The guests were whispering among themselves, but Hobbs and Tessa didn’t hear what they said. After going on the stage, Hobbs was the first to speak. “Pardon me for abducting your finale performer away, everyone.
I’ll return her to the stage now,” he said jokingly. He then returned to Tessa’s side and gave her a supportive look. Tessa was relieved to see that everything was back on track. “Thank you,” she mumbled to Hubbs.
“You’re welcome.” Hobbs then smiled and wished her luck before exiting the stage. Tessa was the only one left on stage now. After taking a deep breath, she began her violin performance.
A passionate melody rang out the next second, and everyone stared at her in a daze. Tessa, too, gradually eased into her performance and became completely immersed in it.
Meanwhile, Hobbs went straight to Freya after leaving the stage. “I apologize for taking your gown without your permission. Please don’t hold it against me.”
Freya laughed as she looked at this man who was solemnly apologizing. “Why are you being so polite to me?” She was not only a princess but also Hobbs’ cousin, and she had the closest relationship with Hobbs in the family.
As such, she wasn’t bothered by what he did. However, that didn’t stop her from being curious about Hobbs’ act. This cousin of hers had never been patient with a woman. Hence, his act of assisting a woman today truly perplexed Freya.
While she was thinking, her gaze was drawn to Tessa, who was on stage. Tessa was already in the flow of her performance, exuding confidence and looking absolutely stunning.
The melody she played was beautiful as well. As if sensing something, Freya turned her head to look at Hobbs and teased, “Come clean with me, Are you interested in her?”
After a brief pause, Hobbs denied it. “Why would I be?” On the contrary, his gaze remained fixed on the beautiful woman on stage. He thought Tessa was extremely dazzling at this point, while also exuding a quiet and elegant aura.
Truth was, he wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Many others on the scene felt the same. They were all influenced by Tessa’s unique vibe and felt at peace and relaxed. Elisa, however, was not one of them.
She was standing close behind Hobbs. Thus, she could see every move he made. When she saw the man she had been longing for being drawn to Tessa, jealousy filled her heart and she clenched her fists tightly.
Tessa finished her performance with a bow not long after. The next second, thunderous applause echoed. Tessa felt completely relaxed after seeing that.
Then, she turned around and went backstage. Just as she sat down, Sofia came over. “What happened earlier? Why did you come down from the upper floor with Mr. Hobbs?”
“Something came up and Mr. Hobbs assisted me,” Tessa explained. Then, she told Sofia about her gown. Sweat beaded on Sofia’s forehead when she heard what had happened.
“Luckily, the performance was a success. Otherwise, I can’t even begin to imagine what would have happened,” she said as she lightly patted her chest in relief.
Tessa also wore a thankful expression. “That’s right. Fortunately, Mr. Hobbs was there to help me, or I would have offended a lot of people today.” While they were speaking, they heard a commotion outside.
A row of uniformed guards then entered the room. Looking at both of them, the captain of the guards said, “I’m here to investigate the gown’s incident per Count Hobbs’ instructions.”
Everyone was stunned; even Tessa was unsure how to react. Then, the captain walked toward her. “Miss Reinhart, after checking, the straps on the gown you changed out of earlier were intentionally cut.”
“Intentionally cut?” Tessa was taken aback. The captain nodded. “Someone cut off the straps, leaving only about one-third of it attached,” he explained.
“If you didn’t change out of it earlier, the remaining strands wouldn’t have been able to withstand much weight and would have most likely snapped while you were performing.”
