Chapter 2

Isaac's brows lowered as he frowned. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What did you just say, Wynn?" he asked in disbelief.

All the reporters stared blankly at Wynona. Everyone at the scene fell silent.

Wynona faced the crowd and said, "I won't be marrying Isaac. That's all."

She then shoved the microphone into the hands of a dumbfounded reporter, turned, and walked into the company without sparing Isaac a single glance.

Isaac's lips pressed into a thin line. The panic in his eyes vanished in an instant, and a faint smile played on his lips.

He quickly explained, "We had a fight yesterday and hadn't made up yet. Sorry about that, everyone."

His expression was one of helpless yet doting concern, and he politely nodded to the crowd. "Let's reschedule the interview. In any case, Ark Group is placing great importance on this winter's limited-edition release. Please look forward to it. We won't let our customers down."

Isaac turned and gave a sidelong glance to Bruce, his eyes warning.

Bruce immediately understood.

Once Isaac had left, he lowered his voice and warned, "Not one word of what just happened should appear in any of your media coverage unless you want to be blacklisted in Lonmire."

The reporters nodded to show that they understood.

Upstairs in the jewelry department, the staff were gathered in small groups and gossiping away.

"I heard that Mr. Zeigler treats Ms. Savill's parents really well. He must already see them as his future in-laws. It looks like he's planning to marry her for real."

Wynona entered just in time to hear that. When she thought of her father's illness, a flash of disgust and hatred flitted across her eyes beneath her sunglasses.

She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Don't you all have work to do?"

Nobody even had time to turn around. Just hearing Wynona's voice sent them all scrambling back to their seats.

Wynona was in a terrible mood, and her tone matched it.

In a cold and stern voice, she warned, "If I hear any of you gossiping about my personal life again, don't bother coming back to the jewelry department."

As her words fell, the door to the director's office slammed shut with a loud bang.

The staff exchanged confused glances.

"Did Ms. Savill get up on the wrong side of the bed today? What a temper…"

The person had barely finished speaking when his colleague next to him tugged on his sleeve frantically. "Mr. Zeigler's here!"

Isaac swept a cold glance at the speaker and walked straight into the director's office.

Wynona had just sat down when the door burst open.

"Wynn, what are you doing? Why would you say that in front of so many reporters?" Isaac questioned reproachfully as he stormed in and closed the door behind him.

He approached her desk and asked, "What did I do wrong? Are you mad that I worked late and didn't come home to be with you last night?"

Wynona looked up at him, the hate in her eyes sharp and intense. Her fists trembled slightly from how tightly they were clenched.

Her three years of affection for him had vanished into nothingness.

She used to treat Isaac like a member of her family. But from that moment on, all she wanted was to enact her revenge against him.

Shawn was suffering in prison, and her parents were sent to the countryside. Ark Group had stolen and snatched what should have been the Savills'. Wynona solemnly swore that she would get everything back from Isaac.

"Wynn, say something. What's wrong?" Isaac urged. He grew uneasy because he couldn't see her eyes. So, he leaned down and took off her sunglasses.

And the moment he did that, he froze.

Wynona's eyes were red and bloodshot. She had clearly been crying. Even now, they brimmed with a sense of grief and grievance so deep that it seemed to swallow everything whole. It was as if he'd done something utterly unforgivable.

Isaac's heart wrenched. He instinctively crouched down and held her hand.

"Wynn, why are you crying like this? What did I do wrong? I'll apologize, okay?"

Wynona pulled her hand away and looked out the floor-to-ceiling window with watery eyes.

"Lately, everyone's been speculating about our wedding. But when reporters asked, you said the decision was up to me. You didn't make it clear that you'd marry me. Is it because you never planned to marry me at all?"

Her voice caught in her throat. She wiped her tears away, looking ever so fragile.

Isaac gripped her hand harder as guilt flashed across his face for a brief second. "Why would you think that? I was just respecting your wishes. If you wish to marry me, I'll start planning the wedding tomorrow."

"Sure," Wynona said, her expression softening. "Then let's bring my parents over and have both families sit down to discuss the date."

Isaac opened his mouth and had a slightly troubled look in his eyes. "We… We need to be meticulous about this. You know how my family is. They are superstitious and very particular about choosing the best date. Even the meeting of both families has to be on a festive day."

Wynona smiled coldly on the inside. "That's no problem at all. Come with me to the countryside this weekend. I haven't visited my parents for over half a year because I've been so busy.

"We'll bring them here. Since they'll need to be involved in the wedding planning, it'll be more convenient for them to stay in Lonmire."

Isaac frowned slightly and didn't respond right away.

Tears welled up in Wynona's eyes. "What, you don't want to?"

A teardrop slid down her cheek and landed on the back of Isaac's hand. It was ice cold, but it seemed to scald him. He flinched and quickly wiped away her tears.

"Of course not. We'll do as you say. I'll make the arrangements," Isaac agreed. With that, he stepped out with his phone in hand.

The moment he left, Wynona's sorrowful expression disappeared. She applied some eyedrops to soothe her raw, aching eyes.

She closed her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. Within seconds, her mind spun with ideas.

Lester needed urgent treatment for his illness.

At that moment, Isaac still needed her for the jewelry department and as leverage to provoke Marilyn. He wouldn't blow things up with Wynona just yet, which gave her the perfect chance to plot her revenge.

In two months, she would see if it would be Isaac and Yolanda kicking her aside, or if it would be her tearing both of them down to nothing.

Soon, Isaac returned with his phone in hand and a tense expression on his face. "I just spoke with the village chief. Your father is sick."

Wynona shot up. "Is it serious? I want to see him!"

Isaac stopped her and gently reassured her. "I already sent Bruce and a caregiver over. Your father will be moved to a high-end nursing home downtown. Don't worry. He'll receive the best enclosed treatment available. Once he recovers, our families can start planning the wedding."

"Enclosed treatment?" Wynona's breath caught.

Isaac patted her head softly. "He can't exactly have visitors due to his condition. But with your mother there, he won't feel lonely. You should just focus on the winter launch. I'll ensure that Lester is taken care of."

Wynona's heart sank to her stomach. "Enclosed treatment" was obviously so that Isaac could seize control over her parents and buy time.

Still, Wynona thought that it was fine. Since Isaac feared being exposed, he would at least ensure that Lester received the treatment he needed. She felt that she shouldn't push her luck and arouse suspicion for now.

Wynona's nails dug into her palm as she subtly clenched her fists. "Have the caregiver send me daily photos. I want to see his condition improving day by day."

Isaac paused, plastering on a fake smile that barely reached his eyes. "Okay. I'll have it arranged."

Then, he changed the subject and asked, "Can you do a quick interview today? Tell the reporters that the wedding is happening soon and help promote the new launch, okay?"

Wynona narrowed her eyes and replied calmly, "My eyes are swollen. Let's do it another day."

Isaac couldn't push further. He just reminded her to rest for that afternoon and left.

Once he was gone, Wynona went to the office across the hall.

Yolanda's office faced south and was larger than hers, and she was the one who arranged it that way.

Over the years, she had poured all her creative energy into building Yolanda's reputation. To Wynona, Yolanda had been like a sister. She didn't hold back in sharing everything with her.

Looking back now, she realized how foolish she'd been.

Yolanda was so intoxicated by her success that she had forgotten one crucial fact. Everything she had now was handed to her by Wynona on a silver plate. This meant that Wynona could easily take away everything she had ever given to Yolanda.

Wynona pushed open the door to Yolanda's office. The computer on the desk had been left on all night, and the screen showed Yolanda's WhatsApp chat with Isaac.

Wynona instantly caught sight of her name.

One of Yolanda's texts read, "Hmph! Does Wynona think that her designs are special? They just pander to the masses."

Isaac had replied, "I don't see what makes them so great either. But every single one becomes a trending item. The jewelry department can't function without her now."

Yolanda responded with an eye-roll emoji and then texted, "Her designs are tacky and tasteless. They're total garbage! If it were up to me, I'd handle it well and do a way better job."

Wynona stared at the screen for two seconds and let out a quiet scoff.

She moved the mouse and opened the design files she had sent to Yolanda. Without hesitation, she hit the delete button.

The upcoming limited-edition launch and all future drafts vanished with a single click of the mouse.

Since Yolanda said she could handle it, Wynona believed that she should do it on her own.

…

By the end of the workday, Yolanda still hadn't shown up.

She was always like this. She relied on Wynona's designs to get famous and acted like royalty around the department. All this time, she had come and gone as she pleased.

Wynona was well aware of her habits and behavior. Yolanda wouldn't even open the files until the last few days before the release.

Every time a new design launch was completed, Yolanda would take her time to post the designs on both her social media and the company's site simultaneously. Then, she would just kick back, relax, and bask in all the praise and adoration from everyone.

Wynona stepped out of the elevator while replying to some messages.

She had scheduled a meeting with a lawyer from Dalton & Finch for the next day. She intended to have someone look into Shawn's case and determine if it was all a setup.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out nearby. "Seriously? Did Marilyn really come back to the country?"

Wynona looked up and saw Isaac on the phone with his back to her. From the tone of his voice, he was evidently overjoyed.

Wynona stopped in her tracks.

She couldn't hear what the person on the other end said, but Isaac gripped his phone and replied stubbornly, "So what if she's eating at Evergreen Restaurant?

"She left without saying a single word to me. Now, she expects me to chase after her? No way! Tell her I already have Wynona."

Isaac angrily hung up on the call and rested his arm on the half-open car door, his expression dark and conflicted.

Then, he made another call.

The ringtone rang out behind him, causing him to look up in surprise.

Wynona pretended to have just arrived. She waved her phone at him and ended the call.

"I'm right here," she said.

Isaac immediately put on a warm smile and walked over, draping his coat over her shoulders.

"It's cold outside. Why didn't you put on warmer clothes? Are you done for the day? Let me take you to dinner."

Wynona's gaze dimmed slightly. She calmly said, "Sure. Where to?"

Isaac opened the car door for her, his doting look flawless. "Evergreen Restaurant."