A Vow of Deception, A Vow of Revenge novel Chapter 147

He deliberately paused for a moment before speaking with a mocking lilt, "Miss Thorne almost became my fiancée, you know."

The mood in the private dining room instantly dropped below freezing.

Winona remembered hearing about this from her family after she'd returned home: the Quincy family had once tried to arrange a marriage with the Thornes. But Victor had never agreed to it. In the end, he chose the Rogers family instead.

Her grandmother had said that Victor's choice wasn't because the Rogers were the most powerful among the elite families, but because he had greater faith in Elvis.

Of course, the Thornes turning down the Quincys had inevitably left a sour taste. But at least on the surface, the matter should have been put to rest—everyone needed to save face, after all.

She hadn't expected Jude to bring it up so bluntly, clearly intent on stirring up trouble.

"Jude." Elvis's tone was icy, all traces of politeness gone. "Who gave you the nerve to talk nonsense in front of Winona?"

Jude just clicked his tongue and scratched his brow. "Nonsense? I'd hardly call it that. The Quincy family made a sincere effort to form an alliance with the Thornes. It's just a shame—"

He narrowed his eyes, as if peering past Elvis to study Winona. "The Thornes decided we weren't quite good enough."

"You exaggerate, Mr. Quincy," Winona replied smoothly. "Marriage is about compatibility between two people. There's no such thing as ‘not good enough.' Besides, the Thornes never gave any formal response to the Quincys' proposal. So saying I ‘almost became your fiancée' isn't exactly accurate, is it?"

Jude gave a cold, humorless laugh. "So what you're saying, Miss Thorne, is that you and Mr. Rogers are perfectly suited to each other?"

"Thank you, Mr. Quincy, for the compliment," Winona replied without missing a beat.

Jude's jaw tightened. Since when was that supposed to be a compliment?

"Jude, you can leave now," Elvis said, his voice frigid.

"Hey, no rush. I've still got something to discuss with Miss Thorne."

Jude glared at Elvis, his expression growing stormy.

Just then, Winona stood and slid her arm through Elvis's, flashing him a smile. "I've lost my appetite. Since Mr. Quincy seems to be enjoying himself here, let's leave him to it and find somewhere else to eat."

Jude's theatrics had completely killed any desire she had to stay.

"Sounds good," Elvis agreed at once. "Let's go."

Neither of them spared Jude another glance as they walked out, eyes fixed straight ahead.

Jude remained rooted to the spot. After a while, his gaze drifted to the chair where Winona had just been sitting.

Winona really was beautiful—so beautiful it made his heart ache with longing.