"Zelda, your injuries aren't too serious. Take care of them yourself for now." In the end, guilt won over. Winston left her behind and strode out to chase. He ignored Zelda's loud cries behind him.

Winston subconsciously exhaled a sigh of relief when he arrived at the hospital and didn't see George in the ward. Of course, George had such high standards. How could someone like Josie ever catch his eye?

He walked quietly to the hospital bed. Josie's face was completely drained of color, so fragile that she looked like she could shatter at the slightest touch.

He unconsciously grasped her hand, but Josie frowned when he touched her as if she was in a nightmare. Winston gently kissed the corner of her lips and murmured, "It's my fault. I never thought you'd be so proud that you'd actually drink all of it. As long as you behave, I'll give you a grand wedding."

Josie slept until noon the next day. When she saw Winston for the first time, she was still a little dazed and didn't know what year it was. She dreamed of her first meeting with Winston. At the age of 15, Thomas led her into the castle-like house.

Winston was at the center of a crowd of kids his age, admired and respected like a prince. Too bad he didn't greet her like a gentleman in a fairy tale when he saw her. Instead, he frowned in disgust and snapped at Thomas, "Uncle, why did you bring this wild girl home? The second she stepped inside, the air in this house started to feel cheap."

Thomas gently squeezed her hand in reassurance. "That's just how Winston talks. Don't be scared, he actually has a soft heart. If you spend more time with him, he'll accept you eventually."

Josie believed him. Before the Carters’ downfall, her repeated attempts to approach and please Winston were met with cold shoulders and insults. It wasn't until Winston fell from grace and they both landed in the mud that he showed her some resemblance of kindness.

As a minor, Josie had taken on the burden of the Carters. She arranged the funerals for their parents, sold off their remaining belongings, rented an apartment and switched schools. She carried everything on her small shoulders. Only then did Winston start treating her with a little kindness.

At that time, she thought that what Thomas had said was true and that Winston would accept her. It just took a little more effort. Now, it seemed that no matter how much she paid, Winston would never truly see her. In his heart, Josie will always be cheap.

Winston was not just a prince but a king who only cared about power. The only truly gentle and gentlemanly prince was his uncle, Thomas.

Josie lowered her gaze, refusing to look at him anymore. Instead, she shifted the conversation to work. "The contract is still intact, right? Do you know when Mr. George will be available to finalize the details?"

Although her businesslike demeanor annoyed Winston a little, he could not express his displeasure due to her frail condition. He could only patiently continue to coax her. "Don't think about work for now. Just rest."

Josie pursed her lips. "I can't. I need to make money." Otherwise, Thomas would be in danger during her six months of isolated study.

Winston thought she was worried about his tuition fees and his heart warmed again. He took out a bank card, handing it to her. "Don't worry about money. I said I'd take responsibility and won't let you worry about these things again. There's $300000 in this card. As long as you're not so stubborn and insist on going against Zelda, I won't make things difficult for you."

Josie happily accepted the card. $300000 was just enough for half a year's medical expenses. She could go to Scotland for her studies ahead of schedule.

Winston's initial warmth, spurred by her accident and hospitalization, immediately faded as she saw the unmistakable joy on Josie's face. As expected, no matter how much someone from a small, rural place tried to change, they couldn't shake off their inherent pettiness.

Three hundred thousand dollars. Winston wouldn't even consider giving Zelda a gift at that price, yet Josie acted like she had won the lottery. Winston's expression grew cold. "Zelda cut her hand. I'm going to check on her."

Josie ignored him. Instead, she transferred the money to the hospital and called Janice. "Winston lent me $300000. I'll pay him back when the project is done. I'm ready to join the team and start learning anytime."

Janice rescheduled her start date for a week later in consideration of her health. After two days in the hospital, Josie returned to her cramped, run-down rental apartment to continue packing. She probably wouldn't be coming back to this city again.

Five days before her departure, she booked a flight. Winston saw a picture of the flight details in Janice's social media feed and immediately called her. "Why are you going Scotland?"

"Just a trip," Josie responded, not wanting to cause more trouble.

Winston paused for a moment before letting out a cold sneer. "I thought you were supposed to be some bigshot career woman. Even Mr. George seemed to think highly of you, but look at you now. Didn't take long for your true colors to show. Does it feel good spending money you didn't earn?"

Josie didn't respond. She knew arguing with people like Winston would only make him more convinced he was right. Besides, she would be returning the money eventually. It didn't matter when he found out.

Winston was enraged by her indifference. He uttered a harsh threat before finally hanging up. "Josie, you better hurry up and try to please me. I might still marry you out of our years of relationship. Otherwise, you won't get a single cent!"

Four days before her departure, Josie went to the office to finalize her resignation and then met with her landlord to terminate her lease. When Winston arrived and saw the empty apartment, he froze momentarily. Then, he curled his lips into a mocking smirk. "What, are you so sure I'll marry you? Can't wait to move into the Carters' house, huh? Zelda's birthday is tomorrow and my parents will be there too. If you really want to marry into the Carters, you should think about how to impress them."

Josie scowled in disdain for the first time as he thought of the heartless couple who left the young Winston and the gravely ill uncle. They even pretend to be dead, then flee abroad. "They left so decisively back then, leaving behind a mess. Now that everything's settled, they want to come back?"

If they had been able to disappear for so many years, they would have surely been involved in that accident back then. They weren't dead, but Thomas had spent seven years bedridden. What had he done to deserve that? Winston could afford to forget because he had been spared a lot of hardship during those years under her care, but Josie couldn't.

Winston's face turned grim and he slapped Josie hard. "Josie! Is that how you talk to my parents? Just because I give you some face, you really think you're the savior of the Carters? The money you gave me over the past seven years isn't even a drop in the bucket compared to the Carters' wealth."

A bright red mark formed on her cheek as she stared at the man before her, now completely unrecognizable. The child who clung to her like a stray puppy, terrified of being left again, slowly faded from her recollection.

All that remained was the tall man coldly looking down at her, saying in an unquestionable tone, "No parent would ever not love their child. They must have had their own reasons. The love they give me will be far greater than what you've given me all these years! You have to come to Zelda's birthday party tomorrow. Otherwise, not only will the marriage be off the table, but you'll have to return the thirty thousand dollars!"

So, on the third day before leaving, Josie wore a washed-out shirt and jeans and went to the Carters, which had become luxurious and noble again.

Winston did not give her an invitation. As soon as she got outside the door, Josie was stopped by the staff. As a last resort, Josie could only call Winston. After a dozen calls went unanswered, she realized she had been blocked.

Meanwhile, Winston was swirling his wine glass, projecting his phone screen onto a large screen. Young men from the capital were laughing at the constantly ringing call interface.

"I bet she'll keep calling, up to 30 times!"

"No way, she's not that dumb. She'll probably switch numbers. I say she'll give up after trying five different ones!"

Zelda smiled. "A smart woman would have left by now. Only someone as shameless and pathetic as her would keep clinging to Winston."

Winston smirked. "She wouldn't dare leave. If she did, she'd lose the $300000."

He was right. Josie couldn't leave on a whim, but she didn't insist on calling. She asked the staff to pass on a message. Then, she sat on the curb outside and quietly flipped through the study materials sent by Janice. Winston clearly wanted to give her a hard time. There was no point in calling anymore.

Josie sat in the cold wind for two hours until the evening banquet was about to begin and then Winston finally arrived. His brows furrowed at the sight of her outfit. "I told you to wear a gown. Even if $300000 isn't enough to buy a nice one, you could've at least rented something decent."

Josie looked at him calmly. "Are you done playing? Can I leave now?"

Winston had won his bet and gained face in front of everyone. Now, he had a little more patience. He put his arm around Josie's shoulder, leaning on her with a touch of drunkenness. "Josie, don't be angry. I came to find you, didn't I? They wanted me to bring you in after dark. I came out early because I felt sorry for you."

Josie looked at him with disappointment. "Winston, do you find it amusing to play with people like this?"

Winston chuckled softly in her ear, his hot breath spreading across her neck. "Other people can't even play this kind of game. Only I can. Because I know, no matter what, Josie, you won't leave me. I'll take you to change and then you can meet my parents. Once they approve, we'll get our marriage certificate. After that, you'll move into the Carters' residence with me."

Marriage certificate? Josie curled her lips into a mocking smile. She might have fallen for his fake tenderness if she didn't understand French. Alas, Winston would only do what he said on the phone that day. The marriage certificate would belong to her, but the wedding, blessings, family, life and everything would belong to Zelda.

When the paperwork was done, Winston and Zelda would fly abroad to start their real life together. What about her? She'd be left behind, clutching a meaningless red booklet and an empty promise, stuck handling the Carters’ affairs in this city.

Josie felt a wave of bitterness in her heart, but she still nodded obediently on the surface. "Okay."

Only three days left until she could leave. Exposing everything now would cause unnecessary trouble. She was exhausted. She didn't have the energy for any more of this.