Ch. 941..950

Chapter 941 Wanda’s Agenda

How is it that we’re talking about my marriage now?! At that, Kieran hurriedly turned his grandfather down. “Grandpa, I think it’s still a few years too early for me. We can talk about this much later.”

Seeing how resistant the young man was about this topic, Remus didn’t press on but reprimanded gravely, “I can allow you to marry a few years later, but your wife has to be of our social status!”

Keiran suddenly thought his future was bleak after hearing his grandfather’s words. It seemed that Nicholas and Tessa’s marriage gave Remus a pretty deadly blow.

“Grandpa, you can’t force love, can you? Let’s not set our standards so high.” He couldn’t help speaking up for himself.

“That’s my standard; no negotiations. I may not be able to do anything about your brother, but I can still deal with you if you dare to be as wilful as him!” threatened Remus with a snort.

Keiran swore his future was seriously bleak.

To make things worse, Stefania nodded in agreement. “Your grandfather’s right. I will find you a proper match. I can’t have you ending up like your brother.”

Kieran felt super miserable when he saw how serious his mother was being. Still, he dared not say another word and didn’t want to stay around a second longer, even more so after dinner as he scurried away with a random excuse.

On the other side of the town, Wanda had been waiting for Nicholas’ return as she knew his birthday was just around the corner.

However, news of his return never came even after days of having people keeping an eye on it.

“Are there any movements from the Sawyers? Did they hand out invitations or prepare for a banquet?” she asked her assistant with furrowed brows.

“Nothing of the sort at all,” answered the assistant honestly while he shook his head.

“That can’t be right!” The unusualness baffled Wanda. Is Nicholas not planning on celebrating his birthday in Xerthania?

At that, her heart sank, and she planned to take a trip to Sawyer Residence sometime soon to ask Remus what was up.

…

The following evening, Wanda came to the Sawyer Residence bearing gifts.

Naturally, Remus was happy to see her. “What brings you here today, dear?”

“Well, I realized it’s been a while since I last visited you, and I happened to be free this evening. So here I am,” Wanda answered sweetly, leading Remus to nod and praise, “That’s sweet of you. How’s the company coming along? Are you facing any difficulties?”

“There were a few minor issues, but I’ve asked Kieran about them, and they have all been settled.”

Wanda had deliberately said so, for she wanted to use Kieran as a channel to divert the topic to Nicholas.

Thus, after praising Kieran, she immediately inquired, “Kieran told me Nicholas’ birthday is coming up, but I noticed that he still hasn’t returned after all these days. Is he not intending to come back and celebrate his birthday?”

A shrewd one, how could Remus not get Wanda’s agenda at this point? Mixed feelings crept up on him, for he was surprised that this young woman still hadn’t given up on wanting to marry Nicholas even after knowing of Tessa’s existence.

“He plans on celebrating it with that woman in Vienna.”

After saying so, his eyes twinkled.

Though things had set in stone and he couldn’t do anything about it, he wouldn’t stop the woman from trying to woo Nicholas either if she wouldn’t give up. After all, he still hoped that Nicholas’ wife was of their social status.

Wanda might not know what Remus was thinking, but she could tell the displeasure he had for Tessa, and she rejoiced.

“How insensitive of Miss Reinhart. First, she took Gregory to Vienna with her, and now even Nicholas is staying there with her. How can she not consider her elders’ feelings?!”

While speaking, she scrutinized Remus’ expressions. Though the elder said nothing, his frown and the displeasure beneath his eyes said it all.

Feeling motivated, she continued gibbing Tessa, “Sure, I get that Miss Reinhart and Nicholas are in love. However, she shouldn’t have Nicholas stay abroad forever. Nicholas, too—he sure has spoiled Miss Reinhart rotten. He was never like this.”

It was evident that she was implying Tessa was a bad influence on Nicholas.

Having been influenced by Wanda’s words, Remus’ displeasure toward Tessa deepened just like that.

Chapter 942 An Excuse to See Nicholas

However, Nicholas loved Tessa, so there was nothing Remus could do either. “So be it.” He snorted. “Whatever he does is his problem.”

Meanwhile, Wanda rejoiced at the sight of Remus blowing a fuse. Only would she have a chance at having Nicholas to herself when the elder was super displeased at Tessa.

At that, she feigned virtue and soothed, “No need to get upset, Old Master Sawyer. Just because Nicholas isn’t coming back, it doesn’t mean you guys can’t go to him.”

“Forget about that. That boy will probably only grumble about us disturbing him,” Remus complained. Wanda, on the other hand, felt absolutely terrible as Nicholas clearly only wanted to be alone with Tessa.

For a moment, she was uber-jealous of Tessa. She honestly couldn’t figure out what powers that woman had that could have Nicholas so infatuated with her he could forgo his family and company.

You want time to yourselves? Dream on!

While malice brewed within her, she looked absolutely benign on the surface.

“That’s fine,” she soothed and continued, “I happen to have a business meeting in Vienna in a few days. If you have any presents, I can deliver them to Nicholas for you.”

“That would be nice. Thank you.”

Remus didn’t turn her down. As much as he was complaining and despising Nicholas on the surface, he still missed his grandson. At that, he had Ian bring the gift over.

Wanda rejoiced as she took the gift from Ian, for she finally had a valid reason to see Nicholas now!

Of course, Tessa knew none of that.

She was nuzzling in her beloved husband’s arms at night, discussing his birthday plans.

“Won’t your parents be upset that you’re not going back?”

As happy as she was that Nicholas chose to stay and celebrate his birthday with her, she was still worried that the Sawyer elders would be displeased with her because of this.

Nicholas knew her thoughts the second he glanced at her with a lowered head, and he chuckled. “They won’t. Don’t overthink things.”

“How do you plan on celebrating your birthday this year? Would you like a banquet or something?” asked Tessa after a nod.

“There’s no need for something fancy. Just you, me, and Gregory will do. I don’t want you to wear yourself out.” Nicholas expressed his thoughts.

Despite feeling incredibly touched, she still suggested, “But I think we should still invite a few friends over for dinner. Make it a little more lively.”

Nicholas naturally agreed to it. It was his beloved wife’s gesture, after all.

The following few days were uneventful.

Tessa would go to Simon’s to work on her piece every day after training.

Ever since receiving pointers from him, her inspiration had been through the roof, and she practically got her piece down in a mere few days. Now, all there was left was the ending.

But the problem was that she had some doubts about it. Thus, she asked Simon for more advice.

“Everything looks alright as a whole, but I think you can polish the link here.” Simon gave her his advice very quickly, then couldn’t help praising, “This piece is far better than the ones you’ve done in the past. Keep it up. I believe you don’t need me as your teacher anymore soon.”

Tessa was surprised that Simon would have such high praises for this piece, but she still teased mischievously, “No way, I still haven’t learned everything from you.”

“What, are you thinking of latching onto me forever?” Despite glaring at the young woman, he was smiling amiably.

Through their frequent interaction, he had long seen Tessa as one of his own.

Tessa blinked and nodded like he had guessed right. “That’s right. I’m latching onto you forever.”

“Shoo, leave. Go and work on your piece. The mister’s birthday is just around the corner.” Simon waved his hand with feigned despise to shoo Tessa away, but his voice was filled with adoration for the young woman.

Tessa burst into a chuckle but still went to fix her piece.

At the same time, she grew more excited about Nicholas’ birthday.

Surely Nicholas would be surprised when even Simon said her piece was good.

Chapter 943 I Won’t Let You Grow

When Sofia came to the practice room to coach Tessa on her technique, she found the piece the young woman practiced was very unfamiliar to her yet emotion-filled.

Moreover, she could picture the piece fully just from listening to it, and she couldn’t get enough of it. Gradually, she was sucked into the melody.

Tessa, on the other hand, was so focused on practicing that she hadn’t noticed someone at the door until the piece ended.

“How long have you been standing there, Miss Sofia?” she asked with shock.

“I just got here. You were practicing, so I didn’t want to bother you,” said Sofia with a smile as she came back to reality. “By the way, what piece were you playing? How come I’ve never heard of it before?”

“It’s my original piece, but it’s still a work in progress,” Tessa explained and couldn’t help wanting Sofia’s opinion. “What do you think of it?”

“Very nice. The arrangement is pretty ingenious, and the mood is also rich, making people resonate with the piece very easily. Very good. You’ve done so much better than the last time,” Sofia complemented unstintingly.

Tessa’s smile widened upon hearing this, but instead of letting the praises get to her head, she humbly asked Sofia for any advice she could give.

As it was a present for Nicholas, she hoped it would be perfect.

Indeed, Sofia pointed out a few minor issues. “This part here, I think you can slow down half a beat when you enter allegro. Dragging the note a little longer will make it sound more tender. Also, I think you dragged it a little here. There are also some issues with your fingering.”

Tessa took Sofia’s advice so seriously that she even noted it down on pen and paper, causing Sofia to quirk a brow and tease, “Is this piece so important to you?”

“The mister’s birthday is coming up, and I intend to give this to him as a present,” Tessa explained somewhat bashfully.

“Is that so?” said Sofia with revelation. “Make it a good one, then.”

Tessa nodded.

Following that, Sofia gave a few more pointers before leaving.

But lo and behold, Susan, who was passing by, overheard their conversation, and the jealousy in her eyes burned ablaze as she looked at the young woman practicing alone in the practice room.

She was surprised that Tessa had grown to a degree she could only dream of.

No, this woman can’t grow any further!

At that, a diabolical plan came to her.

That evening, Tessa did a quick tidy-up after her practice and left.

The next second, Susan appeared by the practice room door and looked to her left and right after watching Tessa leave the building. Seeing that no one was around, she hurriedly opened the door and snuck into the practice room.

Interestingly enough, this was her first time entering Tessa’s practice room, and she felt absolutely jealous as she looked at the interior.

The musical instruments here were more complete than their orchestra’s, and she could tell from some details that everything in there was specifically made for Tessa.

“Why is that b*tch so damn lucky?!” she cussed through gnashed teeth but hadn’t forgotten her purpose either.

In no time, she found Tessa’s manuscript in the desk drawer, and her jealousy once again burned upon seeing the piece.

As a mature musician, she could tell it was a fine piece, and Tessa would certainly become even more famous if this piece was brought to the public.

“I will absolutely not let you grow further than this, b*tch!”

At that, she took parts of the manuscript and left the practice room.

When she left the building, her heart raced wildly—probably due to the misconduct she had created—and her nerves only eased when she arrived home.

Right after entering her room, she pulled the stolen manuscript out.

Of course, she had deliberately only taken parts of the manuscript as it could only be scandalized easily if it was incomplete.

In reality, she had already devised a follow-up plan.

She intended to give this piece to a musician who was making an album lately. By the time Tessa released her complete piece, she’d surely be accused of plagiarism!

Chapter 944 I Know What I’m Doing

“Surely this will ruin you for good!” Susan growled through gnashed teeth as she clenched the manuscript, her eyes laced with villainy.

I’d like to see how you can continue mentoring a discredited student, Sofia! Susan was confident that her scheme was perfectly devised.

Alas, Tessa was oblivious to all of it, but what she did know was that she was somewhat anxious. Nicholas’ birthday was literally around the corner, but she still had yet to complete her piece.

In fact, to save time and perfect the piece swiftly, she even brought the draft home to work on. Thus, she would compose until late at night these days.

Nicholas didn’t find her behavior suspicious, though, for he knew she had always been very dedicated to music. However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about Tessa’s condition.

On this night, Nicholas went to the study again, seeing that Tessa still hadn’t come to bed when it was already past midnight.

Inside, Tessa was focused on looking through materials as she sat at the desk with her hair hung loosely while her drafts were scattered all over the place—on the table, the floor, everywhere.

Nicholas sighed at the scene and helped her pick up the papers on the floor. “Time for bed. It’s already past midnight.”

“I know,” answered Tessa without looking up. “You go ahead and rest. I’ll go to bed in a bit.”

To that, Nicholas locked his brows into a tight furrow and bent over the next second, forcefully carrying her away from the desk.

Startled, Tessa wrapped her arms around his neck instinctively and exclaimed, “Nicholas, what are you doing?!”

“Taking you to bed.”

At that, he took her out of the study.

Tessa let out a helpless chuckle as she struggled. “Put me down, Nicholas. I’m still researching. I’ll go to bed once I’m done with it.”

“You keep saying that whenever I come to collect you, then you always end up working until late at night. You even fell asleep at the desk in the last two days!” Nicholas had no intention of letting her go back to her work. In fact, he even looked sternly at Tessa.

Seeing how upset he looked, Tessa felt inexplicably self-conscious, and she cooed an apology, “I didn’t mean to. I just lost track of time, and I promise it’ll never happen again. Don’t get mad…”

However, the man only looked silently at her.

With that, she gave him a kiss and promised, “I’ll go to bed at once the next time you come and collect me.”

Alas, how could Nicholas continue to pull a straight face when his beloved wife was acting so servile?

“Honestly, you…”

Helplessness and dote filled his tone, and of course, Tessa could tell. At that, she stuck her tongue out playfully and said, “I know you’re concerned about me and my well-being, but I assure you I know what I’m doing.”

As they spoke, they arrived at the bedroom, and Nicholas put her down gently on the bed before fixing his gaze on her. “Come on, tell me. Why have you suddenly gone all out lately?”

Tessa blinked as she gazed at the handsome man before her eyes and answered with a smile, “I heard from Miss Sofia a while ago that there’s a composing competition, and I thought I should give it a try. Also, I don’t want to lose. Hence, I’ve been like this.”

Of course, it was just bull.

Despite feeling somewhat guilty, she could only do so for the surprise.

Then again, it never occurred to Nicholas that Tessa would lie to him. He didn’t suspect a thing, even admonishing, “I fully support you entering a competition, but you can’t be anxious for success and do what you’ve been doing lately.”

“Got it.” Tessa nodded obediently.

It was only at that that Nicholas went into bed and pulled her into his arms contentedly.

“Alright, go to sleep,” he mumbled deeply as he kissed her forehead.

Tessa smiled sweetly and fell asleep pretty quickly, nuzzled in his arms.

Over the next few days, Tessa no longer stayed up late and instead would go to bed on time.

Naturally, Nicholas was pleased to see that.

Very quickly, the day before Nicholas’ birthday arrived.

Chapter 945 I Won’t Let That Bad Woman Pester Daddy

Since Tessa had to go to the orchestra later, she woke up pretty early. While the family of three shared a pleasant breakfast, Tessa reconfirmed the guest list with Nicholas. “I’ve invited Mona, my mentors, and three of my seniors.”

It wasn’t that Tessa didn’t want to invite her other seniors, but they had all left Vienna for their performances. Nicholas nodded, then said, “I have a few good friends coming over.”

At that, something seemed to have struck him, and he asked, “You didn’t invite that woman, did you?”

Naturally, Tessa knew who he was referring to, and she couldn’t help sighing. “Well, I didn’t want to invite her, but I didn’t expect her to be so shameless.”

“What happened?” He looked at Tessa with a frown.

Tessa recounted what happened a couple of days ago, “She happened to run into me inviting Miss Sofia over. I wanted to ignore her, but once she heard that the invitation was for your birthday dinner, she invited herself. Since Miss Sofia was present, it was hard for me to turn her down.”

“This woman is everywhere,” grumbled Nicholas with contempt. “Well, there’s nothing much we can do. If anything, we’ll just stay away from her tomorrow night,” Tessa advised.

As displeased as Nicholas was, he nodded still. After all, Tessa had already agreed to let Eunice come. Just then, Gregory patted his chest and promised, “Don’t worry, Mommy. I will protect Daddy and make sure that Mean Lady won’t pester him.”

The little guy didn’t know about this originally, but because Eunice kept hitting on Nicholas, word gradually spread among the orchestra, so naturally, Gregory picked up a thing or two.

Tessa burst into a chuckle, amused by the little guy’s grave face. “In that case, you have to keep a close eye on your daddy tomorrow night.”

“I will definitely protect Daddy and make sure that bad woman doesn’t pester him.” Gregory nodded firmly, causing Nicholas to smile as well.

The scene of the family chatting away was absolutely homely.

Sometime after breakfast, Tessa brought Gregory to the orchestra, but lo and behold, Sofia came over shortly after she entered the training room.

“Miss Sofia,” Gregory called out enthusiastically, and Tessa greeted Sofia amiably as well.

However, because Sofia was troubled by something, she sent the little fellow on his way for violin practice after greeting him with a nod.

Tessa noticed something amiss, and she asked, “Is something wrong, Miss Sofia?”

“Come with me,” said Sofia solemnly and walked out of the training room after taking a gander at Tessa.

Uneasiness crept up to Tessa as she followed Sofia, for she had never seen the woman this stern before.

Does it have something to do with me? she couldn’t help getting paranoid.

After the two entered Sofia’s office, Tessa couldn’t help asking, “Miss Sofia, just what exactly is going on?”

“Listen to this piece. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the one you’re composing.” While speaking, Sofia operated her computer, and a familiar tune reverberated across the office.

Tessa was so dumbstruck after hearing the music that she stood frozen on the spot, for many parts of the piece were identical to the piece she was working on.

“What’s going on?!” She looked at Sofia with incredulity.

“This is a new piece Vernon published this morning,” Sofia said gravely.

“Impossible! This piece is my original work. I spent days and nights working on every note!” Tessa turned grim at once. “Miss Sofia, this Vernon guy stole my work! I want to make a police report!”

While speaking, she pulled her phone out to call the police. However, Sofia stopped her. “It’s useless to call the police now. You have no evidence proving that he stole your work, after all.”

Chapter 946 Stolen Work

At that, Tessa growled with gnashed teeth, “But that’s my work!” “Calm down, Tessa,” Sofia comforted her, seeing how upset she got.

“I can’t.” Tessa clenched her fists as anger burned ablaze beneath her eyes. This was her present for Nicholas, something that she poured her blood, sweat, and heart into. But now, it was in someone else’s hands for some reason.

Sofia could relate to Tessa, but she still tried to talk some sense into the young woman. “I know you’re very upset right now, but the guy who stole your piece is no simple man. The usual police route will have nothing on him.”

“Why is that so?” Tessa looked at her mentor with bewilderment. “That’s because this isn’t his first rodeo,” Sofia explained. “However, since no one has evidence to prove him guilty, he remains unscathed until today despite his discredit in the industry.”

“Even so, I have to get my piece back!” Tessa looked at Sofia, determined. Sofia naturally supported her. “Of course, but right now, the most important thing is to figure out how it landed in his hands. It’s only then we’ll find the evidence to prove that he stole your work.”

Tessa thought Sofia was right. But then again…

“I don’t even know that guy. How is it that he can get my piece?”

“Who exactly has knowledge of this piece?” Sofia asked after some thinking. “Just you, me, and Mr. Simon,” Tessa answered honestly.

Sofia shook her head in response. “In that case, someone has clearly learned of the piece without your knowledge.”

At that, she paused for a second, seemingly struck with a thought, and she looked at Tessa. “Where did you keep your manuscript?”

“I’ve left it at home until these past two days, where I kept it in the desk drawer of the practice room because of practice…” While speaking, Tessa figured out where Sofia was going with this, and she turned grim, for it was very likely someone in the orchestra had stolen her manuscript!

Sofia looked at Tessa’s awful countenance, but she honestly didn’t want to think that a misdeed like this would happen in her orchestra.

At that, she said with a solemn gaze, “Go and look for your manuscript first.”

Tessa nodded and headed to the practice room with Sofia following behind.

In no time, Tessa pulled out the manuscript she had put away and turned beyond grim. “Miss Sofia, someone has taken a part of my manuscript.”

Instantly, Sofia turned furiously grim. Looks like we really have a thief here in this orchestra!

“Tessa, come to the security room with me!” She said while storming out of the practice room.

Just as Tessa was about to follow Sofia, Gregory’s concerned voice traveled to her ears. “Mommy, is everything alright? Miss Sofia looks very upset.”

“Everything’s okay. Stay here and practice. I’ll be right back.” With that, Tessa chased after the other woman.

Upon arriving at the security room, Sofia grimly requested a list of people from the guards who had come in and out of Tessa’s practice room in the last few days.

Despite finding it strange, the guards dared not snub Sofia and got investigating at once.

Because there weren’t many who would enter Tessa’s practice room, the list was finalized in less than half an hour.

However, Tessa and Sofia frowned at the list, for those who had entered in the last few days were either the cleaners or Tessa’s seniors. There wasn’t anyone suspicious at all.

Of course, Tessa didn’t think her seniors would do something like that. As for the cleaners, she believed they wouldn’t have the guts to do so.

But if these guys hadn’t stolen her manuscript, how did it go missing then? Surely it can’t have been sorcery!

Likewise, Sofia had the same doubts.

On their walk back, Tessa and Sofia silently pondered the mystery with grim countenances and soon arrived at the door to the practice room.

Chapter 947 Seen Through Her Act

Sofia said with a serious expression, “You should focus on your practice. I’ll look into it as soon as possible and give you an answer!”

Hearing that, Tessa nodded and entered the training room. Yet, after something like this had happened, she couldn’t focus on the training anymore. Thus, she sat on the couch with a lot on her mind.

When Gregory saw that, he quickly went over and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong, Mommy? Who upset you?”

As soon as she met the little guy’s innocent eyes, she forced out a smile. “I’m fine. You should head back to practice.”

She didn’t want to tell the little guy what happened since she was afraid that it would affect his mood as well, so she brushed him off and was lost in her own thoughts again.

However, even until noon, she still couldn’t figure out how she had lost her manuscript.

After having lunch, she was about to go to Sofia’s office to ask her how her investigation was coming along when her phone rang. It was a call from her little brother.

“It’s already so late there. Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” She looked at her little brother with a frown, who was becoming more and more handsome as she watched him through the screen. Her eyes were filled with dissatisfaction. Because of the time difference, it was already midnight in Xerthania.

Timothy knew that his sister was concerned about him. His heart warmed, and he said with a smile, “The company took on a big project previously, so I’ve been busy working on it these days. I won’t work overtime anymore once this project becomes stable.”

“Take good care of yourself. Don’t let me worry,” Tessa reminded him.

Hearing that, Timothy nodded obediently and told her what he had called for. “It’s Nicholas’ birthday tomorrow, and I’ve asked someone to send a present over. It should arrive at your house in the afternoon. Please give it to Nicholas on my behalf tomorrow.”

Although she agreed to it, Tessa felt rather melancholic inside.

Her present had been stolen, and she wasn’t sure whether this matter would be dealt with by tomorrow night. If it wasn’t, what present should she prepare for Nicholas then?

On the other hand, Timothy noticed that something was off when he saw Tessa being quiet in the video call all of a sudden. “Tessa, is something wrong?”

When Tessa met with her little brother’s concerned gaze, she couldn’t hide anything from him. “The birthday present I made for Nicholas was stolen and published. We can’t find the culprit based on the surveillance footage.”

As soon as he heard that, his face darkened at once as anger rose inside him. There are actually people who dare bully Tessa? Do they think I’m dead?

“Tell me every detail about the situation and the results of the surveillance investigation.”

Tessa nodded and told him everything honestly.

After Timothy heard that, he narrowed his eyes and thought about it. Since he dealt with stuff like this, he found the problem in no time.

“Someone might have done something to the surveillance footage. Send me a copy of the footage later, and I’ll deal with it.”

“Okay. I’ll do it now.” Tessa hung up the phone and went to the surveillance room without wasting another minute.

When she got the surveillance footage, she didn’t dare delay either. She sent it to Timothy’s email immediately, hoping that he could find some clues from it.

When she returned home that night, she was feeling very down, but she acted as though nothing had happened in front of Nicholas. Since it was his birthday tomorrow, she didn’t want this matter to affect his mood.

However, she didn’t know that Nicholas had already seen through her act. After some thought, he didn’t expose her on the spot.

After dinner, Tessa went back to the bedroom to shower.

As soon as Nicholas saw her figure disappear from the staircase, he asked Gregory to come to his side and asked, “Did something happen in the orchestra today?”

“Nothing special.” Gregory shook his head and looked at Nicholas in confusion. “What’s wrong, Daddy?”

“Nothing. Go back to your room and do your homework.” Seeing Gregory’s crystal clear eyes, Nicholas thought that he didn’t look like he was hiding anything, so he brushed him off.

Later, when he returned to the bedroom, he saw that his wife had already showered and was so immersed in her own thoughts while sitting on the bed that she didn’t even realize that he had already come in.

He widened his eyes and strode over to her before asking casually, “What’s on your mind? Why are you in such deep thought?”

Chapter 948 Long Time No See

“Nothing much. I’m just thinking about some music matters.” Tessa snapped out of her daze and denied it while shaking her head.

When Nicholas looked at his wife, who was still acting tough, he sighed and embraced her in his arms. “Tell me. What happened? Or do you want me to send Edward over to your orchestra to investigate?”

Since he had put it that way, she knew that she couldn’t hide it anymore. “I lost the present I prepared for you.”

Just like a kid who had done something wrong, she lowered her head and told him everything about her piece being stolen while engulfed in sadness.

When Nicholas heard that, unsurprisingly, his face darkened at once. However, the most important thing to do now was to comfort his wife. “It’s okay. Don’t be upset. I’m happy as long as I know that’s the present you’ve made for me.”

He embraced her and coaxed her gently. “Also, music is something that can express a person’s state of mind. Since this is a piece that you made especially for me, others can’t convey that specific emotion when they play it.”

Hearing that, Tessa felt that what he said actually made sense, so her mood improved considerably. “You’re right. Even if he stole my piece, he won’t be able to express the meaning that I want.”

After saying that, she looked at him with sparkling eyes and said with a smile, “I’ll play this piece for you at the party tomorrow night.”

When he saw that Tessa had returned to her cheerful mood, he nodded with a smile tugged on his lips.

Later, he left the room secretly after he put Tessa to sleep.

The moment he closed the door, his gentle gaze turned dark instantly. He took out his phone and called Edward right away. “Look into a musician called Vernon. Find out where he got his newly published single this morning.”

Despite having doubts, Edward still complied with the command to look into it.

After Nicholas hung up the phone, his expression was still disgruntled.

It was obvious that it was definitely someone close to Tessa who could get their hands on her manuscript and steal it. He would definitely find this person out.

As for the musician named Vernon, he wouldn’t spare him either. He was certainly not a good person since he could take someone else’s hard work without hesitation.

…

The next morning, Tessa brought Gregory to the orchestra while Nicholas went to work at Sawyer Group after breakfast.

In the afternoon, Edward came into Nicholas’ room after a knock and said respectfully, “President Sawyer, Miss Muller is here. She’s downstairs now.”

“Why is she here?” Hearing that, he knitted his brows together, and there was annoyance beneath his eyes.

When Edward saw that, he quickly reported, “She said that Old Master Sawyer asked her to bring something for you.”

Nicholas couldn’t reject it when it came to Remus, so he asked Edward to bring her up.

Before long, Wanda appeared in his office in a clean-cut women’s suit.

When her gaze landed on the man behind the desk, she couldn’t move her gaze away from him anymore.

Under the sunlight, the man was still in his usual black suit. Even when he was just sitting there, there was still a classy aura emitting from him that couldn’t be ignored.

At this moment, Wanda was enthralled by him, and she nearly couldn’t hide the affection for him in her eyes.

Fortunately, she pocketed her gaze in time and greeted him with a faint smile, “Long time no see, Nicholas.”

Nicholas nodded. To create an estrangement, he said formally, “You didn’t need to come here in person, Miss Muller. You could’ve just arranged for someone to send the thing here.”

When Wanda heard that, the smile on her face froze, and the feeling in her heart wasn’t great. It was obvious that he didn’t want to see her.

Since she didn’t want to make him feel as though she’d come here on purpose to look for him, she explained, “Actually, I didn’t come here on purpose. It just so happens that I have a project meeting here.”

As she said that, she took out a gift box from her bag and handed it to Nicholas. “This is the present that Old Master Sawyer wants me to pass to you.”

“Thank you,” Nicholas thanked her while accepting the present. Almost immediately, he put the present aside and didn’t plan on talking to her anymore.

Seeing that, Wanda knew exactly that he was trying to chase her out, but she would be upset if she just left like that after trying so hard to see him.

At that moment, she started to think, trying to find a topic they could talk about so that she could stay a little longer. “Actually, I’ve come here to ask for your help on something as well.”

Chapter 949 A Beautiful Scene

As Wanda said that, she used her sparkling eyes to look at Nicholas. “What is it?” he asked with a frown. “Here’s the thing—the client I’m meeting with today is rather difficult, but I heard that he is somehow connected to your company. Thus, I’m thinking if you can help me as a referral.”

“Name,” Nicholas said curtly. Wanda was very upset when she saw his cold expression, but she still gave him the client’s name nonetheless. “It’s Mr. Coblin.”

When he heard that, his gaze turned speculative at once. “You really know a lot, don’t you, Miss Muller?” He looked at her suspiciously.

Of course, Wanda understood the meaning behind his words, and her face turned slightly awkward.

Just when she was about to say something, the man’s cold voice resonated in her ears. “I’ll let Edward inform Coblin’s side.”

Hearing that, she was a little surprised since she thought that he would say no. Then, she said with a smile, “Thank you, then.”

Later, she left his room sensibly before his patience reached the bottom line.

With that, Nicholas continued working at his desk.

He completed all his work around 5.00PM that day and went home early.

When he reached home, he found that the house was already decorated with simple decorations, and one would feel the celebratory atmosphere just by looking at it.

When Sebastian saw him standing in the living room dazedly, the former went up to him and explained with a smile, “Welcome back, Master Nicholas. These were all decorated by Madam Tessa and Young Master Gregory.”

At this moment, Nicholas couldn’t help but imagine two busy figures in his mind, and his heart melted at that.

“Where are they?”

“They’re in the garden. They said that they wanted to pick some flowers to put in the vase.”

Nicholas went to the garden as soon as Sebastian said that.

Just as he went near them, he heard Gregory’s cheerful voice. “Mommy, look. This flower looks good. Should we pick this one?”

In the garden, Gregory was pointing at a flower he found beautiful to show Tessa, looking as though he was showing her a treasure.

Of course, Tessa agreed to it. She then picked the flower with him.

This scene of a mother and a child chatting and smiling was simply beautiful.

Seeing that, Nicholas felt that his heart was full and that his life was completed at this moment.

Just then, Gregory saw him too. He happily ran over to him in small steps. “Daddy, you’re back.”

Nicholas rubbed Gregory’s black hair affectionately and then looked at his wife, who was walking over to him slowly. He reached out his hand and said gently, “I’ll take the basket.”

Tessa nodded and handed him the flower basket in her hand. “When did you come back?”

“Not long ago.” When Nicholas met his wife’s sparkling eyes, which looked just like a night sky full of stars, his expression turned extremely gentle.

Then, he held her hand naturally before asking, “Should we go back to the living room now?”

After a nod, Tessa followed him to leave the garden.

Before long, a conversation between these two resonated in the air again. “Did you see the decorations in the living room?”

“I did. Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing. Although we’re not having a big celebration, I thought that we should at least do the basics since there will be guests coming tonight as well.”

“Daddy, I helped Mommy too.” Gregory’s clear voice sounded as well.

Looking at this little guy’s proud look, Nicholas couldn’t hold back his smile and praised him, “Such a good boy.”

At this moment, Gregory was overjoyed.

After that, Nicholas didn’t bother him anymore. He lowered his head and looked at his wife in his arms before asking, “What did you do at home today?”

“I decorated the living room in the morning and helped the patissier make a cake.” Tessa didn’t plan to hide from him.

When Nicholas heard that, he was very surprised. “You know how to make a cake?”

“Why? Do you not believe me?” She looked at the man beside her while raising her brows.

He nodded. “A little. Why don’t you show me?”

Of course, she wouldn’t refuse it. She brought him to the small living room where the cake was.

As soon as Nicholas went in, he was shocked by the three-layer cake in front of him.

The cake was covered in white and blue cream as the primary colors; anyone who looked at it felt refreshed and at ease.

Chapter 950 Guests Arrival

The sides of the cake were nicely decorated too, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a piece of art. “Did you make this yourself?” Nicholas snapped out of his daze and looked at Tessa in surprise.

Tessa didn’t plan on taking all the credit as well, so she said with modesty, “I just helped to decorate the top.”

Even so, looking at the whole picture, he still felt that Tessa made the whole thing. He held her hands gently and exclaimed, “Is there anything that these hands of yours can’t do?”

That evening, Tessa brought Nicholas and Gregory to the door to welcome the guests. However, when they stood together, it suddenly became a beautiful scene.

Even though it was a private party and they weren’t dressed up, they couldn’t hide their naturally well-built bodies. Despite just wearing their simple homewear, they still looked classy in it.

A while later, Sofia arrived with the other orchestra members. When they saw this family of three standing at the door, all of them felt that it was a feast for their eyes apart from Eunice.

“Tessa, Gregory, President Sawyer,” Sofia greeted them along with the others. Tessa replied to her warmly, “Welcome, Miss Sofia.”

Gregory greeted the guests one by one sweetly, while Nicholas greeted them with a nod and a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

When Eunice saw that Nicholas was less chic and abstinent than usual, but had more sluggish charm to him, her eyes were fixed on the man.

“Looking good tonight, Mr. Sawyer,” she praised him while running her hand through her hair, thinking that she looked enchanting.

Yet, the others knitted their brows together when they saw what she was doing.

Likewise, the smile on Tessa’s face faded, and she didn’t feel good.

As for Nicholas, he ignored the woman completely.

When he saw more guests approaching, he waved his hand to summon a maid and instructed her, “Bring Miss Sofia and the others in. Serve them well.”

As he said that, he turned around and said politely to Sofia and the others, “Dinner is ready inside. All of you should go in and get seated.”

Hearing that, Sofia nodded and brought her apprentices as they followed the maid into the manor.

On their way in, she didn’t forget to look at Eunice and sternly warned her, “Behave yourself tonight.”

When Eunice saw the sternness in Sofia’s eyes, she was a little terrified too. Thus, she suppressed her emboldened mind at once.

On the other hand, Tessa and Nicholas had already forgotten about the little unhappy episode with the arrival of their new guests moments ago.

Meanwhile, Louis brought his few friends and greeted them both.

Tessa knew these friends too, for they were musicians she had met in the bar before.

As they were speaking, Simon arrived as well. He too brought along a few friends who Tessa knew. Not only that, these people knew Louis and his friends as well. Almost immediately, all of them chatted happily together.

Seeing her seniors having a great time talking, she quickly asked a maid to come over and instructed, “Find Sebastian and ask him to quickly decorate the small living room beside the dining room. The guests will go over there later.”

Since she didn’t know that so many people would be here, she was afraid that the seats that she had arranged would not be enough.

It was lucky that Sebastian was really good at his job, and he cleaned up the small living room within minutes.

Then, a maid came out and informed Tessa, saying, “Madam Tessa, Sebastian said that everything is ready. He has asked you to not worry about it.”

Hearing that, Tessa nodded and became more at ease.

Just then, someone arrived again. It was Mona, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Sorry! I had orchestra practice just now, so that’s why I’m a little late.” She ran in small steps to Tessa with an apologetic expression.

However, Tessa didn’t mind it at all. She asked the maid to bring Mona in with a smile.

The last one to arrive was Edward. Although Nicholas came back early, Edward still had a lot of work to deal with as his most trusted assistant.

After Tessa let Edward in, only then did she realize that most of the guests tonight were her friends, and there were many of them, making a supposed simple gathering turn into a small private gathering.

Yet, only Edward came from Nicholas’ side. “I think I’m stealing the show. Sorry, I didn’t know so many people would come.”