The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 528

Ever since she started dating Stefan, Winona felt a surge of fearlessness. She no longer second-guessed her instincts or hesitated to strike back.

"Thank you, Stefan."

Stefan took her hand, sighing affectionately. "Winona, I've told you a hundred times. You never have to thank me."

***

When Sylvan learned from Dean Ziegler that Giselle's proposal had lost to Winona's and that Winona had been appointed the lead for the PD-1 inhibitor project, he was furious.

To him, Winona was just an incompetent amateur propped up by Stefan and Jericho Harper. How dare she overshadow Giselle?

He took Dean Ziegler out for dinner multiple times, pressuring him to swap Winona for Giselle.

Dean Ziegler was trapped. He didn't want to offend Sylvan, but crossing Stefan and Jericho Harper was career suicide.

"Mr. Scully, it's not that I'm refusing to promote Giselle. It's just that objectively, Winona's skill set is the strongest on the team. Plus, both Mr. Goddard and Mr. Harper personally endorsed her. I can't just replace her on a whim."

Sylvan wasn't deterred. "Then let's handle this democratically. The PD-1 project is jointly funded by the Goddard Group, the Scully Group, and Mallory Enterprises. We'll leave it to a vote among the three investors. Whoever gets the most votes becomes the lead. Fair?"

Dean Ziegler had no counterargument.

Behind closed doors, Sylvan pulled strings and convinced Mrs. Mallory to vote for Giselle. With a two-to-one majority, Dean Ziegler was forced to replace Winona.

When Jericho Harper heard the news, he nearly burst a blood vessel.

He stormed into Ziegler's office. "If the corporate suits are going to dictate lab assignments, why bother having researchers at all? Let the billionaires run the centrifuges! My lab is pulling out."

"Please, Mr. Harper, be reasonable," Ziegler pleaded, trying to mediate. "There's still room to maneuver. Giselle is competent. Let's just observe her leadership for a bit. If she underperforms, we'll have hard evidence to justify bringing Winona back."

Jericho scoffed. "I don't play these political games. If Sylvan wants to clear a runway for his precious little nepo baby, let him. But I won't let Winona be insulted like this. I'm pulling her off the team entirely to focus on our other work. You can have one of the junior techs fill her spot."

Ziegler had read Winona's proposal; he knew the project would likely crash without her. But there was no reasoning with a furious Jericho Harper. He had no choice but to let Winona step down.

Giselle hung up, feeling like she was on top of the world. Playing a body double was the easiest gig she had ever landed. Not only did she get to live like royalty, but she was cashing checks from both Sylvan and Ophelia, all while fast-tracking her career.

She was going to cling to this life, and no one was taking it from her.

That night, Stefan noticed Winona reviewing research documents that had nothing to do with the PD-1 inhibitor project.

A quick text to his assistant confirmed the truth: Winona had been ousted, and Giselle had taken her place.

Stefan let out a dark, humorless laugh.

Did Sylvan Scully seriously believe Giselle was his flesh and blood? Handing over millions in corporate assets just to stroke the girl's ego?

He walked out onto the balcony and dialed Sylvan's number.

Sylvan had just touched down in the Capital and picked up immediately. "Stefan. What can I do for you?"