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."
Hearing that grandiose monologue, a muscle on Hanson's face twitched slightly. "Okay, he can give
you that. But I can give you all that, too! One day!"
Essie sneered and said in a cutting tone, "Do you want me to wait for you again? You should have
known that I'm an impatient person. I don't want to waste my youth waiting for a hopeless future.
"Essie!" A mixture of shock and pain colored both Hanson's face and voice. Every word that Essie
uttered was like a dagger piercing into his heart and cutting him into pieces. "Don't you love me
anymore?" he asked pitifully.
"I much prefer being the hostess of the Rong family," she said clearly and forcefully, trying to appear as
cold and unfeeling as 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 get real happiness.
"I don't believe it! I don't believe what you're saying!" he growled in wounded denial. He desperately
hauled her into his arms and attempted to kiss her to change her mind, but she struggled to free herself
and turned her head to evade his mouth. When that failed, she simply bit his lips.
He grunted and let her go abruptly. His lips were stained with blood. He stared at her, 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 words in a low, trembling
voice.
Essie stared at him with a hard expression 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 decided to just wait for her outside as she couldn't bear staying in the cafe for a second longer.
She had used up almost all of her strength, and she was afraid she would become too soft-hearted and
cave in the face of Hanson's misery.
She took two steps forward and, from her peripheral vision, saw another person behind the screen.
Shocked, she quickly moved to the same side of the screen.
Ivy sheepishly 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 her to wait for her in the Mint Coffee House.
As soon as she entered the cafe, she saw Hanson and Essie in the corner. The two appeared to be
discussing a serious matter. Out of curiosity, she sneaked behind the screen not far away to
eavesdrop.
Their attention was focused solely on each other, like no one else was around, and they were unaware
of her existence. Everything they said floated unobstructed into her ears.
Ivy was embarrassed, but that emotion was quickly overridden by anger, which was directed at Essie.
Never in her wildest dreams did she think that Essie and Hanson used to be a couple, or that the other
woman was mercenary enough to marry Ivy's cousin for her own benefit.
Without a word, Essie turned around and walked out of the cafe. There was no way she could explain
anything to Ivy with Hanson around.
At that moment, Ivy didn't know how to face Hanson. If he knew how she had eavesdropped on his
secret, he would never talk to her anymore.
As soon as Essie had left, she herself sneaked out hastily from the cafe.
Essie stood under a sycamore tree on the sidewalk, numb to the cold wind. It took a long while for her
to be aware of her surroundings and get her bearings back.
It was such a coincidence for her to run into Hanson first and then Ivy.
Was it really a coincidence?
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