Chapter 21
Always Been Yours
âGreg likes you. While you may not be aware of this, Greg is a child who loves to keep to himself so much that heâs been diagnosed with mild autism. He doesnât like to associate with anyone else, but you seem to be his exception, which means youâre special to him. So, if you stay, you could perhaps change Gregâs life for the better.â
Upon hearing that, Tessa was touched, yet surprised at the same time because she didnât expect that something so dramatic would befall an adorable child like Gregory. How could something like this ever happen to this cute little boy? Look at his smile. He is such a lovely child!
Soon, Gregory sensibly approached Tessa and hugged her lap, sincerely begging her not to leave.
âMiss Pretty Lady, please be my music teacher, would you? Youâre so good at playing the violin, and I want to learn from you.â
As soon as Tessa heard the boyâs adorable voice, she naturally cast all her doubts aside. Not knowing well, she couldnât bring herself to turn down Gregoryâs request, so she nodded and replied, âAlright, IâII stay and be your teacher.â
Gregory was delighted, evident in his blushed cheeks and happy look. âThis is awesome! Iâll be able to see you every day then, Miss Pretty Lady.â
Tessa smiled, for her mood lifted when she saw Gregoryâs exhilaration.
In that instant, Nicholas unknowingly curled his lips upward for a split second just before his smile disappeared. He then stood up and said, âWell, now that youâve accepted my offer, I suppose you could start your first lesson today, Miss Reinhart. I still have some business to attend to in the office, so Iâm going to leave Greg in your hands.â
âAlright.â Tessa agreed without much hesitation, thinking she should just obey her employerâs wishes.
Furthermore, she reckoned she had just moved on since she had already forgiven him after he apologized.
On the other hand, Nicholas was about to leave home, but before he did that, he spoke to Andrew and said, âKeep an eye on Tessa for me. If she ever acts strangely, I want you to let me know immediately.â
âSure.â The butler nodded but felt stunned and wondered whether Nicholas still didnât trust Tessa.
When Nicholas returned to his office, he gave Edward an order. âI want to buy the Heavenly Chorus Orchestra over. Get it done as soon as you can now!â
âAlright, President Sawyer.â Edward heard his instruction and went ahead to do as he was told without asking any more questions.
Meanwhile, Tessa proceeded to conduct her first lesson with Gregory not long after Nicholas left his home, Dynasty Garden. Able to play the piano well, Gregory demonstrated a good memory and understanding of music theories, which made Tessa feel grateful because it would make her job a lot easier.
At the same time, the butler, Andrew, secretly observed Tessa but failed to notice anything wrong with her as she taught Gregory with patience and dedication. I donât understand. She is showing traits of a good teacher, so what could go wrong with that?
In the meantime, Nicholas was occupied with several meetings throughout the morning before going through dozens of documents, which barely left him with any free time.
When he finally had his break in the afternoon, Stefania called to remind him of something. âNicholas, you need to pick Roselle up at the airport in another half an hour. I have already given her your number, so sheâll contact you by then.â
After hearing that, Nicholas didnât say anything, only answered briefly, âAlright, I heard you.â Upon hanging up the call, he gave Edward an instruction. âPrep the car. Weâre heading to the airport now.â
Edward nodded in response. Ten minutes later, Nicholas received a phone call from Roselle when he was on his way to the airport. âHello, Nicholas. This is Roselle speaking.â
The lady on the other side of the phone introduced herself with a soothing and gentle voice, but Nicholas somehow felt nothing about it. Instead, he even found it uncomfortable to hear her address him by his first name. Thus, he frowned and asked coldly, âIs this Miss Gingham?â
Roselle paused and continued her speech in a tender manner. âIâm so sorry for the sudden call if I did interrupt you, but I wanted to let you know that my mom and I just arrived after our flight touched down not long ago. I heard from Stefania that youâd be picking us up, so I was hoping you could bring Greg along⦠Because I havenât seen him in a while. Besides, I didnât manage to make it back in time during his birthday back then, so I got him a present and would like to give it to him in person. Is that perhaps possible?â Roselle spoke with a gentle voice that no one else could bear to reject in Nicholas place.