The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 539

"Mrs. Powell asked me to pack this up and deliver it to Ms. Jowett for dinner tonight," the chef explained pleasantly. "I'm heading out in a few minutes. Just leave your bowl on the table when you're done, and I'll clean it up when I get back."

A sharp flicker of suspicion crossed Giselle's eyes.

Why was Wynne treating Winona this well?

After finishing her meal, she retreated to her bedroom and immediately called Ophelia.

"Ophelia, tell me something. Why is Wynne so obsessed with Winona? Sometimes I feel like she's more affectionate with her than she is with me. Do you think she figured it out?"

Ophelia let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. If Wynne knew Winona was her real daughter, do you honestly think she'd just quietly send her soup? She'd move heaven and earth to bring her home, and you'd be out on the street instantly. Wynne has always had a soft spot for Winona—maybe it's just some subconscious biological pull. But she doesn't know. And she is never going to find out."

Ophelia's absolute certainty finally eased Giselle's paranoia.

So what if Wynne liked Winona and sent her a few home-cooked meals? It was just petty charity. It meant nothing.

What Giselle cared about was Wynne's vast empire, her social standing, and her bank accounts. As long as she got the inheritance, Winona could have all the soup she wanted.

***

When Winona arrived home from work, Lexie cheerfully set a steaming bowl of creamy crab bisque on the table.

"This smells incredible," Winona said, breathing in the rich aroma. "You must have been simmering this for hours. Thank you, Lexie."

Lexie beamed, wiping her hands on her apron. "Oh, I can't take the credit for this one! Mrs. Powell had it sent over. It's made with top-tier soft-shell crab, incredibly tender. She actually sent a few extra fresh ones too. I put them in the fridge, so we can steam them later this week."

"That's amazing."

Lexie quickly brought out the rest of the dinner spread: garlic greens, crispy tofu, smashed cucumber salad, and braised beef.

Winona dug in, entirely satisfied with the meal.

After dinner, Lexie brewed her a fresh cup of decaf coffee. Sipping the warm drink, Winona pulled out her phone and dialed Wynne's number.

"Wynne, thank you so much for the bisque. It was amazing."

Wynne's voice was warm and bright. "Did you like it? Good! I'll have the chef make it for you again next week."

"Lexie is a fantastic cook, Wynne. You really don't have to go out of your way to send food over."

"Nonsense, it's never an inconvenience," Wynne insisted. "By the way, Stefan mentioned the scare with the water supply. Are you sure you're entirely unharmed?"

"I'm perfectly fine. Lexie and Biscuit are fully recovered, too. We've completely overhauled the security systems here. No one is getting past us again."

Turning on the faucet, he rigorously scrubbed the blood out of the expensive cotton until it was mostly faded, then tossed the shirt to the bottom of the laundry hamper. Pulling a bottle of iodine from the cabinet, he quickly disinfected the jagged slash across his arm.

Only when the wound was cleaned and hidden under a fresh sweater did he walk back out.

Winona had already plated the freshly shelled crab meat next to a warm bowl of bisque.

As he sat down, the sharp, distinct smell of iodine hit her nose. She immediately narrowed her eyes. "Are you hurt?"

Stefan casually lifted his hand, showing a small scrape on his knuckles. "Just a scrape. Took a dive on the court during the match."

Winona sighed, her annoyance melting into worry. "Next time you have a sporty business meeting, just send one of your VPs. I hate it when you get hurt."

Stefan reached over, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Message received. I'll be more careful."

Winona sat beside him while he ate, continuing to lightly lecture him on the importance of taking care of his joints.

Listening to her ramble, Stefan couldn't help but chuckle. "My beautiful wife, we're barely married and you're already nagging me. At this rate, I'm going to be deaf in a decade."

Winona playfully smacked his arm. "Oh, so I'm annoying now?"

"I'm entirely in the wrong," he conceded with a grin, standing up. "Allow me to repent by cleaning the dog's cage."