The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 72

Yves Prescott stood rooted to the spot, watching Winona's retreating figure with a pensive frown.

He couldn't quite figure out what this woman's game was.

As Winona disappeared down the corridor, Yves pulled out his phone and dialed Wesley.

"Mr. Quigley, we've all been deceived by Winona. She didn't design the senior living project," Yves said, his voice icy.

"Mr. Prescott, if you don't believe me, you could chop off my head and I'd have nothing more to say! But if you do trust me, I'm begging you—give Nona a chance. She's been through so much, you have no idea, she's struggling just to get by!" Wesley's voice, on the other end of the line, was thick with desperation.

"What are you talking about?" Yves demanded.

"Nona hasn't lied. For my sake, please go easy on her, Mr. Prescott. I'm begging you," Wesley pleaded, his tone growing softer, almost broken.

"Make sure I never see her again. If she crosses my path one more time, that'll be the end of her." With that, Yves ended the call.

No sooner had he hung up than Wesley dialed Winona.

Winona, already halfway down the road, pulled over to answer, her voice hoarse and hollow. "Wesley."

"Nona, are you alright? Did things with Julian… not go well?" Wesley asked, worry clear in his voice.

Winona's reply was a tangled mess of bitterness, grief, and something close to hysteria. "No one told me—Felicity is the lead designer. She's the lead designer! Isn't that the cruelest joke? The cruelest. I must be completely unnecessary in this world, right? Is that it, Wesley? You tell me, is that it?"

Wesley hesitated, then said gently, "Nona, calm down. You're driving. It's not safe, you know that."

Some of the fight left her. "But it was my design. I spent five, six years on it… I never wanted fame or money, I just wanted to help. Who could possibly understand how that feels?"

Wesley's voice was thick with sympathy. "I do, Nona. I understand. I really do."

"Thank you, Wesley. It's late. My grandmother, my sister, my little boy—they're all waiting for me at home. I should hurry back, otherwise they'll worry."

Since she hadn't managed to get any answers out of Julian, there was only one path left—face the challenge head-on.

No matter how badly The Nicholson Group had screwed up, no matter how much money they'd lost, what did it have to do with her?

Still, this was going to be a monumental task.

She'd have to hunt for investors with zero credibility to her name, hoping that someone would support her even while The Nicholson Group was still riding high.

With a sigh, Winona started scrolling through her files on potential investors.

She'd barely gotten through a few when Mia's name flashed on her phone.

Winona answered right away. "Mia, did you and Grandma get into another argument?"

"No… I don't know if I should tell you this, but one of the Nicholson family's housekeepers somehow found my number. She said Tiana's had a fever for two or three days. She's in the hospital getting treatment."