The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 375

Seeing Yulen still trying to play her for a fool only fueled Nikita's rage. Without a word, she unscrewed the cap of her thermos and hurled her scalding hot water directly at his face.

She had brewed it fresh that morning, and now, it was dripping from Yulen's hair, splattered across his face, and soaking his outrageously expensive suit. He looked like an absolute disaster.

"Nikita..."

Yulen was burning with fury, but he didn't dare explode at an elderly woman in public.

Nikita practically spat at him in disgust, turned on her heel, and marched out of the hospital without looking back. Humiliated by the stares and whispers of the gathering crowd, Yulen had no choice but to sprint toward the nearest restroom.

That evening, Winona went to visit her grandmother.

When the caregiver enthusiastically recounted Nikita's heroic hospital standoff, Winona was genuinely stunned. She had been worried her grandmother was still harboring hopes of reconciling her with Yulen. To hear that Nikita had completely cut ties and essentially thrown hot water in his face was a massive relief.

Nikita was still fuming, ranting nonstop about what a scoundrel Yulen was. Ironically, Winona found herself having to calm the older woman down.

"Don't get so worked up, Grandma. It's not worth risking your health over someone like him."

Nikita looked at Winona, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears. "My poor girl. Why is your life so difficult?"

She had never cared if Winona married into wealth. She just wanted her granddaughter to find a good, devoted man who would treat her right. Who knew something so simple would turn out to be so impossible?

Winona smiled warmly. "Grandma, I work hard, and I make my own money. My life is only going to get better from here. How is that difficult?"

Ever since Nikita accidentally saw the balance in Winona's bank account, her entire perspective had shifted. Now that her granddaughter had financial independence, she didn't have to rely on any man's mood to survive. When it came to finding a partner in the future, she could take her sweet time. There was absolutely no rush.

When Winona and Helena heard Nikita express this new philosophy, they couldn't help but laugh.

It was true—financial independence changed everything for a woman. It didn't just change her world; it even shifted the deeply ingrained views of her most stubborn relatives.

*

The next morning, Winona headed to Goddard Group for work.

As she reached the elevator bank, she froze.

Stefan was standing right there.

She hadn't expected him to return to Riverton so quickly. Worry flared in her chest regarding his torn stitches, but seeing his usual composed expression, she reasoned he was probably healing well.

The elevator doors slid open, and Winona stepped inside with the rest of the morning rush, acting entirely casual. But somehow, the crowd pushed her directly next to Stefan.

Winona kept her cool. "Heading to Mr. Goddard's office to report on the project timeline."

"The man is a workaholic," Nolan sighed admiringly. "He just got back, and he's already diving in. Let me tag along. I need to run the next quarter's funding requests by him anyway."

Winona nodded, and the two walked into Stefan's office together.

At the sound of the knock, a soft smile tugged at Stefan's lips. "Come in."

But the moment the door opened to reveal Nolan standing right beside Winona, the warmth instantly vanished from Stefan's face.

Nolan suddenly felt a draft, convinced the thermostat in the CEO's office was set significantly lower than the rest of the building. Finding it odd but ignoring it, he smiled.

Stefan leveled a flat stare at him. "Did you need something, Nolan?"

"Nothing urgent, sir. I'll let Winona finish her brief, and then I'll chime in."

"You should go first," Stefan replied, his tone frosty. "The project details I need from Ms. Jowett will take quite a while."

Instantly, the gears clicked in Nolan's head.