His Unveiled Passion

Torin trailed Naomi, Quentin, and Sienna out of the room. Henry also left with Samantha, leaving Lester in the break room with Tessa and Stephen. His eyes dimmed as he quietly watched the couple on the couch stick close to one another. He left soon after.

...

The birthday party officially began once night fell. Everyone was gathered in the bar on the first floor. Colorful lights flashed overhead while music boomed from the speakers.

The DJ was parked on the stage, swaying his body to the rhythm of the music while the guests below the stage sang and danced, adding to the electric atmosphere.

Once everyone was pumped up, the music quieted down. Marissa strolled onto the stage and grabbed a microphone.

"I want to thank everyone for coming to my birthday party," she said.

She had changed out of the fishtail dress she was wearing during the day in favor of a little black dress with straps that fit the style of the bar better. Her hair had been set in dramatic waves, and her makeup was smoky. Her entire appearance exuded sexiness.

A spotlight shone on Marissa as she stood at the very center of the stage. After she had finished the first part of her speech, which livened up the atmosphere even more, she said, "I have someone I want to thank today. Her name is Tessa Yates."

Tessa was standing in the first row of the crowd. She locked eyes with Marissa. Genuine gratitude welled up in Marissa's heart when she looked at Tessa. Her tone dripped with sincerity when she said, "If it wasn't for her, all of you might never have gotten the chance to see me again. Tessa is my savior, and I will forever be grateful to her."

A melancholic and lonely expression crossed her face as she lowered her eyes. "I also have an important announcement to make," she said. "Stephen and I are just friends. He's dating Tessa now, so I hope that no one tries to matchmake the two of us again in the future."noveldrama

She sounded utterly serious when she made her announcement.

"I admit that I was madly in love with Mr. Jacobson once upon a time. But that's all part of the fleeting past that's fading away. I've let go of my feelings, so I hope that everyone can forget about them too.

"I don't want anyone to help me, claiming they're doing it for my sake. I don't want anyone to put me in a tight spot with their actions. I also hope that no one tries to come between Mr. Jacobson and Ms. Yates' relationship."

The guests below the stage began to whisper among themselves, engaging in heated discussions.

"Oh, what the fuck? Is she being serious? I've never heard about Marissa being in love with Stephen."

"It's likely that only those closest to her knew. I've known her for three years, but this is my first time hearing about it."

"This is crazy. I can't believe she had the guts to declare that she's no longer in love with Stephen in front of so many people. I wonder if something happened."

"I heard that she got into an

argument with Summer during the day. It was a pretty bad one, too. They might have even severed their friendship completely."

"Is that so? Hasn't she been best friends with Summer for a long time? Why would

they break off their friendship like that? Could Stephen be the cause?"

"Maybe."

"Speaking of Stephen, did he get back together with Tessa? When did that happen? I still remember how the Yates family announced that they broke off their engagement with the Jacobson family only a few months ago."

"I remember that, too. Actually, weren't there rumors about Stephen dating a female celebrity at the time?"

"Yeah, I remember those rumors. The celebrity was Nancy Llyod. It was rumored that she was about to marry into wealth."

"Maybe it was just a publicity stunt. The Jacobsons would never accept a celebrity into their prestigious family."

"Nancy Llyod? Could it be the same Nancy that I know?"

"You know Nancy Lloyd?"

"You're talking about Nancy Llyod from Sunlight Entertainment, right? The top celebrity?"

"That's right. Do you know her?"

"Yeah, I do Nancy Lloyd is just her

stage name. Her real name is

actually Angelica Lloyd, and she's

the heiress of the Lloyd family in Torford. She's also Stephen's distant cousin.

"Their scandal must have come about from a misunderstanding. I remember

seeing her when I visited the Jacobsons in the past."

"What? Is that true?"

"I swear I'm telling nothing but the truth."

Naomi was stunned by Marissa's announcements. She gave her a thumbs-up and exclaimed, "Marissa is a lot braver than I thought. I'm impressed!"

"I had my suspicions about her regarding the incident with Bruno," Sienna said. "But it seems that I've misjudged her."