CHAPTER_DETAIL_H1

Winona finally understood exactly where Wesley got his abrasive personality. Smirking, she took a slow sip of water. "You're the one losing sleep over this, aren't you? If you're going to beg, at least get the attitude right. I have nothing to say to you like this."

Without waiting for a response, she hung up and immediately blocked the number.

Victoria Vance stared at her screen in disbelief, never expecting Winona to dare treat her with such disrespect.

Her face drained of color, pale with fury, and she dialed the number again. When it failed to connect, she realized she had been blocked.

Victoria nearly smashed her phone to pieces, but she forced herself to take a breath. She dialed Vanessa Lockwood's number instead.

Vanessa was polite enough, calling her Victoria right off the bat, which put the older woman at ease.

"Vanessa, who exactly is this Winona? Do you have any intel on her?"

If the girl had no real backing, Victoria would have to resort to extreme measures.

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "She's just a fake heiress. The Wynn family absolutely despises her now, so what kind of backing could she possibly have? My brother promised he wouldn't let Wesley stay locked up for long. A year, at most."

A year?

A young man's prime years were priceless. And if he actually went to prison, they would become the laughingstock of the city.

Confirming that Winona had no powerful connections, Victoria felt a wave of relief, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes. "Understood. Thank you, Vanessa."

Vanessa hadn't intentionally hidden the detail about Zachary Shaw. Her brother had told her that Zachary was desperate to divorce Winona, and had even gotten into a car crash on the way to finalize it. Now that he was injured, Zachary likely despised Winona too. There was no way he would ever act as her protector; he probably wanted to tear her apart himself.

Victoria glared coldly at the street outside before ordering her driver to pull away.

That evening, as Winona stepped out of the television station, her eyes immediately landed on the two figures slumped exhausted near the entrance.

She hadn't realized they were waiting for her until she drew closer. The middle-aged woman suddenly scrambled to stand up, but having stood out in the cold for so long, she stumbled and nearly fell.

Winona instinctively reached out to catch her. "Careful."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVERIFY