When Two Winters Met (Henrietta and Yosef) novel Chapter 145

Henrietta nearly laughed. It was such a clumsy ploy. Then again, given Cheryl's position, she probably couldn't risk anything more sophisticated. A more overt move would backfire on her. So, while it seemed amateurish, it was likely calculated. Cheryl’s goal was simple: to provoke Henrietta, to make her uncomfortable and stir up conflict with Yosef, perhaps even get herself fired.

But as Yosef’s one of the top aides, Cheryl couldn't be dismissed so easily. And on the surface, she had done nothing wrong—she’d simply spilled some water by accident and apologized profusely. If Henrietta demanded she be fired, she would look unreasonable. Cheryl would undoubtedly beg for forgiveness, drawing out the drama and making everyone miserable. So, apart from being painfully obvious, her little performance was technically flawless.

Unfortunately for Cheryl, she’d made a fatal miscalculation. Henrietta and Yosef’s marriage wasn't built on love, so why would she be bothered?

“It must have been intentional,” Henrietta said, deciding to play along.

Cheryl quickly explained, “No, Mrs. Nash! I hurt my hand earlier when I closed a door. I couldn’t hold the glass steady.”

She held up her hand for both of them to see. Sure enough, it was bruised. A premeditated injury, Henrietta thought with an inward eye-roll.

“You don’t need to apologize to me,” Henrietta said coolly. “The water didn’t spill on me. As long as you’ve apologized to Mr. Nash, that’s all that matters.”

“I was afraid you would be angry because you care so much about Mr. Nash…” Cheryl trailed off, her implication clear: if Henrietta wasn’t angry, it was because she didn’t care about her husband.

Henrietta sighed internally, then looked at Yosef. “Mr. Nash, you should go change into something clean.”

“Right. I’ll hang up now. Good night,” he said, clearly eager to get out of the damp clothes.

“Okay. Good night,” Henrietta replied.

Yosef ended the call, leaving Cheryl stunned. He just… hung up? Henrietta wasn’t angry, nor did she even bother to say another word to her. It was complete dismissal, pure contempt. It was as if Henrietta didn’t even consider her worth the effort of a confrontation.

Cheryl clenched her fists, a fire of resentment burning in her chest. “Henrietta,” she thought, “let’s see how long you can keep this up.”

...

The next day, Henrietta was surprised to see Leon at her office.

“What is it?” she asked, her tone clipped.

Leon nodded, then glanced at Winona and Joaquin, who had once again installed himself in her office like a resident pest. “Ms. Sargent, I need to speak with you alone.”

Henrietta raised an eyebrow. She found Leon just as distasteful as the rest of his family, but his secretive manner suggested he had something important to say. Could he have discovered Matteo and Artina’s affair and come to tattle?

Leon didn’t move. “The only reason a man does that is because he has someone else. You two hadn’t even broken up yet! Matteo cheated on you!”

Henrietta’s frown deepened. “I told you to get out. I don’t want to hear it. It has nothing to do with me anymore.”

“Just let me finish,” Leon pressed on. “I know who the other woman is. I can tell you with absolute certainty that he was with her while you and he were still together. They’re still seeing each other right now!”

This was his trump card. But it was all information Henrietta already had. She hadn’t caught them in the act recently, but she assumed they were still together.

Seeing her silence, Leon continued, “Even though you’ve broken up, the fact is he betrayed you! If you want proof, I can get it for you tonight. I don’t have evidence from before your breakup, but I can get proof of their current affair. And if you want to prove he cheated during your relationship, I can… get them to confess. I can prove their betrayal.”

Henrietta was dumbfounded. She never imagined Leon would come to her as an informant, all but screaming Artina’s name.

She remained silent, and Leon, sensing he had her attention, added, “Think about it. Once you decide you want to know who the woman is, the evidence is yours for the asking.”

Henrietta studied him. He sat ramrod straight, his expression a mask of confidence. He was the same age as Jolie, a few years younger than herself.