Ch. 1141..1150

Chapter 1141 Special Performance

Alice told Tessa everything that she knew about Sofia and the orchestra. After talking for a while more, Alice switched to focus on serious business. “I’m here to work for you, but there’s also something that I’d like to discuss with you,” Alice announced. “What is it?” Tessa asked.

“Miss Sofia is planning to host a special show for you alone. She hasn’t decided on the date because she wanted to check if this would be the right time to have a show,” Alice said honestly.

“Are you talking about a local special show for myself?” Tessa was stunned. It had only been a while since she last did a special performance. Alice nodded. “Now that you’re expecting your child soon, we figured that you’d need at least three months before and after your childbirth to stay home and rest. Your blooming career would be put to a halt during this period, so Sofia thought that it’d be good if you could fill that time up with something.”

Tessa could tell how much Sofia thought about her upon hearing Alice’s explanation. Nicholas, on the other hand, frowned after hearing what Alice had to say. He understood where Sofia was coming from, but he was more concerned about Tessa’s health. He didn’t want her to overwork herself. At that moment, he turned around to gaze at her for a while, but he ended up keeping his mouth shut when he saw the joy in Tessa’s eyes. He knew that deep down, she wanted to have this special performance. I promised to support all of her decisions, Nicholas reminded himself. So, he simply kept quiet in his seat beside her.

Alice continued speaking after a short bout of silence. “Miss Sofia didn’t want you to travel around too much because of your condition, so she thought that it’d be best to have a local show. Do you think that would work for you?” Tessa felt the urge to agree immediately. However, she turned to Nicholas before she did so. “Can I do it?” she asked hesitantly.

Even though Tessa knew that Nicholas would be supportive of all the decisions she made, she still wanted to ask for his opinion first as she wanted him to know that she respected him. Nicholas quickly understood what Tessa’s intentions were, and he simply responded with a smile. “I’m okay if you are.” Tessa was more than okay with this arrangement, so she agreed to it immediately after that. Alice left after that.

Nicholas wrapped his arms around Tessa as he felt some worry creeping into his chest. “Are you sure you’ll be okay? Won’t you overwork yourself?” Tessa reached her arm out and hooked it over the man’s neck when she saw the worry in his eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to get a lot of rest. The baby in my belly has been obedient, too,” she uttered with a smile. Despite so, Nicholas still felt rather worried. Tessa could tell from the look on his face.

Tessa pressed her face against his chest as she tried to soothe him. “I know you’re worried about me, but I’d be really happy if I got to do a local special performance before giving birth to my baby. I’d be so, so happy—this is something I’ve dreamed of for so long. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m not going to force myself to do anything that I can’t handle. If I get tired toward the end, I’ll stop myself.”

“Well, in that case, you should pay attention to your health. You don’t want to strain yourself,” Nicholas reminded her. He smiled as he seemed to recall something. “I guess it’s also good news since you’d be able to give birth in the country. Mom and Dad will be pleased to hear that.” Tessa beamed and nodded upon hearing his words.

Both of them chatted for a while before Nicholas headed back to the office. After that, Tessa was left alone—Gregory had gone up for homeschool classes with his teacher after he finished lunch. Tessa sat in the living room and stared into space for a while before she walked out to tidy the gardens. She snipped a few fully blossomed flowers as she wanted to gather and put them into a vase in the hall.

However, before she could finish gathering her flowers, Andrew walked over with a phone in his hand. “Your handphone was ringing, Miss Reinhart,” he announced. She thanked him and took the phone over. She beamed when she saw that it was a call from Sofia.

“Hey, Miss Sofia. Why are you still awake at this hour?” There was a time difference between the zones where they lived, and Tessa knew that it was late at night in Vienna. Sofia’s warm and caring voice sounded from the other end of the call.

“I just attended a friend’s celebration, and I’m on the way back now. I figured that Alice must have met you by now, so I wanted to call and ask if you guys had a chance to talk,” Sofia explained.

Chapter 1142 ‘To My Child’

“I’ve met her. Thank you for being so thoughtful, Miss Sofia.” Tessa beamed as she held onto her phone and thanked her teacher. Sofia heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Tessa’s words. “I’m just glad you’re not blaming me for making decisions on your behalf,” Sofia explained.

“Why would I blame you for anything? You were just being considerate.” Tessa was an appreciative person, and she continued expressing her gratitude for Sofia.

Sofia smiled. “You’re right—I was thinking about your future. You’ve just started gaining recognition, after all. I figured it wouldn’t be good for you to go off the radar so quickly, so I thought that you could have a local performance. In this case, you might lose some fame while you’re giving birth, but people would still remember you. I guess that would be better.”

“You’re right, Miss Sofia. I’ll prepare for the show to make sure it goes well.” Tessa nodded firmly. She was feeling increasingly eager to have the performance. Sofia smiled upon hearing Tessa’s words. “Great. I look forward to seeing your performance. If I’m not satisfied with it, I’m going to be extra hard on you during our training after your childbirth,” Sofia teased.

“I’d love that. Perhaps I should put on a mediocre performance just so you’ll teach me more of your skills during our next training.” Tessa joked along with Sofia, and they chatted for a while before they switched topics to talk about Tessa’s album. “I have another piece of good news for you. You’ve sold more than 500,000 copies of your album and the numbers are still climbing,” Sofia uttered excitedly.

Tessa was shocked to hear this. “I can’t believe I sold more than 500,000 copies.” Tessa wasn’t as well-known as some other musicians, so she had never expected her album to be so popular. She was extremely pleased to hear the news. Her laugh was contagious—Sofia felt just as happy after hearing the joy in Tessa’s voice, and she continued to bring more good news to Tessa.

“On top of the amazing album sales, your music has also been really popular online. You’ve topped a few charts as well,” Sofia announced. Tessa was even more shocked to hear this. “How is that possible?”

“It’s probably because of all the bad rumors about you that surfaced recently. I guess it was a blessing in disguise,” Sofia said. Tessa thought that this made sense as well. The netizens practically dug up my entire family history when the bad rumors were at their peak. I had been worried that this would affect my private life, but I can’t believe things turned out this way. This is such an unexpected outcome.

They talked on the phone for a while as Sofia made her way home. Once Sofia got home, Tessa urged her to get some rest, so they ended the call. Tessa still felt excited after she got off the phone. Since she didn’t have much to do, she figured that she would head to the study and search for her music online. Once she searched for her songs on the Internet, she found that she had received a lot of good comments on her songs.

‘I love this album so much. Every track sounds perfect.’

‘My baby in my belly is a huge fan of the song, ‘To My Child’! Every time I play it, my child would start moving in my belly.’

‘No words needed—I’m a huge fan of this artist. I hope she comes up with greater albums.’

Tessa felt extremely glad after seeing all these comments.

When it was nearly noon, Gregory got out of class to find Tessa sitting alone on the couch and smiling to herself. “What are you laughing at, Mom? You look so happy.” Gregory rushed over to Tessa while blinking curiously. Tessa lowered her head to meet the young boy’s innocent gaze, and the sight of her son put her in an even better mood. “Why don’t you guess?” she teased.

“Could Daddy have secretly gifted you another present?” Gregory took a wild guess. Tessa didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at that. “Why should Daddy have to keep it a secret from you if he wants to give me a gift?”

“Because Daddy’s always finding ways to snatch you from me.” Gregory had an angry face as he spoke.

Chapter 1143 Calligraphy Competition

Tessa felt like she was about to melt when she saw the look on Gregory’s face. Gregory started pestering his mother after that. “What did Daddy give you this time, Mommy? Let’s not take his gift. I’ll buy one for you. It’ll be better than what Daddy gave you.”

Tessa burst out in laughter when she heard Gregory’s words. In the end, she had no choice but to tell Gregory the truth. “Your father didn’t give me anything. I simply found out that my album sales are doing really well and that I’ve received a lot of good comments online. That was why I was so happy.”

“Woah. You’re amazing, Mommy!” Gregory clapped his hands in celebration of what Tessa said. While they were talking to each other, Gregory’s calligraphy teacher walked into the hall. His teacher, Quinton Hall, was a strict and well-known intellectual. He greeted Tessa when he saw her from afar. “Hey, Miss Reinhart.”

Tessa froze before she stood up to greet him. “Is anything the matter, Mr. Hall?”

“Well, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about. Gregory is doing really well in his calligraphy class, and there happens to be a local youth calligraphy competition happening soon. I was wondering if Gregory could participate in it, Miss Reinhart.” Quinton explained his intentions before looking at Tessa hopefully.

Tessa found this to be a good idea. Mr. Hall is a professional in calligraphy himself, so I’m sure his students can do better than the average person as well, Tessa figured. “You’re too nice, Mr. Hall. Gregory’s your student—if you think he’s good enough, then you can just sign him up for the competition.”

Quinton felt more at ease upon hearing how respectful Tessa was toward him. He had grinned so widely that his eyes were crinkled. Well, come to think of it, Gregory is my final private student. At this age, I should be resting at home and enjoying my retirement, but Mr. Sawyer was eager to have me as Gregory’s teacher. That was why I agreed, and that was also how I got lucky enough to find myself such a talented child.

“As long as everything goes well, I’m sure Gregory will win something in this competition,” Quinton uttered as he was reminded of Gregory’s talent.

Tessa was overjoyed to hear Quinton’s praise for her son. “Look, Gregory. Mr. Hall has such high hopes for you. You’ll have to work hard,” she encouraged Gregory. Gregory nodded obediently. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll work really hard.”

Tessa ruffled Gregory’s hair lovingly when she saw the serious expression on his face. After that, she had a conversation with Quinton about the process of the competition and some of the details surrounding it. Quinton patiently explained all the details and rules to Tessa before he headed off.

After Quinton registered for Gregory that night, he made another phone call to Dynasty Gardens. “I’ve completed the registration, Miss Reinhart. You’ll have to make sure Gregory practices his calligraphy.”

“Alright. Thank you so much, Mr. Hall.” Tessa beamed as she ended the call. At that very moment, Nicholas entered the house dressed in a black suit. He happened to overhear Tessa from behind, so he asked her about the call. “What’s up with Mr. Hall?” Nicholas looked up at Quinton. Moreover, he was the one who hired Quinton, so he was especially attentive to the mention of Quinton’s name.

Tessa stood up to greet Nicholas with a smile when she heard his voice. “You’re back!”

“Slow down. Be careful.” Nicholas hurried over to help Tessa when he saw her standing up. After all, Tessa’s belly was getting bigger. Tessa felt warmth spreading across her chest when she saw how thoughtful Nicholas was. “I am being careful. You don’t have to treat me like a porcelain doll,” she said. Nicholas simply smiled without saying anything.

After that, he held her hand and led her to the couch before revisiting the topic earlier. “You were speaking to Mr. Hall earlier, right? Was Gregory being naughty in class?” Coincidentally, Gregory happened to overhear their conversation at this very moment, and he quickly protested against his father’s words. “How could you say that I was being naughty? I was such a good student.”

Gregory turned to complain to Tessa after that. “Look at that, Mommy. How could Daddy talk bad about me? I was being so good,” he said.

Chapter 1144 Shortened Lifespan

“Yeah, Gregory’s the best.” Tessa was quick to calm the boy down. Once Gregory was no longer throwing a tantrum, Tessa turned to smile at Nicholas. “Mr. Hall called because he was talking to me about Gregory joining a calligraphy competition,” she explained.

“A calligraphy competition?” Nicholas raised an eyebrow puzzledly. Tessa nodded before telling him what Quinton had told him earlier that afternoon. “I figured that it’d be a good idea since Gregory has talent in calligraphy and since he wants to join it.”

“In that case, I’ll give you a reward if you get first place,” Nicholas said as a promise to Gregory. He meant it as a form of encouragement. Gregory was pleased to hear this, and he widened his bright eyes as he looked at Nicholas. “Can I ask for any reward?” the boy asked.

“Of course. Anything at all.” Nicholas nodded.

Gregory grinned as he stuck his chest out. “Then I’ll be sure to get first place!” Tessa couldn’t help but praise her son when she saw how confident he was. “You’re an outstanding student, Gregory. I’m sure you’ll get first place. I’ll reward you when that happens!”

“What are you going to give me, Mommy?” Gregory looked at his mother with anticipation in his eyes. Tessa thought about it for a while before acting all mysterious. “Well, you’ll find out when the competition is over.” Even though her response was rather disappointing to Gregory, he was still filled with motivation to work hard. “I’m going to win first place just so that I can receive your reward.” Gregory clenched his fists as he cheered for himself. The sight of him doing so was unbearably adorable.

…

The next morning, Tessa headed to the hospital after Gregory started his classes. Tessa brought the soup that the chef had prepared over to Amber’s ward. To her surprise, Amber was extremely worked up the moment Tessa walked in. “You little brat! How dare you come now? You disappeared for so many days—how dare you say that you would take care of me? You were just giving me empty promises all along!”

Amber glared at Tessa angrily—she looked as if she was about to eat Tessa up. However, Tessa simply acted as if she hadn’t heard anything as she passed the soup to the maid in the room. After all, Tessa figured that there was no point in fighting with Amber. But Amber only got more infuriated when she saw the way Tessa was ignoring her.

“I’m talking to you, you brat. Do you even care about your grandmother at all? What was going on with all the news on the Internet? Were you ruining my reputation on purpose? I’m already in this state, yet you’re still trying to disgrace and shame me in public. How evil can you be?” Amber pointed her finger at Tessa as she cursed. “I want you to clarify things on the Internet right now. You have to tell everyone that the media was the one who created all the rumors!”

Tessa simply felt like laughing when she heard Amber’s words. She looked up at the old lady as she spoke in a sarcastic tone. “Do you even need me to do anything for your reputation to be ruined? Don’t you know what’s going on? How dare you call them rumors? Do you think everyone else is blind?”

“I don’t care. Would all those things have gone public if you hadn’t talked badly about me on the Internet? I want an explanation from you right now.” Amber was too ashamed, so she started to become angry and defensive.

Tessa let out a scoff. “What’s this? You had the guts to do it back then, but you’re not admitting to your actions now. What they said on the news was the truth, wasn’t it? Would you dare to swear on your life that you haven’t done those things?”

Amber was speechless for a moment, and her cheeks were red with fury. Her chest was heaving as rage boiled in her. Tessa frowned as she gave the old lady a warning. “By the way, I’m being nice by dropping by to visit once every few days. You shouldn’t overstep your boundaries. Furthermore, if you want to live for a while longer, perhaps you should contain your emotions. If you’re so emotional all the time, you might just die a little earlier. I wonder if that’s the reason some people live such short lives, huh?”

Amber stiffened right after hearing Tessa’s words. “Stop using your groundless statements to scare me,” she hissed.

“I’m not talking nonsense. I—” Before Tessa could finish her sentence, a nurse happened to walk in, so Tessa seized this opportunity to question the nurse. “If you don’t believe me, perhaps you could ask this nurse. Is it true that some patients’ conditions deteriorate when they get too emotional?” Tessa asked coldly.

Chapter 1145 Lucky Charm

“That’s right. There are a lot of patients whose conditions worsen because of their intense emotions.” The nurse was smart, and she nodded in agreement with Tessa’s words after she realized what Tessa was trying to do. Amber was shocked to hear what the nurse said, so she quickly calmed herself down and kept her mouth shut after that.

Tessa heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that Amber had finally calmed down a little. I finally found a way to keep her under control, Tessa thought. The maid in the room wore a look of admiration on her face as she gazed at Tessa. Amber was a tough one to deal with, after all; the maid knew this as she had been taking care of Amber for a few days now. Tessa could sense the maid looking at her, and Tessa knew that the maid probably had to deal with Amber’s bad temper for the past few days. “Things must have been hard for you,” Tessa commented.

“It’s fine, Miss Reinhart. This is my job.” The maid was flattered to have Tessa speaking to her that way, so she quickly waved her hands to dismiss Tessa’s words. Amber, on the other hand, felt dissatisfied when she noticed that Tessa was treating a maid better than she was treating her. “Weren’t you the one who hired her to work? Isn’t she supposed to care for me?” Amber hissed.

Tessa frowned when she heard Amber’s words. “I might have hired the maid to look after you, but she still deserves basic respect. If the maid runs away, then you can’t blame me for neglecting you. You’d be the one who chased her off,” Tessa uttered. It wasn’t clear if Amber was genuinely afraid of being left alone in the hospital—one way or another, Amber started being nicer to her maid after that. However, Amber did so reluctantly.

A short while later, Tessa received a call from Alice about work. After ending the call, Tessa gave orders to the maid. “I’ll head off now. You can contact me if anything happens,” she said.

“I got it. Take care, Miss Reinhart.” The maid bowed to Tessa as Tessa walked off. After leaving the hospital, Tessa headed straight to the café where she had agreed to meet Alice. After some small talk, Alice got directly into the main topic. “I went for a meeting regarding the show venue earlier. We’ve decided to host the performance in one of the largest halls in town. Miss Sofia wanted to know if you have any opinions on that.”

“I don’t have much opinion on anything if I were being honest. I don’t know much about these things.” Tessa gazed at Alice bashfully. Alice could tell that Tessa didn’t know much, so she simply nodded. “Let me discuss with the person in charge of the venue, then.”

“That would be great. I’ll go along with the conditions that the orchestra has offered. If you need anything else, you can just contact me,” Tessa offered. She felt rather bad to hand all of her work over to Alice while she lazed around, so she figured that she would offer to help Alice if anything was needed.

Alice smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll need your help eventually. By the way, Miss Sofia is really nice to you. The rest of the other music directors have never received such treatment,” she commented. Tessa was puzzled to hear this.

With her chin resting on her hand, Alice continued to beam at Tessa. “Even though I haven’t worked with Miss Sofia for that long, I’ve seen many of the other music directors having a few of their own shows. However, I’ve never seen Miss Sofia so involved in the process. She would usually ask her students to handle things on their own.”

“Perhaps the baby in my belly is my lucky charm. That’s probably why Miss Sofia is being so supportive toward me.” Tessa looked down and rubbed her belly lovingly as she spoke. Right then, Tessa felt a slight kicking sensation in her belly. She wasn’t sure if it was all in her mind, but she could swear that she felt her baby kicking her. At that thought, Tessa smiled to herself. There was a motherly aura that surrounded her as she thought about her child.

Alice was touched by how much Tessa cared for her child. When Alice took a look at Tessa’s belly, Alice unconsciously softened her tone. “How far are you into your pregnancy?”

“About seven months,” Tessa replied with a smile. Alice was shocked to hear how close Tessa was to her expected delivery date. “That’s about three months until you deliver the child,” Alice commented.

“Yeah.” Tessa nodded. After talking about children for a while, they returned to the topic of music.

Chapter 1146 No More Cooking

They had a meal in the afternoon, and this meal allowed them to really bond with one another. After lunch, Alice sent Tessa back home before she headed off to work.

Once Tessa got home, she took a nap before she headed to her music room and practiced her violin for two hours. Later in the evening, Tessa felt the urge to prepare her own dinner, so she went into the kitchen.

When Gregory heard that his mother was cooking, he obediently followed along to help her out in the kitchen. By the time Nicholas got home, Tessa had already cooked up a few mouth-watering dishes.

Tessa spread her lips into a wide smile when she saw Nicholas. “You’re back. Hurry up and wash your hands. Dinner’s ready.” She placed the dishes on the dining table. Right as she straightened up, she felt Nicholas’ chest against her back.

“Why are you cooking? Didn’t I tell you not to engage in these risky activities? You shouldn’t be moving around too much. What if you get injured?

Also, your hands are meant to play the violin, so you should take good care of them,” Nicholas uttered in a disapproving tone. He held her in his firm arms as he continued nagging at her.

Tessa knew that Nicholas was simply worried about her overworking herself. The smile on her face looked sweeter than ever. “Fine. This is the last time I’ll step in the kitchen until our baby is born.” Tessa coaxed Nicholas as she turned around to wrap her arms around his neck. Only then did Nicholas relax his tightly knitted brows. “I’ll take your word for it. This will be the last time, okay?”

“Yeah.” Tessa nodded obediently. After that, the whole family enjoyed their meal while they chatted with one another. Nicholas asked Tessa about her trip to the hospital earlier that day. “Did Old Mrs. Reinhart cause you any trouble?” he asked. “No, she doesn’t have the guts to do that now.” Tessa shook her head with a smile.

Once they were done with their meal, Tessa sat in the living hall, where she played with some Lego blocks with Gregory. Nicholas, on the other hand, sat on the couch as he watched the news. The news reporter happened to talk about the Muller Group’s recent state.

“Recently, Sawyer Group terminated their partnership with Muller Group after Muller Group offended President Sawyer’s wife. Furthermore, Sawyer Group also blacklisted Muller Group, causing other companies to terminate their partnerships with Muller Group one after another.

This has resulted in a huge drop in Muller Group’s stock price, and it is unclear what Muller Group’s next steps are…” Tessa froze when she heard the script that the news reporter was reciting. She hadn’t expected this to be on the news, and she gazed at Nicholas worriedly after hearing about it.

“What is it?” Nicholas turned around when he realized that Tessa was staring at him. Tessa told him exactly what she was thinking. “Wouldn’t this news report further affect Sawyer Group?”

“No. No one can affect Sawyer Group,” Nicholas uttered in a firm tone as he shook his head. He was confident with his words since he knew how powerful he was.

…

In the meantime, Wanda had returned to the Muller Residence with lethargy written all over her face. She was utterly drained from dealing with all the matters concerning her company. Horace felt rather sorry for his granddaughter when he saw the state that she was in.

At the same time, he thought that Nicholas was way too heartless. It’s as if he doesn’t care about the relationship between our families at all. Horace sighed as he sat down beside Wanda. “You should’ve listened to me from the start. You shouldn’t have messed with Nicholas,” Horace uttered in a heavy tone.

Wanda simply pressed her lips together without saying anything. Horace knew what was going on in Wanda’s mind when he saw the stubborn look on her face. “I know you feel like this is unfair. But if you think about it, any other woman who tried to get close to Nicholas has never succeeded.”

“Well, those women were too stupid.” Wanda didn’t want her grandfather to compare her to other women. She thought that she was different from the rest of them.

However, Horace simply let out a loud scoff. “If you call them dumb, then are you saying that you’re smarter than them? How is your outcome any different from all those women?”

Horace felt rather sad at the thought of how his granddaughter seemed to have followed in the footsteps of those other women. He also felt both angry and sorry for her.

Chapter 1147 No Right to Lecture Me

Wanda found herself at a loss for words and stomped back to her room in a huff while leaving Remus behind. After watching her leave his line of sight, he heaved a wistful sigh. He probably needed to talk with Nicholas the following day. Hopefully, Nicholas would stop all the attacks as a favor for him.

Shortly after Nicholas arrived at the office the following morning, Edward knocked on the door and entered the room. “Mr. Muller is here, Sir. He is downstairs and wishes to see you.”

Nicholas frowned as he could deduce the reason for Horace’s visit. It was likely because of Wanda. Nevertheless, he gestured for Edward to lead Horace up to the office.

As soon as Horace saw him, he immediately uttered straightforwardly, “Nicholas, Wanda has learned her lesson now, and I am not here to give you a lecture. After all, I have no right to say anything.”

Nicholas narrowed his eyes in disapproval at Horace’s words and barked, “Mr. Muller, allow me to be clear about this. Wanda is the one who is at fault here. I have been extremely generous and have not reported her to the police. There is absolutely no reason for you to lecture me!”

There was an unpleasant look on Horace’s face. Indeed, there was no reason for him to give Nicholas a lecture. However, if the Sawyers had not given Wanda the wrong signal, she would not have fallen so deeply for Nicholas.

Although Horace was displeased with Nicholas, he did not elaborate on the purpose of his visit.

“Yes, Wanda is wrong, but I hope you can let it go for my sake.” Horace was almost groveling when he said that, and the dissatisfaction in his heart grew.

He was an old man, yet he had to beg a younger man for a favor. It was quite a blow to his ego. In any case, the damage had already been done. He needed to see this through to the end and ensure that this trip would not be in vain.

Then, he continued, “Wanda established the Muller Group from scratch. This incident has resulted in considerable losses, and she has also suffered. You’ve already taught her a lesson. Please forgive her.”

Nicholas gave in to Horace’s pleas and agreed to stop targeting the Muller Group.

After leaving Sawyer Group’s office, Horace went straight to Wanda. Then, he informed her how Nicholas had consented to cease his attacks against her.

“I had a conversation with Nicholas. He has consented to spare the Muller Group. In the future, make it a point to avoid further upsetting him.” The last sentence was spoken solemnly.

When Wanda heard that, her anger quickly boiled. She clenched her jaws and inquired, “Grandpa, why didn’t you tell me you were going to see Nicholas? I’m capable of handling the company’s affairs on my own.”

As she said that, the grudge she bore against Nicholas worsened. I can’t believe how vicious and cruel he is!

Even though he had stopped targeting her company, the domino effect he set off resulted in significant losses for her. Two weeks had passed before she managed to stop the losses permanently.

Meanwhile, the schedule for Tessa’s performance was finally fixed for a slot one month later, which meant that she had adequate preparation time.

One day, Alice arrived at Dynasty Gardens with her laptop. She said, “Miss Sofia and I had a conversation about the performance. Even though it is only a month away, that is far too long for a new musician. People might forget you after some time. We hope to secure a few interviews for this period. Not only will it assist in maintaining your prominence, but it will also help you gain popularity.”

Tessa was in a position where she had no choice but to go along with the plan because it had been devised with her best interests in mind specifically. “You may act as you see fit, and I’ll cooperate with you.”

Her complete trust in Alice gave her the urge to tease Tessa. “Wow, you have so much faith in me. Are you not worried that I will betray you?”

“I’m not scared. You won’t fool Miss Sofia, and neither will my husband, who will check everything twice.” Tessa’s face was beaming with pride as she replied.

Chapter 1148 I Am a Musician

Alice felt a shiver run down her spine. “You seemed to be flaunting your lover right now.” Tessa smiled in response. Alice lingered a little longer to talk about her work, and then she left.

Over the next few weeks, Tessa would attend several interviews Alice had set up for her. She complied with all the arrangements made for her the entire time.

On the other hand, Tessa was scheduled to attend a variety of interviews for several consecutive days, and by the time the interviews were over, she was completely drained.

She found the interviews challenging because some hosts liked to play jokes on their guests to increase their show’s viewership and even go viral. In other words, if the guests could not concentrate on the show, it was probable that the host would cause the guest to suffer in the course of the prank being played on them. Still, there were pros and cons to everything.

While the interviews were exhausting, they did what they were supposed to. Tessa’s popularity had been rising steadily. The most noticeable effect was her Twitter follower count, which increased to over 200,000.

It was Tessa’s last interview of the month about some hotly debated issues in the nation. Throughout the whole thing, challenging questions were posed. “Everyone knows you had a rough start to your studies abroad, Miss Reinhart.

In fact, you went through two different orchestras. One of them was even involved in a police investigation. Due to that investigation, you laid low for a while. Is there anything you would like to say regarding that situation?”

Tessa frowned when she heard the question. It was clear to her that the host was referring to her departure from Hathaway Philharmonic. She replied, “I don’t have anything to say about it. All I can say is that everyone must accept responsibility for their actions. Furthermore, we should look forward instead of dwelling on the past.”

She had carefully considered the words she would use in her response to ensure that the host would no longer inquire about her past. As such, the rest of the interview was much easier for her. Toward the end of the interview, Tessa felt utterly exhausted.

She had finally come to terms with the fact that rushing from interview to interview was not ideal. She would bring it up as soon as she could speak with Alice again. “I feel like we cannot solely rely on interviews for popularity. It’s too slow, the boost is not enough, and it is not good for my body.”

“What ideas do you have?” Alice turned to look at her.

After a moment of thought, Tessa responded, “Why don’t I participate in ‘I Am a Musician?’ It’s a gathering of celebrities that’s hugely popular in the country. I believe appearing on that show rather than in interviews would bring me more attention and popularity. It’s a chance to showcase my skills more eloquently.”

As soon as Alice heard Tessa’s suggestion, she agreed it was a fantastic idea. She nodded in agreement. “I recall receiving a show invitation. I’ll check your email inbox later to accept the invitation.”

Tessa agreed with a nod.

The two then continued to chat about work. A few minutes later, Nicholas returned.

“Mr. Sawyer,” Alice greeted.

After greeting him, she smartly suggested ending the conversation.

At that moment, only Nicholas and Tessa remained in the living room.

The interview she had to go through that day was no secret to him, so he inquired, “How was the interview? Did they give you a hard time?”

“It was good. Anyway, no one would dare to make things hard for me.” Tessa could not help but chuckle when she said that.

Nonetheless, she was not joking when she said that. Following the events with the Muller Group, everyone knew she was Nicholas’ future wife. Due to that, everyone was extremely respectful to her no matter where she went. She was not accustomed to being treated that way, but she was glad because it meant a lot of unnecessary trouble could be avoided.

The smile on her face appeared contagious, and he found himself smiling when he saw it. Then, the couple began to snuggle on the couch while chatting incoherently.

“I believe today’s interview was your last. What are you going to do next?” Nicholas asked.

“I was just discussing it with Alice. I intend to participate in the show ‘I Am a Musician.'” Tessa went on to describe in detail her discussion with Alice.

Chapter 1149 Dress Rehearsal

Nicholas did not voice any objections when he heard about Tessa’s plans. The reason was that the Sawyer Group was the show’s sponsor for ‘I Am a Musician’.

Later that evening, Alice gave her a call. “Tessa, the production crew, has finalized the schedule. It has been decided that you will appear in the most recent episode. However, you must attend the dress rehearsal, which will take place earlier and in two days.”

“Got it.” Tessa nodded as she said that. Two days later, Tessa and Alice arrived at the studio. A staff member was standing by the entrance awaiting their arrival. A look of shock crossed the face of the staff member as she saw Tessa exit the car.

Tessa’s beauty did not diminish during her nearly seven-month pregnancy; instead, she appeared as flawless as a porcelain doll. The pregnancy made her look even more pleasant than usual, and she was so pleasing to the eye that people felt calm after looking at her.

“Hello, Miss Reinhart. I will be assisting you in the studio today.” With a friendly smile, the employee approached Tessa before nodding to Alice.

“Hello,” Tessa replied, returning the smile.

Following the introductions, the employee directed them to the filming location.

Tessa had hoped to see many celebrities that day, but the hallway was deserted when she stepped off the elevator. However, many celebrity names were attached to the hallway doors.

The employee could tell she was curious and broke the silence by saying, “These are the dressing rooms that have been set up for today’s guests. Miss Reinhart, you have one, too. It’s down the hallway.”

Tessa nodded and followed her to the assigned dressing room. As soon as she stepped into the room, she realized it was so lavishly spacious that it was like a mini apartment equipped with everything she might need. There were other people in the dressing room as well. They were the team of hair and makeup artists that Alice had hired.

As soon as she walked in, everyone greeted her politely.

She returned their stare, perplexed. “Do I also need to apply makeup for the rehearsal?”

“No, you don’t. They came to prepare things for you, which is why they are here. After all, you have a recording scheduled for the evening.”

While Alice was explaining things, she dragged Tessa over to the couch. “Take a break. There is still some time before your turn.”

Tessa nodded and started scrolling through her phone.

After an hour had passed, there was a knock at the door. “Miss Reinhart, it’s your turn. Please follow me.”

“Okay.”

She rose from her seat and followed the employee to the stage.

Alice sped off in their direction to catch up with them.

As soon as they stepped foot on the stage, the worker launched into a detailed breakdown for Tessa. “Guests will be going on stage at different times. Please remember your slot.”

He then handed her a piece of paper. After glancing at it, she gave it to Alice for safekeeping.

It was time for Tessa to go on stage. The employee then led her up to where she would be standing. It was a huge stage, but Tessa was the only person standing on it.

Then, the director gave her instructions over the megaphone. “You will have a performance space of approximately one foot and a half to the left and right of you. Please take a moment to review your performance and become familiar with the space designated for you.”

Tessa confirmed her comprehension of the directive with a nod. Afterward, she started moving around in the space designated for her earlier. Since she’d be performing a relatively simple task—playing the violin—she wouldn’t even need to move around much during the performance, assuming she didn’t make any mistakes. The director knew that some overly enthusiastic subsets of musicians enjoyed moving around while they performed, so he asked her to familiarize herself with the stage.

In just a few short minutes, Tessa quickly became comfortable with the performance space in just a few minutes. The only thing that was left on the schedule was the brief conversation that she was going to have with the host.

Then, the host, Drew Duquais, was called to the stage. He gave off the impression of being a young man in his mid-twenties, but the truth was that he was in his mid-thirties. However, he might have taken excellent care of his skin.

Chapter 1150 Leah Stone

Before his brief on-air conversation with Tessa, Drew had to iron out any potential kinks. “I have heard so much about you, Miss Reinhart. My name is Drew Duquais. I am the show’s host.”

“Hello, Drew.” Tessa smiled and greeted him pleasantly. The straightforward nature of her greeting made a favorable first impression on him. Hence, he did not beat around the bush. “I’ll start the conversation by asking you some questions before talking about your performance toward the end. Then, you can start promoting your show.”

She nodded in response. It was then time for them to discuss what questions would be asked. The other employees working on set were awestruck by how composed she remained while responding to his questions.

“As expected of someone who has previously performed on an international stage,” one of the employees commented. “Her stage presence is just astonishing.”

“Her stage presence is one thing, but her confidence and poise on stage are also noteworthy,” said another employee. “Not all celebrities can do that.”

After a short while, Drew and Tessa concluded their discussion, and the dress rehearsal came to an end.

When she got off the stage, the employees all smiled and said to her, “Good work, Miss Reinhart.”

She nodded in thanks to everyone who talked to her before heading backstage.

When Alice spotted her, she quickly walked over. “Well?”

“It’s alright. I should be fine tonight.” Tessa puffed her chest with confidence when she contemplated how well the dress rehearsal had been carried out.

Seeing that, Alice stopped worrying and laughed. “That is good. Come, let us get ready for filming.”

Tessa nodded and returned to the dressing room with her. The entire hair and makeup team swarmed around her when she returned to the dressing room. However, halfway through their preparations, they heard people shouting outside.

A woman with heavy makeup was angrily screaming at the staff members in the hallway. She screeched, “Why should I share a dressing room? Get me your manager! I, Leah Stone, have been in the industry for years! Do I not deserve to even have my dressing room here? Are you looking down at me? I want a new dressing room now!”

Tessa frowned when she heard the commotion happening outside. She asked, “What is going on? Why is it so noisy?”

“I’ll take a look.” Alice made her way over to the doorway to take a peek outside.

She returned a few minutes later with a chuckle. “There is a woman outside who is having a fit because she does not have her own private dressing room.”

“I see,” said Tessa. “Ignore her, and none of you should try to butt your way in either. We don’t want any trouble.”

In the two days leading up to her appearance on this show, she researched the performing arts in preparation. Consequently, she was aware of how much the entire profession dreaded being compared to one another. Celebrities with varying levels of fame and popularity were invited to today’s show, so naturally, tensions would arise.

Hence, Tessa had given Alice and the team explicit instructions to avoid getting involved. The entire makeup team unanimously nodded in response.

Alice leaned back against the couch and lazily commented, “Such a commotion is beneath me.”

Tessa chuckled but remained silent when she heard that.

However, the shouting did not stop at all as Leah was about to explode from anger.

She glared at the staff employee talking to her. “I have been in the industry for years. Judging by that history alone, I deserve my own dressing room. Don’t I?”

“Please accept our apologies, but we have run out of private dressing rooms for the day.”

Despite the staff employee’s repeated apologies, he could only feel contempt for her. Does Leah believe she is still at the pinnacle of her popularity?

It was a fact that could not be refuted that Leah had once enjoyed widespread acclaim, but her popularity had waned as the years passed by. She was no longer entitled to a private dressing room in her diminished fame. Nevertheless, the staff employee could not voice his opinion because doing so would only infuriate her.

When she realized he was still refusing to give her a new dressing room despite all she said, anger and despair warred in her.

Thinking that the production team had intentionally done this to humiliate her, she set an ultimatum. “How could you be out of private rooms? There are only five celebrities today who are more popular than me. I looked at the number of private dressing rooms prepared for today; there were six. Who did you give the last room to?”

“Naturally, it is occupied. Please be reasonable, Miss Stone.”