Way Back Into Love (Essie) novel Chapter 121

Essie followed Jim's gaze, and there she caught the sight of a stunning woman walking inside the hall. The woman had a unique kind of beauty, which reminded Essie of a fairy from the snow mountain. She had skin as fair as snow, and with angelic eyes that were both striking and elegant.

When Essie left Dragon City, Alice was already eleven years old. Despite her face maturing throughout the years, Essie quickly recognized her from the first sight because of her distinctive features.

Alice was different from Essie in both appearance and character. Essie inherited her looks from her mother, while Alice definitely looked more like her father. Alice had been labeled as the most beautiful woman in Dragon City. People were amazed by her charisma and her air of mysteriousness. In fact, most men were completely captivated by her bewitching smile.

Her beauty relied on her estranged nature, which came with a frosty coldness. She looked like she could have come from a beautiful painting; delicate as a rose and beautiful as the rosy clouds. Essie, on the other hand had a beauty that was incredibly immaculate. She had a pure spirit like fresh morning dew and would remind you of an extraordinary flower that would catch your eye in a field. She was completely unpretentious, natural and innocent.

There was an eight year old boy who was following her from behind. He was also an attractive little boy and looked like a little elf following her.

"Who is that boy?" Essie asked curiously.

"That is Alice's youngest brother," replied Jim.

Essie was a little bit surprised to hear this. By the time she left, she remembered that Elizabeth had a daughter, Valery, and a boy named Vinton. She curiously wondered if she had born another child after that.

"Does he share the same mother as Valery?" she asked discreetly.

"No, he comes from a different mother. They come from a complicated family. There is so much drama, it is totally possible to shoot them for a soap opera on TV," Jim said mockingly with a soft sigh.

"Don't you come from a complicated family as well?" she asked. "Our family is far more ordinary in comparison. The rich seem to fight amongst each other and cheat on your own flesh and blood. You guys seem to be constantly surrounded by scandals," Essie said in a joking manner.

A strange smile appeared on Jim's face before he asked, "Then why did you marry Zac, of all people?"

"Because..." Essie quickly stopped her tongue and realized that she had almost spilled the truth about them two getting married because of a drunken night. She rolled her eyes and looked away, quickly trying to figure out another reason before she eventually said, "When I met him, I thought he was a simple, poor man."

Jim laughed as he choked and said, "What a strange reason to get married to someone!" Before he could finish speaking, a chilly and cold aura suddenly emanated from Zac. Jim just pretended to act silly while he lowered his head to have a sip from his drink.

Not far away.

Alice walked around gracefully with beautiful eyes sweeping across the hall when she paused to look at Zac's side. To be exact, it was Essie who had caught her attention. When Elizabeth arrived back home, she hadn't mentioned anything about Zac's marriage to another woman. Alice received the news about Zac's marriage from her youngest brother, Holy Xu. Apparently, Holy was classmates with Zac's cousin, Goel Rong and they were very close friends. When Goel heard of the exciting news, he immediately called Holy to tell him that Zac had dumped Valery triumphantly.

"Sister Alice, let's go and greet them," Holy said as he looked at his sister lovingly.

Alice nodded. She had eyes that were cold as ice and were only filled with warmth the moment she looked at her little brother.

When Essie noticed them walking towards them, her heart began to tremble and nervousness and anxiety appeared all over her face. She cowered unconsciously and hid in Zac's shadow, completely unprepared to meet them.

"Jim, Zac. It's been a while," Alice said while she curled her lips conservatively, and her seemingly innocent smile only diffused a cold chill amongst everyone.

"Long time no see, Alice and Holy." Zac and Jim greeted them simply while handing her a glass of champagne. They asked her to sit down and drink a bit together.

Alice sat down gracefully and helped her brother sit next to her on the sofa, but her eyes were fixated on Essie the whole time. A mysterious glimmer of light suddenly flickered from her cold eyes. "Zac, aren't you going to introduce us to your woman?" she asked with eyes glued to Essie, wearing a questionable expression. It seemed as though there was something in her mind.

"Her name is Essie Yi," answered Zac lightly.

"Oh! I know her," interrupted Holy and continued. "She is a designer on the reality TV show called Beauty on Runway. She partners with Nicole!"

Essie was relieved when she heard this and took a deep breath to calm herself down. She smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to meet the both of you, Miss Alice and Mr. Holy."

"Sister Essie, you can just call me Holy. That's what everyone calls me," Holy said respectfully with an innocent and adorable grin.

"Got it, Holy," said Essie with a friendly smile before she handed him a fruit.

He picked the black grape from Essie and put it inside his mouth. After he swallowed it, he continued to speak, "Sister Essie, I've seen every one of the episodes in your program. Your performance with brother Jim was sensational! When I first saw that, I thought you were his girlfriend, and I was surprised to find out that you were brother Zac's girlfriend."

"Holy, do you think that I'm a better match for Essie?" Jim asked with a smile while patting the top of his head. Jim was clearly sneering, oblivious to the sight of Zac glaring at him harshly.

When Holy came across Zac's expression, he looked at him and soon enough a sympathetic expression appeared on his face. Immediately he said, "It would better Zac to have a kind sister like Essie. If he doesn't stay with Essie, he'll end up with a bad, terrible witch. He will end up living his future life in a limbo of suffering; miserable and pitiful. So don't try to take Essie away from him."

Jim laughed loudly and hysterically. Zac placed his hand on his forehead and felt completely awkward.

'Are you helping me or mocking me, you little devil child!' Zac thought with a pout.

Essie covered her mouth and let out a gentle chuckle. She thought the little boy was adorable and very mature for his age. Beyond that, he was in fact her younger half-brother.

Alice's eyes were focused on Essie while she took a sip from her champagne. She suddenly asked in a low voice, "Miss Essie, how old are you?"

Essie trembled when she heard this, completely alarmed why she would ask about her age all of a sudden. It wasn't common courtesy to ask for the age of strangers, especially when they were ladies. She wondered if Alice could recognize her.

However after thinking for a while, she figured there was no way she would remember after fifteen years apart from each other. They both changed a lot, especially Essie. She was just a naive seven year old girl when they last saw each other and she had since grown into a graceful woman. It was impossible that Alice would recognize her so easily.

She swallowed nervously and tried to keep a calm voice. "My 22nd birthday had just passed."

"Really?" Alice asked while slightly lifting her red, luscious lips, as if wanting to say something. Instead, she simply swallowed her words, leaving a complex and confusing expression on her face. Alice sipped from her glass and asked, "Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I'm an only child," Essie responded briskly. She shook her head with a polite smile on her face to conceal her surging emotions.

Zac held her hand throughout and began to feel that her palms were sweating. He started to get worried that she was embarrassed by the questions so he jokingly interjected, "Alice, are you trying to give her a background check?"

By this time, Alice started to notice that she was acting a bit inappropriately. So she let out a gentle laugh and said, "I'm sorry. I just felt like I knew Miss Essie from somewhere. When I first laid my eyes on her, I thought that she looked exactly like my... Friend."

When Essie heard this, the corners of her mouth started twitching violently. Fortunately, she was able to think quick and hide her face in the shadow, so no one was able to see the strange fluctuations in her facial expressions.

Alice probably just had a strange inking that Essie was familiar, after all, they were born and bred together. Living together for seven years would certainly leave a vague impression. However, Essie proceeded and said,

"There are countless people who look like someone in this world. Besides that, I have the so-called 'common' face," she smiled faintly with a tone of self-mockery.

"Sister Essie, if your face was so ordinary, then there would be so many beautiful women in the world!" Holy suddenly interrupted, with his eyes glimmering with clear and bright light.

Everyone laughed.

Essie giggled naughtily and quickly changed the topic by pointing towards two attractive men. "Well I do hope that a common face is like this one or that one, that way the whole world will be filled with handsome men. That would be a big welfare for the general public!"

Zac placed his hand on her chin and turned her face towards him. He said, "Fortunately, that's not the case. Otherwise, you will need a blindfold every time you go out."

"Why it that?" She pouted.

"Because I am the only handsome man you can look at," he scoffed. Zac was a domineering man who had given her conditions for their relationship. He forbade her to see, talk or touch another man. Unfortunately, Essie had not been keeping her promises.

Essie held his shoulder and said in a flirtatious manner, "I apologize, but why should I waste my valuable eyes? Besides, simply looking at someone cannot get you pregnant."

Zac snorted, "The problem is that they are not nearly as good-looking as I am, so they will just lower your standards with men."

A myriad of thoughts flooded through her mind.

His narcissism had reached a point where it had become a mental condition. He needed to get that checked up with a therapist.

"Never mind then. I can just look at Jim instead," said Essie with her arms crossed over her chest. She turned her head towards Jim in a flirtatious posture. Jim was completely entertained watching the two of them. It was an enjoyable show, unfortunately, it did not end with romance. However, she better not act too well as there was a child just beside them.

Zac took a sip from his champagne before he opened his mouth and said, "He has been dominating the screen for months. He is all over the TV, it's almost insane. Haven't you gotten sick of him yet?"

Essie had a cold stone expression on her face.

'Ice guy, does your father know that you could be so mean?' she thought.

Jim was completely dumbfounded that he was being attacked despite not being involved with their squabble.

Sitting next to him, Holy couldn't resist butting in and added, "Jim is just doing business for the family. His fans often lick their TV and phone screens that they end up having to buy a new one from them."

Essie smiled and gave a thumbs up. "You're a clever little boy, Holy," she said.

Zac reached towards Jim to pat his shoulder to show sympathy. Jim was left completely speechless so he decided to protect himself by building a wall around him and just be the quiet and mysterious handsome man.

With an optimistic smile on her face, Alice inserted, "Well it seems like you two have a good relationship with each other. I hope it works out well for the two of you, as I don't want some toxic people try to tear you apart."

Holy nodded quickly in agreement and he said, "Yes, brother Zac and sister Essie, you must make sure to defeat the daughter of the evil witch."

When the issue was brought up in her mind, Essie silently sighed. There was an unborn baby that backed up Valery and her mother-in-law's support. It would be difficult to simply defeat her.

Zac always seemed to see right through her. He held her in his arms and said, "There's nothing to worry about. I'll always be here by your side." His voice was comforting, but Essie's heart continued to feel restless and worried. If the child weren't his, then things could just go on so smoothly. However, things would be so different if the child was really his, and he would forever be intertwined with Valery and her mother. It seemed to reflect the similar situation of how Baron had been stuck with Elizabeth. However, Essie figured that she could just hand this complicated problem to Leila. She was a tough woman, and she could spend the rest of her life fighting over Zac with Valery.

Essie excused herself to go to the dressing room. She just wanted some time alone to calm her thoughts down, but was surprised to find Leila when she walked inside.

It turned out that she had been there in the same party all along.

However, she wondered why she never bothered to greet Zac.