The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 435

Winona's heart sank.

Though she never planned to forgive Frank, his question made her hesitate. Softening her tone, she replied, “Yes, my name was Shepherd ten years ago. I changed it to Perkins then. I have no connection to the Shepherd family.”

She'd never been one to believe in money falling from the sky. But ever since Ms. Irene Chase's butler in Italy had handed her an inheritance contract, a seed of doubt had been planted in her mind. After returning from Italy, she had rushed straight from the airport to her grandmother's hospital room, the contract forgotten in her bag. It wasn't until that night, when she got home and opened the manila envelope, that she found it didn't contain any papers—just a flash drive.

She plugged it into her computer and found a single, password-protected folder labeled: *Inheritance Contract*.

This was the way of the wealthy, she supposed. They wouldn't just hand over a fortune without verifying her identity, without a formal meeting and a notary. With a small, cynical laugh, Winona set the flash drive aside.

It wasn't that she was too noble to want money or a life of luxury. She desperately wanted money. But she believed in earning it the right way. Her plan was to wait until Zane started school, then fly back to Italy to find Ms. Irene Chase's husband, a Mr. Mario, and get to the bottom of things.

She never expected Frank to confront her first.

Could he be Ms. Irene Chase's husband? But his name was Frank, not Mario.

“Do you know…” Winona began to ask.

“Miss Perkins!” Frank's voice cut through the air, sharp and severe. His expression turned cold and distant, his eyes guarded and unfamiliar.

At the wedding, when he'd seen Henrietta glaring at Winona with murderous intent, a thought had struck him: perhaps Winona had some connection to the Shepherd family after all. Could she be the girl he was looking for?

But her words shattered that hope. She had changed her name ten years ago. And the designer known as Shepherd had only reconnected with his dying wife in Italy last fall, during a conference on senior living initiatives. Besides, Winona had only finished middle school. A woman with such a basic education couldn't possibly have designed a project of that magnitude and emotional depth.

Winona was definitely not the one.

Frank's tone turned to ice. “Miss Perkins, I demand that you stop interfering in the lives of Mr. Nicholson and the Shepherd family. They are a warm, happy family now, with more children on the way. Your presence is nothing but a destructive force.”

Felicity pointed a trembling, furious finger at Winona. “Winona, if anything happens to Mr. Frank, I'll kill you!”

Winona stood frozen.

When the ambulance arrived, Felicity, still in her wedding gown, climbed in with Frank. Just before the doors closed, she turned to Julian and cried, “Julian, take care of our twins! They think of you as their real father!”

The doors slammed shut, leaving Julian standing alone as Felicity's daughter ran up to him.

The little girl looked up, her voice light and innocent. “Daddy, Daddy, can we go home now? Mommy said our new house is really, really big! Does it have gardens in the front and back? And a driver and maids?”

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