The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 108

Distance.

That was how his wife described "Shepherd" on her deathbed.

He'd come back to the country to find Felicity. Despite her pride and independence, Felicity was anything but distant; on the contrary, she was vibrant and full of life.

But Felicity's husband was, indeed, Julian.

And Felicity's last name was Shepherd.

She'd had a difficult childhood.

Most importantly, the retirement plan Felicity had designed was considered the best in the world.

All of this matched precisely what his wife had said.

Watching Winona's figure retreat into the distance, a deepening worry pulled at the corners of Frank's mouth.

His phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, relief softened his features as he answered, "Hello, Dr. McCarthy."

Frank had met Xander at Old Mrs. Shepherd's birthday gala. He'd taken a liking to the young man, and the feeling was mutual—Xander respected him.

Most crucial of all, they both wanted to protect Felicity. The two hit it off immediately and exchanged contact information.

"Mr. Frank, I wanted to talk to you about that woman, Winona. We can't let her ruin Felicity's happiness. She's trouble, pure and simple!" Xander said bluntly.

"I couldn't agree more," Frank replied.

"How about we meet in person to discuss this?"

"Good idea."

Ending the call, Frank stared after Winona's fading silhouette and muttered to himself, "No matter how difficult you are to deal with, I won't let you destroy Felicity's happiness."

Winona, of course, couldn't hear what Frank was saying behind her back.

She would just have to play along.

So she'd accompanied Yves to the jewelry store, where he'd planned to pick out a striking necklace for her, wanting her to look dazzling at tomorrow's meeting to finalize a land deal.

She had to be present to seal the deal.

But that didn't mean she had to be decked out in jewels. Besides, the Teague-Henrietta-Felicity family was inside the store; she'd rather avoid a run-in.

She slipped away, driving straight home instead.

But as she reached her apartment complex, she spotted Yves's car already parked by the entrance.

He leaned casually against the car door, a perfectly wrapped gift box in his hands.

"Leaving without even saying goodbye?" Yves looked at her, half amusement, half reproach, as he held out the box. "Here. For you. Go on, open it."

The moment Winona lifted the lid, her eyes widened in disbelief. "This—"