Chapter 501 He Offended You
Matthew spotted Zachary heading over and gave Evander a quick nod before making his exit. As he passed Winona, he paused and said softly, "If you need anything, just give me a call." Winona was about to reply when she felt a gaze on her, making her uneasy.
Matthew noticed it too, glanced at Zachary, and then, as if to provoke him, shook his phone.
Zachary thought, 'This guy really has too much time on his hands.'
Winona didn't get the tension between the two guys but knew she shouldn't rely on Matthew too much. It was nice of him to offer help, but since she didn't want to lead him on, she couldn't take advantage of his feelings. She said, "There shouldn't be any issues, and even if something unexpected happens, there are doctors and nurses here. You don't need to worry. Thanks for tonight; get some rest."
Matthew forced a smile, raised his hand as if to pat her head, but then put it down halfway. "Okay."
Once he left, Winona also stepped out, leaving the space for Evander and Zachary.
The hallway of the inpatient department wasn't air-conditioned, and the cold wind blew in from the open ventilation window at the end. Winona took Zachary off the blacklist and went downstairs to the convenience store to grab something.
The food at the restaurant that night didn't suit her taste, so Winona hadn't eaten much. After running around handling paperwork, she was starving.
She bought a cup of instant noodles, prepared them with hot water from the convenience store, and sat on a bench in the corner to eat while video-calling Rebecca.
Rebecca was taking a bath, and as soon as the call connected, the screen showed a rather revealing scene. Winona almost spat out her noodles. "Aren't you afraid someone might be around me?" she asked.
"I'm just showing a bit of collarbone and the edge of the bathtub. What's there to see?" Rebecca said, bringing the phone closer to her eyes. "How about this? Just showing my eyes, is that conservative enough?"
Facing those big eyes, Winona couldn't look directly at the screen. She then said, "Today, Anthony asked me about your preferences. He wants to give you a birthday gift."
Rebecca asked, "Did he offend you?"
Winona was used to Rebecca's tendency to miss the point. "Why do you ask?" Winona asked.
"You used to call him Mr. Lewis, but today you called him by his first name. He must have really offended you," Rebecca said. Even when Anthony made Winona lose a lawsuit and failed to get a divorce, she never called him by his first name. Rebecca continued, "If it weren't for the fact that there's nothing between him and me, I'd think you called to complain and tell me to stay away from him."
Winona said, "I asked him if he was interested in you. He mentioned that you were the kind of woman he'd consider for a wife, so I said I'd introduce him to a few women just like you."
Rebecca replied, "Alright, I'll send you a few WhatsApp contacts later. They're all my friends. You can introduce them to Anthony. If you don't follow through, who knows what kind of charges that jerk might bring against you."
Was that really Winona's point?
Rebecca, seeing Winona's stare, surrendered. She said, "Alright, I knew about this a long time ago, so I'm not hurt. I do have some feelings for Anthony, but someone as good-looking and capable as him probably gets a lot of attention. It's normal for me to be attracted to him."She continued, "But I love myself more and believe all women should love themselves more. Relationships are about mutual attraction, and lowering your self-esteem won't make the other person respect you more. So when I realized Anthony was pursuing me not out of genuine interest, I didn't have any other thoughts."
Winona felt relieved hearing Rebecca's nonchalant attitude about relationships. "That's a relief! Otherwise, I'd have to go pick out a bag to throw over someone's head!"
Rebecca laughed heartily. "Then pick a nice sack, wrap up my love, and send him over. I'll have him act for me every day."
Speaking of TV, Winona got excited and forgot about her noodles. "I've been binge-watching a drama for three days, and tonight is the finale. If the couple I like doesn't end up together, I'm sending the writer a knife."
Rebecca responded, "You could fund them to shoot a special ending just for you. The Bailey Group has a media division, right? Use your ex-husband's name, and no star would dare refuse."
"He's still out at sea, probably doesn't have that much influence now," Winona said, knowing that to outsiders, Zachary was still considered missing. "Besides, it wouldn't feel the same."
Rebecca said, "You're just playing the pity card now. I'm hanging up before I get too jealous."
As soon as the video call ended, Zachary's call came in. "Where are you?" he asked.
Winona replied, "Downstairs at the convenience store."
Zachary said, "Wait there for me."
Zachary came down quickly. Seeing her eating instant noodles, he couldn't help but frown. "Didn't eat enough tonight?" he asked.
Winona responded, "Yeah, the food didn't suit my taste, so I didn't eat much."
Zachary said, "Let's go. I'll take you to get something to eat."
Winona asked, "What about Evander?"
Zachary replied, "Sarah is there, and we've hired a nurse. They'll call if anything happens."
Evander was the one who was sick, and it wasn't convenient for Winona to stay and take care of him. When Zachary said that, she didn't hesitate to stand up and follow him outside. She asked, "You can take me out in public now? Aren't you worried about being caught and having to come up with some excuse to explain yourself?"
Zachary said, "He went abroad."
The store clerk's gaze shifted as they looked at them, first filled with admiration and envy, but now hinting at the suspicion of an inappropriate relationship.
Winona leaned closer to Zachary, looked up, and whispered, "Can I hold your hand?"
Zachary was stunned for a moment before saying, "Sure."
After he agreed, he kept waiting, but even after they left the convenience store, Winona still hadn't held his hand.
Zachary pursed his lips, the faint blush behind his ears gradually fading, and his arm, which had been slightly bent, dropped down. "Why didn't you hold my hand?" he asked.
Once they left the inpatient department, the lights dimmed, and the streetlights barely provided enough light to see. From a distance, one couldn't even make out people's faces.
At that time, Winona held onto Zachary's arm, deliberately walking in the shadows of the trees, making it even harder to see them.
Zachary took her freezing hand, which had been chilled by the wind, then gently pulled it down from where she had wrapped it around his arm and cradled it in his palm.
Winona asked, "Do you find this secret relationship exciting?"
Zachary replied, "No, I prefer holding your hand openly on the street."
Seeing his serious expression, Winona teased, "Aren't men supposed to like excitement?"
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