Chapter 45

There was surely something wrong with Lawrence. He just walked away earlier, yet he still brought her food and tried to taunt her.

Winnie was angry at the thought of it. She gritted her teeth and smiled. "Thank you for coming. But Mr. Jeremy, may I ask if my friend Olivia has left?"

"I didn't notice," he replied.

Winnie said apologetically, "She's a girl and I am concerned for her safety. Mr. Jeremy, if it's not too much trouble, can I ask you to see her off?"

Jeremy said, "No problem, Ms. Winnie."

Before departing, he halted at the door. With a nonchalant look behind his gold-rimmed glasses, he asked, "Is Ms. Olivia's fiance Jason Harrington?"

Winnie was surprised and hadn't had a chance to speak.

Jeremy "played" with Jason and a celebrity at the hotel last time. However, "play" in this context was unclear considering how both of them were men.

Winnie was startled, pondering whether Olivia's fiancé had cheated on her.

Jeremy nonchalantly commented on the woman's cuteness today. He doesn't focus on the Smith family, but the Harrington family ranked among the top four wealthy families. He had seen Jason, who was known to be a playboy.

The next day, Winnie received a message from Olivia who informed her to not watch the news.

Winnie knew that the news must have caused controversies about her not to mention that Ava would have hired paid people to tarnish her reputation.

This time, her downfall was an excellent opportunity for Ava to become famous.

To divert attention, Olivia sent a few pictures of engagement rings.

With a coy face, she said, "That jerk Jason proposed to me. I didn't want to accept it but both of our parents were pressuring us. Winnie, can you help me choose? Or maybe you can design a big diamond ring for me so he can spend more money."

Winnie suddenly remembered Jeremy's warning last night.

While Olivia expressed grievances about Jason, she still held onto a glimmer of hope for their relationship. Winnie, on the other hand, wished Jeremy's assessment was incorrect or that Jason was merely joking around.

Winnie thoroughly went through the pictures of engagement rings Olivia had sent her and eventually chose one that suited Olivia.

Afterward, she called the villa and asked about Melissa's well-being.

Melissa happily laughed. "Winnie, your husband has already come back to sleep. When are you coming back?"

Winnie was stunned. Lawrence did come home last night. She rolled her eyes when she heard that since he had been boasting about finding a mistress.

She couldn't help but curl her lips and softly said, "I'll come home after I finish my work today, Mom."

She still had something to do today. Winnie's eyes narrowed. The only breakthrough in her plagiarism incident was Victoria. She needed Victoria to confess that she stole the manuscript and gave it to Ava.

That was why she didn't confront Ava right after the incident and instead exposed Victoria first.

She didn't have any other evidence and left the final decision to the judges.

Winnie found out that Victoria would be going to the Silver Club tonight and then going out of town for a film shoot.

Just then, Ava called.

In a provoking tone, Ava said, "Winnie, the preliminary round results will be revealed in a week. I am confident I'll secure the first-place position, with major media outlets vying to cover my success. Mrs. Davis acknowledged my talent today, and her displeasure has waned. Your efforts to create discord are futile, you troublemaker. The day of my engagement with the Davis family will coincide with the announcement of the first prize. By the way, tonight, Daniel is at the Silver Club, where they are hosting a celebration in my honor. You should join."

"I'm not interested." Winnie knew she was unwelcome and didn't bother to respond.

But she knew that tonight was her chance to find Victoria.

As night fell, Winnie arrived at Silver Club.

The entire bar had been rented out by Daniel to celebrate Ava. The Davis family had brought along many guests. Winnie noticed Leonard Davis and Eudora Davis were also in attendance. It seemed they were trying to establish a good relationship with the Davis family for Ava's sake.

Leonard was known for his playboy ways, otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for Daniel, the illegitimate child, to gain the appreciation of their grandfather. Daniel was the favored heir of his grandfather.

Eudora and Leonard, being siblings, naturally supported their brother.

Winnie avoided these people and went straight to find Victoria.

As she passed by a private room, she saw a few men who were drinking and having fun. Winnie caught a glimpse of Leonard and Eudora, who had a stern expression while keeping an eye on Daniel.

Abruptly, Winnie observed a curtain in the corridor adjacent to the private room. Hushed voices emanated from behind it. "Jason, you shouldn't..."

"Just tell me if you feel comfortable, baby."

Winnie was stunned. 'Jason? Olivia's fiance!' she remarked to herself in disbelief.

Jeremy wasn't wrong, this jerk really was cheating on Olivia.

In an instant, anger surged within Winnie. She walked up with a cold look on her face and pulled the curtain open.

Inside, a disheveled couple clearly hadn't anticipated the interruption. They turned their displeased faces toward Winnie.

When Winnie caught a glimpse of the woman's face, she froze in shock.

Panic crossed Victoria's face, but upon realizing it was Winnie, her stiffness transformed into a cold smile.

"Winnie?" Jason knew she was Olivia's friend and quickly tried to push Victoria away.

However, Victoria kept clinging to him and turned to Winnie with a provoking smirk. "Winnie, what a coincidence. Who are you looking for, Olivia's fiance, or me?"

Winnie clenched her fist as she thought about how Olivia had happily chosen her engagement ring earlier today. She wanted nothing more than to slap Victoria.

It was very unexpected that the woman Jason cheated on Olivia with was Victoria all along.

Observing Victoria's brazen demeanor, she was fully aware that she had seduced Jason.

Among the four prominent families, the Harringtons were always highly desired by debutantes. Jason wasn't an upright person and he exuded a sinister aura.

He enjoyed the drama and threatened Winnie, "You know Olivia is innocent and fragile. Think carefully about whether or not you should tell her."

After saying that, he grinned and walked away.

In a corner, Winnie stared at Victoria, and that look made her feel chills inexplicably. Nonetheless, the pain and anguish on her face brought the satisfaction of revenge to Victoria. The previous day, she had been publicly humiliated at the Pearl Club, a highly embarrassing incident for a celebrity of her stature. From upstairs, Winnie and Olivia observed with cold detachment, fueling Victoria's intense resentment.

Winnie coldly asked, "When did you and Jason start seeing each other? How long have you been together?"

"Don't say it so harshly. It's only been a month. But Olivia is too naive, completely unaware that Jason often leaves my bed before going to have meals with her," Victoria replied.

Winnie slapped her which caused Victoria's face to scowl.

Winnie sneered. "You've become disgusting. Olivia is the most loyal yet the most difficult one among us to deal with. Do you think she would let you off if she found out?"

"If you're capable, why don't you inform her? Her most trusted friend and her beloved fiance, side by side. Let's see how she copes with it," Victoria said with a cold and confident laugh.

Winnie furrowed her brow. That was also her concern. Whenever she contemplated Olivia, who remained oblivious and in the process of selecting an engagement ring, it caused her distress. Luckily, Olivia didn't show up tonight which has sparred her from witnessing the antics of the troublesome couple.

Winnie coldly asked, "How did you seduce Jason? Olivia barely introduced him to you. What methods did you use?"