The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 381

Leaving the house that morning, Winona finished her breakfast at Stefan's place before catching a ride to the office in his car. Pulling into the underground parking garage, she hesitated, waiting until the coast was clear before attempting to sneak out.

Stefan caught her wrist. "Even if someone sees us getting out of the same car, it's fine. We're neighbors. Offering you a ride to work is a perfectly reasonable excuse."

Winona sighed. "Gossip can be vicious. People won't see it as a convenient carpool. They'll just assume I'm deliberately trying to climb the social ladder."

Given the massive gap in their social standing, she was the one who would inevitably bear the brunt of the rumors. As for Stefan, society would just view it as a wealthy man having a beautiful companion by his side—something they considered entirely natural.

Winona returned to her office. Shortly after, Corin arrived. Before he could even say a word, she pulled the heavy professional reference book from her bag.

Corin's eyes lit up. "This is amazing! Thank you so much, Winona. I'll read as much as I can during my lunch break and give it right back."

Books like this were incredibly rare on the market. This specific copy had been a personal gift from Mr. Harper, and Corin knew how valuable it was, making him hesitant to borrow it for too long.

"You can take it home and read it at your own pace," Winona offered warmly. "No rush."

Corin gave a sheepish smile. "I can't. I have to spend the evening with my girlfriend."

Winona blinked in surprise. "You're dating someone?" It wasn't long ago that he'd mentioned being completely single.

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I've had a crush on a senior from my university for a long time. She finally agreed to go out with me a few days ago. I'm heading home tonight to cook dinner for her."

Winona paused. "You're cooking for her?"

Corin puffed out his chest with pride. "She's also in pharmaceutical R&D, working over at the Riverton Institute. Her job is incredibly demanding, so I need to step up and handle more of the household chores. I don't want her getting burned out."

Winona couldn't help but smile. It was refreshing to see a modern man so willing to step into a supportive role for his partner.

"Do you think it's weird for a guy to cook?" Corin asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I grew up in a coastal town where the men do most of the cooking and chores. It's a bit different from the culture here in Riverton. Honestly, I find it strange. The women here are so petite and gentle—shouldn't the men be taking care of them? Why are the women expected to do all the housework? I went to a friend's house recently, and he actually made his wife cook a massive feast for us without lifting a single finger to help. I just couldn't understand it."

Winona thought for a moment before speaking up. "The livestream we did last time had fantastic engagement. Why don't we pivot and livestream the finals? It's the perfect way to prove to the public that Goddard Group's competition has zero internal bias and that every contestant is treated equally."

Mr. Gage looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure you guys can handle the pressure of doing this live?"

Winona nodded confidently. "I don't see any issue on our end."

Nolan, who was also one of the judges, agreed. "Let's do it. It'll give the internet—and the contestants—a front-row seat to see that Goddard's R&D capabilities are leagues above whatever Locke Group is doing."

That evening, Jericho Harper invited Winona and Nolan out to dinner.

Bringing up the upcoming competition, Mr. Harper smiled warmly. "If you need any help steering the ship, just say the word."

Winona smiled back. "It's just a small competition. I can handle it. There's no need to pull my mentor out of retirement for this."