The nerve of him!
Leland Lockwood. Everyone thought he was a gentle, polite man without a temper. In private, he was utterly ruthless.
"Then why didn't you come to me to clear things up?" Yvette demanded, her voice trembling with fury. Every night for the past week, she had bombarded him with messages—photos of herself in bikinis, in lingerie, practically begging for his attention. And Leland hadn't said a single word in response.
Leland simply pulled Winifred closer, shielding her against his chest.
"Because Winifred and I were torn apart by manipulative people," he said smoothly. "We misunderstood each other. We fought. I just wanted to sit back and see exactly what kind of game you and your little crowd of vultures were trying to play."
It hit her like a ton of bricks.
Yvette whipped around, glaring at Iris. "Holden was in on this? He helped you?"
Iris wasn't nearly smart enough to scheme against Leland Lockwood on her own.
"Helped me?" Iris scoffed, crossing her arms. "Don't be ungrateful. Holden and I did this for your own good!"
"For my own good?" Yvette seethed, her eyes narrowing with pure hostility.
"Of course! You saw Leland in Emerald Town and immediately started talking about marriage. We told you it was a bad idea—you're older than him, and you have that incredibly overbearing personality. But did you listen? No. You just kept whining about how your parents don't love you and how desperate you are for affection. We felt sorry for you. How could we not help?"
"You shameless bitch!" Yvette exploded. "We are done! Our friendship is over!"
She shoved Iris aside, stormed past the crowd, and sprinted away.
"Hey! Yvette, wait! Listen to me!" Iris panicked, hiking up her dress as she chased after her. They were guests at the Lockwood Mansion. If Yvette lost her temper and flipped a dining table, it would be an absolute disaster.
Winifred watched the two women disappear down the hall before gently pulling her hand from Leland's grip.
"The truth is out," Leland said, his face flushed from his fever, turning to look at her. "Are you still going to misunderstand me?"
Even with the misunderstanding cleared up, Winifred wasn't ready to jump into anything with him.
"Mr. Lockwood, let me walk you back to your room so I can check your vitals," she said, stepping away to lead the path.
Leland caught her wrist.


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