A Wedding Night Gone Terribly Wrong novel Chapter 119

When you're starving, the sight of beautiful food is absolute torture.

Winifred glanced at the dessert cart again. The spread was exquisite, featuring an overwhelming variety of delicate pastries.

Three cups of artisan coffee sent spirals of fragrant steam into the air.

There were small, perfectly round cakes, elegant triangular slices, towering cream-filled peaks, and delicate pastries shaped like little boats. The fruit platter was a vibrant mountain of dark cherries, durian, fragrant blueberries, and custard apples.

That was just what she could identify at a glance. There were easily seven or eight silver trays filled with food.

It was clearly portioned for three people. The Sutton kitchen staff had deliberately accounted for her.

Even though Nelly was furious with her on Iris's behalf, the matriarch of a prestigious family understood basic etiquette. Winifred was still a hired medical professional treating a guest in their home. The Suttons would never give anyone an excuse to call them stingy or poorly mannered over a few plates of food.

Winifred headed into the en-suite bathroom to wash her hands, fully intending to enjoy her share of the afternoon tea.

Health was her greatest asset. The harder life pushed, the more she needed to eat, recover, and build up the strength to fight back.

After drying her hands, she pulled out her phone to check her messages.

Her two toddlers had been expelled from kindergarten that morning and forced to leave the only home they knew to stay in a hotel. Celeste was watching them alone today, and Winifred was anxious about how they were holding up.

Celeste had sent her a series of voice notes.

She played the first one. Celeste's voice came through cheerfully:

*[Winifred, after lunch, I took the kids for a walk in the gardens near the hotel. We ran into a wedding party taking photos! The bride gave the twins some wedding candy, and they were absolutely thrilled. Haha.]*

The second note was from Annie, her sweet voice slightly muffled:

*[Mommy, I'm going to take my nap now. When are you coming back? Today is Wednesday! I want to see you right when I wake up. Mwah!]*

The third message was from Seth. His tone was characteristically serious:

*[Mom, today is Annie and my special birthday. First of all, I want to formally thank you. I'm bowing to you right now. You went through a lot to bring us into this world. Secondly, I've already contacted the restaurant. The manager confirmed they are holding the private booth I reserved.]*

Winifred couldn't help but draw the parallel between Seth and Holden.

When she first met Holden, he had only been eleven—a young boy. Yet, even at eleven, Holden had been a seasoned player in elite social circles. He knew all of his father, Roland Lockwood's, business partners and frequently fed his father strategic advice to resolve corporate crises.

He had also been the sole pillar of support for his mother, Madeleine.

Roland treated Madeleine like a piece of decorative furniture. He allowed her to exist in his house but treated her as an inanimate object, showing her zero affection while constantly running around with mistresses.

Madeleine hated the women who destroyed her marriage, frequently breaking down and sobbing in front of her eleven-year-old son.

One night, eleven-year-old Holden took the keys to his father's Maybach, drove straight to the police precinct, and personally led a squad of officers to an exclusive private club.

He caught his father's current favorite mistress—number four—red-handed in bed with another man. Holden stood there, cold and unblinking, supervising as the police hauled both the mistress and her lover away.

He then handed the cops a meticulous dossier documenting the luxury villa, the sports cars, the designer bags, and millions in cash transfers his father had squandered on the woman.