A Vow of Deception, A Vow of Revenge novel Chapter 148

If the Thorne family had agreed to the Quincys' proposal for a marriage alliance back then, Winona would probably be his fiancée by now.

After all, his older brother only ever cared about work. Women weren't even on his radar—it was impossible he'd ever agree to marry Winona. That meant the "responsibility" of this arranged marriage would naturally have fallen to him.

But no—old man Thorne, stubborn as ever, had agreed to the Rogers family instead.

Now he could only watch helplessly as Winona became Elvis's fiancée.

Still… so what?

What Jude wanted, he always got. That was just how it was.

A cold, crooked smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen—"Biggest Pain in the Ass in the Quincy Family."

Jude answered, his expression sour. "Wow, the workaholic himself actually found time to call me. Don't tell me you're about to give me another lecture?"

On the other end, a man's voice came through, cool and detached: "Someone from the Goodwin family contacted my assistant. Tyson wants to meet with me. Go handle it."

"Who?" Jude nearly laughed. "Tyson? What does he want with you?"

"I have no interest in finding out. I'm busy," came the reply, still just as icy. "But we can't just snub the Goodwins. So you go meet Tyson."

"So you're dumping all your unwanted business on me now?" Jude snapped, annoyed. "What do you think I am?"

"Given the way you've carried yourself these past years, I'd say you've never thought of yourself as anything respectable," his brother replied flatly.

With that, the call ended.

Jude stared at the darkening screen, fuming.

That was his beloved big brother for you—always the same deadpan attitude. He had no idea what the guy was so pleased with himself about.

"Is there anywhere else you want to eat?" Elvis asked. When she shook her head, he added, "Or… maybe you'd like to try my cooking?"

Winona's eyes widened in surprise. "You can cook?"

"A little," Elvis admitted with a small nod.

"Then of course I want to try it!" There was genuine excitement in her voice now.

As it happened, Elvis owned a spacious apartment nearby—one of his properties, kept spotless by a regular cleaning service.

By the time they arrived, a delivery of fresh groceries was already waiting for them.

The kitchen was fully equipped with everything he'd need. Elvis rolled up his sleeves and got to work washing and prepping ingredients. Winona offered to help, but he just coaxed her out.

"I've got this. Go relax, watch some TV, or play a game if you'd like."