Tessa smiled. "It's my treat. Come on, there's no need to be so formal with me."
After everything they'd been through with Lucas and Anne, Tessa and Jasmine had grown closer. By now, they were more than just colleagues—they were friends.
Jasmine still looked a little uneasy. "But... I don't know if this is right."
"You're feeling down. As your friend, what's wrong with treating you to a nice meal to cheer you up?"
Jasmine pressed her lips together and was touched by Tessa's kindness. "Then... thank you, Ms. Yates."
"We're off the clock. Don't call me Ms. Yates—it sounds so distant. Just call me Tess or Tessa."
Jasmine smiled. "Alright, Tessa."
Tessa found a table by the window. "The view here's great. You can see the city lights."
Jasmine hummed in acknowledgment and sat across from her, still a little reserved.
"Order whatever you'd like." Tessa handed her the menu.
Jasmine waved her hands quickly. "You go ahead and order, Tessa. I'm fine with anything."
Noticing her shyness, Tessa nodded, took the menu back, and ordered a few signature barbecue dishes along with some vegetables.
The raw meat was soon brought out, and the waitstaff handled all the grilling.
Once the server had finished cooking and placed the meat onto their plates, Tessa politely thanked them before they left.
"Alright, tell me what happened," she prompted.
Now that they were alone and the mood was right, Jasmine opened up. "It's nothing too serious... I just got yelled at by Ms. Jennings today."
"Felicia?"
"Yeah."
Felicia Jennings was Jasmine's supervising lawyer. Though Tessa hadn't interacted with her much, she'd heard colleagues mention that Felicia had a notoriously unpredictable temperament. On good days, she could be gentle and kind, but when her mood soured, she had a habit of taking her frustration out on her assistants.
"Hey now, no more crying." Tessa handed her a few tissues. "Why don't you work as my assistant instead? I'll talk to the supervisor and see if we can make it happen."
Jasmine's head shot up in surprise. "Really? Is that allowed?"
"Of course. You're registered as a trainee with the firm, not specifically under Ms. Jennings. It doesn't matter which supervising lawyer you work with—it's all the same."
Hearing this, Jasmine's smile blossomed. "Thank you so much, Tessa."
"Alright, no more tears. Cheer up, okay?"
"Okay!"
After finishing their meal, Tessa stood up to pay the bill. She had only taken a few steps when a man and woman approached from the opposite direction.
"Tessa?" The man's eyes crinkled slightly with a smile as he called out to her. His eyes gleamed with warmth.
Tessa looked over, and her gaze flickered with confusion. "And you are?"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: His Unveiled Passion
I know this isn’t Stephen’s fault but I still hated how he was so careless around this bitch even after Tessa already told him it’s obvious that this bitch likes him and she looked at Tessa with hostility. If Tessa breaks up with him again, I’ll even support her. Ugh. Good luck on winning Tessa back again, Stephen. Tss. I so hate these updates....
Nooooo! Not again! We don't need a twist like this. Is it too hard for the writer to conclude with..."and they live happily ever after"?...
Finally getting Stephen and Tess back together then to tear them apart with foolishness. This is craziness...
Yuhohoooo!!! Finally!!!...
Aaand~ Tessa and Stephen are finally back together! Yaaaaay!...
Why make an uninteresting, irrelevant twist when readers are waiting for Tess and Stephen to be together?...
Gosh just let Tessa and Stephen get back together already! Ugh...
Oh my god, when is this book finishing... they're not even back together yet and more nonsense side plots.....
Whoa! Hahahahahaha! Go, Sophia! Burn, stupid Rowena! Lol...
Sooo~ Chapters 310-318 were just a repeat of Jacqueline’s punishment, official expulsion from the Jacobson family, and arrest. With few changes since Tessa and Stephen are not together this time. So Tessa didn’t witness how Jacqueline was tortured at Stephen’s base, though at least Tessa was still called over and witnessed how Stephen officially expelled Jacqueline from the Jacobson family and how Stephen’s subordinate made Jacqueline grovel in front of Tessa. Lol. I hope Jacqueline’s really out of the story now....