Chapter 76 Trying to Force Her to Submit
After sending the messages, Winona didn't wait for Zachary's reply. She immediately added him to her blacklist and left the real estate agency with her suitcase.
It was rush hour, making it difficult to hail a cab. She planned to find a nearby hotel to stay for now. She was exhausted from moving and searching for apartments all day and didn't feel like moving anymore.
"Beep beep."
At that moment, a black SUV pulled over next to her.
Winona turned her head, and the passenger-side window rolled down, revealing Matthew's handsome and gentle face.
"Winona, what's going on?"
"I'm moving. I had an appointment to sign the contract at around six, but the landlord canceled it last minute." She didn't mind showing her disheveled appearance to Matthew. "What about you? What are you doing here?"
There was a hospital in front of them, and this street was full of small restaurants. It looked a bit rundown due to its age and narrow road, which completely contrasted Matthew's aura.
Matthew replied, "I went hiking with a friend today and just got back... Get in the car. We can't park here."
Without giving Winona time to refuse, the trunk was already open.
He got out of the car and took her luggage, putting it in the trunk. "Where do you want to go? I'll give you a ride."
Winona was about to say something, but she stopped herself and climbed into the car.
She checked with the software, and the nearest hotel was three miles away. It would be too much trouble to drag the luggage all the way there. So she obediently got into the car and said, "Just find any hotel."
Matthew, driving the car, asked, "Wasn't the previous house good enough? Why suddenly want to move?"
"It was fine at first, but Zachary is stingy. I don't know what wicked means he used to force the landlord to sell the house."
Every time that person is mentioned, Winona grits her teeth with hatred. "I found another house, and we were about to sign the contract when that bastard stopped it. He's just a troublemaker."
Probably no one in this world would dare to associate manipulative Mr. Bailey with the word troublemaker.
Matthew couldn't help but smile. "Zachary is dominant, and he's just trying to make you yield."
He spoke confidently. Having been friends with Zachary for many years, he knew his character well.
Winona couldn't care less about what Zachary's motives were. All she knew was that he had made her homeless.
"He wants me to yield? Do I have to? I'm not his mother, and I don't have to indulge him in everything."
Besides, it was his fault in the first place.
Matthew glanced at her, seeing her looking straight ahead, her rosy lips pursed. Her already beautiful face looked even more vivid due to her anger.
He pursed his lips and looked ahead again. After hesitating, he said, "I have an apartment nearby in my name. If you don't mind, you can stay there for now and move once you find a suitable house."
After considering it for a moment, Winona knew that renting a house was not feasible in the short term. If she moved to a hotel, not only would it be expensive, but Zachary would also kick her out. He had done ungracious things before.
Although she didn't want to trouble Matthew, for now, this was undoubtedly the best solution.
In Zachary's eyes, she was merely a piece of clothing, and Matthew was like a brother to him. He wouldn't make things difficult for his good friend because of her.
"Thank you. I will pay you the rent."
Matthew didn't mind the money, but since Winona offered, he didn't refuse either.
The car stopped outside the apartment building, and Matthew pointed to the street not far away. "There are restaurants along that street, and at the end, there's a shopping mall. It's convenient, but cooking is not allowed in the apartment."
Winona didn't mind. She was busy with work most of the time, and her work involved delicate tasks that made her fingers stiff and tired by the end of the day. She rarely cooked.
Matthew took her to the twenty-seventh floor. This was a high-end apartment with only a few households on each floor. He didn't live here, but there would be a cleaning service every week to keep it clean.
"The closet has new bedding. It's been washed and placed inside. You can use it directly."
Winona said, "Thank you."
They were a man and a woman alone together, and Winona was still a married woman. Matthew couldn't stay longer, "You go ahead and clean up. I'll leave now. If you need anything, just give me a call. I'll text you the cleaning service's number later. If you don't like having strangers enter your room..."
"In the meantime, let's not have him come over."
"Matthew..." Winona called out to him, "You've helped me so much, let me treat you to a meal, as a thank you... If you've already eaten, we can do it another time."
Matthew's lips curled into a smile, "Sure, let's go. I've been climbing mountains all day, and I'm starving."
Since Winona was treating Matthew, she chose a seafood buffet that suited his status, priced at six hundred and eight dollars.
Just as they reached the cashier, a woman's sweet and smiling voice came from behind, "Winona!"
Hearing that voice, Winona instantly recognized who it was and her mood soured.
Before she could turn around, Layla had already intimately grabbed her hand, "What a coincidence!"
Although Layla's words were directed at Winona, her gaze was fixed on Matthew. She blinked her starry eyes and called out in a delicate and charming tone, "Matthew..."
She had been waiting for Winona for several days. Not only did she not arrange for her to meet Matthew, but she didn't even give her a way to contact him.
But it seemed like destiny had decided that she and Matthew were meant to be together, in a city as big as New York, they unexpectedly bumped into each other!
What else could it be if not a fated relationship?
Matthew looked at Winona, "And who is this?"
Winona calmly introduced Layla's identity, "My father's ex-wife's daughter, a viper."
Unperturbed, Winona said this without a hint of joking.
Layla forced a smile, "Matthew, don't listen to Winona's nonsense. She loves to joke around. I'm Layla. We met at the exhibition hall recently when I came back to the country."
She turned her head, glaring at Winona intensely as if changing her expression, and silently mouthed, "Do you still want your mother's belongings?"
After that, she turned her head back to look at Matthew, "Although Winona and I don't share the same mother, we've had a close relationship since we were young. I'm treating today."
Matthew saw that Winona remained silent and took out his phone to pay the bill.
However, Winona pulled on his sleeve and said to Layla, "Then you pay."
Helplessly, Matthew responded, "Winona, I'm a man. It's not right for a woman to pay."
"If there's extra money, we can donate it to children in impoverished mountain areas. She said she wanted to treat, so of course, she should pay."
In the end, Layla reluctantly paid the bill!
"Matthew, I'm treating this time, and you can treat next time."
Layla looked at Matthew with her bright and sparkling eyes, filled with the unique playfulness and innocence of a young girl. When she looked at someone seriously, all she saw was him. This kind of gaze greatly satisfied a man's vanity.
"Matthew, I saw you at the exhibition last time... Winona said she wanted to introduce us, I thought she was playing with me, but I didn't expect her to actually bring you out today!"
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