When Two Winters Met (Henrietta and Yosef) novel Chapter 176

Calvert had a lot to say about Yosef’s harried return. Yesterday, he had assumed his boss was furious with Henrietta for doubting him. But then, Yosef had abruptly decided to cram all his remaining meetings into one marathon session. What was supposed to be a two-day schedule was condensed into a single, sleepless night.

He had worked straight through until ten this morning, and even then, he hadn’t finished everything. Without a wink of sleep, he had boarded the plane back to Juno City. They had just left the airport and were on their way to Elysium Manor when Henrietta’s call came in. Since they happened to be closer to the Nash Hotel, they had changed course and headed straight there.

Calvert had been stunned by Yosef’s sudden decision to return. He had even feared that his boss, in a fit of anger, was planning a flash divorce—something entirely within the realm of possibility for a man like Yosef.

But Yosef’s explanation had surprised him. He said that Henrietta must have felt incredibly insecure to go and verify their marriage certificate. For an heiress of the Sargent family, such insecurity was unusual. It was then that Calvert realized just how much Yosef cared for her. Perhaps it was her breathtaking beauty; men had always been drawn to protect such women.

As Yosef and Henrietta sat down, Artina and her friends approached the table.

“My dear brother-in-law…” Artina began, her voice sweet and eager.

Yosef’s head snapped toward her. “Who’s your brother-in-law?”

Artina flushed with embarrassment. “Well, aren’t you Jethro’s older brother?”

Yosef merely scoffed, ignoring her question. He took out his phone, made a call, and barked a single sentence into it: “Haven’t you dragged your ass over here yet?”

After a brief, unheard response, he hung up.

Artina tensed, wondering who he had called. His attitude towards her was undeniably hostile. Was he here for Henrietta, not for her?

Yosef turned his attention back to Henrietta. “What happened?”

Before she could answer, one of Artina’s friends jumped in. “Mr. Nash, this is what happened!”

She proceeded to give a factual, if biased, account of the evening’s events. Since they had been the ones to extend the olive branch first, their story painted Henrietta as the aggressor—arrogant, unreasonable, and cruel, the perfect villain.

“And look,” the friend concluded, pointing to the spot where Shirley had fallen, “one of our friends is still lying on the floor! They hit her with a wine bottle!”

“Why?” he asked.

He knew she wouldn’t have provoked Artina without a good reason. It was clear that Artina, with Jethro’s backing, had felt emboldened, but Henrietta’s vehement refusal of a simple toast was out of character. She was Artina’s boss, the one who was actively promoting her. Why would she create such a scene?

That was the reason he was asking for.

Henrietta looked at him, his handsome face stern and impartial, like a judge ready to pass sentence. She couldn’t tell him the real reason. She had considered using Artina’s pregnancy to silence her but had decided against revealing that she knew about Artina’s scheme. At the time, she hadn’t known the fiancé was Jethro. If she had… well, none of this would have been necessary. Since she hadn’t said anything before, she wouldn’t say anything now.

“No reason,” she stated flatly.

To the onlookers, her words sounded like a brazen admission of guilt, delivered with unnerving confidence. A collective gasp went through the crowd. Who dared to speak to Yosef Nash like that?

Only, it seemed, the heiress of the Sargent family.