Reclaiming Her Heart

Raymond found it amusing and looked at him nonchalantly.

Tessa, worried about a potential conflict between Raymond and Lawrence, held onto Lawrence with a distressed expression. "Lawrence, I'm fine. Actually, I know that Raymond doesn't really like me, maybe because I talk too much." Tessa's self-deprecation made everyone else feel it was really unfair to her.

But due to Raymond's status, no one dared to say anything.

Lawrence slowly approached, almost face-to-face with Raymond, standing just fifty inches apart.

Raymond and Lawrence were about the same height, and as they confronted each other, the air seemed to grow colder.

"Raymond, let's have a proper talk when we get back to the city," Lawrence said.

The matter of the two families' engagement indeed needed a thorough discussion.

Raymond walked past Lawrence directly, heading straight to Selena, clearly unwilling to talk.

Lawrence didn't argue with him; he knew Raymond would eventually come around.

Tessa clung to Lawrence's arm, worry etched on her face. "Lawrence, I'm sorry."

She had always been obedient around Lawrence. Whenever she sensed his anger, she would immediately apologize. This had been their dynamic since childhood, and as a result, Lawrence had always doted on her. "It's okay, Tessa; it's not your fault. Don't worry. Whatever you need, I'll make sure you get it," Lawrence reassured her.

Tessa didn't have a backpack; her bag was with Lawrence.

Her face lit up with a smile as she held onto Lawrence's arm tightly. "Thank you, Lawrence. I understand."

The group continued walking, but after the incident, very few people spoke, casting a gloomy atmosphere over the hike.

Alex stood among the group, feeling a headache. They had gone hiking together before, but this time the mood was the worst it had ever been.

After three hours of walking, Selena, who was ahead, suddenly slipped and tumbled down the slope.

"Selena!" Raymond was startled and quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her back up.

Selena fell to the ground, a sharp pain shooting through her ankle.

Raymond quickly knelt down to check her foot. "Does it hurt?"

Throughout the hike, Selena had been in high spirits, spotting countless plants that reminded her of the mountains in Ridgefield.

Selena had gone to the woods with Barbara before, during the spring-summer transition when mushrooms were sprouting.

Barbara would carry a small basket and take her up the mountain.

Selena's favorite activity was picking mushrooms in the woods. Although she occasionally encountered a centipede and got scared, in hindsight, the joy far outweighed the fear.

The hiking trail was indeed beautiful, so even though her foot hurt, she still smiled at Raymond. "I'm fine. I just got distracted for a moment."

Selena had been reminiscing about her mushroom-picking days and hadn't been watching her step.

Raymond said to the others, "You guys go ahead. I'll stay here with her for a while."

The group didn't like Selena much, so a few women went ahead, feeling that staying with Selena would bring bad luck.

Once those women left, some men had to stay to protect them, so the others left too.

In no time, only a few people Raymond knew were left.

Tessa and Lawrence were still there, along with Alex and Carter.

Tessa's face was full of concern. "Ms. Fair, I have some spray in my bag. Would you like to use it?"

Honestly, if Tessa never spoke to her, Selena could pretend Tessa didn't exist.

But Tessa knew how to be annoying. Last night's scene with Raymond was still fresh in her mind, and Tessa didn't believe Selena wouldn't care at all.

So now, Tessa was eager to show off, making it impossible for Selena to ignore her and adding to her annoyance.

Selena indeed felt a bit uncomfortable.

Raymond had already taken out the spray from his own bag and sprayed it on her ankle a few times.

Selena frowned as she heard Tessa say, "Raymond is really good to you. If he ever treats me this well, I'll be happy. But it's okay, I'm willing to wait."

With those words, Tessa lowered her status even more.

If last night's incident hadn't happened, Lawrence would have thought Tessa was just lovesick and that Raymond didn't care about her. But after witnessing last night's scene, he knew that Raymond, the scumbag, was also leading Tessa on in private. No wonder Tessa fell for him.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

Now, Tessa's willingness to humble herself showed how much she loved Raymond.

Raymond felt a surge of anger. He had woken up at four in the morning, realizing that something was off last night. He had checked around, but this place was far from the city. Even if someone took last night's drink to the city for testing, it would take time.

The test results weren't out yet. If he said that Tessa had spiked his drink with a hallucinogen, she would immediately run to Lawrence, claiming she was being framed.

It was clearly the lowest trick, but without evidence, it was infuriating.