The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 400

"I'm still drowning in data for the project," Tallulah said sweetly. "Don't waste time taking me out. Just come straight home, and we'll eat here."

She silently praised herself for bringing Tanner on board. With his genius quietly working in the background, this project was going to be a breeze.

Yulen smiled. "Alright. I'll see you at home."

That evening, Yulen returned to the sprawling villa.

Tallulah emerged from the bedroom, a hand resting delicately on the curve of her stomach.

Yulen hurried over, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You've been pushing yourself too hard. Working all day while dealing with the third trimester... I'm sorry you have to carry this much stress."

Tallulah leaned into him, pouting playfully. "It's nothing. I'm carrying your child—that makes me the luckiest woman in the world. It's not a burden at all. Besides, with Camille out of commission, you're the one drowning in work."

The words hit Yulen right in his fragile ego, soothing him perfectly. He had been drowning lately, but a man had to do what he had to do to keep his empire afloat.

They sat down at the dining table. It was covered end-to-end with all of his favorite dishes.

Yulen offered a helpless, affectionate laugh. "Why is it always my favorites? Why don't you ever have the chef make what you're craving?"

Tallulah placed a piece of perfectly braised short rib on his plate, smiling adoringly. "You're the man of this house. Your needs always come first."

Yulen looked at her, deeply satisfied. Ever since she got back from Seabrook City, she was exactly like the sweet, compliant girl she used to be.

Seeing him thoroughly buttered up, Tallulah smoothly shifted gears. "Yulen, I was looking at the projections for HSV-121. To get this past the finish line, it's going to burn through an insane amount of capital. What's your strategy?"

Tanner had broken down the math for her earlier; the cash burn on a drug like this was astronomical.

Yulen sighed, rubbing his jaw. "That's what's keeping me up at night. We've bled cash on a few bad deals recently, and the HSK-003 project we're co-developing with the Scully Group is basically a charity case right now. Low margins mean we're practically operating at a loss. If we want to fund HSV-121 internally, we're probably going to have to bring in outside investors to front the cash."

"But then you're just giving away equity!" Tallulah protested. "The margins on HSV-121 are going to be historical, and we are the only ones developing it. Are you really going to let vultures swoop in and steal your profits?"

"I might not have a choice."

Tallulah leaned in. "Why don't you go to Mr. Scully and renegotiate the profit share on HSK-003? Squeeze a few more percentage points out of him so we actually turn a profit to fund the new drug. He likes you. He's not going to let Locke Group bleed dry doing all the heavy lifting."

Winona took Greta to the high-end mall downtown to buy her some new clothes.

Greta's ankle was fully healed, and with the bullies officially expelled, her entire demeanor had shifted. She was making friends, laughing more, and acting like a normal kid again.

She loved edgy, streetwear-inspired clothes, so Winona took her straight to a boutique that matched her style.

After trying on half the store, Greta picked out two oversized hoodies, a pair of cargo joggers, and some new sneakers.

Winona swiped her card at the register.

Greta looked up at her, eyes shining. "When I grow up and make lots of money, I'm going to buy you a million dresses and shoes."

Winona playfully pinched her cheek. "You don't need to buy me anything. Just be a kid."

Sometimes, Greta's maturity still broke her heart. Thinking back to Stefan's advice, she made a mental note to sit down with Helena this week and talk about letting Greta just be little for a while. Forcing a child to grow up too fast was its own kind of tragedy.

Chatting happily, they stepped out of the boutique—and nearly collided with Tallulah.