Chapter 97

The more Darcy talked about his relationship with Winnie, the more she insinuated that despite his sincere devotion, Winnie didn't appreciate it and turned to Rock. It felt like Winnie was taking advantage of the situation and even had the nerve to lie directly to him.

Mr. Rodriguez's anger undeniably surged, and the seeds of suspicion kept growing deeper.

He looked at the woman who was holding the phone in confusion through the window. She quickly returned to the private room. Perhaps intentionally, she didn't stabilize herself and suddenly fell forward.

Rock immediately played the hero, catching her hand. The woman lifted her head, embarrassed. Rock's eyes were filled with deep affection.

Mr. Rodriguez observed the unfolding scene with a cold stare. In a fit of anger, he hurled the phone against the wall, shattering it into pieces. Without showing any emotion on his face, he turned away and quickly opened the car door. The limited-edition Bentley, worth millions of dollars, disappeared in an instant.

"Mr. Rodriguez, wait for me." Darcy hurriedly went after him, smiling from ear to ear for a brief moment. 'Winnie, you've really dug yourself a grave,' she thought as a sense of joy filled her.

Winnie entered the private room, still distracted by Lawrence's phone call. By accident, she twisted her foot. Realizing she was pregnant, she exercised extra caution and promptly reached out to grasp the chair.

Rock, with his quick reflexes, promptly supported her hand. She regained her balance and immediately distanced herself from him.

"Thank you, Rock." At this he quickly let her hand go.

The private room door remained open, allowing waiters to come and go. Winnie sighed and sat down. She had already half-drawn her design. Although she was a little unsettled, she accelerated to complete the other half.

She aimed to deliver the necklace on the same day. Once Rock finished reviewing the comprehensive design and discussed the specifics with her, determining the choice of jewelry to be used, the necklace would be finalized, allowing her to concentrate on crafting it. The remaining items were just a pair of earrings, studs, diamond rings, a few bracelets and a brooch.

"My mother truly admires your designs. Considering the personal nature of this matter, I'm afraid I'll have to impose on you a bit longer. However, you needn't hurry like today. My mother can wait," Rock said.

His personal fascination with this enchanting girl was evident.

However, Winnie remained oblivious to the man's thoughts. They had only discussed work matters that day. Rock left a gentlemanly impression on her so she wasn't particularly guarded against him. Especially before leaving, he kindly handed her a neatly packaged velvet cake.

"Perhaps you would like it?" he asked with a smile.

Winnie was pleasantly surprised. It was a cake from Toffee's, her favorite cafe. Even Mr. Rodriguez didn't know about this small preference of hers. Of course, just as their love journey was only in the early stages, she had not yet had the chance to share her preferences with Mr. Rodriguez.

"Thank you, goodbye," Winnie said.

After saying their goodbyes, Winnie departed from the Golden Club. As December approached, the cold suburban weather set in, and darkness descended early.

In a sudden wave of longing, she yearned for Mr. Rodriguez's broad and comforting embrace. He was a towering, substantial man, radiating a comforting warmth. Simply being near him was enough to bask in the cozy aura of love.

Winnie's lips curled up as she got into her car and headed straight for Kingdom Estate. Kingdom Estate was located in the heart of Lymington, a prime location with every inch of it being valuable.

Once she arrived, she parked her car and made her way into the majestic towering building. The company lobby was grand and magnificent, brightly lit at this moment with busy employees coming and going, all of them being elites.

But Winnie was stopped at the front desk by a rather arrogant female secretary. "May I ask who you're looking for?"

"It's me," Winnie said awkwardly, realizing that she didn't even know her husband's name. She could only helplessly say, "I'm looking for your CEO."

"Huh?" The female secretary glanced at her. Although she was beautiful, there were just too many women like her, who came every day to flatter the CEO of Imperial Jewelry.

The secretary sneered and replied sarcastically, "I'm sorry but our CEO is not here. And without an appointment, you cannot see him."

Winnie couldn't believe that he had actually not been there because Mr. Rodriguez had specifically asked her to come to Kingdom Estate that morning, expressing his desire to show her his work.

Frustration washed over Winnie, prompting her to call him immediately. However, the man did not answer. She furrowed her brows and patiently dialed for the third time. Finally, the man picked up, and through the phone, an unexplained cold gush of wind rushed over Winnie.

Winnie hesitated for a moment, about to speak but suddenly heard noise and commotion on his end as if he was in a bar.

She furrowed her brows and inquired in a gentle tone, "Mr. Rodriguez, why did you abruptly end our call during lunch earlier? I was occupied at the moment. You did mention wanting me to come to the company today, and here I am."

The man stayed silent, yet cold laughter lingered, mocking her, though she couldn't discern which words had triggered it.

The eerie sound created a tense atmosphere and froze Winnie in place. She couldn't understand why he seemed so displeased. She spoke softly again, "Where are you right now? Sorry, I'll be busy till late tonight. Did I make you wait? Shall I come to find you?"

"Huh." That mocking sound pierced Winnie's ears, and he continued to laugh coldly. "Why aren't you spending the night at the Golden Club?"

"What?" Winnie had no idea what he was talking about.

Suddenly, a coquettish female voice came from his end followed by Darcy's gentle voice entering the line, "Mr. Rodriguez, don't drink the shots from them. Ms. Winnie would be heartbroken if she found out. Come, let me help you."

With a resounding crash, Winnie's mind abruptly went silent, her breath caught in a momentary pause. He was at a bar with other women and Darcy.

An uncontrollable rage surged within Winnie. In a subdued voice, she questioned him, "Are you enjoying yourself at a bar? You clearly asked me to come to the company, and now you've left me standing here for nothing."

"What right do you have to interfere? Who do you think you are, acting like my wife?" The man's voice was as cold as ice, laced with mocking tones that stabbed into Winnie's heart like frigid daggers. He added, "A woman full of lies."

Winnie didn't catch the last sentence as he abruptly hung up.

Winnie stood motionless under the heater, but her body felt as if it had been plunged into an icy tundra. She was left stunned by his unfounded cold insults, and his sarcastic remarks had sliced into her heart like a knife, causing intense pain.

So, even though they were in a relationship, she had no right to control him. He could casually break their plans and insult her at will. 'How could this fickle bastard speak so hurtfully?' Winnie said to herself.

Just yesterday, he was fine. The man who had eaten hot dogs with her, who had put her to sleep at night and the man who had said he wanted to love her well after their fight. It was all him, all his actions and words. Now he mocked her for treating herself as his wife. Winnie was overwhelmed with emotions, confused by how Mr. Rodriguez truly thought of their relationship. She wondered if he had been playing with her all along.

Winnie crouched down with a pale face, experiencing profound hurt and inexplicable confusion. In that moment, the receptionist noticed her distressed demeanor after the phone call and promptly summoned two security guards to escort her away.

Winnie glared coldly at the receptionist, her face expressionless and walked away. She stood in the cold wind for a while before driving back to the villa estate.

Her mother-in-law was resting alone in the villa and Taylor asked if she had eaten dinner. Winnie pouted and immediately turned her face, almost on the verge of tears at that moment.

Shaking her head wearily, she slowly climbed the stairs and opened the master bedroom door. It was eerily quiet. He had still been holding her in his arms just last night.

'What a lunatic he was,' Winnie thought to herself.

He seemed to have a faster split personality than someone with dissociative identity disorder. After running around all day, she was exhausted. She didn't want to call and get scolded by him anymore so she curled up under the covers and fell asleep in a daze.

In the private room, Mr. Rodriguez looked at his phone and the call screen that had been hung up by him.

Suddenly, he smashed the brand-new phone he had just bought onto the glass table, causing an expensive liquor bottle to roll onto the floor and break instantly.