His Unveiled Passion

Stephen pulled himself out of his swirling emotions and said seriously, "Tess, there's something else I need to tell you."

Tessa straightened up when she saw the look on his face. "What is it?"

Stephen said, "My dad's illegitimate son is named James Fullerton. Back then, my grandparents refused to let him into the Jacobson family. He had a rough time on his own in Arcton until a powerful gang leader took him in. Over the years, he built a base and gathered his own men. Now, he even has a private armed force."

Tessa immediately said, "That sounds dangerous for you! Stephen, you have to be really careful dealing with him."

Her concern caught Stephen off guard, sending a warmth through his chest.

He pulled her into his arms. "I'll be fine, but I'm worried about you. You mean everything to me, and I'm afraid that he'll come after you just to get to me."

Tessa repeated, "Come after me?"

Stephen said, "Yeah. Taking me down won't be easy, but you're my biggest weakness. If he targets you, I—"

Tessa wrapped her arms tightly around him. "You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself. Plus, you've already assigned two extra bodyguards to me, so I'll be fine.

"Besides, we're in Orkford. James has no real power here, and he can't pull anything off."

Stephen frowned. "Jacqueline is his accomplice in Orkford."

Tessa's head snapped up, and her eyes filled with shock. "What? Jacqueline? But she's your sister! How could she-"

working for James-I'm still looking into it. She has

of which, Jacqueline didn't come to our engagement party, did she? She's your sister, so she should have been there to witness

On the day of their engagement, he really hadn't

notice Jacqueline was missing. Susan had

her one last piece of advice. "Anyway, wherever you go, make sure you

Tessa nodded. "I will."

on the couch, the

stood up. "That must

asked, "When did you order it? The timing is

minutes

said, "You've got

know you better

ordered the signature dishes from

saw the logo on the bag, she gave Stephen a puzzled look. "I thought they

and arranged the dishes neatly. "If you want

at

Then it hit her-the delivery was

prestigious people like Stephen.

smile on her face, she sat at the table and picked up her

was starving. She had overslept and missed breakfast. By the time she woke up,