Chapter 161 Having An Affair (Part One)

It was very late at night.

However, sleep was elusive for Essie.

She lay in bed and played mobile games to kill time.

Her phone alert suddenly went off, indicating an incoming email. She clicked on the notification, and a
group of photos greeted her.

At a single glance, she recognized the man and woman who were intimately entwined in the photos.

The email address of the source was unfamiliar, and she didn't care enough to think deeply about the
email's purpose.

It was any one of two reasons: showing off or dealing a blow.

However, if the sender wanted a response from her, then they would be doomed to disappointment.

After all, she knew that relationship very well.

They loved each other but could not be together, so Zac had no choice but to take her as a substitute.

Zac's plan was obvious; he thought that with sweet promises and honeyed words, he would be able to
manipulate her into doing whatever he wanted. She may be stupid, but she was nobody's puppet, nor
would she sacrifice her own marriage and happiness.

Now, she was together again with Hanson, and they couldn't be happier.

Hanson was her happy ending. He would never lie to her, use her, or treat her as a substitute for
another woman. He was the only person in the world who truly loved her; thus, he was the only person
worthy of her love.



While she was lost in thought, her phone screen showed that Hanson was calling. They had separated
only three hours ago, but he already missed her.

"Are you sleeping, Essie?"

"Not yet."

"Do you, perhaps, miss me?"

"No, I just can't fall asleep." She giggled a little and felt herself blush.

"Then let me sing a song to lull you to sleep, okay?" His voice, which was as tender as the night
breeze, made her feel drunk and warm. "Okay."

"What do you want to hear?"

"'You are Young.'"

"Okay." His magnetic voice floated through the earpiece "I often think of the mottled desks of that
year..."

She closed her eyes and emptied her mind. She didn't want to think about people or things that upset
her. Now, she had Hanson, and it felt like the whole world was hers. That headache-inducing person
who never really cared about her should really disappear from her mind.

In the next two weeks, Hanson came to visit her from work late at night, always looking exhausted.

Essie prepared a glass of fresh fruit juice for him and asked carefully, "Is work really hectic these
days?"

He nodded and put his arm around her shoulder. "As long as I see you, I have nothing to worry about."



She smiled, "I like this kind of carefree life, too." Her stay in the Rong Mansion was unpleasant, to say
the least. Every day, she had to deal with the malicious smiles and sinister machinations of Valery, the
woman's mother, and her own mother-in-law. She never spent a relaxed day in that house.

He gently stroked her hair and asked with a thoughtful look on his face, "Essie, if I left Bella one day,
became a nobody, and lost everything, would you still be willing to stay with me?"

Her heart sank suddenly. "Is your father forcing you again to marry Sunny?"

He was silent for a while, and a frown crept onto his face.

This time, he really needed to make the final decision between the company and Essie...

because Bella was in an unprecedented mess.

In the past two years, Bella's turnover numbers were dismal, and the company had been operating at a
loss.

Last week, the investment plan in A City was declared to be a failure because of a sudden blockage in
the capital chain. There were also problems in the orders exported to America, which caused the stock
to plummet continuously.

Several companies took advantage of this situation to try and acquire Bella.

Jobson hoped that the Yang family could help him overcome this crisis, but the Yang family requested
for Hanson to marry Sunny at once before taking any action.

If he turned down the offer, Bella would be acquired by another entity.

However, Hanson did not want Essie to be aware of this situation. He only said in a low voice, "It has
nothing to do with Sunny. I just want to know if you were willing to be with me even if I had nothing."



She lifted her eyes to meet his and looked at him deeply. "I don't care about money, power, or status. I
only care about two things: someone who loves me wholeheartedly and a quiet, peaceful life with him."

"Essie!" He embraced her and murmured fervently against her hair, "You have no idea how relieved I
am to hear you say that."

When he came out of the apartment, his father called him and requested for his presence at home.

When he entered the luxurious mansion of the Xia family, he was surprised at the sight of his mother
Florey. Mrs. Xia never allowed his mother into the house, but the matriarch was surprisingly generous
in that regard today. It looked like she was really upset.

"What's the matter?" Hanson had figured out Jobson's intentions, but he pretended not to know.

"You still have the time to relax outside after what happened to Bella?!" Mrs. Xia remarked bitterly,
rolling her eyes at him.

Although he was the deputy CEO, he was only a figurehead who held no real executive power. A year
ago, he had proposed a reform plan for Bella in an attempt to save the company, which was on the
brink of collapse. However, without the trust of his father, Jobson, and with the Xia matriarch
determined to fight him, his plan was summarily rejected by the board.

"Bella is yours. What does it have to do with me?" Hanson had always been the outsider in this family.
Jobson had never raised him, and there was little love lost between father and son. Of course, there
was Mrs. Xia and her daughters, who had always regarded him as a thorn in their side.

Jobson said as his mouth twitched, "Don't you understand the old saying, 'Once the lips are gone, the
teeth will feel cold'? If Bella goes down, you, too, will lose everything."

"I've lived on nothing for twenty years. I don't care anymore," Hanson said flatly with a shrug.



"Hanson," Florey said in a despairing tone, "Bella will eventually be yours, and now it's undergoing a
crisis. How can you just ignore it?"

"One year ago, I desperately wanted to save Bella, but they outright rejected my proposal. Now,
everything's messed up, and I just don't have the energy to help the company get back on its feet,"
Hanson said coldly.

“Hanson,” Florey said in a despairing tone, "Bella will eventually be yours, and now it's undergoing a
crisis. How can you just ignore it?"

"One year ago, | desperately wanted to save Bella, but they outright rejected my proposal. Now,
everything's messed up, and | just don't have the energy to help the company get back on its feet,"

Hanson said coldly.



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