His Unveiled Passion

Tessa only saw the text Lester had sent her over WhatsApp 30 minutes ago when she returned to her room.

He had texted her, asking, "Are you home, Ms. Yates?"

Tessa replied, "Yes, I'm home. Do you have something to discuss?"

Lester said, "Are you up for a call?"

Tessa typed out a quick response. "Sure."

Lester called her the very next second.

"What's the matter, Mr. Cooper?" Tessa asked.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Yates. I didn't know that my aunt would invite so many people over

for dinner. She said she wanted to treat you to dinner for finding Cassie at the park. That's why she invited me as well. She didn't breathe a word about inviting my grandparents as well. I'm so sorry." He sounded apologetic.

Tessa huffed in amusement. "And here I thought it was something serious. It's fine. Don't worry about it. I don't have social anxiety."

Lester still felt somewhat embarrassed. "I'm just worried that you'd be scared. After all, my aunt could be a bit overbearing sometimes. My parents have been living abroad these few years, so my aunt and the others have been overly worried about my lack of interest in romance.

"She's been setting me up on so many blind dates that I can barely breathe. She probably misunderstood our relationship ever since she saw you with me. I've talked to her about it, but it doesn't seem like she will ever listen to me."

Tessa blinked at his verbal vomit. That said, she had no idea that Lyanna was harboring such thoughts.

She took a while to parse through Lester's wall of words before saying hesitantly, "Are you saying that your aunt wants to matchmake us?"

The other line fell tellingly silent. All she could hear was the sound of his breathing.

After a few seconds, Lester hummed in agreement. Yet, there was an indescribable tone to his answer.

Tessa found it utterly ridiculous.

Still, she said in bewildered amusement, "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint your aunt. I have no interest in pursuing any romance for the time being. Everbright Law Group is just up and running, there is so much work for us to do. Frankly, my focus right now is on my career."

Lester's eyes flickered with disappointment when he heard her answer, and he let out a silent sigh.

Honestly, he had said all those things just to get a feel on Tessa's thoughts about him as a potential romantic partner.

Although he had expected this answer from her, he still couldn't help but feel disappointed over it.

Now that they had spent some time together, he was finally able to clarify something.

Tessa had completely forgotten about him.

After she rejected him back at university, he didn't bother interacting with any girls his age for a long time.

Years passed, and a classmate who had been pursuing him confessed to him during their graduation dinner. She was clearly drunk, considering how she sobbed through the entire thing.

She had started pursuing him during their freshman year and had kept at it for

four whole years.

As he watched her cry

uncontrollably till her eyes were

swollen red, he figured this was

probably his chance to move on

from his love for Tessa. So, he

agreed to give dating that girl a go.

If falling in love with someone for the first time meant having a first love, then Tessa would undoubtedly be his.

Yet, if one were to claim that the first romantic relationship with another would mark that person their first love, then that sobbing girl would be his first love instead.

Lester had tried his hardest to fall for her. Alas, he eventually realized that he couldn't do it after dating her for three months.

When he ended things, he offered her a great deal of compensation. However, his ex-girlfriend didn't accept a single one of them.

"Lester, you're heartless." Those were his ex-girlfriend's parting words to him and the last words she ever spoke to him.

He had fallen silent then, unable to say anything in response, and she left without another word.noveldrama

She didn't accept the 200 thousand breakup compensation money, nor did she take the branded purses he had bought for her.

"Ms. Cooper, we're colleagues and friends." Tessa paused momentarily before continuing, "However, we'll never be lovers."

"Do I not have a single chance?" Lester murmured, forcing those words out of his throat with great difficulty.

Tessa couldn't help but wonder whether she was experiencing an auditory hallucination. How could someone like Lester say stuff like this?

She had never once felt as though Lester harbored any romantic feelings for her when she spent time with him.

Perhaps he was acting out of sorts because of all the blind dates and wanted to settle down with tos

someone. He probably decided to et

pose that question to her because

she happened to be talking to him when he was complaining about his situation.