Chapter126 Tonight
Upon seeing Fiona Clark at the door and piecing together Winona's earlier comment, it wasn't hard to infer the situation.
Zachary's eyes narrowed.
He didn't show overt anger, yet the increasing pressure of his grip on Winona's hand spoke volumes of his rage—a brutal squeeze that seemed all but violent: "Did you plan this?"
The intense pain spread from Winona's arm throughout her body, making her wince. Before she could even attempt to pull away, Zachary released his grasp.
He looked down, his gaze landing on her reddened wrist. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to grip so hard," he said quietly.
Although Zachary Bailey was being a gentleman at that moment, even uttering an apology that seemed more sincere than the dismissive one he had offered earlier at the studio's entrance, Winona Sullivan instinctively kept her distance.
"You invited them; now handle it," she snapped.
Winona Sullivan had anticipated Bailey wouldn't let her off the hook easily and called Fiona Clark over, so why on earth would she heed his wish to send Fiona away?
"Winona Sullivan," Fiona interjected, cutting off the apparent tug-of-war between the two of them.
Her face drained of color, her slender frame quivering as if struck by a crushing humiliation, her voice mixed with sorrow and indignation, "Zachary and I haven’t been in touch for a long while. There was no need for this kind of public shaming."
She cast a scornful glance at the indifferent Bailey. "Even if I had no shame, I wouldn’t pester a man who's clearly not into me and risk being a nuisance."
Zachary's expression darkened in an instant, his eyes sharp and warning as he looked at Fiona.
Off to the side and seeing it all, Winona thought, Great, she was apparently the pawn chosen to provoke jealousy.
"Why don't you both come inside? I might offer some insight," Winona suggested wearily. She wondered what insurmountable issue made a romance so exhausting, to the point it seemed like there was some kind of feud involved.
"No, that won’t be necessary," Fiona declined.
"Leave," Zachary commanded.
The two spoke almost simultaneously, one with a smirk, the other with detachment.
Fiona's eyes brimmed red, and she turned to leave decisively. After a few steps, she spun back, "Since I'm here, let me explain. The invitation mix-up was my agent's doing; she's been eager to hype up my potential entertainment career, which led to this misunderstanding. I’ve reprimanded her, and it won’t happen again. I'm sorry."
This time, she didn’t look back as she left.
Winona wanted to slip away too, but Bailey caught on to her intent. He made a thinly-veiled threat. "Stay for dinner, I'll drive you home afterward. Create a scene, and you're welcome to spend the night here."
Watching his retreating figure stride toward the dining room, Winona's overflowing sympathy momentarily won over. It was pitiable, really. The guy had wealth, power, and looks, and yet he was hung up on someone as vexing as Fiona Clark.
"Can you even stomach your meal? Or shall I fetch her back for you?" Winona quipped.
Zachary Bailey's icy gaze bore into her as he said, "You're still parading around as Mrs. Bailey, and now you want to bring her back just so the press can make up stories and tarnish her reputation?"
Winona Sullivan could kick herself for earlier sympathy; her moment of weakness now seemed ludicrous. She had mistaken his thoughtful consideration as pitiable vulnerability.
When Zachary didn't hear a peep from behind him for a while, he pressed, "Why so quiet all of a sudden?"
With a fiery retort, Winona shot back, "Because I realize it's better for couples to fight less."
His grip was so firm she almost thought her hand would break.
After dinner, Zachary was the one to drop her off at her apartment. He was in a bad mood and remained silent the entire trip. Initially, she had asked Brian to drive her, but Zachary insisted otherwise, leaving Brian to take the wheel anyway.
...
The next day, Winona Sullivan visited Mr. Baker's office. She had meticulously gone through her mother's belongings the previous night but found nothing suspicious.
"What? You're Harper's..." Mr. Baker was visibly shaken at the sight of Winona Sullivan. He struggled to believe it, yet it made perfect sense. The resemblance was uncanny, and to call it a mere coincidence seemed far too convenient.
"Then why didn't you mention Harper the last time I asked? How's your mom doing? Is she still in the same line of work?"
"My mother... she passed away."
Silence fell between them.
"She didn't just lose touch with you ten years ago; she died."
Winona hadn't impulsively revealed her identity to Mr. Baker. For years, she found no news regarding her mother's death; she even entertained the thought that it could have been an accident. However, her grandfather was convinced it was foul play. After much probing, she discovered her mother had taken on a restoration job right before the incident.
The painting wasn't finished when her mother died, and after her death, it mysteriously vanished.
If her enemies were hidden in the shadows, then she would place herself in the light.
Winona didn't know if revealing herself would do any good—it was a decade-old case, after all, and any existing conspiracy had likely settled into dust. But in the absence of any leads, it was a tactic worth trying.
She planned to leverage Mr. Baker's connections to spread the word in their circles that she was Harper's daughter.
Mr. Baker stammered, "She..."
He opened his mouth, pausing for what seemed an eternity before finally asking, "How did your mother die?"
Piece by piece, Winona laid out the details of her mother's death, her own suspicions, and the clues she had unearthed over the years.
Mr. Baker frowned, expressing his disapproval, "Your mother would never want you to risk your safety like this. No, I can't let you put yourself in danger. I need to look after you for her. We can investigate privately; there's bound to be a clue somewhere."
"But my grandfather spent his last moments worried about catching my mother’s killer," Winona Sullivan implored. "I can’t let him down."
"Let's strategize carefully," Mr. Baker decided, "for now, reveal yourself as 'Windy'. Once you've secured a higher profile in the scene, other leads might just come to you."
Though 'Windy' had some notoriety in certain circles over the years, Winona Sullivan’s low-key approach meant few could connect directly with her. She was skilled, but only a select few knew of her.
"The feedback from that last documentary was really positive. John is now planning a variety show and he asked me to extend you an invitation. It’s an fantastic opportunity for exposure..."
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