Ch. 1381..1390

Always Been Yours Chapter 1381--Hobbs was looking for Tessa. He remembered how lovely she was under the moonlight when he saw her that night in the garden. She was completely different from all the opulent-looking women who threw themselves at him.

However, he couldn’t find Tessa after looking around in the hall. Losing interest in the celebration, he walked outside to get some fresh air while also avoiding the women who wanted to approach him.

Unexpectedly, minutes after stepping outside, he ran into Tessa, who was also out for some fresh air. Noticing the captivating woman standing not far away from him, Hobbs was astounded.

“Miss Reinhart.” With a warm smile on his face, he took the initiative to greet her. Tessa was a little surprised as she had not. expected Hobbs to be here.

She then took a look at the celebration hall behind him and teased, ‘Are you out here to avoid the people inside, Mr. Hobbs?” Hobbs couldn’t help but laugh when he heard that.

He found Tessa to be more lively and adorable than she was when he saw her that night.  Then, he looked at her and sincerely praised her by saying, “You look really beautiful tonight, Miss Reinhart.”

“Thank you. You look stunning too.” Tessa didn’t give it much thought and politely praised him back as a courtesy.

Hobbs realized that too. His smile widened as he realized that the woman in front of him was far more interesting than anyone else in the hall.

“Why are you out here right now? Isn’t it time for you to shine yet?” “My performance is the finale, and there’s still some time left, Tessa replied honestly.

That surprised Hobbs a little. ‘So you’re the finale, eh? You must be a fantastic player.” To that, Tessa simply replied humbly, “I still have a lot more to learn.”

When Hobbs heard this, he teased, “Are people from your country all this humble?” “Shouldn’t everyone be humble?” Tessa blinked and returned the question.

Hobbs was stumped for words.

After a few seconds, he laughed. “You’re right. We should all be humble. You’ve made me even more excited about your performance now. It should be fascinating.”

“It will be, but I hope you won’t be disappointed. After all, everyone fancies something different,” Tessa responded, her eyes shining with confidence as she looked at him.

And just like that, both of them had a pleasant chat outside. Meanwhile, Elisa’s performance had ended. After taking a bow, she returned backstage.

Tessa was aware that Elisa’s performance had ended as well, as she saw a few crew members walking out. Thus, she leaned to the side so that they wouldn’t knock her over.

However, someone unintentionally stepped on her gown’s hem when she passed by, causing the shoulder straps to detach on the spot.

Feeling her gown slip off, Tessa immediately yelled. Her expression changed to a terrified one as she quickly pulled her gown up to cover her chest.Though she managed to get her body covered, her face was pale from shock.

Everyone else was stunned as well. The person who stepped on her gown began to apologize over and over again. “I’m sorry! I didn’t step on it on purpose. I’m really sorry!”

The crew was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes, as she knew the gown was expensive just by looking at it. It wasn’t something she could afford to compensate for.

At the same time, doubts arose in her heart. I didn’t step on it hard. Why did the straps snap so easily? However, Tessa was unaware of this. She merely clutched the gown tightly while calming herself.

Biting her lower lip, she stated lightly, “Bring another gown for me.” As soon as she finished her sentence, someone covered her shoulders with a suit jacket that. appeared to still have some warmth to it.

Hobbs was the one who did so. After realizing what had happened, he quickly removed his coat to put it on her shoulders. Coincidentally, Elisa, who had just finished her performance, witnessed the scene.

She immediately scrunched up her face. From her vantage point, it was as if Tessa and Hobbs were hugging each other, not to mention that Hobbs’ coat was even on Tessa’s shoulders.

However, the truth was that there was nothing between them; they were not even in any physical contact. Tessa was holding onto Hobbs’ coat at this point. “Thank you,” she said, her gaze filled with gratitude for him.

Always Been Yours Chapter 1382--“No worries. It’s the very least I can do,” Hubbs responded with a faint smile on his face.

His gaze then shifted to Tessa’s gown. Frowning, he continued, “Why did these straps snap so abruptly? Although the hem was stepped on, no pulling was involved. It shouldn’t have such poor quality.”

“I’ve no idea either.” Tessa shook her head, her face filled with doubts. This gown was brand new, so it could not have snapped in such a way.

With her brows furrowed, she went on, “But it is not the time for this now. My performance is happening very soon and I don’t have any spare gowns to change into.”

She became increasingly agitated as she spoke. After all, she didn’t have much time left. Even if she requested that Nicholas send her another gown, it would not arrive in time.

Noticing Tessa’s anxiety, Hobbs began to comfort her. “Don’t worry. I have an idea.” “What do you have in mind?’ Tessa asked, her expression helpless.

Hobbs grabbed her wrist and said in a low voice, “Follow me.” Then, he led her away from the scene. Elisa, who was on the other side, witnessed them walking away holding hands, and her eyes were filled with jealousy.

Tessa Reinhart, how dare you seduce my man?!

I will never let you off the hook! The crew members watched Tessa’s leaving figure with envy in their eyes as well.

Meanwhile, Tessa was unaware of any of this and simply followed Hobbs upstairs to a room. After they entered the room, Hobbs instructed his servant, “Bring one of the princess’ gowns here.”

“Yes, sir.” The servant nodded and walked away. However, Tessa immediately stopped her when she realized what Hobbs was about to do. “Mr. Hobbs, are you intending for me to wear the princess’ gown?” Tessa asked with a frown.

Hobbs did not deny it. “This is the only way out now. Luckily, you are about the same size as the princess.” “I don’t think this is appropriate. The princess’ gowns are all custom-made for her. I’m not supposed to wear them.”

With her eyes filled with concern, Tessa shook her head, declining Hobbs’ offer. Hobbs sensed it as well. “Don’t worry. If anything happens, I’ll shoulder it,” he murmured.

Immediately after his words, he turned his head and instructed the servant, “Go and take the gown now.”

“Yes, sir.” The servant didn’t dare to wait any longer and quickly went out. It was soon Tessa’s turn to perform in the celebration hall.

The handsome emcee on stage began his introductory speech for the performance. “Let us welcome today’s grand finale performance brought to us by Miss Sofia’s student, Miss Tessa Reinhart!”

A round of applause echoed from beneath the stage as soon as he finished speaking. According to the schedule, Tessa should be on stage right now while the audience clapped their hands.

However, she did not appear. The applause became softer and whispers could be heard among the audience. “What’s going on?”

“I’ve got no idea either. Has something happened to her?” The emcee on stage furrowed his brows as he looked intently at the stage entrance. The atmosphere in the hall became awkward as everyone stiffened.

Looking at the empty stage entrance, Sofia was tense too. She knew Tessa well enough to know that the woman would never allow such a blunder to occur unless something had happened to her.

With this in mind, Sofia couldn’t help but become worried, especially when she noticed the displeasure on Prince Abott and Princess Freya’s faces. Hence, she nervously stood up, planning to check out what was going on.

However, the moment she started moving. Tessa appeared at the stairs on the second floor.

She had already changed out of her destroyed gown for a plain, vintage-style number. Beside her stood Hobbs, who was as charming as ever.

He gently held Tessa’s arm and carefully led her down the stairs, acting exactly like her protector. Seeing that, every guest in the hall began to speculate. “Why is Hobbs together with this woman?”

“They look compatible, though.” “This is the first time I’ve seen Hobbs being so gentlemanly to a woman!”

Always Been Yours Chapter 1383--The guests were whispering among themselves, but Hobbs and Tessa didn’t hear what they said. After going on the stage, Hobbs was the first to speak. “Pardon me for abducting your finale performer away, everyone.

I’ll return her to the stage now,” he said jokingly. He then returned to Tessa’s side and gave her a supportive look. Tessa was relieved to see that everything was back on track. “Thank you,” she mumbled to Hubbs.

“You’re welcome.” Hobbs then smiled and wished her luck before exiting the stage. Tessa was the only one left on stage now. After taking a deep breath, she began her violin performance.

A passionate melody rang out the next second, and everyone stared at her in a daze. Tessa, too, gradually eased into her performance and became completely immersed in it.

Meanwhile, Hobbs went straight to Freya after leaving the stage. “I apologize for taking your gown without your permission. Please don’t hold it against me.”

Freya laughed as she looked at this man who was solemnly apologizing. “Why are you being so polite to me?” She was not only a princess but also Hobbs’ cousin, and she had the closest relationship with Hobbs in the family.

As such, she wasn’t bothered by what he did. However, that didn’t stop her from being curious about Hobbs’ act. This cousin of hers had never been patient with a woman. Hence, his act of assisting a woman today truly perplexed Freya.

While she was thinking, her gaze was drawn to Tessa, who was on stage. Tessa was already in the flow of her performance, exuding confidence and looking absolutely stunning.

The melody she played was beautiful as well. As if sensing something, Freya turned her head to look at Hobbs and teased, “Come clean with me, Are you interested in her?”

After a brief pause, Hobbs denied it. “Why would I be?” On the contrary, his gaze remained fixed on the beautiful woman on stage. He thought Tessa was extremely dazzling at this point, while also exuding a quiet and elegant aura.

Truth was, he wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Many others on the scene felt the same. They were all influenced by Tessa’s unique vibe and felt at peace and relaxed. Elisa, however, was not one of them.

She was standing close behind Hobbs. Thus, she could see every move he made. When she saw the man she had been longing for being drawn to Tessa, jealousy filled her heart and she clenched her fists tightly.

Tessa finished her performance with a bow not long after. The next second, thunderous applause echoed. Tessa felt completely relaxed after seeing that.

Then, she turned around and went backstage. Just as she sat down, Sofia came over. “What happened earlier? Why did you come down from the upper floor with Mr. Hobbs?”

“Something came up and Mr. Hobbs assisted me,” Tessa explained. Then, she told Sofia about her gown. Sweat beaded on Sofia’s forehead when she heard what had happened.

“Luckily, the performance was a success. Otherwise, I can’t even begin to imagine what would have happened,” she said as she lightly patted her chest in relief.

Tessa also wore a thankful expression. “That’s right. Fortunately, Mr. Hobbs was there to help me, or I would have offended a lot of people today.” While they were speaking, they heard a commotion outside.

A row of uniformed guards then entered the room. Looking at both of them, the captain of the guards said, “I’m here to investigate the gown’s incident per Count Hobbs’ instructions.”

Everyone was stunned; even Tessa was unsure how to react. Then, the captain walked toward her. “Miss Reinhart, after checking, the straps on the gown you changed out of earlier were intentionally cut.”

“Intentionally cut?” Tessa was taken aback. The captain nodded. “Someone cut off the straps, leaving only about one-third of it attached,” he explained.

“If you didn’t change out of it earlier, the remaining strands wouldn’t have been able to withstand much weight and would have most likely snapped while you were performing.”

Always Been Yours Chapter 1384--Tessa turned pale when she heard that. I can’t imagine what would have happened if my gown snapped on stage! Who was it that was trying to land me in trouble?

Everyone thought the same way as Tessa did and began commenting. “This is such an evil act to do.” “Why would someone do such a thing?”

As everyone started buzzing about this, the captain raised his voice and said, “The costumes of all performers today are provided by royalty. Miss Reinhart’s gown, in particular, was extremely valuable and cost millions Hence, I hope everyone here can cooperate with our investigation.”

“Of course, we will. Please investigate thoroughly, captain,” said someone in the crowd. After all, since the captain had already said so, no one else could refuse even if they didn’t want to be investigated.

At that point, Elisa, who was among those. present, started to panic. Standing next to her was her assistant, who also had a worried expression on her face.

“What should we do now? Will we be found out?’ Elisa’s assistant fearfully tugged on Elisa’s sleeve and inquired softly.

With a frown, Elisa shook off her assistant’s hand. “Don’t freak out. They’re only investigating and have no proof yet. Calm down,’ she responded. She said nothing more and ignored her assistant.

The guards then began their interrogation. It was soon Elisa’s turn. “Miss Elisa, please tell me where you were before the celebration began and if you saw any suspicious-looking figures,’ one guard asked.

Elisa shook her head, her expression calm. “I didn’t see anyone suspicious. I was in the dressing room the entire time chit-chatting with the others, so I didn’t notice anything else. I. know nothing about this matter.”

The guard then nodded and turned his attention to Elisa’s assistant, who tried hard to remain. calm while answering in the same manner as Elisa.

“I have no idea about this as well. I was taking care of Elisa at the time and paid no attention to my surroundings.”

Thinking that neither of them appeared to be lying, the guard then moved on to the next step. “We need to check your personal belongings now.”

“Sure.” Elisa and her assistant were in no position to refuse and had no choice but to hand over their purses to the guard. The guard then took everything in their bags out in front of them for inspection.

Although they had a lot of things in their bags, the guard thoroughly searched through everything and selected all sharp items.

A few seconds later, a utility knife was discovered in the assistant’s bag. This was the crucial evidence. There was a sequin on the knife that matched the sequins on Tessa’s original gown.

The assistant noticed this too. She became so terrified that her eyes widened in fear and her face turned pale. “Seize her!” the captain ordered coldly without waiting for an explanation.

The rest of the guards immediately rushed forward and held onto her. That rendered the assistant so frightened that her legs wobbled. If it hadn’t been for the guards holding her, she would have slumped to her knees right now.

She shook her head and yelled, “It was not me! I didn’t do that!” However, no one took her word for it. Meanwhile, Tessa cast a cold glance at the assistant before fixing her gaze on Elisa.

Elisa was already thrown into a panic at this point, but the moment she met Tessa’s cold gaze, her rationality returned. She knew she could never let herself be implicated in this matter.

As such, before anyone else could react, she put on an angry front and approached her assistant, thereafter slapping her hard. “Why did you do this?” Elisa glared at her assistant, but her gaze seemed to mean something more.

That took the assistant aback, but she immediately understood what Elisa meant. Clearly, Elisa wanted her to shoulder the blame. She didn’t want to, but she had no choice.

After all, the gown cost millions, which was not something she could afford to fork out. That being the case, she could only rely on Elisa.

In the end, she gritted her teeth and confessed to the act with a pathetic excuse. “I was the one who did it. So what? I just don’t like how conceited she is.”

Much to her horror, Hobbs, along with Prince Abott and his wife, arrived right after she finished her words. “How’s the investigation going?” “We’ve already found the culprit.”

Always Been Yours Chapter 1385--The chief guard quickly reported respectfully to Hobbs. Hobbs heard that the assistant took all the blame and looked at the slightly nervous Elisa beside him. He understood the hidden meaning behind this.

Then, he sneered and sarcastically said, “If an assistant dares to do this, it can only mean the master allowed it to happen.” His words held a deep meaning as everyone present understood and looked at Elisa with judgment in their eyes.

Faced with everyone’s scrutinizing gaze, she turned pale. What made it even harder for her to accept was that those words came from the mouth of the person whom she cared for. She looked at Hobbs in shock and swayed.

Meanwhile, Freya frowned and thought that Elisa was being dramatic. “Today is supposed to be a celebration. Everyone should be happy and not petty. However, someone has to compensate for the damaged dress.

At that, Freya looked at the assistant and sternly demanded, “You must compensate for the damaged dress at its full price and apologize to Miss Reinhart at the same time!”

“Okay,” the assistant replied softly as she cowered. Freya ignored her and looked up at Elisa on the other side.

Elisa didn’t say anything because there was no evidence to prove that she had destroyed the dress, so even if Freya suspected something, she couldn’t say anything.

However, the faint disgust in Freya’s eyes had already revealed her current mood. It was obvious that Elisa had left a bad impression on her.

She realized this and regretted it deeply. If she had known about it, she would not have used such a method to deal with Tessa. She had shot herself in the foot.

Because Freya had punished the assistant, the matter was pretty much over. Soon, everyone dispersed. Tessa went to change out of her dress and planned to leave with Sofia.

However, as she walked to the entrance of the palace, she saw Hobbs there. She stopped and muttered, “Miss Sofia, Count Hobbs helped me a lot tonight. I want to thank him.”

“Go ahead. I’ll wait for you in the car.” Sofia thought that Tessa should properly thank him for what happened tonight. Tessa nodded and walked toward Hobbs.

As he watched the elegant girl walk toward him, his cold demeanor softened unconsciously. His voice became inexplicably gentle as he greeted her. “Miss Reinhart.”

“Mr. Hobbs, thank you for what you did tonight. If it weren’t for you, tonight’s celebration would have been ruined by me,” Tessa thanked him gratefully.

Hobbs didn’t mind it at all. He smiled and said, “It was just a small favor. Are you leaving now, Miss Reinhart?” “Yes.” Tessa smiled and nodded as she felt that he was very amiable and a good person.

However, he didn’t realize he had been friend- zoned. He curled his lips and smiled while saying, “May I have the honor of escorting you back?”

“Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Hobbs, but I will go back with Miss Sofia.” She politely declined. Hobbs did not insist after his request was declined.

The two exchanged a few more words before Tessa left with Sofia. When they returned to the hotel, she saw Nicholas holding Gordon in one arm while reading documents with the other.

Gregory, on the other hand, sat quietly reading at book nearby. Under the lights, the peaceful scene of the father and sons was heart-warming.

Tessa’s heart was filled with warmth. She held out her arms and said, “I’m back!” Both Nicholas and Gregory put aside their task at hand. “Mommy, you’re back!” Gregory happily ran over to Tessa and hugged her.

She bent down and carried him while asking. “Were you well-behaved at home?” “Yes, I was.” He nodded and kissed her while saying affectionately, “Mommy, you’ve worked hard.”

Hearing this, she felt all her exhaustion instantly disappear. At this moment, Nicholas also came over with Gordon in his arms. He kissed her and asked, “Are you tired?”

Always Been Yours Chapter 1386--“Fortunately, I’m not very tired.” As she spoke, Tessa put down Gregory and reached for Gordon. Nicholas asked as he handed Gordon over to her, “Was the performance smooth sailing tonight?”

“Other than a minor mishap halfway through, it was successful overall.” She sat down on the couch with Gordon in her arms and briefly recounted the events of the night

However, when Nicholas heard about the mishap, he couldn’t help but feel worried and asked, “What happened?”

“My dress was deliberately damaged, and someone intended for me to embarrass myself on stage. However, during the performance, someone accidentally stepped on the hem of my dress and accidentally exposed me. I was so scared when I felt my skirt slipping off.”

She patted her chest in lingering fear. Seeing this, he couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. He could imagine how nervous and anxious she must have been at that moment.

“What happened afterward? How was the situation handled?” he asked. “Thanks to the help of Hobbs, I was able to borrow Freya’s dress and avoid ruining the celebration, Tessa said with a grateful look.

Nicholas smiled while patting her head as he muttered, “Thank goodness for Hobbs. We should thank him properly when we have the chance.” She nodded.

Later that night, the two children were getting sleepy, so Tessa took them back to the nursery. Gordon was easy to tuck in and soon fell asleep with a gentle rocking of the cradle, but Gregory kept pestering her for a bedtime story.

Naturally, Tessa indulged him, so she took out a book and began to tell a story with her soft voice. The gentle sound of her voice drifted out of the nursery and into Nicholas’ ears downstairs. Listening to her voice, he felt that his life was complete.

However, he remembered what she had told him earlier that night, and the smile on his face faded as he picked up his phone and made a call.

“Edward, investigate these two people for me. One is named Elisa, and the other is Hobbs. Both of them are nobles of the Janqash’s royal family.”

His wife was slow to catch on, and with someone helping her, she was completely devoted to him. She probably didn’t know what was going on.

That man was interested in her. Why else would he keep helping her? Clearly, this Hobbs had some issues. Thinking about this, Nicholas felt a little suspicious, yet also a little proud.

His wife had become increasingly excellent. However, the only problem was that she easily attracted rivals. Edward didn’t know about this. Although he was puzzled upon hearing his boss’ orders, he still carried them out.

After hanging up the phone, Nicholas couldn’t hear any more sounds coming from upstairs, so he planned to go up and get Tessa.

It was mainly because he was worried that if he didn’t go up, she would be tricked by Gregory into sleeping with him tonight.  After all, she couldn’t resist it when Gregory acted cute.

In fact, that was exactly what happened. Tessa couldn’t resist Gregory’s cuteness and agreed to stay. Just as she finished washing up and came out, she saw Nicholas pushing the door open..

“You’re here.” She looked at him with a smile. Nicholas nodded and looked at the bed, after which he noticed that both children were asleep. He then went over and carried her in his arms.

“You’re not allowed to sleep with Gregory. tonight,” he said. He glanced disapprovingly at his son, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. Daughters were always more considerate compared to sons.

Tessa noticed his expression and knew exactly what Nicholas was thinking. She laughed and poked his chest with her hand as she said in a soft and playful tone, “Is there a father like you who gets jealous of his son?”

“He’s always occupying you.” Nicholas grunted as he took her back to their room. Tessa couldn’t help but smile wryly while leaning against his shoulder. “Gregory will probably argue with you again tomorrow morning.”

“It’s fine. That’s the only thing he can do.” He didn’t pay much attention to Gregory’s fuss. Tessa didn’t know how to describe her feelings at the moment.

This father-and-son duo probably had a fake relationship. She was lost in thought as they returned to their room.

Always Been Yours Chapter 1387--Nicholas gently placed Tessa on the bed. In the dim light, her fair skin was partially visible as she was wearing loose pajamas. Her black hair was tied up simply at the back of her head, and although she had no makeup on, she looked exceptionally beautiful.

He looked at her and felt a stirring in his heart. “You are so beautiful,” he said as he leaned in to kiss her soft lips. She smiled sweetly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and responded passionately.

This was destined to be a sleepless night. Tessa was tossed around quite a bit, and she was tired after several rounds so much so that she didn’t even want to move her fingers. She felt that Nicholas was particularly passionate tonight..

As a result, she felt happy and reciprocated his passion. Under the moonlight, they bared themselves to each other as their intense feelings enveloped them. They gave each other all the love they had.

It was a night of passion. When Tessa woke up again, it was already the next day and almost noon. She realized that Nicholas was no longer in the room, but she didn’t pay much attention to it.

After cleaning herself up, she left the room to have a meal. In the living room, the nanny was playing with Gregory and Gordon. Although the two children could not communicate with each other yet, they seemed to be having a great time.

Listening to the crisp and cheerful laughter, Tessa felt blissful. She couldn’t help but go over and play with them. Before long, the living room was filled with even more joyful laughter.

After playing for a while, Tessa sat on the couch and slowly ate her breakfast. At this point, she remembered Nicholas. After all, it was already noon, and he hadn’t. returned yet.

“Where is Nicholas?” she asked as she turned her head to look at the nanny beside her. The nanny respectfully replied, “Master Nicholas went to the branch office. He left a message that he won’t be back for lunch.”

Tessa nodded to show that she understood. Meanwhile, at the branch office of Sawyer Group. Edward knocked on the door and entered the office.

“President Sawyer, I’ve found all the information you asked me to look into.” At this, Nicholas put down the work in his hands and looked over. “Who are they?”

“Elisa is the disciple of Carina, a famous master from Rasnos. She’s a talented musician who has been very popular in recent years,” Edward replied as he began to describe Elisa’s background.

Nicholas’ face remained expressionless as he coldly asked, “So, what happened last night?”

I asked the relevant staff, and it turns out that Elisa’s assistant was jealous of Miss Tessa and deliberately sabotaged the performance.” Edward relayed the information he had gathered. “However, I think the real culprit behind this incident is Elisa herself.”

“That’s obvious,” Nicholas said. “But since Tessa has already dealt with the matter, we don’t need to concern ourselves with it. Let’s talk about Hobbs.” He was more interested in the latter person.

Edward nodded and continued, “Hobbs is the heir of the Hobbs Family and the cousin of the current Princess Freya. He also grew up with Prince Abott and enjoys high prestige.”

He paused intentionally after finishing his sentence to observe Nicholas’ expression. However, Nicholas remained stoic and unreadable.

Edward continued, “The Hobbs Family is also involved in business and currently manages the largest economic lifeline in Janqash. They are not to be underestimated.”

After he finished reporting the information he found, he looked at Nicholas while waiting for further instructions. However, Nicholas only made a noncommittal sound in response, showing a little reaction.

Edward stood there, unsure of what his boss was thinking. Just as he was about to ask, Nicholas’ phone rang. It was a video call from Tessa.

At that moment, his usually indifferent features softened; it was especially when he saw Tessa’s beautiful face. His eyes were full of tenderness that could easily captivate anyone.

“What’s up?” he asked. “Nothing much. I just wanted to let you know that we’ll be having dinner together tonight, so make sure to come back on time,” Tessa replied.

Always Been Yours Chapter 1388--On the phone, Tessa held Gordon and said with a smile, ‘Miss Sofia is coming over tonight.” “Okay, I’ll be back on time.” Nicholas naturally agreed to the arrangement and asked about the situation at home.

The two of them chatted and laughed, accompanied by the innocent voices of their children. As a family, they were very blissful. Edward stood by the side, feeling like he was superfluous.

In the end, he quietly left the office. That night, Sophia came over along with gifts for Gregory and Gordon. Tessa smiled as she received the gifts. “Miss Sofia, it’s good enough that you came. There’s no need for gifts.”

“My gifts are not for you. They’re for Gregory and Gordon. You’re not allowed to object,” Sophia insisted as she played with Gordon. Shel couldn’t stop.

Tessa pretended to be hurt and joked, “Crap, I’m no longer your favorite.” Sophia nodded seriously.  At that moment, the living room was filled with laughter and joy.

Although Nicholas did not join in the fun, he sat next to them and watched with gentle eyes. Later that evening, dinner was ready. The group sat at the dining table.

During the meal, Sophia brought up the purpose of her visit. “I’m planning to leave for Vienna tomorrow. Do you want to go back and visit?”

She looked at Tessa as she spoke. Tessa was a little tempted. Since she decided to take good care of herself during her pregnancy, she left Vienna and had not returned for almost half a year.

Although she was tempted, she did not immediately respond. Instead, she looked at Nicholas. He noticed her gaze and immediately understood the meaning behind it.

“I’ll go with you,’ he decided without any hesitation as he knew that she loved that place. Tessa’s smile became even brighter when she heard this and couldn’t help but say, “Hubby. you’re the best.”

Although she said that, she was still worried about his work. “Will this delay your work?” she asked. “Don’t worry, it won’t. Besides, if I could work in Vienna before, I can do it now too.”

Nicholas looked at her indulgently. Gregory chimed in from the side, “I can take online classes too, Mommy. You don’t have to worry.” Seeing the two of them making concessions for her, she was extremely moved.

Sophia, who was next to them, also found it heart-warming. She smiled and looked at Tessa affectionately. “Since President Sawyer doesn’t mind, why don’t you come back with me tomorrow? Your seniors miss you a lot.”

“Okay, we’ll go back together. I miss them too.” Tessa agreed with a nod. Their dinner was a happy one. The next morning, as Tessa was going to Vienna, she woke up early and got ready..

After packing up, the family went to the airport to meet Sofia. “Miss Sofia, sorry to keep you waiting,” she greeted Sofia while holding Gregory’s hand.. Sofia shook her head and smiled. “I just arrived as well.”

Then, she remembered something and took a box from the luggage next to her. “This is for you.” “What is it?” Tessa was surprised.

Sofia explained, ‘Count Hobbs knows that we are leaving today and had someone send this box to me earlier. He asked me to give it to you.”

“Count Hobbs?” Tessa was even more puzzled now. Standing next to her, Nicholas raised his eyebrows slightly with displeasure. It felt like someone was coveting his treasure.

Sofia noticed Tessa’s confusion and nodded. “You can open it and see what’s inside.” Tessa lowered her head, looked at the gift box in her hand, and finally opened it.

Inside the box, her previously damaged dress was neatly folded. The silver-black sequins sparkled and shimmered beautifully under the sunlight. The shoulder strap that had been broken before was now completely repaired. There was no trace of damage.

Always Been Yours Chapter 1389-Seeing this dress, Tessa had a vague feeling that something was off. The dresses for the celebration were all provided by the royal family. However, this dress was sent by Count Hobbs in front of Nicholas…

For a moment, she had some suspicions in her heart. Nicholas couldn’t help but step forward and hug her after seeing her staring at the dress in silence. Then, he asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” She snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at Nicholas. At the same time, she had made up her mind that she wouldn’t accept this dress.

Thinking of this, she closed the gift box and handed it to Edward. “Can you please find someone to help me send this gift box back?”

“Sure, Miss Tessa.” Edward nodded and agreed very readily. This was also because he sensed the displeasure emanating from his boss.

At this time, Sofia also sensed that something was wrong and subconsciously looked at Nicholas while saying, “Actually, Freya requested Count Hobbs to send it over,”

“Even so, I cannot accept it.”

Tessa understood Sofia’s intention, but she still shook her head and insisted, “This dress is said to be worth over one hundred thousand. I was just a guest performer invited to the celebration.

It’s unreasonable to accept this dress. Mr. Jackson, please return this dress as soon as possible.” As soon as she finished speaking, Gregory next to her finally understood what was going on and nodded with a stern little face.

“Mommy is right. We can’t accept this dress without merit. Mr. Jackson, please return it quickly, Gregory urged. He then muttered, “Who is this Hobbs guy? It looks like he’s up to no good, giving Mommy gifts for no reason.

He must be harboring evil intentions.” Although his voice was not loud, everyone including Tessa heard it and burst into laughter.

She reached out and affectionately caressed his head. “Who taught you all these things?” “No one taught me. I saw someone act like this on the television program.”

Looking up with his big, bright, and watery eyes, Gregory reminded her in a baby voice, “Mommy, you can’t accept gifts randomly in the future.. You can’t accept gifts from other men except for Daddy.”

Seeing how serious he was, everyone couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Edward cleared his throat. “Young Master Gregory, don’t worry about it. I’ll contact my men right away.”

With that, he nodded at Tessa and went outside to contact his subordinates with his phone.

Seeing this, Tessa held Gregory’s hand and smiled sweetly at Nicholas. “Okay, now that this. matter is taken care of, let’s go back to our home in Vienna.”

After she finished speaking, she took the initiative to hold Nicholas’ arm and her eyes were full of sincere affection. How could he not see that she didn’t want him to think too much about the gift?

At this moment, the frustration he had felt about the dress vanished into thin air and he felt utterly relaxed. It seemed that Tessa wasn’t as dull as he had imagined.

“Okay, let’s go home,” he said. Nicholas indulgently tucked the strands of hair that fell onto her cheek behind her ear and then lowered his head to kiss her pale face.

Teressa’s face flushed red immediately. “Miss Sofia is still here,” she said shyly as she took Gregory’s hand and left. Sofia couldn’t help but laugh as she watched them leave. “She really cares about you,” she said to Nicholas.

She was also happy that her student had found such happiness. Nicholas nodded and agreed with her. “I know.” A gentle and loving smile formed on his face as he watched them walk further ahead.

Soon, they arrived in Vienna. As they left the airport, Sofia asked, “I’m going back to the orchestra. Are you coming with me?” “Not today. We’ll settle down first and I’ll go to the orchestra tomorrow,” Tessa shook her head and said.

Sofia nodded and bid farewell to the two children before getting into a car and leaving. Tessa, together with Nicholas and their two children, went back home..

Always Been Yours Chapter 1390-Although they were not in Vienna during this period, the housekeeper still cleaned the villa. As soon as they arrived, the family began to relax. When Mona received the news that night, she quickly hurried over.

“Tessa, you’re so inconsiderate. You came back without telling me, so I couldn’t even pick you up from the airport.” As soon as she entered the living room, Mona started nagging at Tessa, but she quickly carried Gordon and hugged him.

“Gordon, do you still remember me after such a long time?” She played with the little guy. After all, she had been thinking about him and missing him a lot while they were apart.

Tessa looked at Mona’s actions and laughed. “I think you’re not here to pick me up but to steal my son.” “You’re right. Gordon is so well-behaved. I really want to take him back and raise him myself.”

Mona did not deny Tessa’s comment, and as she spoke, she affectionately tapped the little one’s nose. Two months had already passed and Gordon.

became even more adorable with his rosy cheeks and chubbiness. He could melt anyone’s heart. Tessa teased, “If you love kids so much, you should find a man and have your own.”

“I would love to, but I haven’t found a man who can capture my heart.” Mona pouted. Although she had thought about finding someone to marry after seeing her friend living such a happy life, she couldn’t find a man she liked.

Tessa didn’t say anything else as she knew that relationships were personal matters and it was not good for others to interfere. Mona stayed at the villa for dinner that night and played with the children until late before leaving.

The following day, Tessa got up early to head to the orchestra. After a warm family breakfast, Nicholas took her to the orchestra.

Upon arrival, they were warmly welcomed by the orchestra members. As soon as Gordon made his appearance, he effortlessly captured the hearts of all the members.

“Oh my God, Gordon is so cute. He smiled at mel” “It’s my turn to hold him now. You’ve already held him for three minutes.” “Gordon, I’m your mom’s senior.”” Tessa’s seniors competed to hold the baby.

Greg was also held by other members of the orchestra. After the laughter and noise died down, the other members returned to their positions, leaving only a few seniors behind.

At this moment, the eldest senior-Marjorie- took out the gift he had prepared and handed it to Tessa. “I heard that safety locks have a symbolic meaning of bringing safety to children in Xerthania. I specially ordered two for you, hoping Gregory and Gordon will be safe.”

The others also took out the gifts they prepared and almost all of them were related to safety and well-being.

After all, what happened before really scared them, and they only hoped that the two children would be safe and happy. Tessa was touched by their kindness.

As it was everyone’s kind intention, she did not refuse their gifts. After accepting the gifts, she thanked everyone on behalf of the two children. “Thank you, seniors.”

“Tessa, if you want to thank us, why don’t you hand over Gregory and Gordon and let us take turns taking care of them for two days? At least we won’t be tempted to steal them later, Jenny joked as she looked at Tessa.

Tessa knew that Jenny was just joking, so she nodded and said, “Sure, you can take Gregory and Gordon with you. That way, I can have some alone time with my husband.”

Tessa spent a lively afternoon with her children and fellow seniors. They also had lunch together before she was picked up by Nicholas. Instead of returning home, she asked him to take her to the manor to visit Louis.

After some time, she realized that she missed this proud and eccentric old man. “Is everything okay, Sir?”

“I’m doing fine. How about you? How’s your health?” Louis looked at Tessa with concern. Previously, Tessa had been involved in a car accident in her home country and he had only known about it through the news.

However, he had some matters to attend to back then and was unable to visit her in person. Nevertheless, he had been following her news online. Seeing Louis’ concern, she smiled and explained, “I’m almost fully recovered now.”