Chapter 811
Always Been Yours Chapter 811
A Fortunate Misfortune
Amused, Remus then laughed happily.
On the other hand, Nicholas was still working at the company at this hour.
He had completely forgotten about this until Edward knocked on the door and stated, “President Sawyer, it’s almost 9.00PM now. Miss Muller’s event has already started.”
Frowning, Nicholas recalled there seemed to be such an event…
“Okay.” Even though he said that, he did not show any signs of leaving.
Obviously, he was stalling for time.
Edward, who noticed this, did not say anything further and left the office.
An hour passed by just like that…
After taking care of all his work, Nicholas was just about to leave when his phone rang, showing the caller to be from home.
“What’s wrong?”
“Master Nicholas, Young Master Gregory has fallen sick.”
Andrew’s words darkened Nicholas’ expression.
“Okay. I’m coming back right now.”
Hanging up, he grabbed his keys and left straight away.
Back at the event…
After waiting all night long for Nicholas’ appearance, Wanda’s smile slowly froze up as she realized he might not be coming.
Seeing this, Remus said, “Perhaps something came up at the company. Why don’t you give him a call?”
Naturally, she was happy to oblige. She then took her phone out and called him. It was but a beep when the call immediately connected.
“Are you still busy, Nicholas? The event’s started already. When are you coming over?” Wanda asked expectantly, yet the person who picked up the call was not the man she wished to hear from.
Using a polite tone, Edward replied, “I do apologize, Miss Muller. Our Young Master has a fever, so the president won’t be able to attend your event.” With that, he hung up the phone.
Standing on the spot, Wanda had a sour look on her face.
Of course, she did not believe Edward’s words and thought that Nicholas was merely finding an excuse.
When she headed back to the venue, Remus noticed that she did not seem to look too happy, so he frowned and asked, “Did Nicholas mention when he’ll be coming over?”
“Nicholas said that Gregory has a fever, so he won’t be coming.” Wanda did not even bother to hide her disappointed tone.
Upon hearing this, Remus became unsurprisingly angry.
This was because he had the same thought as Wanda, thinking that Nicholas had come up with a random excuse to not come.
After the event ended later in the evening, Remus entered his car with a solemn expression and ordered, “Dynasty Gardens.”
He kept this look all the way to Nicholas’ villa.
Andrew, who was shocked to see Remus’ arrival, quickly went upstairs to report to Nicholas.
“Master Nicholas, Old Master Sawyer is here.”
Frowning, Nicholas had already guessed his intentions for coming here.
He was greeted by the sight of his angry father after heading downstairs, yet he still asked the obvious question, “Why are you here?”
“You tell me. I specifically wanted you to attend Wanda’s event. Why didn’t you?” Remus lectured Nicholas as soon as he saw him.
With a cold expression, Nicholas explained, “Gregory fell sick. I was taking care of him at home.”
“Don’t you use Gregory as an excuse. You think I don’t know anything about him?” Remus did not believe Nicholas one bit.
As such, Nicholas became cold too as he replied harshly, “Why do you think I need to lie about a matter like this?”
Hearing this, Remus started to doubt himself.
On the other hand, Andrew understood what was happening and quickly spoke up for Nicholas, “Old Master Sawyer, Master Nicholas isn’t lying. Young Master Gregory indeed has a fever. Please don’t blame Master Nicholas for this.”
Stunned, Remus could not hide his concern. “What happened? He was fine all along. Why did he fall sick?”
“The doctors said that he might have caught a cold.”
“Isn’t the heater on? How did Gregory still catch a cold? How have you all been taking care of the child?” Remus scolded them angrily.
Always Been Yours Chapter 812
A Separated Mother and Son
Standing there, Andrew let Remus scold him freely as it was their fault that Gregory got sick.
Following that, Remus went upstairs to take a look at Gregory.
“Great-grandpa, you’re here.” The child smiled widely upon seeing him. Even so, he seemed quite weak.
This sight made Remus’ heart pang. “Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
“I’m just a bit dizzy. Other than that, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”
In Vienna, Tessa just woke up and freshened up.
When she ate her breakfast, she had the habit of contacting Nicholas through a video call, so she came to know about Gregory falling ill as well.
“How’s Gregory? Did he go to the hospital?”
“Since he doesn’t like hospitals, I summoned the family’s doctor to the house. I fed him his medicine when I came back. He still looks quite spritely. He’s sleeping after speaking with grandfather,” Nicholas told Tessa roughly regarding his situation.
Although Tessa became more relieved, she was still worried. “Greg’s always been healthy. Why did this happen all of a sudden?”
Besides, she could not accompany her son when he was sick and that made her feel very guilty.
Seeing Tessa’s pained expression, Nicholas already knew what his wife was thinking.
“You don’t need to worry too much; Gregory’s fine. You should go to the orchestra now. I’ll call you later when he gets better.”
Left with no choice, she could only nod before hanging up and heading to the orchestra.
Even so, Gregory’s condition was still on her mind throughout the whole day. It was almost daybreak when his fever finally went away.
Looking at the time, Nicholas knew that Tessa had returned from practice, so he gave her another call.
“Nicholas, how’s Greg?” As soon as the video call connected, Tessa asked concerningly.
The man comforted her by assuring, “Gregory’s fine now. You can rest assured.”
“That’s good to know.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, Tessa remained guilty inside. “Under normal circumstances, I should be with the both of you right now. Yet, Gregory’s sick and I can’t do anything about it. This is very inappropriate of me.”
“This has nothing to do with you. You don’t have to blame yourself. Besides, if we’re really talking about responsibility, it’s my fault anyway for not taking proper care of Greg.”
Nicholas continued, “What you need to do now is take good care of yourself and the baby inside your belly. Don’t make me and your son worried.”
To that, she nodded.
A while later, Gregory finally woke up. Although he was still feeling somewhat weak, his thoughts were clear. Nicholas then accompanied him for breakfast before bringing him his medicine.
Facing it with disdain, Gregory asked, “Daddy, I’m already fine, so can I not take the medicine?”
“No can do.” Nicholas rejected him outright. Thinking that he might have been too harsh, he gently added, “If you take your medicine, I’ll let you call Mommy.”
After hearing that he could communicate with his mother, Gregory closed his eyes and took the medicine despite hating it. His face full of fear and disdain when doing so amused Nicholas greatly before he permitted him to call Tessa.
“Mommyyyyy!” Gregory held the phone while calling his mother out in a very whiny way.
Tessa, who saw Gregory, immediately asked, “You’re awake, sweetheart. How are you feeling? Is there anywhere that still hurts?”
“I feel just fine. You don’t need to worry at all, Mommy,” stating that obediently, he said smugly, “Mommy, I was very brave earlier. I swallowed all those bitter medicines in one go.”
“Really? You are the best, sweetheart.” She praised her son smilingly while kissing him through the screen.
This made Gregory extremely happy.
Standing beside, Nicholas looked at them dotingly.
It was then Tessa reminded him, “Gregory, you need to take your medicine. That’s the only way you can get well faster. Then, Mommy won’t have to worry about you.”
Always Been Yours Chapter 813
A Horrifying Revelation
“I know. I’ll be sure to stay obedient.”
Nodding, Gregory looked very adorable.
Just as the family of three was chatting along happily, Andrew knocked and came in the room.
“Master Nicholas, Miss Muller is here. She heard that the Young Master was sick and is here to visit him.”
Needless to say, Tessa also heard this. However, she believed in Nicholas, so she did not pry further.
After hearing Andrew’s words, Nicholas frowned as impatience could be seen from his gaze. “Alright.”
Saying that, he then looked at Tessa through the phone and said gently, “That’ll be it for today. Rest up earlier.”
“I know. You take care of yourself and Gregory.” Tessa then hung up.
Keeping his phone away, Nicholas told Gregory to rest before heading to the living room downstairs.
In the living room, Wanda was sitting formally on the couch, covered with the latest winter designer clothing from head to toe.
This look was a stark contrast with the career-driven individual she displayed yesterday at the event, which made her look very feminine. Her eyes then glimmered upon hearing footsteps behind her.
“Hi, Nicholas.” She turned around and smiled at the man walking toward her, for she was unable to hide the admiration for him in her gaze.
Nodding subtly, Nicholas had a very distant aura about him.
The response stiffened her smile.
Fortunately, she managed to put up a facade in time as she kept up her smile and asked, “I heard that Gregory fell sick. Is he ok?”
“You sure know a lot, Miss Muller.”
He glanced coldly at her as he spoke very sarcastically.
Hearing this, Wanda felt her heart skip a beat. However, she maintained her image and explained, “I think you’ve misunderstood me, Nicholas. I didn’t snoop around to know that. I heard it from Old Master Sawyer; that was why I decided to come visit Gregory.”
Peering at her, Nicholas did not believe one word of her statement. It was just that he did not bother to expose her.
Yet, Wanda knew nothing about what he was thinking.
Seeing that he had no intention of adding anything, she asked, “Is Gregory awake? Can I meet him?”
“He’s still asleep, so no.” Nicholas’ cold rejection left her disappointed.
In the end, she had no choice but to leave.
Exiting the main gate, she turned back to look at the villa with a hint of unrest inside.
She kept thinking that Nicholas was overly cold to her. Don’t tell me that he knows something is up?
…
In Vienna, Tessa practiced for a short while after the call before returning to her room to rest.
The next morning, she had a simple breakfast and went to the orchestra.
Arriving there, Tessa greeted everyone as usual.
“Good morning.”
“Morning,” the other members replied half-heartedly with weird looks.
Noticing this, Tessa looked down to check her clothing, thinking that there might be something wrong with her attire.
Yet, she looked everywhere and found nothing wrong with her outfit today.
Just as she was about to ask someone what was going on, Mona ran up to her. “Tessa, you’re finally here. It’s terrible.”
“What happened?” Tessa was befuddled.
Closing in, Mona whispered, “Kathleen is dead!”
“What?!” Horrified, Tessa looked at Mona in disbelief.
“It’s true. Also, Miss Hathaway was sent to the emergency ward today.”
Mona then explained in a hush, “I heard that Kathleen committed the unthinkable inside her jail cell. As for her body, it has been sent back to her homeland.”
After hearing Mona’s words, Tessa felt her heart sink as her face turned pale due to how sudden everything was.
Why would Kathleen… commit suicide?
Tessa pursed her lips and her emotions were in a flurry.
Sensing her mood, Mona tried to persuade her, “Don’t you overthink this. It’s not your fault…”
Always Been Yours Chapter 814
The Real Victim
Speechless, Tessa did not know how to react to all this.
Mona, who could understand what she was going through, changed the subject and said, “Regardless of the reason why Kathleen did what she did, Miss Hathaway is more important for now. Let’s go visit her at the hospital.”
One could only imagine the pain when a mother lost her child.
Nodding, they went to the hospital.
In the hospital, there were tons of people who came to visit Hathaway as they stood outside the ward.
“Is Miss Hathaway fine?” Mona and Tessa arrived and immediately asked Doris how Hathaway was doing.
Yet, before she could reply, the members from Group One insulted Tessa.
“Tessa Reinhart, how dare you show up here!”
“Kathleen was driven to death by you! How sick can you get!”
“You really are a jinx! From the day you appear in the group, we haven’t had a peaceful day go by!”
The vicious comments made Tessa’s face pale.
“It wasn’t me who did that. I didn’t.” She tried to explain, but they did not listen at all.
“If it wasn’t for you latching onto the incident, would Kathleen have committed suicide?”
“It’s just a minor injury. It’s not as if someone died. Did you have to be that ruthless? I bet you must be feeling all high and mighty now that Kathleen is dead and there’s no one else to block your way to the top in the orchestra anymore!”
“Not only did you force her to her death, you even agitated Miss Hathaway! Tessa, what are you planning? Are you trying to drive her head to her grave too?”
“Enough! Shut up, all of you!” Seeing that they were getting out of hand, the assistant scolded them harshly.
Thankfully, she was one logical individual and knew that this incident was not Tessa’s fault.
“When Miss Hathway received the news about Kathleen, she was in a very agitated state before she passed out. She still isn’t awake yet, so you should just… head back first.” She looked at Tessa and told her about what happened.
Yet, Tessa did not want to leave just like that, for she was very worried about her mentor.
“It’s fine. I can wait until she wakes up.”
“You should still head back first. I think that even when Miss Hathaway wakes up, she… might not want to see you,” the assistant tried persuading her.
Unwilling, Tessa shook her head. “It’s okay if I stay out of her ward, but I will wait here until she wakes up. It’s by doing so that I can rest my heart.”
“Miss Blanchett, please let us wait here,” Mona pitched in.
Since they were being so sincere, Doris did not oppose them.
“Okay. You wait here, then. However, if Miss Hathaway doesn’t want to see the both of you, please don’t try to go in so as to avoid agitating her.”
“Understood.” Tessa nodded.
The members of Group One were sour upon seeing this.
“She really is shameless. After forcing someone’s daughter to their death, she’s trying to act like a saint here. Does she think that she can lessen her sins like that?”
“If it were me, I would have left a long time ago.”
“And to think how kindly Miss Hathaway treats her usually. No one thought that she would stab her in the back like this.”
Mona, who heard all this, decided to stand up for her friend. “Have you all had enough? Kathleen’s death isn’t Tessa’s fault at all. It was her that committed a crime in the first place. Tessa only made sure she got the punishment she deserved. I think you all forgot what actually happened back then. Need I remind you what Kathleen did? If not for Tessa’s husband arriving in time, the one who would be dead by now might be Tessa and the baby inside her belly!”
Her words rendered those people incapable of rebutting as everyone fell silent.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the hallway became heavy.
Tessa, on the other hand, was also a mess inside. How should I…
The silent atmosphere was interrupted by a piercing ringtone reverberating in the hallway.
It was from Tessa’s phone, showing that Nicholas was calling her through video.
“What’s wrong?”
Nicholas looked at his wife through the screen and asked concerningly, “Did something happen? You don’t look all that happy.”
Always Been Yours Chapter 815
A Commotion in the Hospital
“I…” Tessa hesitated revealing the truth about Kathleen. “Miss Hathaway is still in a coma now and I’m very worried.”
Did Kathleen commit suicide?
Nicholas was both surprised and amazed.
After regaining his senses, he reassured the gloomy Tessa, “It’s okay. You don’t have to panic or blame yourself. Kathleen’s situation has nothing to do with you. What matters right now is your body.”
“I know, don’t worry. I’ll take care of myself.”
After hanging up the phone, Nicholas was still worried about his wife despite what she had said.
He gave Edward a call and instructed, “Please immediately ask someone to check on Kathleen’s situation in Yvetlava’s prison during this period.”
Although Edward was perplexed, he nodded and followed Nicholas’ instructions.
“Please book a flight to Vienna right away,” Nicholas added.
“Only one? Is Young Master not going?”
“He’s not. Please handle the ticket purchase as soon as possible.”
Nicholas could not wait to be next to Tessa.
In events like this, his wife must have been very helpless and flustered at the time, so he wanted to rush over to accompany her as quickly as possible.
“Yes. I’ll take care of it right now,” Edward responded before hanging up the phone.
Two hours later, Nicholas boarded the plane and flew straight to Vienna.
Meanwhile, Hathaway finally awoke after Tessa and the others waited all morning at the Vienna Hospital.
After hearing the news, everyone wanted to personally visit her, but Blaire stopped them.
“Please allow us to enter to see Miss Hathaway.” The orchestra members were persuading Blaire.
“Could you please let me in to take a look at her condition? If she doesn’t want to see me, I’ll leave immediately,” Tessa echoed.
“I’m sorry, but Miss Hathaway refuses to see anyone.”
Blaire refused their requests and her gaze was drawn to Tessa. “Miss Reinhart, you are the last person Miss Hathaway wants to see, so please return. Remember that you are still pregnant. You should return home and get some rest,” she specified.
Tessa became uneasy after hearing this. Meanwhile, some of them rejoiced while others mocked her.
“Do you still believe you’re Miss Hathaway’s favorite student? You murdered her daughter. How could she possibly want to see you?”
“If I were you, I’d keep a low profile and never appear in front of Miss Hathaway.”
“Yeah. Despite the fact that Kathleen did something wrong, Miss Hathaway still treated you well, right?”
“Katheen’s death isn’t directly related to you, but it’s linked to you indirectly, so stop bringing shame upon yourself.”
As Tessa heard these words, she lowered her head in discomfort.
Mona could not stand the sight of her being chastised, so she began arguing with the others.
The commotion in the corridor was chaotic.
The nurses nearby were about to come over and scold them, but they were stopped.
“Miss Hathaway is hospitalized. Don’t you think you’re going too far by taunting others without caring for her?”
When Scott arrived, he saw the rest of the orchestra members targeting Tessa and his heart swelled with rage.
“Mr. Brooks…”
Tessa and Mona were taken aback by his unexpected appearance.
The others were terrified by the aura emanating from him, so they zipped their mouths.
Scott’s gaze was drawn to Tessa before landing on the orchestra members and he rebuked them angrily, “Since Miss Hathaway does not want to see you, you should return to the orchestra and work hard to ensure that there will be no issues arising there. Allow Miss Hathaway to be treated in peace at the hospital!”
The others looked at each other in dismay and were convinced that Scott was correct. As such, they left one by one.
Soon enough, only Scott, Tessa, and Mona remained in the corridor.
“Thank you for that,” Tessa said to Scott.
Always Been Yours Chapter 816
A Mother’s Sadness
“No worries.” Scott looked at Tessa and inquired, “Why didn’t you retaliate right away? It doesn’t appear to be the way you handle things.”
“I…” She paused, unsure how to respond.
While it was true that her character was not to be bullied by others, she did feel some remorse for Hathaway.
Scott could see her emotions through her eyes and made some educated guesses.
“Don’t overthink things. Kathleen’s death is unrelated to you.”
“Tessa, even Mr. Brooks said so. Please don’t take it so seriously.” Mona agreed with Scott and stated, “Those people are just jealous that Miss Hathaway values you, hence the green eyes. Ignore their snide remarks.”
Tessa pursed her lips and nodded slightly.
Even so, Scott noticed her sadness and could not help but be concerned.
“Mona, please send Miss Reinhart home to rest. I’ll take care of this.” Scott reasoned that she should leave right away.
Tessa, on the other hand, was adamant about staying. Just as she was about to refuse, he urged her again.
“Don’t worry. I’ll enlighten the seniors on your behalf. Have a good rest and as much as you wanna fight this through, you must consider the child in your womb.”
At last, Tessa left the hospital after agreeing with Scott. Nonetheless, she was unable to relax even when she returned home.
“Tessa, I urge you to stop thinking about it. It’s bad for the baby,” Mona advised upon noticing Tessa’s anxiety.
“But, I just can’t stop myself. I’m very worried about Miss Hathaway’s situation.” Tessa mumbled, “If I had known Kathleen would be so extreme, I…”
Mona understood despite the unfinished words. She’s taking the blame upon herself.
“Please don’t think that way. You can’t blame yourself with Kathleen’s death. It’s her who causes the most harm to others. Had she not targeted and harmed you, there wouldn’t be as many consequences, so it’s all her fault,” Mona stated solemnly.
Although saying such things about a deceased person was inappropriate, it was the truth!
Meanwhile, in the hospital room…
Scott had also met Hathaway, but her condition was unwell.
Lying on the hospital bed, she was pale with red and swollen eyes while her entire body was filled with sadness as if she had lost her soul.
He had never seen Hathaway like this before.
He called her several times, but she did not answer.
“What happened to Miss Hathaway?” He gave Blaire a worried expression.
“Miss Hathaway is grieving,” she explained.
Then, she stepped forward and lightly nudged Hathaway. “Miss Hathaway, Mr. Brooks is here to see you.”
Only then did Hathaway’s unfocused eyes begin to open and her gaze was drawn to Scott.
He looked up to meet her worried gaze.
“You must persevere, Miss Hathaway.”
“Thank you for stopping by.” Her lips curled into a slight smile, but her voice was weak and sad.
Scott looked at her and felt uneasy, so he advised, “No one can be resurrected from the dead. I’m sending my condolences to you, but please stay optimistic because the days ahead are still long.”
“But… I won’t have Kathleen in the future,” she wailed from the bottom of her throat. Tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the pillow.
Understanding the anguish of a mother losing her daughter, he sighed and did everything he could to appease her.
Under his comfort, Hathaway gradually calmed down.
After a while, he felt the time was right to bring up Tessa.
“Miss Hathaway, when I arrived, I noticed Miss Reinhart and the other orchestra members were barred from entering your room; they are worried about you. Why did you not let them in?”
She remained deafeningly silent.
Scott, on the other hand, was well aware that she refused to see Tessa.
Always Been Yours Chapter 817
Forgiveness
Nonetheless, Scott inquired, “I’m assuming that you don’t want to see Miss Reinhart. Do you… hold grudges against her?”
Hathaway remained silent. Although she did not respond, her expression said everything. Indeed, she was furious with Tessa.
Why can’t I forgive Tessa again like I have so many times before?
Scott naturally understood, so he sighed and gently persuaded, “Actually, I don’t think Miss Reinhart can be blamed for this. She is also innocent… She and the baby in her womb might have died if it hadn’t been for…” Hathaway lowered her eyes, making it difficult to read her expression.
“Perhaps you think Miss Reinhart has been forgiven so many times and that you couldn’t find it within yourself to do it again. However, you should think from another perspective. As a mother yourself, can you possibly forgive someone who wants to harm your child?” he asked as he pretended not to notice her expression.
No!
PlayvolumeAdHathaway closed her eyes in pain with tears rolling like falling beads from the corners of her eyes. She was aware of the truth, but she could not get past the barrier in her heart. She also knew she was selfish and that preventing Tessa from entering her ward would subject her to everyone’s mockery, but… her daughter had died!
Her heart ached with just the mere thought of it.
“I understand what you’re saying and I know it’s unjust to her, but it breaks me too.” With sadness seeping in her voice and eyes full of guilt, she continued, “It’s my fault for failing to fulfill my role as a mother and educate Kathleen properly. She developed such a radical personality and made a huge mistake.”
Scott frowned, thinking that this was also not Hathaway’s responsibility.
“We’ve all seen how much time and effort you’ve put into Kathleen, so you shouldn’t think that way. What she did shouldn’t be on you. Kathleen also had the ability to think for herself, but she chose the wrong path. I can only say that this was her decision and had nothing to do with you.”
Despite what he said, Hathaway could not listen; instead, she could only weep. With that, the entire room was overcome with sadness.
Blaire, who had been standing nearby, became concerned and rushed forward to persuade Hathaway, “Miss Hathaway, you need to look after your health. The doctor advised you not to get too worked up.”
“Allow Miss Hathaway to cry. It’s better to let it out than to suppress it.”
“Kathleen could have had a good life, but she was too paranoid and always regarded Miss Reinhart as a threat,” Scott said quietly after stopping Blaire and heaving a sigh.
His sigh saddened Hathaway even more and she wept quietly.
No one knew how long she cried, but she was eventually exhausted and fell asleep with her arms around the pillow.
Scott approached her and gently tucked the blanket for her before turning to Blaire. “I appreciate you taking such good care of Miss Hathaway these days. I’ll return when I have the time and you can always call me if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Mr. Brooks.”
Blaire thanked Scott and stood there watching him leave the room.
…
Tessa lay in bed that night, unable to fall asleep.
Kathleen’s accusations ran through her mind every time she closed her eyes.
“Tessa Reinhart, why did you show up? It’s all because of you! You took everything from me! I hate you!”
“Everyone is looking out for you! How are you better than me?!”
“Why don’t you go to hell, Tessa?!”
Tessa was frequently awakened by these hysterical voices in her ears. Her nerves were repeatedly weakened as a result of this.
Mona was concerned and stayed by her side the entire time. She was distressed to see Tessa so worried. This cannot go on any longer.
She eventually took Tessa in her arms and patted her on the back to comfort her. “Stop thinking about it, Tess. Think about the baby in your womb. You must get plenty of rest. Kathleen’s death has nothing to do with you, so stop carrying her weight.”
Always Been Yours Chapter 818
Nicholas’ Comfort
Mona persuaded repeatedly.
Tessa eventually fell asleep in her arms, not realizing it was because of Mona’s calming effect.
It was bright outside at this time. A tall figure then appeared in the villa.
“You have arrived, Master Nicholas.” The butler was taken aback when Nicholas appeared unexpectedly in the living room.
“Where is Miss Tessa?” Nicholas inquired after nodding slightly and removing his jacket.
“She’s still sleeping upstairs.”
PlayvolumeAdAs soon as the voice ceased, the man began walking upstairs.
At this precise moment, Mona walked out of the room quietly. When she turned around, she was surprised to see the handsome man approaching.
“Master Nicholas, you’ve returned.”
He was taken aback when he saw Mona. After nodding, his gaze was drawn to the door behind him and he inquired, “How is Tessa?”
“She had nightmares last night and finally fell asleep.” She felt relieved letting Nicholas know about Tessa’s situation.
Tessa should be fine now that Nicholas is here.
He felt bad for his wife after hearing Mona’s explanation. “I appreciate you staying with Tessa last night,” he told Mona.
“You don’t need to thank me. Tessa is my best friend.” She casually waved her hand.
“You can head home and rest. I’ll take care of her,” he said with a nod.
“Okay. I’ll be back later.” Mona walked away after saying this.
Subsequently, Nicholas immediately requested a driver to send her home before entering the bedroom.
Tessa was sleeping uncomfortably on the bed in the room; her delicate brows on her haggard face furrowed tightly; her thick black eyelashes were wet with tears.
He stood there, his heart slightly pounding. He then sat on the edge of the bed and gently brushed her hair away from her face. Unexpectedly, she was startled awake by his actions.
Tessa looked at Nicholas, who had suddenly appeared before her, and was taken aback. She could not help but dive into his embrace with teary eyes.
“Nicholas…”
He wrapped his arms around Tessa and gently cooed, “It’s okay, I’m here now.”
As she heard his soothing voice, she could not stop sobbing in his arms.
“I didn’t want to put Kathleen under any duress. All I meant was to teach her a lesson, but I didn’t anticipate her to take it so extreme that she had to end her own life.” She raised her head and expressed her sadness.
Nicholas was concerned and heartbroken when he saw his wife crying buckets.
“No, no, no… This has nothing to do with you. Don’t you dare take the blame upon yourself.”
While persuading Tessa, he held her cheeks with both hands and kissed the tears away from her face; his movements were extremely gentle.
At last, her mood improved slightly.
Nicholas exhaled a sigh of relief as he looked at her. He could not help but feel a sting in his heart when he saw Tessa’s haggard and pale face.
Obviously, she was so upset that she could not sleep well for the rest of the night.
At the thought of that, he took her back into his arms and softly comforted her, “Now, focus on me; focus on yourself. Nothing is more important than your well-being right now.”
Tessa nodded upon hearing this.
“I’ll request that the butler bring you some breakfast. You must eat and have a good rest. Don’t worry about the issue with Kathleen and Miss Hathaway. I’ll speak with her later,” Nicholas uttered softly as he looked at her.
“It’s so wonderful to have you here by my side.” She hugged him tightly while apologizing, “I’m sorry that I made you worried.”
Nicholas affectionately tapped the tip of her nose and said, “Why are you apologizing, silly girl? The most important thing you can do right now is to look after your body. Come eat with me if you don’t have much of an appetite. I was in a hurry to get to the airport, so I didn’t have much time to eat or rest on the way here.”
To that, Tessa became upset when she heard this.
Always Been Yours Chapter 819
An Odd Discovery
“I’ll eat with you and then we’ll rest together.” However, Tessa remained a lack of appetite when she was at the dinner table despite her claims.
Nicholas did not persuade her any further after seeing her placing down her cutleries after a few bites.
Following his meal, he directed the butler to have the chef prepare some soup for Tessa to eat when she awoke; she was completely unaware of this.
When she returned to her room, she slept more soundly, possibly because Nicholas was there.
What she was unaware of was that he had requested that the butler light some sleeping incense in the room ahead of time.
With enticing tenderness in his eyes, he looked at Tessa’s sleeping face.
“Have a good sleep.” He lowered his head and planted a kiss on her forehead before hugging her to sleep. Not long after, his phone vibrated on his bedside and woke him up; it was a phone call from Edward.
“I’ve arrived in Vienna, President Sawyer.”
In response, Nicholas hummed and asked him to come to the villa right away before hanging up the phone.
He put away his phone and cast a sidelong glance at Tessa, who was still sleeping on the bed, before gently tucking her in and quietly exiting the room.
About thirty minutes later, Edward arrived at the villa. He went straight to the study room after learning Nicholas’ location from the butler.
“President Sawyer.” He entered the room after knocking.
“How’s Kathleen’s investigation coming along?” Nicholas asked coldly.
“I was going to report this. Kathleen died in an unusual way, as I discovered.” Edward gave Nicholas a solemn look.
“What exactly is going on?” After hearing his words, Nicholas squinted and gave Edward a cold stare.
“I discovered that Rorion paid Kathleen a visit two days before she died. According to the prison guard, Kathleen did not appear to have any violent reactions or negative thoughts at the time, but that night, she suddenly lost her breath.” Edward revealed everything he had discovered.
“Are you certain Kathleen has stopped breathing?” Nicholas enquired aloud.
“I went to look for the prison guard in-charge and he confirmed that she stopped breathing at that time.” Edward nodded and he suddenly had an epiphany, so he solemnly said, “President Sawyer, there is one more thing that I believe is very wrong.”
“What is it?”
“By law, Kathleen should have had an autopsy to determine the cause of death because she died in prison for no apparent reason. The prison guard, on the other hand, stated that Rorion removed Kathleen’s body without waiting for the forensic identification.”
The more he spoke, the more he realized Rorion’s behavior was unusual.
“Please send someone to look into Rorion,” Nicholas asked, his eyes darkening.
“I’ve got it. I’ve dispatched someone to keep an eye on him.”
“Very well. Please get ready and accompany me to the hospital later to visit Hathaway.”
Edward nodded and left.
With that, Nicholas stood up and exited the study room as well.
“Miss Tessa is still asleep; allow no one to bother her. Please contact me as soon as she wakes up,” he said to the butler. He then immediately left the villa for the hospital.
“Oh, no. Why is Mr. Sawyer troubling himself to come all the way and see me?” Hathaway asked in the ward, her eyes complex and slightly mocking.
He frowned slightly, recognizing the resentment in her tone.
It was clear from Hathaway’s haggard expression that she lacked elegance from the past. He was aware that Kathleen’s death had dealt this woman a devastating blow.
He pursed his lips and stated, “I understand your grief as a mother, but I hope you can be more rational.”
Who knew his words would make Hathaway instantly emotional?
“Mr. Sawyer, my only daughter is no longer alive! How do you expect me to be rational about anything?!” She clenched her teeth and glared at Nicholas with her bloodshot, hysterical eyes.
At the sight of that, Blaire became concerned and stepped forward to intervene. “Mr. Sawyer, Miss Hathaway is in a very unstable condition right now, so you should stop irritating her with these words.”
Always Been Yours Chapter 820
It’s Best to Put an End to It
Nicholas paid no heed to it and his gaze landed on Hathaway, who was in a melancholic mood. Although he pitied her for losing her daughter, it did not mean that he would allow her to direct the anger at Tessa. After all, his wife did nothing wrong.
“You know that Kathleen doesn’t have to take it this far. She had the chance to change, but she chose otherwise.”
Clutching tightly onto the blanket, Hathaway was at a loss for words because it was true that her daughter had a few chances to turn a new leaf. However, her daughter was gone now!
Staring at the silent woman, he was aware that she was trying to avoid the situation and hence the frosty tone. “I know you don’t wanna face the reality, but the one who was hurt during the identity exchange was my wife, not me. Even if it was my unborn baby, it is innocent and doesn’t deserve that. He hasn’t seen the world and yet, he lost his rights to speak up for himself.”
Every single word of his was pure torment for her. She was aware that she should not blame Tessa, but she could not help it! Kathleen was her only daughter! Tears began to pour at the thought of that.
Looking at Hathaway, who burst into a silent cry, Nicholas could read her thoughts from her expression, albeit wordless. He sighed before saying in a gentle voice, “Miss Hathaway, you’re Tessa’s teacher and I know that I should treat you with reverence. However, my wife did absolutely nothing wrong in this matter. She’s worried about you and is blaming herself because of this. She didn’t even sleep last night. By the time I rush here today, she still feels awful about herself.”
She pursed her lips and slightly turned her head sideways as though she was refusing to hear such words. Still, it was within his expectations and he was not bothered at all.
“Regardless whether you’re willing to face the reality or not, it’s not Tessa’s fault. You’ve chosen her as your disciple because of her talent, yet your daughter grew jealous and picked on her, including destroying her millions worth violin. Although she was threatened, she tolerated Kathleen’s antics since you’re her teacher. She avoided Kathleen as much as she could and never once had she offended Kathleen before. Do you think it’s right for you to pass the buck to a victim?”
Hathaway’s heart squeezed at the last question as the guilt stirred in her. In addition to Kathleen’s death, it was so suffocating that she could barely breathe. She knew that it was unbecoming of her to blame Tessa, but…
“Since she has forgiven Kathleen so many times, why can’t she let Kathleen go this time for my sake?” She glared at Nicholas resentfully.
Vexed, he was utterly speechless by how she was taking Tessa’s concession for granted.
“If someone’s coming after your daughter’s life, will you be able to forgive that person?”
Of course not, she responded in her head.
As if he had heard her reply, he continued, “See? You can’t even bring yourself to forgive that person, so why are you asking my wife to do that much?”
Hathaway could not retaliate to his remarks. Knowing that the issue would be an untangled knot, Nicholas simply gave up on persuading her as he coldly claimed, “If you need someone to bear the hatred, just come at me. I was the one who stopped Rorion from saving Kathleen. We should pay the price for our wrong deeds, shouldn’t we?”
Having said that, he paused momentarily and added in a solemn voice, “I’m sorry for Kathleen’s death and I hope she’ll rest in peace. However, I think you’re not the teacher for Tessa, so please be aware that the contract you have with her is officially terminated.”
Hathaway’s body shuddered as she looked at him in disbelief. “Is this what she wants?”
“No. It’s my one-sided decision. I haven’t told her about it yet.” He raised his gaze to meet eyes with her. “I’ve been considering it for a while now, but I turned a blind eye because Tessa respects you and you’re an upright person who has never made her suffer. Still, considering what’s happening at the moment, I think it’s best to put an end to it.”