Chapter 83 Divorce Automatically Granted after Two Years of Separation
Zachary didn't say anything and gave her a knowing look. Winona exclaimed, "That's not happening!" She would never agree to let him stay here! "One hundred thousand dollars per night."
"No, who knows what you're plotting." She replied.
"Where do you get the confidence to think I have any intentions towards you?" Unable to avoid recalling those unpleasant experiences from the past, Winona sneered, "In any case, no."
She was already considering legal action, going down the path of two years of separation leading to automatic divorce. Zachary's face turned cold, and he said without kindness, "My mother knows about our separation."
"That still won't work..." "One million dollars."
"Every night, payment in advance, no checks, directly transferred to the bank." Winona quickly changed her tune, her speed of steering impressively fast. Gritting her teeth, she agreed.
How could she refuse such an offer? The amount he offered was quite substantial. In the few seconds of Zachary's silence, Winona had already retrieved her bank card and stood in front of him, offering her card in hand to him.
The man glanced at it and looked away, saying, "That's too much hassle. Just send me the account number."
Winona pulled his number from the WhatsApp blacklist hesitantly and sent him the account number. Within a few minutes, she received a notification that one million US dollars had been deposited into her account.
Zachary's gaze fell on her finger that was about to blacklist him again. He warned fiercely, "If I find out that you put me on the blacklist again, the money behind it will be appropriated."
Winona hesitated and withdrew her hand, standing up and saying, "Good night."
By the time Zachary realized what she said, the bedroom door had already slammed shut and locked from the inside!
He had expected more trouble and commotion for trying to move in. He was pleasantly surprised at how the rest of the evening passed quietly without further ado.
The next day, he left on a business trip, and Winona didn't care how many days he would be gone. After all, one million dollars a day had to be delivered.
Soon, news about her appraisal of Grandpa Watson's treasures spread within their circle...
Someone had called her yesterday, saying that during her recent appraisal for Mr. Watson, he had been impressed with Winona's abilities and wanted her help to examine an object he owned.
Initially, Winona refused due to the fact that this was not her area of expertise, however he offered a price that she couldn't refuse.
When she arrived at the Night Club and told the waiter the room number; she was led to the fifth floor.
The private room was once again crowded, thankfully the room was well lit. The crowd of men and women all sitting around looked like a decent, distinguished group.
A quick scan revealed a few familiar faces.
The middle-aged man sitting in the center stood up as soon as her saw her and bowed slightly, "Miss Sullivan."
The attitude... so respectful, it was almost unbelievable.
Thomas gave up the central seat to Winona. "Apologies, if I have been intrusive on your time, Miss Sullivan. After my father mentioned your expertise in appraising, I waited until last night to contact before requesting your services."
It was obvious that those who played basketball with Grandpa Watson came from well-off families and usually had high aspirations.
One of the main reasons that Thomas was being so respectful to Winona was because he heard rumors that she was Mrs. Bailey. His primary goal was to improve his relationship and climb up the Bailey family ladder.
Winona didn't pay attention to Thomas' intentions and simply said, "Let me take a look at the item first."
Thomas carefully took out a box containing a pair of jade earrings. "This was given to me as a collateral for a debt owed to me. They claim it's a family heirloom from the early Louis XIV era."
Winona examined it. The jade was transparent and of high quality, though not considered an antique despite its significant value.
She put the item back and said, "Mr. Thomas, the jade is very nice. If it is well preserved, it might become an antique in the future."
Thomas didn't pay much to that fact at all.
"Does it really matter if it's an antique?" He thought to himself. These earrings were temporarily acquired merely to create an opportunity to meet with Winona, but now I have to pretend to be disappointed. "I feel like I've been fooled."
After the appraisal and receiving the fees for her services; Winona was about to leave when Thomas stopped her. "Miss Sullivan, since you're already here, why not stay a bit longer? My daughter has been studying art since she was young and she's particularly fond of your line of work..."
Thomas had been trying to interact with Winona, hoping to form some semblance of a bond with her, yet she completely ignored him. After realizing he couldn't use the power of money on her like he did with most others, he had to switch tactics.
The young girl appeared friendly and had a sweet smile with dimples. "Miss Sullivan, won't you please stay a bit longer. I would love to hear more from you. I'm in my third year studying fine arts. Can I join your line of work after graduation?"
Winona responded, "Absolutely, you can try applying to a museum."
There was already a shortage of talent in their field, so Winona was more than happy to show her the way if she truly was interested.
"Are there any specific requirements? Like having knowledge of antiques?" Winona hadn't even had time to react when the friendly girl took her arm and led her to the karaoke stage. "What song would you like to sing, Miss Sullivan? I can help you choose."
"No need..." Winona was about to refuse, when the door to the private room opened.
As Winona looked at the two people who entered, she raised an eyebrow.
This was quite a coincidence; she knew both of them very well: Fiona and her manager. It was obvious that they had come to see the esteemed Thomas.
Emily wore a flattering smile, completely different from her usual arrogance when facing Winona. "Mr. Thomas, I just saw you in passing earlier and suspected it was you. It turns out I was right."
As she continued speaking, she was promoting Fiona. "I would like to introduce you to Fiona, she is undoubtedly the best dancer in the country. If you invest in our dance company, it will definitely be a profitable venture for you."
"The best dancer?" Thomas's eyes gleamed slightly as he thought of something. He had recently heard that Winona and Fiona didn't have a good relationship, so he could take this opportunity to please Winona. "We'll see if she's good or not when she dances."
Emily eagerly continued, "Fiona has a performance on the 9th of this month. I'll make sure to reserve VIP seats for you..."
Thomas interrupted her, "Since she's already here, why go through all that trouble? Let her dance right here. If she truly dances well, then I'll consider investing."
Emily didn't have a chance to speak, as Fiona firmly refused, "Impossible. You will never get me to dance in a place like this."
Dance in an entertainment club? Who did he think she was? A prostitute pleasing men?
Thomas's face darkened. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this place? People can dance on the streets, what makes you so superior? Do you have more legs than others?"
This was the first time Winona witnessed a man who was so good at retorting to women. She couldn't help but take another glance at Thomas.
Noticing her approving gaze, Thomas felt satisfied with himself. He looked at Fiona with an increasingly impatient expression. "If you're going to dance, then do it. If not, then..."
"Get lost! I'm not someone who is desperate to throw my money around, I do not need to sponsor a woman like you!" Fiona, being a highly opinionated individual, wouldn't tolerate such disrespect and was about to turn around and leave. However, Emily quickly grabbed her. "Fiona..."
She pulled Fiona aside and whispered, "Just think of this place as the Paris Dance Theater. If we can't secure an investment, our newly established dance troupe will be forced to disband."
At this point, she sighed wearily. If it weren't for Fiona insisting on returning to America for development, or if she could win over Zachary, they wouldn't be in such a passive situation.
Faced with this group of ignorant people, in this small venue; this was undoubtedly the most frustrating dance Fiona had ever performed.
But that wasn't all. While doing a spinning movement, she noticed Winona sitting in the corner.
Winona was also watching her dance, her gaze unaffected, as if watching a street performer.
Fiona's expression froze, and she abruptly stopped her movements. Then she confronted the woman in the corner, "Winona, we were once acquainted. Are you just going to sit there and watch me being humiliated?"
Winona remained indifferent, "If that's what you think, then I pity Thomas. He can compare prices for a $3 pair of slippers, and yet you feel humiliated with investments ranging from a few hundred to tens of millions of dollars? Maybe you should quit seeking investments and leave the circle. And don't morally manipulate me. It's none of my business whether you feel humiliated or not. I'm not your mother, am I not responsible for your protection in any way."
Emily noticed Thomas's change in expression and chimed in, "Miss Sullivan, if you're treating Fiona this way because Mr. Bailey is protecting her, there's really no need. If Fiona wanted to rely on Mr. Bailey's influence, she wouldn't have personally come to seek investments."
By saying this, she not only wanted to drive a wedge between Winona and Zachary but also wanted to imply to Thomas that Fiona belonged to Mr. Bailey. He better see the situation clearly and not ingratiate himself to the wrong person!
At this moment, the door was pushed open again, and Zachary calmly walked in from outside. His gaze swept over everyone before finally landing on Winona...
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