The Wife He Forgot to Marry novel Chapter 133

She was about to turn and leave when Lachlan spoke, his tone casual. “Weren’t you trying to secure that partnership with the Powell Group for the Lockes? Getting past Director Clark won’t be easy. Are you sure you want to walk out now?”

He had taken Wynne’s phone while she was in the restroom, sent the message to Winona, and then deleted the conversation history. He hadn’t really expected her to show up.

Winona gritted her teeth and forced herself to walk back into the room and sit down.

Seeing her return, Lachlan chuckled and poured her a glass of wine. “That’s more like it. If we’re going to be partners, we should get to know each other a little better.”

Winona’s expression was icy as she refused the glass he offered. “I don’t drink.”

“So cold,” Lachlan mused, his patience seemingly endless. He acted like he was toying with a kitten that had fallen into his trap. “Fine, no drinking. Just have a meal with me, and I promise I won’t deliberately make things difficult for you on the project. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”

Winona felt she had no choice but to agree. “Fine.”

A waiter brought in an array of sumptuous dishes. Lachlan piled food onto her plate, but Winona refused to touch any of it, eating only the plain rice in her bowl. When the rice was gone, she set down her fork.

“I’m finished. If there’s nothing else, Mr. Powell, I’ll be leaving.”

“Such a temper. Not even a little patience for playing nice.” Lachlan’s interest only grew as he gazed at her cold, defiant face.

He had already done his homework. Yulen had never gotten a marriage license with Winona; his wife was someone else entirely. Since she was just a mistress with no official standing, what was the harm in having a little fun? He was the future heir of the Powell family. Yulen wouldn’t dare to challenge him.

Emboldened, he reached out to touch Winona’s face. Winona jerked away, her voice sharp with anger. “Have some self-respect, Mr. Powell.”

“Feisty, aren’t we!”

The colder she was, the more intrigued Lachlan became.

“Winona, are you alright?”

Hearing his voice, a flicker of recognition returned to her eyes. She gripped his sleeve tightly, her voice a desperate plea. “Save me, Mr. Goddard.”

With that, she could hold on no longer and collapsed in his arms.

Stefan swept her up. Just then, he saw several men running toward them, cursing under their breath. They were clearly after Winona.

Stefan’s expression hardened. He gave a curt nod to his own bodyguards behind him. “Handle it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Winona was brought to a hotel room, her consciousness fading. Stefan laid her gently on the bed. Seeing her rapid, shallow breathing, he reached down to undo the top button of her blouse.