absolutely adorable! You’re so lucky to have a little angel like him,” she praised wholeheartedly.
Tessa beamed upon hearing this. After all, any mother would want their child to be the object of praise.
After a round of pleasantries, Alina got to work.
Gregory wanted photos with his baby sister, just like Nicholas, so Alina took them for him. Following that, she took several photos of Gregory and Tessa grinning at each other and a few more of them holding hands.
The photos had a different aesthetic from the vogue-esque photos that Alina had taken the day before. Nevertheless, she was inspired by Tessa’s motherly love and Gregory’s childlike wonder and worked to capture these candid moments with her camera.
In between shots, she had Nicholas and Timothy join in the fun. “This is perfect!” she exclaimed as she stared at the photos in her camera.
Nicholas and Timothy looked like dashing knights in armor as each stood on either side of Tessa. The photos had brought out the two men’s varying characters, but it didn’t distract from their towering builds and good looks. It was hard to believe that they weren’t runway models.
As for Gregory, he was positioned in front of all three of the adults in the frame, and he wore a wide grin.
This photo was like a mini family portrait.
Tessa stared at the photo. She had never felt happier than at that moment, knowing she was surrounded by those she loved.
The morning passed in the blink of an eye, and when noon rolled around, Tessa started yawning.
Without waiting for Nicholas to point it out, Alina took note of Tessa’s exhaustion and immediately wrapped up the photo shoot, then began to leave. “I’ll have these photos developed later. I’ll meet you at the same place tomorrow to hand the photos over. As for the fee, I’ll lump it together with the last bill.”
“Alright, then. Thanks, Alina,” Tessa said with a nod.
The quartet watched Alina leave, then went to a restaurant for lunch. They strolled around the area that afternoon and did not return until it was dinnertime.
Gregory was already dozing off when they got home, so Tessa helped him wash up and tucked him in for the evening.
On the other hand, Timothy and Nicholas were still in high spirits despite the long day. They sat in the living room and had a casual discussion about the company.
It wasn’t until much later that Tessa came downstairs, having already tucked Gregory in, and saw her brother and husband chatting animatedly in the living room.
Timothy noticed her and said, “Tessa, when did you get down here? Is Greg asleep?”
“Yes,” she replied, nodding. Now that they had discovered her presence, she walked over to the couch and sat next to Nicholas. “So, what were you two talking about?”
“The new company,” Timothy answered frankly.
It was only then that Tessa remembered he was planning to set up a branch in Vienna. She straightened up in her seat and asked in concern, “How’s everything going? Did you find a suitable location for the company?”
“Yes, and now we’re waiting for a team to go over before we officially open for business.”
“Don’t you need to refurbish the place?” Tessa asked doubtfully.
He chuckled. “No, the office is more or less ready for use.”
“Huh. Looks like you’ve got it all sorted, then,” Tessa smiled. Then, she said curiously, “Where did you say your new company is going to be located? I’ll be sure to drop by when we get back.”