The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 448

Without a shred of hesitation, he walked out of the private dining room.

Ophelia sat on the floor, tears pooling in her eyes.

Was he really capable of being this cold-blooded?

Back in his office, Stefan sat at his desk. After a moment's thought, he texted Winona.

"I just had lunch with my mother and Ophelia."

No reply.

He waited five minutes, then stood up and headed straight to her department.

Winona was just returning from the cafeteria with her coworkers when she saw him approaching.

Not wanting to spark any office gossip, she quickly improvised. "Oh, I needed to run something by Mr. Goddard. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up."

Corin and the others didn't suspect a thing, waving goodbye as they headed back to their desks.

Seeing the tense look on his face, Winona cleared her throat and switched into professional mode. "I have a project update for you, Mr. Goddard. Should we discuss it in your office?"

He nodded.

They walked into his executive suite together.

Samantha, returning from her own lunch break, saw them close the door and couldn't hide a knowing smirk.

Once the door clicked shut, Winona sat on the sofa. "What's wrong?"

Stefan sat down next to her. "You didn't check your phone?"

She pulled her phone out. She managed several project group chats, meaning her phone blew up constantly with updates and questions. During lunch, she preferred to unplug and eat in peace, so her phone was on silent.

Winona burst out laughing.

She leaned in and kissed his cheek tenderly. "Stefan, I genuinely just trust you. I hate comparing you to Yulen because he's not even worth a single hair on your head... but you are just incredibly good to me. I honestly thought that after everything that happened, I'd never be able to dive headfirst into love again. But with you... I think I'm completely lost."

He loved it when she talked like that. He could listen to it all day.

But he still needed to clear the air.

"My mother is still demanding I marry her. Obviously, I shut it down. Also, I'm fairly certain she's faking the severity of her injury. I'm having my team look into it."

Winona was surprised. "How did you know?"

Thinking back to the micro-expressions on Ophelia's face before she 'fell', Stefan let out a cynical scoff. "Because I know exactly how they operate."

He was far too perceptive to fall for his mother's emotional blackmail or Ophelia's damsel-in-distress routine. He just hadn't bothered to expose them yet.