Chapter 192 Who’s More Potent?
Winona Sullivan walked into the hospital room with breakfast just as the tension reached a boiling point. Both Zachary Bailey and Austin had rigid expressions, looking as if they were about to come to blows any second.
She'd only been away for half an hour; how did these two butt heads again?
Her presence was like a stone tossed into a still lake, tearing through the superficial calm and creating ripples.
Zachary Bailey shot Winona Sullivan a chilly look, got up from the bed, and strode toward the door.
He was still in yesterday's clothes, wrinkled as if retrieved from a garbage bin, especially around the collar where a purplish bruise had been etched into his neck.
As they brushed past each other, he said coolly, “Winona Sullivan, you seem pretty cozy with him.”
His voice was a whisper, laden with a thick frost.
They had even discussed his potency; what's next, a debate over who's better in bed?
Winona wore a puzzled frown.
However, Zachary Bailey had no intention of clarifying, leaving her with his cryptic parting shot as he walked away.
Looking at Austin, whose tension had eased, leaning against the headboard, a playful smile gracing his lips, Winona asked, “What did you do?”
“He's got a short fuse, and gets all worked up when his sore spots are poked.”
Austin's injuries were minor, just superficial wounds. He didn't even need a bandage changed and could leave the hospital after breakfast.
Winona declined his offer to take her home, hailed a cab to her apartment instead, and immediately upon exiting the elevator, she was confronted by yet another unwelcome presence at her door. Thanks to Zachary Bailey, this was becoming all too common.
She frowned impatiently. “What are you doing here?”
Carlos had come the night before, knocking persistently with no answer. Winona had blocked his number—calls couldn't get through. After asking the security guard, he learned of her absence and simply decided to wait for her return, not expecting it to turn into an all-night vigil.
"What kind of girl stays out all night without coming home?" Carlos had stood here waiting through the night, several times toying with the idea of leaving, yet he kept thinking Winona Sullivan might return any minute now. After waiting so long, a little longer wouldn't hurt.
With that thought, he had waited until now, his patience completely depleted, and his temper flaring. He momentarily forgot that his relationship with Winona Sullivan was damaged beyond repair, and instinctively took on a fatherly tone as he admonished her.
Winona Sullivan paused while unlocking the door, and after a long silence, finally spoke up, "Mr. Carlos, I'm no longer your daughter. Save those words for Layla."
Carlos, stern-faced, cut to the chase about his visit today, "You need to get Zachary to pull that show immediately and retract all the news about your identity as an antiquities restorer. I want it all gone."
Winona Sullivan turned around in shock; she thought Carlos had come to force her to cough up the money that Zachary Bailey had given her, pressuring her into remarrying him. She never expected his concern about the show.
Her initial reason for joining the show was to test the waters and see if anyone would lay a hand on her knowing she was Harper's daughter.
But rather than triggering any dramatic reactions from the public, the show became a hit, and to her surprise, Carlos was the first one knocking on her door.
"Why?" she asked.
"Your mother disdains those who flaunt this profession as a means of showing off, considering it a desecration of something she cherished. We can't control others, but as her daughter, you should uphold her beliefs and principles."
Winona Sullivan gave him a mockingly cold smirk: "Sorry, but I love to show off. In fact, I want the whole world to know I'm showing off."
Carlos was at a loss for words and visibly frustrated by her stubbornness. Seeing that she was about to close the door, he quickly raised his hand to stop her "Your biological father... Your mother has been hiding from him for years, avoiding interviews, and crowded places, never daring to leave New York. Everyone knows Harper, but do they know Shen Anyan? Do you want to disgrace your deceased mother to the point where people will desecrate her grave?"
"Do you know who he is?" she inquired.
"No, your mother wouldn't even dare to whisper his name in her dreams. He hated her so much that her death might well be related to him. She was always on edge, telling me she felt like she was being followed. If he could be so cruel to her, you can't expect him to have any affection for a daughter he's never even met, can you?"
Winona Sullivan waited for him to finish, ensuring he had nothing more to add, then asked, "...And then?"
"Then you need to have Zachary suppress the show and the news as soon as possible. If you wait any longer, it'll be too late."
The only response he received was the distinct sound of Winona Sullivan shutting the door behind her.
Carlos stood before the sealed door, "Winona, you can't put this off. Your mom was three months pregnant with you when we got married. I watched you come into this world, grow up, and go to school. In my heart, you're my own flesh and blood. I'm really worried about you."
From behind the door, Winona Sullivan asked, "You knew my mom was pregnant when you married her?"
She didn't believe what her aunt had told her; her mother's marriage to Carlos was a deceit.
"Yes, I knew. She was actually planning to get an abortion, but the doctors said she was too weak. It could've cost her life, and she'd never be able to conceive again. I had loved your mom for so many years, how could I watch her take that risk? So, I mustered up the courage to propose. Your mom didn't like you; she felt you were the seed of that man. Several times she almost killed you. I never dared to leave you alone with her when you were small. So from your birth till you went to school, I took care of everything."
Winona Sullivan didn't remember these things Carlos was talking about, but she did remember that he spent a lot of time with her as a child. Her mom was always busy, often alone in her studio for days. As she grew up, her mom treated her well.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, Carlos’s voice came through, “As you got older, it was probably the amount of time spent together that built the affection. Your mother let go of her prejudices and started treating you like any normal mother would treat a daughter.”
Winona Sullivan coldly replied, “Regardless, I owe you thanks, Mr. Carlos. I won't see you out.”
If Carlos had been her biological father, she might have resented the fact that her stepmother came into her life and wasn't kind to her, always siding with Layla to discipline her. But since he wasn't blood-related, it was natural for him to show preference to his biological daughter over her.
Winona Sullivan left him with those words and went to the bathroom. As for whether Carlos had left, she didn't care.
In the mirror, her reflection showed her mother’s eyes, mouth, and face shape. The forehead and nose…did they resemble her father’s?
She wasn’t going to cancel the show.
She had no obsession with finding her biological father. The identity of Harper's daughter being exposed had inadvertently led to the man, something she hadn't expected. But if it was as Carlos said, that this man hated her mother and even caused her death, then she would undoubtedly uncover him, no matter the cost.
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