The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 355

"What conditions?" Camille asked.

Winona laid them out clearly. "I provide the R&D blueprint, but I don't manage the project. If you hit technical roadblocks later on, I will not step in to help. Furthermore, if the project fails, I take zero responsibility. But if it succeeds, I want a cut of the profits."

Camille thought the terms were incredibly steep. However, ever since Winona left the company, the Locke Group hadn't produced a single significant breakthrough. If things kept going like this, they wouldn't just lose their competitive edge—they'd lose their biggest clients.

Finally, she relented. "Fine. I agree to your terms. When can I expect the proposal?"

"Next week," Winona replied.

The dinner wrapped up, and Winona headed home.

Rhea didn't have to work late that night, so she came over, bringing some of her homemade pickled cabbage. Winona boiled up a hearty bowl of beef spaghetti, tossing in the cabbage for a tangy kick, and split it with her.

Winona hadn't eaten much at the formal dinner, so the hot, flavorful spaghetti hit the spot perfectly.

As they ate, Rhea asked, "Why on earth did you agree to do another R&D proposal for the Lockes?"

"I'm not doing it to help them," Winona said smoothly. "I have my own plans."

Rhea's eyes lit up. "Ooh, what are you doing?"

"What Camille doesn't know is that while this project is cheap to start, the later stages require an absolute black hole of funding. Knowing her and Yulen, they're too greedy to abandon a project midway, and they're definitely too arrogant to share a near-complete breakthrough with outside investors. They'll try to shoulder the entire financial burden themselves. When that happens, the Locke Group's cash flow will snap like a twig."

Rhea gasped in awe. "Winona, look at you! You've actually learned how to play offense against them!"

Winona thought back to the years she had spent trapped in that house, completely blind to how the world worked. Now that she was back in the industry, handling cutting-edge data and collaborating with titans like the Goddard Group, she had learned how these massive corporations structured their R&D investments.

Tallulah frowned. "Hurry up. He just ended up in the hospital a while ago because of his drinking. He needs to get back so he can take some medicine."

"Understood."

With the decision made for him, the driver headed straight for Tallulah's new villa.

Tallulah had finally managed to move out of the Locke Villa a couple of days ago while Willow was away on vacation. She was beyond sick of being watched like a hawk by her mother-in-law every single day. She had no idea how Willow had so much free time just to nitpick her, but she was exhausted from constantly having to swallow her pride.

The car pulled into the driveway, and the driver helped a stumbling, glassy-eyed Yulen into the house.

Tallulah ordered the maid to brew some hangover tea. Seeing Yulen stagger in, looking so lost and disoriented, her heart ached.

In her mind, no one truly understood the sheer weight of Yulen's responsibilities except for her. Back when she was his secretary, she would watch him exhaust himself at late-night meetings and endless dinners. All she had ever wanted was to stay by his side, keep him company, and take care of him.