Tessa gave him a sidelong glance. Since she didn't recognize him, Tessa simply snatched the glass back and filled it again with red wine.

Ignored, the man playfully grabbed her hand again and slowly ran his rough fingers over her palm.

Tessa furrowed her brows. Although Tessa drank a lot and was still sober, she was caught off guard as the man suddenly molested her, causing her to spill the wine on her chest. Tonight, she wore a casual white blouse, so when it became wet, it turned see-through and inadvertently revealed her bra.

An obscene smile bloomed on the man's face, and he was about to put his arm around Tessa's waist when a scantily clad woman came over and leaned into his arms. Without saying anything, the woman seductively clung to the man's neck before starting to kiss him. As such, the man seemed to forget Tessa, focusing entirely on this wild woman.

Without breaking their heated kiss, the two left, leaving Tessa in shock at the sudden turn of events. Tessa was not innocent, so she knew what they were about to do. Moreover, she saw nothing wrong with it. They were both consenting adults and willing to engage in lovemaking acts, just like in Mark and Martina's case.

So how could Mark explain this matter to her? Both of them willingly engage in this illicit affair, and Martina even gave birth to Arthur, despite making the child fatherless in the eyes of the public.

Tessa smiled self-deprecatingly. But what about her? Who did Mark take her as? While embracing Martina in his arms and pleasuring her, did he even consider for once their eight-year relationship?

Tessa shook her head to forget the pain. Looking everywhere, she noticed almost everyone was having a wild time while she was here at the counter, looking so sad and miserable.

She stood up and went to the dark corridor. With only dim light illuminating the way, Tessa bumped into a man's muscular chest when she turned the corner.

A bold idea rushed into her mind as she felt his breath and heard his heartbeat. Mark had already had a three-year-old son with Martina while she had been living like an ascetic monk for so many years.

Tessa sneered. 'Why not act recklessly for once, Tessa? Right, what more could you lose?'

So Tessa boldly flung her arms around the man's neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his lips.

Meanwhile, Phil Scott pursed his thin lips and grimaced when he smelled the pungent smell of wine after bumping into a woman. When Phil was about to push her away, this drunk woman started to kiss him on his lips. Caught off guard, Phil stared at the woman's figure, vaguely reflected by the dim light.

"Get your hands off me, woman!" he said, clearly irritated.

His words fell on deaf ears. "Stay with me, handsome," Tessa whispered sultrily, tightening her hold on him and drawing closer.

Slowly, Tessa closed her eyes, feeling his scorching heat against her body. Phil was not surprised. Scenes like this were rather typical in the bar. People who came here either wanted to enjoy the drinks or find someone to spend the night with.

The woman's voice was clear and soft against his ears, enchanting Phil for a second. It was already too late when he snapped out of it and intended to push her away. The next thing Phil knew, the woman pressed herself against him, and the door behind him somehow opened.

Tessa grinned foolishly and closed the door.

The room was dark, which strengthened Tessa's resolve. Spotting a sofa, Tessa forcefully pushed the man in front of her to lie on it. Afterward, she climbed onto him, looking like a vixen. Perhaps because of the effect of alcohol, her body became hot, like a raging fire.

Phil struggled, but the woman above him seemed so strong that he couldn't break himself free for some unknown reason. Ultimately, they carelessly fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Tessa didn't notice it. She suddenly felt empty and hot, so her hands hugged his neck again in desperation, like vines wanting to swallow him.

While Phil gasped for breath, Tessa climbed onto his body and started planting kisses on his face. Her restless hands kept touching his body until they stopped on his belt.

Phil closed his eyes and took a shaky breath to calm himself before pushing her away.

"Damn it!" Phil cursed.

Just his luck. He happened to get caught by such a crazy woman.

Tessa kept reaching for him in the dark, murmuring, "Mark, Mark..."

The expression on Phil's face instantly turned cold. He said, through gritted teeth, "Scram!"

He was a normal man, and although he tried his best to control himself, Phil still clearly felt the change in his body. Nonetheless, he would never have a fling with a woman he had just met.

At this moment, the door was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang, and the lights in the room lit up in an instant before a deep voice exclaimed, "Police! Everybody, don't move!"

Stunned, Tessa and Phil simultaneously turned their heads to the door. After seeing the men in police uniform holding guns and aiming at them, they both knew in their hearts that they were in deep trouble.

Meanwhile, while Sara slept soundly, an unexpected phone call woke her up, and it was by far the most shocking wake-up call she had.

"What?! Alright, I'm coming." Sara bolted up and quickly dressed up.

Coincidentally, Mark was outside her apartment, looking for Tessa.

"Mark!" Sara came at him.

"I'm sorry, but please tell her to come out and see me. I called her, but she wouldn't answer. Please, I needed to talk to her," Mark begged, making Sara all the more confused.

"What are you talking about? Tessa's been detained! How could she come out and see you here?!" Sara yelled at him, confused.

"What?" Mark uttered in shock.

"For the love of! She just went out to get her veil. Why did she end up at the police station?" Sara muttered in distress.

With that, the two rushed towards the police station where Tessa was currently detained.

Sara quickly spotted Tessa talking to a female officer when they walked in. She appeared dazed in her disheveled state.

"What the hell is going on?" Sara asked Tessa after walking toward her friend, her brow wrinkled, "You came to your new house to get your wedding veil, didn't you? Why did you end up here at the station?"

She glanced at Tessa's disheveled state and added, "Mark also couldn't get through to you, so he came to my house to find you. Who would have known..."

After having an eventful night and staying at the police station for some time, Tessa's makeup was a complete mess, her skirt was wrinkled, and her white blouse was soiled with red wine.

Mark scowled when he saw Tessa in this state. He took off his coat and was about to put it on for her when Tessa looked at him viciously and hissed, "Get lost!"

Mark flinched, stung by the hatred that flashed in Tessa's eyes.

Witnessing all this, Sara looked at Tessa in disbelief. She finally realized that something had happened between them, and it wasn't an easy matter. Even though Sara was dying to know what happened, she held it in as Tessa had to complete all the procedures before they released her.

It was an arduous process. By the time the three left the station, it was already daylight.

While leaving, Tessa ran into Phil, surrounded by a group of people wearing coats. Tessa had drunk a lot of wine last night, so now her head was throbbing in pain. Even after being pestered by Sara, Tessa remained quiet. But when she saw Phil again, her face couldn't help but flush in embarrassment.

Last night, Tessa didn't know what came to her and only realized what she was doing after seeing the shocked looks on the police officers' faces who barged into them.

Meanwhile, Phil's deep facial features were cold, and he kept a straight face. However, after noticing Tessa's figure across the corridor, complicated emotions flashed in his eyes; disgust, indifference, and dislike.

Phil stopped walking, and his eyebrows were slightly wrinkled.

Seeing Phil's expression, Tessa's heart seemed to skip a beat, wondering what the man would do to her after what she did last night. Thankfully, Sara pulled her right away and said, "Let's go!"

Having walked past Phil, Tessa inwardly heaved a sigh of relief.

Stepping outside, Mark, who had been silent for a long time, couldn't help but ask, "Tessa, what's going on? Why are you suddenly involved in human trafficking? "

Tessa looked at this cheating bastard and parroted, "Human trafficking?"

"Yes, I became a prostitute overnight," Tessa sneered. "Why? Got a problem with that?"

Mark had an affair with Martina first, so who was he to condemn her even if she somehow became a prostitute?

Mark frowned and quickly responded, "I know you're not like that, but..."

Before Mark could finish his sentence, Tessa screamed in frustration, "You had a son with Martina. Why can't I have a fling with a man?" Her eyes were red and puffy, with dark circles under them.

Hearing Tessa's words, Sara was taken aback. "What? Is Arthur Mark's son? "

"Yes!" Tessa answered vehemently and turned to leave, not wanting to see Mark's face as she kept remembering how he and Martina cheated on her.

But Mark quickly stopped her. Then, he asked, "Where are you going?"

"It's none of your business!" Tessa shoved him away and strode forward.

"None of my business?" Mark incredulously exclaimed as he followed Tessa. "Looking at the time, it's past six o'clock now. The ceremony will start at eight-thirty and then the hotel reception at ten o'clock. "

Tessa's rage grew when she heard Mark say these things, so she grabbed whatever her hands could get, and it was the garbage bags out in the corner. She tossed them at him, screaming, "Fuck you and our wedding!"

Mark showered in different kinds of trash, including some greasy vegetable leaves. After being momentarily stunned, Mark furiously swiped all the filthy and smelly garbage on him and scolded her as though she was a kid throwing a tantrum. "Tessa, what's wrong with you? Have you forgotten? We're getting married today! "

Tessa laughed dryly, her gaze fixed on Mark. "Didn't you say you don't want to get married any time soon?" she smirked, remembering what he said to Martina the night before.

Tessa continued, "Since that's what you wished for, let's break up and call off the wedding!"

"What makes you think I'd agree with that?" Mark furrowed.

"What a joke! What about you? Did you get my permission when you and Martina had an affair behind my back?" Tessa spat back and turned to leave. She felt nothing but deep hatred towards this man she had loved deeply for years.

However, Mark wasn't done with her yet and grabbed her arm fiercely, saying, "Where are you going? You have yet to tell me why you went to the bar and fooled around with a stranger in the middle of the night."

Losing her patience, Tessa shoved him away and roared, "Fuck off!" Before Mark could react, Tessa threw him punches and kicks, and he couldn't do anything but endure Tessa's anger.

Unbeknownst to Tessa, a black car had parked across the street, and the people inside witnessed this scene.

Phil's secretary, Sally Eden, was dressed professionally in her buttoned-up suit, wearing light makeup, and had her long hair coiled up. Her clear and calm voice rang inside the car, "President Scott, the proposal for the new site has been finalized. MD Group's president expressed his interest in investing in one of our projects. He wants to make an appointment with you for a detailed discussion."

Sitting in the back seat, Phil had a mysterious look on his face while watching the scene outside.

Afterward, he averted his eyes from Tessa and answered coldly, "You can schedule that later. Now go back to the company. "With that, he closed his eyes and tried to catch some sleep.

Hearing this, Sally stopped talking and motioned for the driver to start driving.

As soon as Tessa arrived at Sara's apartment, she went straight to the guest room and fell asleep, feeling completely depleted and exhausted. It was nearing dusk when Tessa woke up, disturbed by Sara's consistent shaking.

Tessa then heard Sara whisper urgently, "Tessa, wake up! Mark and his mother are in the living room."

Blinking her eyes, Tessa quickly covered her head with a quilt, grumbling, "Drive him away!"

Sara frowned in irritation. "It's obviously his fault, so why are you the one hiding from him?"

Then, she yanked the quilt away from Tessa and hissed, "Since that bastard came here with his mother, we should demand an explanation from them!"

Sara dragged her to the living room without waiting for Tessa to react. Helpless, Tessa had no choice but to follow Sara.

As soon as he saw Tessa, Mark stood up immediately. However, Karina, his mother, who was seated next to him, didn't get up. The middle-aged woman had her arms crossed and exuded an air of arrogance.

"What are you doing here?" Tessa asked weakly. After all, Tessa once loved this man deeply, so she felt a pang in her heart whenever she saw Mark and remembered his betrayal.

Before Mark could answer, Karina answered haughtily, "Of course, to ask for an explanation from you. Why did you suddenly decide to call off the wedding?"

Tessa was accustomed to Karina's icy attitude towards her. Eight years ago, Karina seemed indifferent and distant when Mark formally introduced her to his parents. However, that all changed when the Crossley family filed for bankruptcy.

At that time, Tessa had to take care of Mark's parents while funding his education abroad, so her relationship with Karina improved. However, after Mark returned to work for TL Group, Karina treated her coldly and even sometimes abused her for no apparent reason.

Sara was an amenable person. However, she didn't like to be coerced. As such, facing Karina's rude demeanor, Sara furiously said, "How dare you come here and question us?! It's Tessa who should ask for an explanation from you!"

Pulling Sara's arm, Tessa shook her head and signaled Sara to stop talking.

Then, Tessa slightly raised her head to meet Karina's eyes and said, "I think I have made it very clear to Mark."

After all, Mark had broken his promise and cheated on her. How could they expect Tessa to marry him as if nothing had happened?

"Why are you making a big deal out of this?" Karina scoffed, "Didn't you flirt with a man in the bar and have sex with him?"

Sara rolled her eyes and said in ridicule, "No wonder Mark is an asshole. It turns out his garbage character runs in the family."

Karina felt extremely insulted when she heard this. She pointed her finger at Sara and exclaimed, "You uneducated wench!"

Karina turned to Tessa in disgust. "What kind of people are you mingling with, Tessa?!"

Unfazed, Sara challenged, "Huh, I'm uneducated? Do you think you educated your son well by teaching him to cheat on his fiancee for years and have a baby with her best friend?"

Mark, who was sitting next to Karina, remained silent. Tessa gave him a disappointed look. Unlike before, he didn't stop his mother from accusing and wronging her.

"Mark," Tessa quietly said, "Tell your mother what happened last night in the new house in Arlington Suburbs."

Mark gazed at Karina but said nothing.

For some reason, Karina became anxious. She quickly said, "We all know what you did in the bar last night. Instead of admitting your mistake, you are accusing Mark instead."

Tessa suppressed her anger and tried so hard not to lash out. "Last night, I caught Mark and Martina in our bed, both naked. Martina also admitted that Arthur is Mark's son," she said, through gritted teeth.

Although Tessa didn't want to recall or talk about it, Karina and Mark forced her to do otherwise.

Hearing this, Karina was not a bit surprised. She even retorted, "Arthur is Mark's son, but our family hasn't acknowledged his existence, nor do we intend to welcome Martina into the family. So, what's the big deal about that?"

Her words undoubtedly shattered Tessa's heart even more. Mark's family was aware of his relationship with Martina and Arthur, but they all lied to her and treated her like a fool.

Tessa dryly chuckled while holding back her tears. Forcing herself to stay calm, Tessa said in frustration, "What's the big deal?! Well, for me, your son having an affair with my best friend and even having a son together was a big deal, so I've broken up with him!"