A Beautiful Misunderstanding

They chatted for some time, and then Mandy stood up to head toward the washroom.

Not long after she had left, Hanson came in.

Essie's heart skipped a beat when their eyes met. "Hanson, why are you here?"

"I just came in for a cup of coffee. I didn't expect to see you here. You always say that we're star-crossed lovers, but it looks like we're destined, after all." Hanson gazed at her without blinking, and his eyes were full of longing. That morning, he received a call from Valery, who told him that he could see Essie at two o'clock in the afternoon. He instantly dropped all of his prior commitments and rushed to the cafe. Valery expressly forbade him to mention that it was her who told him Essie's whereabouts, so he invented a reason to rationalize his presence in the establishment.

Upon hearing those words, Essie's heart twitched slightly. The two of them were doomed to part. Besides, Zac would never let her go given his possessive nature. If the two of them ever tried to be together, he would make them suffer all their lives. If they let love gain the upper hand for the time being, the days that followed would be very hard for them and they would probably regret their choice.

"Hanson, let's be friends in the future," she said faintly.

"Essie. I know Zac threatened you to send that message. He forced you to do so. I know you; you' don't have a vanity bone in your body," Hanson said resolutely, grabbing her shoulders to emphasize his words.

"It has nothing to do with him." Essie shook her head and said, "I've changed my mind. No good would come from sacrificing Bella. You would be blamed by everyone. Also, I'm not as free and indifferent as you think. When you asked me to go to Milan, I felt very uneasy and I wanted to say no. I thought about it for a long time, and I've realized that I really enjoy the feeling of being an honorable lady of the Rong family. You know that in the past, I never had money or power. I was set up by Sunny and kicked out of Bella. I couldn't even find a job because of her so that I ended up opening an online shop at home. Now, I don't have to worry about being bullied anymore. Standing on a giant's shoulder, all of the world is beneath me."

muscle on Hanson's face twitched slightly. "Okay, he can give you that. But I can give

you again? You should have known that I'm an impatient person.

and pain colored both Hanson's face and voice. Every word that Essie uttered was like a dagger piercing

her tone. Like him, her heart was bleeding, but she couldn't reveal what she was really feeling. It would only cause him more harm if she failed to quash his hopes. Only by forgetting her and starting over could he

into his arms and attempted to kiss her to change her mind,

his dark eyes glittering with despair and coldness, as if they had lost the sun. "You've really changed!" he said in a pained voice. His handsome face was distorted, and he uttered the heavy

in her eyes. "People change, Hanson. They move on. I don't want to see you again, and I don't want my husband to misunderstand us," she said coldly and turned her back on Hanson. Mandy was taking too long in the women's restroom and had yet to come back. Essie

took two steps forward and, from her

moved to the same side of the

smiled at her, slightly embarrassed at being caught. She was forced by Valery to go shopping. Halfway through the shopping expedition, Valery said that she wanted to get a new customized bracelet and asked

to be discussing a serious matter. Out

and they were unaware of her existence. Everything they said floated unobstructed