A Vow of Deception, A Vow of Revenge novel Chapter 86

"I told you, didn't I? Don't call me unless I say you can."

On the other end of the line, the man stammered, nervous and apologetic. "I—I know, but you never replied to my messages. You haven't talked to me for days, Celia. I really miss you."

"That's not my problem. Stop bothering me!"

"Celia, can't we just go back to how things were?" His voice was small, aching. "I know I'm not Tyson yet, but I'm working on it. I swear, I'll make my company even bigger than Goodwin Enterprises—"

"Give it a rest. Do you have any idea how naïve you sound? Your little startup? How long do you think it'll take before you're anywhere near Goodwin Enterprises?" Celia's tone was full of scorn.

She paused, then added sharply, "And listen—do not go to Tyson. I'm warning you. If you so much as let him catch wind of the truth, you'll never hear from me again."

"Don't worry, Celia. I'd never do anything to hurt you," the man said bitterly. "All I want is for you to be happy."

Celia scoffed. But just then, a new idea seemed to flicker across her mind.

"You say you want to make me happy?"

"Yes!" he replied, eager, desperate. "Anything for you, Celia. Just tell me what you need."

"Well, as it turns out, I do have something you can help me with."

"Just say the word."

A cold glint flashed in Celia's eyes. "Winona. Do you remember her?"

"Of course," he said quickly. "The woman who got in that car accident two years ago—Tyson's girlfriend, right?"

"No need for the commentary," Celia snapped, cutting him off. She took a slow, steadying breath, then continued, "I want you to find her. And I want you to take care of her. Make sure she's out of the picture."

Right now, Simone was watching her too closely—she couldn't do this herself.

"Yes. From the moment I came back, Winona's been out to get me. She's turned everyone at the office against me, stolen credit for my work, sabotaged me at every turn. And you know what? Not long ago, she framed me for something I didn't do—I was thrown in jail because of her! Do you have any idea how many times I got beat up in there?"

"She did that to you?" The man's voice rose in outrage, and Celia could hear the crash of something breaking in the background.

A faint smile tugged at Celia's lips. She'd known he'd react just like this.

"That's right. And Tyson cares so much about her now, too. Just earlier, because of her, he pushed me to the floor. My knee's still swollen."

"Celia, I—I had no idea you'd been through all that…"

"So, if you really won't help me get rid of Winona, then I guess I'll just have to keep suffering, won't I?"

"No! Celia, I understand. I'll take care of Winona for you."