Chapter 433 Let Me Take a Look
Evander noticed her expression change and gave her a comforting pat on the back. "It didn't happen, but..."
He took a deep breath and blurted out, "But Winona wasn't pregnant. You were in a bad place back then, not eating or drinking, and we were all worried about you. Plus, you misunderstood."
He spoke quickly, worried that if he slowed down, Lydia might faint. Even so, he kept a close eye on her, his hand hovering behind her back.
There was no need to say more; Lydia got it. Her frown deepened, and she said with tears in her eyes, "So, my grandchild is gone?"
Evander corrected her. "It's not that the grandchild is gone; there was never a grandchild."
Lydia said, "Isn't that the same thing?"
Evander said, "Technically, it's not the same thing."
Lydia glared at him, her eyes full of a clear threat: "Just try arguing with me."
Evander swallowed the rest of his words and hugged her, soothing, "Yes, you're right."
The next day.
Winona had just gotten up when she got a call from Dylan. He sounded urgent, "Mrs. Bailey, have you seen this morning's financial news?"
"No," she said as she opened the news app on her phone, "What happened?"
His anxiety made Winona's nerves tense up too. The Bailey Group couldn't handle any more trouble right now.
"Andrew, the guy we were negotiating with yesterday, his company got exposed for serious quality issues. He was taken away by the technical supervision department this morning," he said, relieved. "Luckily, we hadn't signed the contract yet."
The Bailey Group was already on shaky ground, and any more bad news would be a disaster.
Winona thought of Nicholas's attitude yesterday. Although he was competing with the Bailey Group for business, he didn't seem very keen on the deal. From playing golf to having dinner, he never mentioned the collaboration. Even when Andrew brought it up, he avoided the topic. And now, Andrew's company had issues. Winona said, "Did the Ramsey Group sign with them?"
Judging by Andrew's attitude, it wasn't hard to guess his inclination.
"They probably haven't. After dinner last night, everyone left. Besides, Mr. Ramsey only had a rookie assistant with him. Even if they were going to sign, a lawyer would need to be present. The company got exposed early this morning, so there wasn't time to sign."
Winona said, "Okay, I'll go to the office later. If anything comes up, call me directly."
After hanging up, she got ready and drove to the Ramsey Group.
As expected, she was stopped by the receptionist. "Miss Sullivan, you can't go in."
Winona asked, "You recognize me?"
The receptionist smiled awkwardly and didn't answer her question, just repeated, "Miss Sullivan, you can't go in."
She had only been to the Ramsey Group once. Although she was quite pretty, she wasn't so distinctive that people would remember her after one glance. The only plausible explanation began to take shape in her mind.
"Am I on the Ramsey Group's blacklist?" she asked.
The receptionist said, "Mr. Ramsey said he won't see you."
Winona didn't make things difficult for her. "Then please call him. I have something urgent to discuss. If he won't see me, I'll wait in the lobby."
The receptionist didn't have the authority to call Nicholas directly but could contact the assistant in the president's office. Having worked at the Ramsey Group for so long, she thought Winona must be someone special to be the only one on the blacklist.
A few minutes later, the receptionist said, "Miss Sullivan, he will see you now."
Compared to the Bailey Group, the Ramsey Group was neither grand nor luxurious, just an ordinary office building. The elevator was standard, with plain metal walls and no fancy design.
Nicholas's office was in the middle of the hallway. After the assistant led her there, he left.
Winona looked at Nicholas behind the desk, who was engrossed in his documents, feeling a mix of emotions. Was Andrew's issue a coincidence, or was it deliberate?
"Miss Sullivan, I know I'm good-looking, but you don't have to stare at me like that," Nicholas said without looking up, "If you have nothing to say, please leave."
She stared at his face. "Did you know about Andrew's company's problems beforehand? Yesterday's events..."
Nicholas paused in flipping a page, then looked up, seemingly both angry and impatient. "Are you saying I did it on purpose to prevent you from being deceived?"
He sneered, his expression full of mockery. "Do you always let your imagination run wild? I told you, I'm Nicholas, not Zachary. Although it might be disrespectful to the deceased, you need to face reality. I heard Zachary had an accident at sea. Even the best swimmer can't survive in the sea for long, let alone after three months."
Nicholas had a roguish charm that Zachary lacked, a kind of unruly mischief.
Winona said, "I believe in what I see. Otherwise, there will always be some regret. Once I see it, I can let go."
"So?" Nicholas didn't understand the hidden meaning in her words. "Do you want me to take a paternity test with Evander?"
"That was my initial thought, but then I realized with your current connections, even if I provided a sample, the result might not be genuine," Winona said as she walked up to his desk. "Do you have surveillance in your office?"
"No. Are you planning to take over this business? Sorry, but the Ramsey Group has its own related industries, so there's no need..." Nicholas suddenly fell silent, and he jumped up from his chair as if electrocuted. "Winona, what are you doing?"
He knew Winona had always wanted him to take off his pants, but he didn't expect her to take matters into her own hands. In his panic, he instinctively grabbed her hand, which was already on his belt buckle, and warned her sternly. "Behave yourself."
His tone was severe, the kind that would send any other woman with hidden agendas into a retreat of embarrassment. But Winona, devoid of any untoward intentions, met his stern gaze with unflinching resolve. "Zachary has a scar on his leg. If you aren't him, then let me see. If there's no scar, it proves I was wrong."
"If it proves you were wrong, what will you do?" For some reason, an unexpected vision of Matthew's gentle coaxing at the dinner table flashed unbidden through his mind, and his eyes darkened. "Forget about him and start a new relationship?"
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