The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 386

Turning on his heel, Yulen headed for the door.

"Yulen, wait!" Tallulah called out, her voice trembling. "Aren't you going to stay and keep me company?"

Yulen let out a cold scoff. "You just humiliated us in front of Goddard Group. I have to go grovel and negotiate a settlement before they decide to drag you to court for intellectual property theft. Do you really think you could rest easy if they sued you? And going forward, things are only going to get harder for Locke Group. Rest up. You're on your own right now."

Watching him walk out, Tallulah slammed her fists into her pillows in sheer frustration.

*

That evening, Mr. Gage hosted a lavish celebration dinner for Winona and the team, inviting heavyweights like Mr. Harper and Dean Ziegler to join them. Hoping to help her mentor recruit top talent, Winona had also invited Cole Lennox.

Grateful that Winona had cleared his name and deeply in awe of her brilliance, Cole gladly accepted.

During dinner, Mr. Harper took an immediate liking to Cole. Hearing that the young man was planning for grad school, he smiled warmly. "Who are you hoping to study under? I can put in a good word for you with some excellent professors. But we have a deal—when you graduate, you have to prioritize coming to work in my lab."

Cole couldn't believe his ears. The legendary Jericho Harper, a man he had idolized for years, was actively recruiting him. He was so excited he practically stammered. "Th-thank you so much for believing in me, Mr. Harper! Let me toast you with some coffee!"

Across the table, Dean Ziegler sipped his drink, feeling a bit sour. He had watched the broadcast too and was equally impressed by the young prodigy, but Jericho had beaten him to the punch.

Hearing that Winona worked in Mr. Harper's lab, Cole immediately shifted his plans to stay at Riverton University for his master's, hoping he could snag an internship at the lab in his free time.

Jericho enthusiastically agreed. "Don't worry about it! I'm close friends with all the master's advisors at Riverton University, and we collaborate constantly. You're basically one of us now."

Watching Cole steal glances at Winona all night, Zack Charlton felt a sudden spike of anxiety. *This is bad. If this kid ends up working in the lab, he's going to be way too close to Winona. Is he going to try and steal her away?*

After dinner, Zack politely offered to drive Winona home.

She smiled and declined. "Thanks, but my friend is picking me up."

He stared at her, his voice tight with disapproval. "Winona, I know you don't work for Locke Group anymore, but when it came down to a conflict of interest between us and Goddard, shouldn't you have taken our side? Or at the very least, just stayed quiet? Why did you have to stick your neck out and help them humiliate us?"

Winona marveled at his sheer delusion. After everything his family had put her through, he genuinely expected her loyalty?

"What right do you have to come here and lash out at me?" she asked, her voice laced with ice. "Are you blind? Did you conveniently miss what Tallulah did? The only person you should be screaming at is her for being a complete idiot, instead of standing here lecturing me. Locke and Goddard were minding their own business until she decided to play dirty and ruin things for everyone. Now that her stunt blew up in her face and turned your company into a joke, she's conveniently hiding, isn't she?"

Yulen, entirely unable to poke a hole in her logic, grew even more defensive. "Winona, we were married. Is everything just black and white to you now? Is there absolutely no emotional history left between us?"

Winona refused to be dragged into his emotional manipulation. "Since you can't win the logical argument, you're playing the sympathy card. I'm sorry, Mr. Locke, but when I speak to you now, I only care about right and wrong."

Infuriated, his eyes darkened. "Regardless, I need you to help me smooth things over with Goddard Group. Becoming the laughingstock of the industry has severely damaged my position. Can't you just think of me for once?"

"If Mr. Locke wishes to negotiate, why not speak directly to me?" a deep, authoritative voice cut through the night air. Stefan stepped out of the shadows, his presence instantly commanding the space.