His Unveiled Passion novel Chapter 402

Stephen brought over another three cardboard boxes and set them down on the table in front of Tessa. She stared at them in shock before saying, "There's still so many? I thought there were only two cases? Why are there five boxes of documents?"

Stephen's lips curled up slightly, mirth flickering in his eyes. He said softly, "These three boxes aren't documents related to the cases. Open them and take a look for yourself."

Tessa shot him a suspicious look before she leaned toward the boxes to open them. They appeared to have been delivered to Stephen's office recently since they were still sealed with tape and had delivery stickers pasted all over the surface.

Stephen offered a small blade to Tessa.

"What are in these packages?" she asked curiously.

"You'll see once you open them."

Tessa opened one of the packages and saw a box that appeared to be made of a high-quality material. The logo of a luxury brand was printed on the box, and she could immediately guess what was inside. Sure enough, when she opened the box, a white handbag was nestled inside.

"What's the meaning of this?" Tessa asked, turning to look at Stephen.

"A present for you," he answered with a smile. "It's Valentine's Day today—every couple's favorite holiday. Whatever other couples have, I'll make sure that you have too, Tess."

Tessa was stunned speechless for a moment. "We're not a couple," she said after regaining her senses. "You don't need to give me any presents."

Stephen stuffed his hands into his pockets as he moved to stand before her, a smile playing on his lips. "Presents are a must when courting someone. I'm not one to hope for results without putting in any effort."

She was quiet for a long while before she sighed softly. She looked into his eyes with a serious expression. "Stephen, we can never go back to how things were in the past. Too many things have happened, and the distance between us has grown too wide for us to overcome. We can't go back."

The windows had been left open, allowing a breeze to enter and billow past the orchids that had been placed near the window. The faint floral fragrance intermingled with the damp humidity of the evening, slowly permeating the air in the room.

The incandescent lights that hung overhead shone down on them like the daytime sun.

Stephen stood before Tessa, casting a dark shadow over her. His eyes were lowered as he stared unwaveringly at her. His voice was low and slightly hoarse when he murmured, "I'm still standing in the same place. I'm still waiting for you to turn around to look at me again."

Tessa kept her eyes on the ground, too afraid to look at him. She kept her head lowered and stayed mute.

"Excuse me, I need to take this."

Tessa pushed Stephen aside and grabbed her phone. Samuel was the one calling. She gestured for Stephen to be quiet.

Meanwhile, an indescribable emotion swirled in Stephen's dark eyes after he was pushed away by Tessa. He straightened to his full height and looked at Tessa, who was still seated on the couch, her phone clutched in her hand. He couldn't help but feel like they were sneaking around like a pair of illicit lovers.

Tessa picked up the call. Terrified that Stephen would suddenly speak up, she shot him a warning look.

Stephen responded by smiling lightly, watching her with amusement in his eyes.

Samuel's voice echoed from the phone. "Tessa, weren't you supposed to land at the airport at 6:30 pm? Why aren't you home yet? Chester told me that you didn't get into his car and went off with a friend because you had some business to attend to. Are you still coming back for dinner tonight?"

"A friend of mine asked me to handle two cases for him," Tessa replied. "I went with him to discuss the case files. We're just wrapping up, so I'll be back for dinner."