A Vow of Deception, A Vow of Revenge novel Chapter 89

Winona nodded quietly.

As Elvis answered his phone, something on the other end made his face darken in an instant.

"Are you sure about this?"

A long pause.

"All right, I understand. I'll be back right away. Please don't worry."

His stern expression made Winona's heart sink with unease.

When he hung up, she hurried over. "Mr. Rogers, is something wrong?"

Elvis tried to smooth the tension from his features. "It's nothing, Miss Thorne. It's getting late—go get some rest. I have to run."

Before she could say another word, he strode off and climbed into his car, driving away in haste.

Winona had wanted to ask if there was anything she could do to help. After all, she owed him so many favors by now—she couldn't just keep taking without giving something back.

But Elvis was gone before she had the chance.

His abrupt departure only confirmed her fears: something serious must have happened.

A worried heaviness settled in her chest.

When she arrived home, she found her grandmother in the living room.

"Grandma, it's so late. Why aren't you in bed yet?" Winona asked, hurrying over.

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get up and stretch my legs," Jane Warner replied. "Did you just come in from outside?"

Winona nodded. "Yeah, I was just out front for a bit. Mr. Rogers was there—we talked about a few things."

"Mr. Rogers? You mean Elvis?" Jane's eyes twinkled. "Oh, you young people—out so late together…"

That was what Tyson had once told her—clearly, the story Celia had spun.

But now it was obvious: Jane, or rather "Selma," didn't remember Celia at all.

So much for being "close" or "especially fond."

Winona had suspected as much. Whenever she chatted with her grandmother over video calls, Jane would share every little thing—big or small. If there really had been a girl she liked so much, wouldn't she have mentioned her by now?

"Oh, wait, I remember now!" Jane exclaimed, smacking her forehead. "A few years back, during a trip abroad, I met a young woman at a tourist spot. For some reason, she was unreasonably enthusiastic, insisting on showing me around. I found it very odd, and eventually had my security escort her away—she was simply too loud. I think she introduced herself as Celia."

Jane's expression soured at the memory.

But it wasn't the forced cheer or the chatter that bothered her. It was the falseness in Celia's smile—an insincerity she could spot a mile away.

After all these years, Jane Warner had seen it all. There was no fooling her.