The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 325

"He went back to the Capital," Margaret stated, her tone flat.

Winona simply looked at her, choosing not to respond.

Margaret pulled up a chair and sat down. It had taken considerable effort and string-pulling to bypass Violet, Roxana, and the wall of bodyguards Stefan had stationed outside the room.

Looking at Winona's striking features and refined aura, Margaret still couldn't fathom it. Her son had met countless beautiful women—why was he so hung up on this one?

Fortunately, they hadn't known each other for long. If she tore them apart now, Stefan might sulk for a bit, but he would move on. If she waited until their feelings deepened, it would be a disaster.

Margaret smoothed her expression into something resembling maternal concern. "Do you know why my son left you here, heavily injured, to rush back to the Capital? Because Maeve's father had a stroke the second he found out Stefan threw his daughter into that shark tank.

"Years ago, Kieran Mallory was paralyzed from the waist down saving Stefan's life. He lost the ability to ever have more children. Because of that, Stefan swore an oath that he wouldn't just take care of Maeve; he would carry the entire weight of the Mallory family's future on his shoulders.

"That's why he agreed to get engaged to her in the first place. Yes, she made some mistakes and they broke it off, but the bond between our two families isn't something that can just be severed. In Stefan's heart, Kieran is as much a father to him as his own.

"Whoever marries Stefan won't just need the right pedigree—she will have to tolerate Maeve's presence in his life. Because Stefan will treat her as his little sister until the day he dies."

"Do you honestly think men like Mr. Powell or Stefan's grandfather are the norm?" she snapped. "Loyalty is a myth. The vast majority of men stray.

"Do you think my husband was unfaithful from the start? No. In the beginning, he treated me like a queen. He made endless empty vows. He was even willing to risk a corporate coup by his ex-wife's board faction just to divorce her and marry me! And look how that ended. When the time came, he still cheated.

"And even if a man claims to be loyal, how can you ever really know what he's doing behind your back? If a woman wants to protect her family and her lifestyle, her only option is to turn a blind eye.

"Do you think I hate you just because you're common? I hate you because you are completely incapable of understanding that a marriage built on mutual corporate interests is the only kind that lasts. If people marry purely for love, the financial fallout of a divorce is catastrophic. I will absolutely not let you destroy everything Stefan has worked for."