Ch. 431..440

Always Been Yours Chapter 431

“Stay away from me!” While warning the kidnappers in front of her, Tessa trembled and retreated backward, scanning the surroundings from the corner of her eyes in an attempt to find a way to save herself.

Unfortunately, there was nothing around her that could be used as a weapon to defend herself, and the only door was behind the kidnappers. As she watched them getting closer and closer, a fierce glint flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly kicked one of the kidnappers hard in the crotch.

“Ahh!” Screams resounded throughout the warehouse, mixed with angry roars. “That b*tch, catch her!”

Tessa didn’t dare to look back at all and ran toward the exit with all her strength. However, just as she was about to push the door of the workshop, she suddenly raised her head and yelled out with a painful expression. It turned out one of the kidnappers had caught up to her and grabbed her hair, furiously yanking it backward.

“B*tch, how dare you try to run?” The kidnapper stared at Tessa viciously as he immediately dragged her back. If they let this woman escape, their master would definitely punish them severely!

Tessa staggered from the kidnapper’s dragging. Tears welled up in her eyes as her gaze filled with fear and despair. “Let me go! I said let me go!”

She hit the kidnapper behind her with both hands, trying to break free from him. Alas, her punches were just like ant bites to him, and it had no effect at all. In the end, she was captured and thrown back to her original place. Immediately, the kidnapper who had just been kicked by her pounced over and started tearing her clothes away.

Tessa’s face turned as pale as a ghost from fright as she screamed desperately, “Get lost, don’t touch me!”

She struggled with all her might, but nothing seemed to work. With a tearing sound, her coat was torn apart, revealing a camisole and her pale skin. The kidnappers’ eyes nearly fell out of their sockets at the sight. As Tessa looked at their hungry gazes, she hastily pulled her clothes back in place with trembling hands, her face full of horror.

…

At the same time, Austin handled the issue swiftly. Using a tracking app, he hacked into the road traffic system and found which direction the vehicle that kidnapped Tessa was headed. After investigating the topography, he quickly inferred the location where the kidnappers would appear.

“Boss, I am 90% sure that Miss Tessa was brought here by them.” Austin pointed at the location he had determined to Nicholas.

After glancing at it coldly, Nicholas ordered, “Prepare the cars!”

Under the pitch black sky, several black cars quickly sped through the roads on the outskirts. What was originally a half-hour drive was shortened to ten minutes by them. Soon, they arrived at the door of the warehouse, and their ears were filled with desperate screams coming from inside.

Nicholas led his men into the warehouse with a dark expression. When he saw the situation inside clearly, his blood boiled, and he could hardly restrain his violent urges. In the blink of an eye, he stepped forward with a terrifying aura emanating all over his body, violently knocking over the kidnappers who surrounded Tessa in a few punches.

Everything happened in a flash, and neither the kidnappers nor Tessa managed to react in time. At this moment, Tessa was in a disheveled state. Her clothes were torn in several places, but she had kept protecting herself and did not let the kidnappers lay their hands on her. She was taken aback for a moment before she saw Nicholas, whose arrival was like an angel descending from heaven, and almost collapsed.

“Nicholas, you’re finally here.” Her choked and reliant voice felt like nails drilling into Nicholas’ heart, making it so painful that he could barely breathe.

On the other hand, the kidnappers who had been kicked away by Nicholas finally regained their senses, and they all stood up from the ground while cursing and swearing.

“F*ck, where did you come from? You dare to ruin our fun?” The kidnappers didn’t even notice Austin and the others at the door as they glared intently at him.

Nicholas turned his head to look at the three of them, as if he were looking at a dead person, and said in a cold voice, “Austin.”

Always Been Yours Chapter 432

A Rare Sight

“Yes, boss.” Austin responded and immediately led his subordinates to attack the kidnappers.

Seeing that, Nicholas stopped caring about them and turned to look at Tessa, who was standing by the side and holding on to her clothes. Feeling pained, he took off his suit jacket and walked toward her.

Although she had already recognized him, she was still in shock. As she watched him approach her, she subconsciously took a step back, trembling all over.

When Nicholas saw that, his heart ached even more, and the urge to kill rose inside of him. Taking a deep breath, he strode forward and wrapped his suit jacket firmly around her thin shoulders, then embraced her in his arms.

“I’m sorry for being late.” He soothed her while kissing her on the forehead.

Listening to the low, magnetic voice coming from above and smelling the familiar and reassuring scent, Tessa couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into tears. She tugged Nicholas’ clothes closely to her chest, her whole body trembling. Feeling the fear emanating from her, he hugged her tightly.

He lowered his head and whispered softly in Tessa’s ear to comfort her, “Don’t be scared, I’m here.”

Perhaps his soothing worked, for she gradually calmed down.

Just then, Austin walked over handsomely, dressed in a black leather coat and army boots. His striking features were extremely lacking in expression, as though he were a carbon copy of Nicholas. However, at that moment, his eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. He had never seen his boss being so gentle before.

As he wondered about this, his gaze subconsciously fell on Tessa. He knew of her existence, but he’d only heard of her and had never seen her in person. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t see anything as Nicholas had wrapped her tightly in his arms.

With no other choice, he retracted his gaze and reported his purpose of coming forward. “Boss, I found that they had planned this kidnapping. They had specially prepared cameras to take a video.”

Saying that, he handed over the camera that he had just seized earlier.

Still in Nicholas’ arms, Tessa suddenly raised her head. She didn’t know about the camera at all. As she stared at the camera in Austin’s hand, she was shocked, and angered, but more importantly, she felt fear. If he hadn’t arrived just in time, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what she would’ve faced.

Bursting out in fury, Nicholas grabbed the camera and smashed it to the ground. With a dark expression, he growled fiercely, “Find out who’s behind this!”

“Yes!” Austin jolted before he nodded, accepting the orders.

He hadn’t seen his boss getting this angry for a long time, and his eyes swept toward Tessa again unconsciously. Just before he could take a closer look, Nicholas picked her up and strode out of the warehouse.

On the way back, perhaps because she was too frightened or tired, Tessa drifted asleep in Nicholas’ arms. As he looked at her pale face, he was filled with worry and urged the driver to speed up. At the same time, he asked Edward to notify the hospital.

After arriving at the hospital, the doctors and nurses who had been notified a long time ago immediately took Tessa, who was unconscious, for a checkup.

“Mr. Sawyer, Miss Reinhart doesn’t have any major injuries except for some wounds, but she is a little frightened.” After a round of examinations, the doctor reported the results to Nicholas.

Nicholas breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that, but his expression was still dark. After the doctor left, he stayed in the ward. Looking at the sleeping girl in bed, he retrieved some warm water from the bathroom, intending to help Tessa wipe her face and hands. But as soon as the warm handkerchief touched her cheek, she suddenly broke out from her daze and started to murmur in a panic, her hands swinging in the air.

“Don’t touch me, go away! Nicholas, save me…”

The moment Nicholas heard that, his breathing hitched, and his heart ached with an indescribable pain. He grabbed Tessa’s hands that were flailing in midair, bent forward, and softly comforted, “Don’t be scared, I’m here.”

Always Been Yours Chapter 433

Black Wolves Mercenary Group

In the brightly lit ward, Nicholas stayed by Tessa’s side and comforted her over and over again. Gradually, her rapid breathing slowed down and she fell asleep again, but her brows were still furrowed. Seeing this, he gently helped her smooth out her frown.

Later, Hathaway, Kathleen, and Scott hurried over. As Hathaway hadn’t heard from Nicholas for a long time, she gave him a call. She originally planned to use her connections to help find Tessa, but he told her that he had already found her.

“Mr. Sawyer, how is Tessa’s condition?” As soon as they entered the ward, Hathaway and Scott asked with concern.

Nicholas glanced at them indifferently and answered in a low voice, “Tessa is fine, but she got frightened.”

Hearing this, both Hathaway and Scott breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at Tessa, whose pale figure was lying in bed, Kathleen couldn’t help but wonder, “Why was she kidnapped for no reason?”

As soon as she said that, Hathaway and Scott also became curious. At the same time, they also had doubts about Nicholas’ identity; they thought Tessa’s boyfriend was strange. Although he was obviously from Xerthania, he managed to find her so quickly in Vienna.

Nicholas didn’t know what the two were thinking, and he glanced at Kathleen indifferently with no intention to explain. Realizing that, Kathleen curled her lips, but she didn’t dare to say anything, mainly because the aura that Nicholas exuded had her feeling he was not one to be messed with.

At that, Hathaway and Scott changed the topic and asked when Tessa would wake up.

“I don’t know,” Nicholas replied curtly. He was really in no mood to deal with them. He said dismissively, “Thank you for your concern tonight. It’s very late now, and Tessa needs a good resting environment.”

Understanding the meaning of his words, Hathaway and Scott didn’t say anything, but only nodded and left with Kathleen.

…

In the middle of the night, the surroundings were quiet when a scream suddenly cut through the night. Tessa woke up from a nightmare with a jolt and sat up from the bed, sweating profusely.

Nicholas, who had been dozing off beside her, immediately strode to the bed when he heard her voice, asking anxiously, “What’s wrong?”

Tessa looked at him in a daze before she immediately leaned forward to hug him. “Nicholas.”

After a brief pause, he lightly patted Tessa’s trembling back, and said soothingly, “Don’t be scared. It’s all over.”

Hearing this, she tightened her arms around his waist and said in a choked voice, “Nicholas, I was so scared. No one came to save me no matter how much I begged. I thought I was done for, and I even thought of just dying like this.”

Listening to Tessa’s words, Nicholas felt his heart wrenching. “It’s all right now; don’t be scared. I’ll always be by your side.”

He pulled her out of his arms and held her tear-stained face, slowly kissing off the tears that kept overflowing from the corners of her eyes. Under his coaxing, she gradually calmed down and fell asleep in a daze again.

Looking at her innocent sleeping face, Nicholas sat quietly beside her. As time slowly ticked by, the dark night sky gradually brightened, and the sun began to peek out from the horizon.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door of the ward.

“Come in.” As soon as Nicholas’ cold voice fell, Austin pushed the door open and walked into the ward.

He swept his gaze past Tessa, who was asleep, and reported in a low voice, “Boss, the investigation is complete.”

“Who’s behind it?” When Nicholas turned around, his dark eyes seemed to boil with anger as he stared at Austin intently.

His body trembling from the pressure, Austin replied, “Those three guys explained that they are from the Black Wolves Mercenary Group.”

“Black Wolves Mercenary Group?” Nicholas narrowed his eyes dangerously.

Austin nodded and continued, “This mercenary group would do anything for money. After asking around, I found out that someone hired them to humiliate Miss Tessa.”

Always Been Yours Chapter 434

Miss Tessa Is Sick

At those words, Nicholas recalled the scene he saw in the warehouse last night, and his anger skyrocketed.

“How dare they have the audacity to lay their hands on my people.” He gritted his teeth and said in a bloodthirsty tone, “In that case, destroy them. Go and find out where the base of this Black Wolves Mercenary Group is. I don’t want to see them again.”

“Don’t worry, boss. I’ve already sent someone to investigate.”

Austin knew Nicholas’ temper very well. After the young lady had suffered such a humiliating experience, his boss would definitely want to avenge her, so he’d made the arrangements in advance.

Nicholas was very satisfied with this. He nodded and said, “You’ve worked hard the entire night. Go back and get some rest.”

Heeding his orders, Austin turned around and left.

…

In the villa, Gregory got up and washed himself up as usual before he went to look for Tessa. He didn’t even know that she and his father hadn’t come back all night.

“Miss Tessa, Daddy, time to get up.” He knocked on the door and called out in a cute voice, only to find that neither of them were in the room. Then, he scuttled toward the dining room, thinking that they had already gotten up. However, when he reached, there was still no sight of them.

Just then, Edward walked out of the kitchen with breakfast and saw Gregory. He greeted him, saying, “Oh, you’re up, Young Master Gregory. I’ve just finished making breakfast. Come on over and eat.”

As Nicholas couldn’t make it home last night, he’d asked Edward to come over and help take care of his child.

Gregory blinked and asked dubiously, “Mr. Edward, where’s Daddy and Miss Tessa?”

“President Sawyer and Miss Reinhart didn’t come back last night, so I’m not sure either.”

In fact, Edward was lying to Gregory. He knew about Tessa’s issue, but didn’t tell Gregory for the time being as per the president’s instructions in order not to let the child worry. However, Gregory didn’t know this, and after listening to Edward’s words, he turned huffily and ran toward the living room as if he had suddenly thought of something.

“Young Master Gregory, where are you going? Aren’t you gonna eat breakfast?” Edward hurriedly chased after him.

Gregory ignored him and headed straight to the landline phone in the living room, then started dialing the phone.

Within a few seconds, Nicholas’ cold voice came from the other end. “What’s the matter?”

“Bad Daddy, why didn’t you and Miss Tessa come back all night? Did you secretly take her somewhere to play without me again?”

As he listened to Gregory’s complaints, a trace of helplessness appeared in Nicholas’ eyes. He explained, “I didn’t take her to play. She wasn’t feeling well, so I brought her to the hospital for a checkup.”

“Miss Tessa is sick?” All at once, there was worry in Gregory’s tone, and his attention shifted to Tessa; he completely forgot his original purpose of calling. After hanging up the phone, he forwent breakfast and urged Edward to take him to the hospital.

At the same time, Tessa had just woken up in the ward. Nicholas carefully helped her sit up and asked in concern, “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

“I’m fine.” Looking at Nicholas’ nervous expression, she felt her heart warming.

After a while, not long after they had finished eating breakfast, Gregory arrived.

“Miss Tessa, why are you sick?” He broke away from Edward’s grasp and scurried to the bed with his short legs, looking at Tessa worriedly.

She was taken aback, but after glancing at Nicholas, she deduced that he must’ve come up with this excuse. The corners of her mouth raised slightly as she replied in a soft voice, “I might’ve gotten too busy practicing lately, so I got exhausted and collapsed all of a sudden.”

Hearing this, Gregory immediately puffed his chubby cheeks and began to nag like a little adult. “Miss Tessa, that’s not good. You always told me to work hard and rest well, but why wouldn’t you know that yourself? Do you know that I’ll be really worried if you get sick? Next time, I won’t allow you to get too tired from practicing. I’ll be watching you, and Daddy will also be watching you with me.”

Always Been Yours Chapter 435

The Plan Failed

Tessa didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she listened to Gregory’s childish words, but her heart was incredibly warm.

“Okay, I’ll let you arrange my work and rest time in the future.” She promised him dotingly. Subsequently, she made to carry him up onto the bed, but she was rejected.

“Don’t hold me when you’re sick, Miss Tessa. You’ll get tired.”

Hearing that, Tessa felt that her heart was about to melt.

After that, Gregory sat by her side, and cheerful laughter could be heard in the ward from time to time. Gradually, she was able to forget the events of the previous night as the darkness in her heart was healed by him. Nicholas sat next to them, watching their interaction on the hospital bed with relief.

After lunch, Tessa didn’t really want to stay in the hospital anymore. She knew very well that she hadn’t actually suffered any injuries and was just a little frightened, so it wouldn’t be any different if she went home to rest.

“Nicholas, I want to be discharged from the hospital.” She voiced her thoughts, but he didn’t seem to approve of her being discharged from the hospital so soon.

“Now? Why don’t you stay for another night so they can monitor your condition?” As a matter of fact, Tessa’s breakdown last night frightened Nicholas, and he was worried that there would be side effects.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Gregory agreed with a serious expression, echoing, “Miss Tessa, if you’re sick, you have to stay in the hospital and rest well.”

“But I’m much better now. It’ll be the same if I go home and rest.” Tessa couldn’t help but caress his soft hair, but her gaze was still fixed persistently on Nicholas.

In the end, Nicholas couldn’t argue against her, so he nodded and said, “All right, I’ll ask the doctor to come over and check again. After we’re sure you’re okay, we’ll go back.”

Tessa was fine with that decision.

After a while, the doctor brought the nurse over for an examination, and the result was naturally fine. Finally able to relax, Nicholas turned around and ordered Edward to go through the discharge procedures. That afternoon, Tessa was discharged from the hospital and returned to the villa. However, after returning, Gregory and Nicholas unanimously asked her to lie on the bed and rest.

At Stone Residence, Hayley was sleeping soundly when she was awakened by a call from Duane.

“How did it go?” She sat on the head of the bed with her phone in her hand, and her charming voice was hoarse with grogginess.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds before Duane’s voice sounded. “The plan failed.”

“Failed?” Hayley’s tone rose in surprise, and her heart swelled with displeasure as she demanded, “Didn’t you say that it was foolproof? Why did it fail?!”

“I was careless. I didn’t expect Nicholas’ influence to be so strong even in Vienna. He arrived faster than I thought,” Duane analyzed.

Hayley was shocked and angry, but there was nothing she could do because she didn’t expect Nicholas to wield authority even abroad. At that thought, she couldn’t help but worry. Based on his personality, he will definitely get to the bottom of this.

She gritted her teeth and ordered furiously, “Since the plan has failed, you’d better hide well during this period of time. Nicholas will never give up, and he must not be allowed to doubt me, understand?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let Nicholas trace this back to you.” Duane promising her in his low voice made her feel a lot more at ease.

After that, she asked about Tessa and Nicholas’ situation.

“According to the report of my subordinates, Nicholas took care of Tessa in the hospital all night, and he only discharged her from the hospital and brought her back to the villa in the afternoon,” Duane explained his observations.

Hearing that, Hayley burned with jealousy. What rights does that b*tch Tessa have to actually let Nicholas take care of her in the hospital all night?!

After hanging up, the more Hayley thought about it, the more angry she became. At first, she wanted to destroy Tessa, but she had improved the relationship between that woman and Nicholas instead. All of a sudden, she felt she went for wool and came back shorn.

“B*tch! You f*cking b*tch! Why don’t you just die?!” She completely lost her mind and hysterically threw everything on the bed to the floor.

Always Been Yours Chapter 436

The Stone Family’s Schemes

Even so, Hayley still couldn’t vent all her anger, so she jumped off the bed barefoot and smashed everything she could in the room.

Her parents, who had been resting, were awakened by the commotion. They immediately got up and went to find Hayley, only to find that her room was in a mess. The floor was covered in her bedsheets and various clothes, and broken pieces of glass were scattered everywhere.

“Why are you throwing a tantrum in the middle of the night?” Nero stood at the door and stared at her in displeasure.

On the other hand, Sonia asked her worriedly, “Hayley, is something wrong?”

“Mom, Dad, do you know who Nicholas is spending time with while he’s abroad?” Hayley looked at her parents gloomily. “He’s with that b*tch Tessa!”

“How could that be?” They were taken aback by her words.

“Why not? That woman already has him wrapped around her finger. It’s also because of her that he refuses to come back until now!” Through gritted teeth, Hayley continued, “If we let them continue like this, I probably won’t have any chance of marrying into the Sawyer Family.”

When they heard this, Sonia and Nero’s faces immediately sank. They had planned to use Hayley and Nicholas’ marriage to solve their company’s funding problem, so they would never allow anyone to destroy this marriage!

“How dare a mere violinist try to steal my daughter’s husband?” Nero snorted coldly. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he said ominously, “I heard that Tessa has a younger brother…”

Meanwhile, Timothy had no idea what schemes were waiting in store for him. Recently, he had been busy with the company’s affairs. Before this, Sawyer Group suddenly ended the partnership with them, causing them to suffer quite a few losses. However, as Nicholas regained control of the Sawyer Group overseas, he asked Kieran to approach Timothy again and renew the partnership. Now that the two companies were working together again, there were many things he had to handle.

Of course, Timothy also learned about Nicholas staying by his sister’s side abroad through Kieran, which made him extremely satisfied with his brother-in-law. Moreover, with Nicholas accompanying his sister abroad, he could relax and work harder at home.

That night, he made a video call with his sister as usual. As he looked at her happy and sweet smile on the screen, he smiled cheekily and teased, “Looks like Nicholas is all you need in your life, right, Tess?”

Hearing her brother’s playful words, Tessa pretended to glare at him fiercely. “How brave of you to make fun of your sister!”

Timothy was not afraid at all and even tried to drag Nicholas down with him. “Nicholas, look at how embarrassed my sister is.”

On the other hand, Nicholas replied considerately, “She’ll be fine after I calm her down later.”

Next to them, although Gregory didn’t understand what the adults were saying, he still butted into the conversation excitedly. “I’ll calm Miss Tessa down too!”

For a long time, cheerful laughter filled the two phones. Later, Timothy hung up with a smile lingering on the corner of his mouth. When he looked down at the unprocessed documents in front of him and thought of how he and his sister were living better lives now, he was invigorated and motivated once more.

…

The next day, Timothy arrived at the company in a black suit as usual.

“Good morning, President Reinhart.”

“Good morning.”

Along the way, the employees greeted Timothy, and some female employees even began having a crush on him. However, Timothy ignored their gazes.

Time passed quickly when he was working. In the blink of an eye, it was almost noon. Just then, Henry hurriedly knocked on the door and walked into the office.

“Tim, something happened again.”

“What is it?” Compared to Henry’s aggravation, Timothy was very calm. He poured Henry a glass of water and motioned him to speak slowly.

As Henry truly felt thirsty, he gulped down half the glass of water before saying, “Didn’t I tell you before that I’m negotiating with a few projects, and there’s only the contracts left to be signed?”

Always Been Yours Chapter 437

Sever Ties With Stone Enterprise

“You did tell me that.” Timothy nodded and asked, “Has there been any changes in these projects?”

“That’s right. These projects have all been intercepted.” At the thought, Henry became annoyed. “I thought that something was wrong when this happened, so I contacted the people in charge of those projects. Do you know what they said?”

Timothy frowned, a speculation surfacing in his mind. He tentatively said, “Is someone targeting us?”

“Exactly.” Henry slammed his hands on the table angrily before continuing, “Those who were in charge told me that we might have offended people we shouldn’t have offended, and they said that if this matter isn’t resolved, no one will dare to work with us in the future!”

At the end, he was practically forcing the words out through gritted teeth.

Of course, Timothy’s expression dropped a little at those words. Almost immediately, he thought of Sawyer Group. After all, they had done something like this more than once. However, he soon thought that it was impossible. Now that Sawyer Group was firmly under Nicholas’ control, they wouldn’t target him anymore. In that case… who else would target him?

In the general manager’s office at Sawyer Group, Kieran’s assistant was reporting the latest news he had received, “Almost no companies in Southend are willing to cooperate with Timothy because of Stone Enterprise’s interference. Do we need to help them?”

Because Nicholas had asked Kieran to take care of Timothy before leaving the country, Kieran had asked his assistant to keep a close eye on Timothy. Upon hearing that Timothy was being targeted by the Stone Family, Kieran looked upset, his expression dark.

After giving it some thought, he instructed, “Spread the news about the partnership between Timothy and Sawyer Group and let them know that he’s one of us.”

“Understood.” The secretary heeded his orders and left.

Soon, Kieran was the only one left in the office. However, he didn’t idle around and immediately took out his phone to contact his brother, intending to tell him about the issue.

“What’s wrong?” On the screen, Nicholas’ expressionless face appeared in the video.

Seeing that, Kieran couldn’t help but mock, “Nicholas, you’re already dating someone, so why are you still as cold as before? Aren’t you scared Tessa would think you’re boring?”

“She wouldn’t.”

“You don’t know that for sure…”

“That’s because the way I treat you is different from the way I treat her.”

This guy… Before Kieran could finish speaking, he was completely defeated by Nicholas. He gritted his teeth and said, “You really are my brother.”

Nicholas’ lips curved upward a little; he was seemingly amused by Kieran’s glum appearance. He said, “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

“Who said there’s nothing else?” Kieran hurriedly stopped his brother and told him what happened to Timothy’s company. “I’ve already found out that Stone Enterprise is behind this.”

When he heard that, Nicholas’ expression darkened. Needless to say, he also knew why Stone Enterprise was targeting Timothy.

He sneered, his voice cold with anger, “Who gave Stone Enterprise the courage?” Kieran was about to continue when his brother’s chilly voice came from the phone again. “Pass down my orders; starting from today, Sawyer Group will terminate all existing partnerships with Stone Enterprise.”

Kieran was rendered speechless. He could only give full marks to his brother’s protectiveness.

However, he felt that it wasn’t a good idea to sever all ties with Stone Enterprise, so he persuaded, “Nicholas, calm down for a second. We have several projects in cooperation with the Stone Enterprise. If we suddenly cut them off, the losses would be too great. Besides, Old Master Stone has a good relationship with our grandfather. If we stop the partnerships, Grandpa’s gonna find out about it, and it’ll be troublesome in the future.”

At those words, Nicholas’ frown deepened. He had always drawn a clear line between his work and private life, and he hated trouble.

Kieran knew his brother well, and seeing that he wasn’t being as persistent as earlier, he continued, “Don’t worry now. I’ve already asked someone to reconcile with them, and I promise that Timothy won’t suffer because of this. In addition, if Stone Enterprise continues to plot against them after this, causing things to escalate, then we’ll figure out how to deal with it. That way, even if the Stone Family complains to Grandpa, we would have an excuse and there would be a lot less trouble.”

Always Been Yours Chapter 438

Nicholas’ Revenge

Only then did the gloominess on Nicholas’ face ease a little; Kieran managed to persuade him.

“Take care of this. I don’t want anything to happen to Timothy’s company,” he ordered. Because if something happened to Timothy, Tessa would definitely be uneasy, and he didn’t want her to worry.

“Don’t worry, I will definitely take care of it properly.” Kieran smiled confidently before he switched the topic to other matters at the company.

That afternoon, Nero received a report from his assistant. “Mr. Stone, Sawyer Group released a message saying that Reinhart Group is under them. Now other companies have recontacted Reinhart Group under the interference of Sawyer Group to prepare for a partnership.”

Hearing this, Nero was furious. He gritted his teeth. “Does Nicholas really want to protect the Reinhart Family to the end?”

The assistant stood respectfully in the center of the office in silence. He knew that the chairman didn’t need him to respond to these words.

…

At the villa in Vienna, Tessa didn’t know what was happening back at home. Hathaway gave her two days off in order for her to have a good rest at home. During the past two days, Nicholas did not go to the branch office, and stayed at home with her and Gregory. During the day, Nicholas would handle the company’s affairs in the study while she would practice the violin with Gregory in the music room. After dinner in the evening, they would go for a walk in a nearby park, holding hands with each other just like a happy family. Their days were ordinary and blissful, and it felt like a dream to Tessa every time she thought about it.

After they made love that night, she couldn’t help but hug Nicholas and sigh. “I’ve been so happy recently that it feels unreal. I’m scared that it’s a dream, and that after I wake up, both you and Greg won’t be here anymore.”

Nicholas raised his eyebrows slightly as he listened to her worries. Suddenly, he turned over and pressed her under his body again, saying condescendingly, “I guess I didn’t use enough force just now if you still have the energy to think about this. In that case, let’s continue.”

As soon as he said that, he descended upon her again. Tessa wasn’t able to stop him in time, and was lost in his intense kisses again as their passion was reignited. By the time they were finished, it was already almost dawn. She was sprawled out on the big bed, so tired that she couldn’t even move a finger.

As the sight entered Nicholas’ view, an evil smirk appeared on his lips, and he said with a smile, “Surely those pointless worries are gone by now?”

“Go to sleep.” Tessa glared at him angrily and bundled herself in the blanket before turning her back to him, pretending to sleep.

She vowed that even if she was imagining things, she would never tell him again. Otherwise, she might drop dead on the bed.

Meanwhile, unlike Tessa’s happy days, Duane had had a terrible two days. The Black Wolves Mercenary Group that he had created was raided in two of their bases, both suffering heavy losses. He was especially shocked and angry after learning from his subordinates that Nicholas was behind this, as he hadn’t expected Nicholas’ revenge to come so quickly.

“Master, what should we do now? I feel like Nicholas wouldn’t give up easily.” The confidant stood in the center of the office and looked at Duane inquisitively.

Duane was also aware that Nicholas would not just forget this matter, or he wouldn’t have destroyed both of his bases in a row, and in such a cruel and decisive method that it was shocking. Thinking of this, he was more frightened than angry, for he had never suffered this much after starting Black Wolves for so long! Nicholas Sawyer, a tough opponent indeed.

“Tell everyone in each base to get their acts together now. No matter which base it is, if anything happens, the other bases must immediately provide support! Also, double the supplies that are being allocated to the bases, and tell them that in any case, they must hold on until reinforcements arrive.”

“Yes, sir!” The confidant left to do as he was told.

After that, Duane was the only one left in the office. He sat in the leather executive chair with a dark expression, confident that Nicholas wouldn’t dare to continue provoking him like this.

Always Been Yours Chapter 439

Finding a Luthier

Early in the next morning, Nicholas went to the study to deal with some important affairs after finishing his meal with Tessa and Gregory, while Tessa took Gregory to the music room to practice the violin.

Later in the evening, Austin walked into the villa coolly in a black outfit. He knocked on the door before entering the study, and said respectfully, “Boss, the Black Wolves Mercenary Group still refuses to say who was behind the previous issue, and they have increased their defenses.”

When Nicholas heard this, his face darkened, and he ordered, “Continue to deal with them until you force the information of their employer out of them.”

“Understood.” Austin nodded. After finishing his report, he left the villa.

The study room regained its quiet again, and Nicholas continued to use the computer to process company documents remotely.

On the other side, Tessa held her violin and demonstrated the technique to Gregory. After playing through a brief melody, she put down the violin and asked while massaging her sore waist, “Do you understand it now?”

“Yes.” Gregory nodded while responding in a cute voice. Then, he blinked and asked in concern, “Miss Tessa, does your waist feel uncomfortable? Do you want me to help you massage it?”

As Tessa met Gregory’s eyes that were as bright as stars, she suddenly felt a little ashamed as she recalled the reason for her sore waist. She coughed lightly and lied, “It doesn’t feel uncomfortable. I was just massaging it casually. Greg, hurry up and practice your violin.”

Seeing that she didn’t seem to be lying, Gregory took his custom-made violin and started practicing.

Next to him, Tessa patted her burning cheeks and inwardly complained about Nicholas. I’m never gonna provoke that man again in the future.

Just as she was listening intently to Gregory’s performance, her phone suddenly rang on the table with a call from Scott. “Miss Reinhart, are you feeling better?”

“I’m all right now. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Brooks.”

When Gregory heard a man’s voice on the phone, he couldn’t help but prick up his ears to eavesdrop. He wanted to help his father keep an eye on her so that she wouldn’t be snatched away by other men.

Meanwhile, Tessa didn’t notice Gregory’s movements, and walked to the window with her phone in her hand.

Scott’s gentle voice came from the phone again. “Have you brought your violin for repairs already?”

“Not yet.”

“If that’s the case, why don’t I go over and pick you up? I can take you to meet a luthier that I know to fix your violin’s strings.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Brooks, but my boyfriend has already found a luthier for me.”

Tessa’s rejection made Scott’s voice sound a little disappointed. “I see. May I know who’s the luthier he found?”

“It’s Mr. Louis.”

Tessa’s truthful answer made Scott a little astonished. “Mr. Louis? That’s a surprise.”

Louis was recognized as the best luthier in the industry. Most people couldn’t make an appointment with him even if they wanted to, but Nicholas did it effortlessly. Suddenly, Scott became even more curious about Nicholas’ identity.

However, he did not question Tessa about it and replied with a smile, “Since Mr. Louis has agreed to help you repair your violin, it’ll definitely be restored exactly to its original state. After all, he’s a very talented luthier.”

Tessa was also clear about Louis’ abilities. She smiled and nodded. “I hope it turns out as you say. Also, thank you for remembering my issues.”

“This is nothing. It’s just the least I can do, so you don’t have to be polite to me.” Scott didn’t like it when Tessa was being too courteous to him.

After that, the two chatted briefly before hanging up.

Just as Tessa turned around with her phone, she unexpectedly saw Gregory eavesdropping on her, and she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the sight. Naturally, she knew what the young boy was thinking about, so she walked over and tapped his brows affectionately, her tone uncontrollably doting as she said, “You and your shenanigans. Alright now, go practice your violin.”

During the afternoon, Nicholas took Tessa to look for Louis.

Always Been Yours Chapter 440

Meeting Louis

Mr. Louis lived in an estate that was an hour’s drive from Vienna. Inside the living room, there were violin-related decorations everywhere and there was even a huge wall cabinet behind the living room that was full with all kinds of precious violins. It was clear that he was a person who madly loved violins.

Tessa heard footsteps just as she was admiring the violins in the wall cabinet. When she looked toward the source of the sound, she saw an elderly man with white hair walking over slowly on crutches.

This person was Louis himself. Although he was almost sixty years old, he was still in good health. As he walked toward Tessa, the first thing he noticed was Nicholas standing beside her with a powerful aura.

Subsequently, Nicholas met eyes with him.

For some reason, Nicholas got on Louis’ nerves. Louis suddenly scoffed and commented unhappily, “Youngsters have no manners.”

Tessa was a little confused, not understanding why this old man would suddenly become unhappy. She looked at Nicholas with unease, afraid that Louis would get angry and refuse to help her repair her violin.

Nicholas wasn’t too bothered about it, though. He knew that although Louis had a weird temperament, the man would definitely keep his promise.

Thinking that, Nicholas held Tessa’s soft hand and comforted gently, “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

She nodded, feeling her anxiousness gradually dissipate.

As Louis watched them displaying their affection in front of him, his face suddenly darkened. “Didn’t you say you wanted to repair your violin? Stop dawdling and show it to me.”

Saying that, he ignored them and walked toward the sofa in the living room with his crutches. When Tessa saw this, she quickly broke free from Nicholas’ hand and trotted to the sofa to open the violin case she had brought.

“Mr. Louis, this is the violin that needs repairing,” she said while holding the violin up to Louis.

The moment he looked at the violin, he recognized the famous Thena, one of the world’s most precious violins. However, when he saw the three broken strings, there was an indescribable sadness on his face.

“Are you really a qualified violinist? How could you let such a good violin break?” He reprimanded Tessa unceremoniously as he held the broken strings of the violin with a sad and distressed expression as if he had lost his beloved lover.

On the other hand, Tessa felt upset by him reprimanding her because she was indeed not a qualified violinist, for she couldn’t even protect her own partner.

Thinking that, she sniffled before begging, “Mr. Louis, I didn’t mean to break it. This was an accident. I know that you’re a very talented luthier, so I’m begging you to please help me fix this. I know that it’s my fault for not protecting it well, but it’s very, very important to me.”

Louis looked at Tessa’s sincere expression that didn’t seem like she was lying, and his expression eased a little. He didn’t say anything else after that but lowered his head and started to inspect the violin, only to find that the strings were maliciously broken on purpose by someone.

“Your strings were cut by a sharp tool,” he remarked as his gaze fell on Tessa again.

Upon hearing his comment, she didn’t try to hide the truth and roughly explained the events that transpired that night. “If I knew someone would try to ruin my violin that day, I wouldn’t have put it backstage and would have brought it with me wherever I went.”

As she spoke, her eyes slowly turned red. This violin was not only Nicholas’ birthday gift to her, but also a proof of their relationship. Hence, it was extremely important to her.

When Louis looked at the tears that were about to flow from Tessa’s eyes, he knew that she really felt sorry for the violin and his dislike for her gradually disappeared. “I can help you fix it, but you have to pay for it yourself.”

Tessa wept with joy and agreed profusely, “As long as it can be repaired, I am willing to pay any sum of money.”

Seeing the smile on her face, Louis said dismissively, “If that’s the case, go back and wait for my news.”

She didn’t object, but before she left, she asked, “So, Mr. Louis, when can I come and retrieve my violin?”