A Vow of Deception, A Vow of Revenge novel Chapter 14

In the end, it still had to be Winona who stepped in.

Tyson had asked Winona before to help Celia out more, but she'd seemed reluctant at best.

Not that it mattered—Tyson knew how to coax her. If he pressed a little, Winona would never say no.

"You can go now. Ask Nona—Secretary Thorne—to come in."

He gently wiped Celia's tears, soothing her with soft words and promising to buy her the latest designer handbag. Only then did Celia finally, if grudgingly, make her way out of the office.

Not seeing Winona around, she asked someone and learned that Winona was in the break room.

Inside, the rich aroma of brewing coffee filled the air, but it did nothing to calm the anger and jealousy churning inside Celia. She glared daggers at Winona's back, as if she could tear her apart with a single look.

Winona hadn't turned around, but somehow she seemed to know exactly who had come in. "Can I help you?" she asked coolly.

"Ty wants to see you in his office," Celia replied, her voice icy.

Winona didn't hurry. She finished brewing her coffee with deliberate care, poured it into her mug, dropped in a sugar cube, and stirred it slowly.

Her calm, unbothered manner only fueled Celia's fury. "Did you not hear me?" Celia snapped.

Winona glanced up, her gaze sharp. "If you're asking for a favor, Celia, you might try asking nicely."

"You—" Celia's eyes went wide with anger. Suddenly she exploded, "It was you, wasn't it? You sabotaged me! You told the clients to make things hard for me, didn't you?"

"You're imagining things." Winona's lips curled in a faint, disdainful smile.

"Winona, seriously? Acting like this over a project? Don't flatter yourself. I'll always come out on top." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her expression smug. "Tyson cares about me more than you could ever imagine. Don't tell me you don't see it."

Winona's eyes darkened instantly.

Yes, Tyson cared—so much that he'd even helped her cover up the truth about that staged car crash.

His cheap affection meant nothing to her. But that accident—her ruined leg, her lost ability to dance—Winona would never let that go.

Celia had no idea what was running through Winona's mind. She just assumed Winona was jealous, and that thought made her all the more triumphant.

Winona picked up her coffee and started to walk past Celia, but just as she was about to leave, Celia suddenly spit out, "Winona, I'll show you just how much Ty cares about me!"

With that, she grabbed Winona's wrist, yanked the coffee cup, and flung the scalding liquid straight into her own face. Screaming, she bolted out of the break room.