The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 396

A genuine smile broke across Stefan's face. Visibly pleased, he turned and headed into his study.

Greta curled up on the plush sofa with Biscuit, turning on the TV. She really liked her new cousin-in-law. He was incredibly good to Winona, and he treated her well, too.

She remembered the one time she had visited Yulen's house. Yulen's housekeeper had hovered the entire time, loudly complaining about Greta's "dirty" shoes and clothes, constantly sweeping and mopping right under her feet until she felt like trash. She had never gone back.

Stefan was leagues above Yulen.

At five-thirty, Lexie, the housekeeper, arrived with fresh groceries. Seeing a little girl on the sofa playing with the dog, her face lit up. "Oh, what a sweetheart! Are you Mr. Goddard's little sister?"

Greta blushed and shook her head. "No, my cousin is Winona Jowett."

"Ah, Winona's cousin!" Lexie beamed, her voice softening. "What are you in the mood for tonight? I'm making dinner, I'll cook whatever you like."

"I'm not picky. Anything is fine."

"Alright, I'll get to work. If you suddenly crave something, just pop into the kitchen and tell me, okay?"

Half an hour later, the kitchen smelled heavenly. Since they had a guest, Lexie had gone all out, preparing a massive, colorful spread of dishes.

When it was time to eat, Greta trotted over and knocked gently on the study door. Stefan emerged a moment later.

"Dinner is ready," Greta said. "When is Winona coming back?"

"She's about five minutes away. We'll wait for her," Stefan said.

Ten minutes later, Winona rushed through the front door. Seeing Greta sitting safely at the dining table reading a book, a massive wave of relief washed over her.

She hurried over. "Stefan told me you hurt your ankle. Are you okay?"

Greta shook her head dismissively. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Winona knew her cousin too well. Greta was exactly like her—terrified of being a burden. Winona's expression turned serious. "If something like this happens again, you tell me immediately. I make good money now. If we have to, we'll transfer you to a different private school."

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Trust me, Winona. If it gets bad, I promise I'll tell you," Greta added.

Winona relented with a sigh.

Later that evening, Winona carried Greta back to her apartment. Helena arrived shortly after, exhausted from her shift. Wanting to give them some space to talk, Winona slipped back across the hall to Stefan's.

Stefan handed her a mug of warm milk and sat down, his expression thoughtful.

"You know, you and Helena have raised Greta to be far too obedient and considerate. She's so used to suppressing her own needs that, naturally, she's terrified of speaking up when she's hurting."

Winona slumped against the sofa, rubbing her temples. "I know. It's a huge problem. But it's years of ingrained behavior... how do you even begin to undo that?"

"It's actually very simple," Stefan said, a faint smile touching his lips.

Winona looked at him suspiciously. "You have a brilliant plan? Since when are you an expert on raising kids?"