A Vow of Deception, A Vow of Revenge novel Chapter 189

"Sue?" Winona caught the shift in her friend's mood and gave her a gentle, concerned look. "Are you alright?"

Sue snapped out of her thoughts, forcing a smile and shaking her head. "I'm fine, really."

It had taken so long to finally see an old friend again, and Sue had so much pent-up frustration she wanted to spill. But the more she thought of all those little grievances, the more she realized how exhausting they sounded—even to herself, let alone someone else.

Winona smiled, her voice warm. "You know you can tell me anything, right? But maybe now's not the best time. How about we meet up in a few days and have a proper catch-up?"

Sue's eyes shimmered, a flush of emotion threatening to spill over. She nodded, voice barely above a whisper. "Okay."

Winona was just as she remembered—beautiful and effortlessly kind.

Tyson, you idiot, do you even realize how much you've lost? Do you even regret it now?

At that moment, Tyson was helping himself to a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray. He took a slow sip, but his gaze was fixed—unwavering—on Winona.

He recognized the woman chatting with Winona: Sue, her old college roommate.

Back when he was trying to win Winona's heart, he'd even asked Sue for help.

Sue had told him then, "There are plenty of guys chasing after Winona. I've never helped any of them. But you… you seem genuinely sincere. Just this once, I'll help you out."

Back then, he really did mean it. He really had been sincere.

But sincerity—his kind, at least—turned out to be cheap and fragile.

He watched Winona with something like obsession.

She looked stunning tonight. In fact, he thought, she was even more beautiful than she'd been when they were together.

He wanted nothing more than to go up and talk to her—really talk—but...

Suddenly, he felt a cold, hard stare settle on him. Tyson's hand trembled around his glass as he looked away.

Earlier today, Jocelyn had asked Jackson if she could be his date for the gala. He'd thought it over, but ultimately said no.

Why else would she want to be here tonight, if not for Elvis?

So Jackson refused.

But he hadn't expected Jocelyn to find someone else to come with.

Noticing his grim stare, Jocelyn gave a cold, dismissive smile and turned away, weaving over to a group of socialites for some light conversation.

"Well, what did I tell you?" Jeremiah said to Elvis, grinning. "Jocelyn actually showed up. Who do you think she's here for? It's such a mystery."

"Keep running your mouth, and you can forget about that property," Elvis replied, face expressionless.

Jeremiah put his hands up in defeat, though he knew Elvis was only half-serious. "Alright, alright! Mr. Rogers, Boss Rogers—I surrender!"