A Vow of Deception, A Vow of Revenge novel Chapter 98

"Still trying to argue?" Winona shot her a glare.

"Heh, okay, okay, my bad. I promise I won't do it again," Veronica replied, grinning from ear to ear.

She watched as Winona carefully packed away an oil painting and couldn't help but ask, "Did Jonah give that to you?"

"Yeah." Winona closed the box and slipped it into a gift bag. "I'm giving it back to him."

"Tsk, tsk." Veronica shook her head. "Nona, isn't that a bit harsh? From the way Jonah talks about you… It sounds like he really likes you. Has for years, even."

"That's exactly why I need to set boundaries," Winona replied, her voice steady. "I can't let him hold on to any false hope."

The whole mix-up with their arranged marriage was embarrassing enough. To make matters worse, Jonah actually had feelings for her. If she didn't make her stance clear, she'd only be leading him on—and that wouldn't be fair.

"You're right," Veronica conceded.

She grabbed a chocolate bar from the table and started unwrapping it, but then paused to study Winona. "Nona, you seem a little different today than you did a few days ago."

"Hm?" Winona looked puzzled. "Different how?"

"I don't know—you seem like you're in a much better mood." Veronica tilted her head, eyeing her. "Is it because… you found out your fiancé is actually Elvis?"

Winona raised a hand and absentmindedly scratched her cheek. "Do I really seem that happy?"

"Absolutely." Veronica nodded, completely sure of herself.

Winona busied herself with the ribbon on the gift bag, winding it around her finger a couple times before speaking, her voice soft. "I just know who I'm supposed to marry now. That's all. No more awkward misunderstandings."

She tried to keep her tone casual, but a faint blush crept up her ears.

"Yeah, right. You think you can fool me that easily?" Veronica snorted. "No way."

"I'm not lying."

Winona finished tying the ribbon, then picked up the gift bag and took it out, asking a housekeeper to deliver it back to Jonah.

"Oh, by the way," Veronica said suddenly, tossing the now-empty candy wrapper into the trash. She looked unusually serious. "Tyson hasn't been bothering you again, has he?"

"No." Winona shook her head.

Or rather, even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

She'd already changed her phone number.

"Good." Veronica's face hardened. "If I ever see that guy again, I swear I'll slap him. Actually, make that more than once."

"Don't," Winona said with a small, worried smile. "Don't dirty your hands over someone like that."

"I don't care. Worst case, I'll just wash them afterward."

They both burst out laughing.

After chatting idly for a while, Veronica reached for her tablet, looking for a movie to kill some time. But as she scrolled, a breaking news alert popped up on the screen—her eyes went wide in surprise.