Chapter 477

Nicholas frowned-he was displeased to learn about what had happened. Tessa immediately sensed a shift in his mood, and she hastily attempted to calm him down. “You shouldn’t let someone like her ruin your mood. I’m fine.”

He gazed down at the woman in his arms. “There will be no more next time,” he hissed.

“I don’t think there’ll be a next time,” she replied with a small voice. Although Tessa had been trying her best to tolerate Kathleen, she would no longer allow herself to be bullied if Kathleen went overboard.

Later that night, he insisted on carrying Tessa out of the car once they arrived at Dynasty Gardens.

Timothy and Gregory were still awake when they walked into the living room. They hurried over to Tessa when they saw Nicholas carrying him in. “Did something happen to Tessa, Nicholas?” Timothy asked.

“What happened, Aunt Tessa?” Gregory chimed in. Tessa felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in her heart when she heard the concern in both their voices. Then, she ran her fingers through Gregory’s soft, black hair.

“I had a stomachache earlier, but I’m much better now,” she uttered faintly.

Timothy knitted his brows and looked like he was about to continue questioning her, but Nicholas stopped him before he could do so. “It’s getting late. I’ll bring her into her room for her to get some rest.” Then, Nicholas carried Tessa up to her bedroom upon finishing his sentence.

Although Timothy and Gregory were still worried, they couldn’t bear to disturb Tessa when she wasn’t feeling well. Meanwhile, after Tessa and Nicholas got to her room, he lowered her onto the bed before he tended to all her needs.

Initially, Tessa felt somewhat embarrassed to get him to care for her. However, she felt less shy after realizing that they had done everything that they shouldn’t have done prior to this anyway. Then, she finally allowed him to take complete care of her after that, with her heart full of gratitude for the man.

The next day, Tessa woke up a bit later than usual, perhaps because she was ill the next before.

However, her stomach no longer hurt in the morning, and she finally looked like she had some color on her face. Everyone at home felt less worried when they saw that Tessa’s condition had improved.

Nicholas’s initial plan was for Tessa to stay home and rest. However, Tessa realized that the orchestra’s performance was happening soon, so she rejected this idea. He had no choice but to send her over to Silverscape Theater. When she got out of the car, he eyed her worriedly. “Take care of yourself. If you’re not feeling well, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard. Call me if there’s anything ýou need. I’ll come over to pick you up.”

“I got it,” she replied before walking into the theater. When she first entered backstage, Kathleen caught sight of her, and Kathleen immediately started on her odd and long lecture. “You said I was lazy yesterday, yet you’re the one who’s late now! What’s wrong with you?”

Tessa frowned as she tried to explain herself. But before she could say anything, Kathleen bombarded her with a string of words. “You may not have to perform, but the orchestra members have to show up every day. Look at the time! Can’t you manage your time a little better?” Kathleen spoke at the rate of a machine gun’s bullets.

Tessa couldn’t find a comeback-it was true that she was late, after all. The members around her tried to speak up for her, but Kathleen shot them a warning glare the moment they spoke. Hathaway couldn’t bear to look at how pushy and domineering her daughter was, so she went over to stop the conversation. “That’s enough,” she barked.

Kathleen finally kept her mouth shut after that, but a grim look formed on her face. Hathaway didn’t seem to care about this-she simply turned to look at Tessa with concern-filled eyes. “Did something happen to you?” Hathaway was questioning Tessa because Tessa was usually punctual in rehearsals.

Tessa apologized before explaining herself. “I drank some alcohol last night, and my stomach was acting up after that. So I went to the hospital at night, and I got up a little later this morning.”

Hathaway’s expression softened upon hearing Tessa’s explanation. “You should get more rest if you’re not feeling well.”

“I’m fine. Thank you, Miss Hathaway.” Tessa nodded. Hathaway smiled at her before turning back to Kathleen, and her expression changed in a matter of seconds. “Why did you get Tessa to drink last night? You’re the reason her stomach was unwell. She even had to go to the hospital at night.”

Kathleen was furious upon hearing what her mother said. However, she was too afraid to talk back at her mother, so she had no choice but to glare in Tessa’s direction. At that moment, she just felt that hypocrisy filled Tessa’s actions.