The room hung heavy with a tense, smothering silence. Dennis Williams felt the weight of those damning photos, his mind flashing back to Winona coming home looking all disheveled—now he knew it was from a hotel. If the Castro family weren't sitting right there, he would've ripped into her for behavior he found straight-up shameful.
Jaiden Castro's father, George Castro, studied the photos for what felt like an eternity before his eyes finally locked onto Winona. "Winona, is that really you in those pictures? I want the truth."
Winona met his gaze head-on. She'd already guessed exactly how this little gathering would play out. "Yes, it's me." She saw the disappointment flicker across his face, and a bitter smile tugged at her lips. Of course. No one here had any intention of hearing her side.
Not that it mattered. In their eyes, she was already branded. No self-respect, right?
"George, since Miss Williams has admitted it, there's really nothing left to discuss," Mrs. Castro cut in, shifting the spotlight with practiced ease. "I know you respect old ties, and our family always honors our word. Dennis, you do have another daughter. Elia would make such a perfect match."
The realization hit Winona like a bucket of ice water. Now she saw it—this whole thing was a mother-daughter setup, all triggered by her stupidly timed visit to the Royal Hotel. She didn't need to guess who leaked those photos.
Her heart turned to ice, but her father's eager voice sliced right through it: "If that's how it is, I have no objections. It all comes down to how the kids feel, after all."
Elia Williams blushed, her voice dripping honey. "I think we should get to know each other first, but I really do like Mrs. Castro. She's just wonderful."
"Isn't she just the sweetest? I knew from the start we clicked. She actually helped me dodge a scam once!" Mrs. Castro beamed, practically glowing.
Hearing they'd already met just sealed Winona's isolation. Her fists balled so tight her knuckles went white, but she kept a polite smile plastered on her face. Jaiden's gaze kept wandering to Elia, and Winona got the message loud and clear.
"Well, it seems everyone's pretty happy with how things are going. Aunt Castro, Dad, Elia, Mr. Castro—have you all made your decision?" Winona's voice came out steady, almost too calm.
Mrs. Castro sneered, "Isn't it obvious? We're not about to let Jaiden marry someone with a reputation like yours. Who knows what you've been up to, dragging our family name through the mud."
"Since you've all decided, I'll share my decision too." Winona's words cut through the tension like a blade.
"Your decision?" Jaiden asked, a flicker of curiosity breaking through his cool demeanor. Her face held that mix of defiance and pride, but it didn't move him. He preferred women like Elia—soft, sweet, agreeable.
Seraphina Cruz watched from the sidelines, smug as hell, thinking Winona's collected act was just for show.
"Oh yes. I, Winona Williams, am officially calling off the engagement my mother arranged with Mr. Castro. Consider it annulled, as of today."
The three women at the table let out harsh, mocking laughs.
"What choice do you even have?" Mrs. Castro scoffed, all warmth gone from her voice. "At least you're smart enough to realize you're nowhere near good enough for our Jaiden."
Her sharp words matched her angular features and those intense, hawk-like eyes.
Winona didn't even flinch. She went on, "The engagement's off, but let me make one thing crystal clear, George Castro: it's me, Winona Williams, who doesn't want your son, Jaiden Castro. Got it?"
Jaiden stared at her like she'd just told the world's dumbest joke. Him? Turned down? He was a Castro, for crying out loud. The idea was laughable.
Winona calmly poured herself a cup of coffee. "Mrs. Castro, your son is the one who's not worthy of marrying me."
She knocked back the whole cup in one go, leaving everyone stunned. The audacity.
Jaiden, a man who commanded respect wherever he went, had never been spoken to like that by any woman. To him, Winona was nobody. He was almost curious how she thought she was going to pull this off.
"Fine! Just don't come crawling back later, crying and regretting what you said today."
Winona shot him a defiant smile. "Don't hold your breath. That day's never coming. Goodbye."
She'd stopped hoping for love a long time ago. All she wanted was a marriage that wouldn't bury her deeper in misery.
The Castro family's outright contempt made it painfully clear: they wanted out of this engagement from the jump. Mrs. Castro already had her speech rehearsed. Winona saw no point in sticking around for more humiliation.
She sucked in a deep breath as she stepped out of the restaurant, the cold hitting her like a slap. With nowhere to go, her mind immediately went to her one real friend—Briana Fernandez.
The moment Briana got her call, she dropped everything and came running, pulling Winona into a hug without asking a single question.
"What's there to worry about? You've got me!" Briana had been by her side all through university. She knew every battle Winona had fought.
Words weren't needed between them—one look was enough.
Inside the buzzing pub, Winona downed drink after drink for the first time in her life, spilling the whole mess to Briana.
Briana waved it off like it was nothing. "So what if they're the Castro family? They're not exactly top dogs in New York City. Who does Jaiden think he is, anyway? With your looks, you could land someone ten times better. Tell Jaiden to hit the road!"
Clinking glasses, Winona managed a shaky smile, a new fire sparking inside her. "You're damn right! If I'm gonna marry, it's gonna be the most powerful man in New York City. They can all go to hell!"
In a rare moment of total abandon, Winona drank until she could barely stand.
"Sweetie, I'm just hitting the restroom real quick. Stay put, okay? Don't go wandering off."
Winona waved her off lazily. Too wasted to register anything, one thought hammered in her head—she was gonna marry the most powerful man.
Staggering, she grabbed onto someone's hand to steady herself.
Zayden Morales, hanging with his buddies at the bar, was just about to dip out early when some girl suddenly latched onto his hand. He was about to snap, but then he clocked that familiar face—tipsy as hell, but definitely familiar.
Her again.
Winona didn't recognize him. Her unfocused eyes roamed over his face, then she broke into a loopy grin. "You're not Briana! But... have we met somewhere before?"
Zayden frowned. First a hotel, now a bar, totally wasted—this woman's life was a whole soap opera.
Seeing him stay silent, she giggled and leaned in conspiratorially. "No, I don't know you. But you're hot, so I'm gonna let you in on a secret."
She threw her arms out wide and announced, "I, Winona Williams, swear today to marry the most powerful man in all of New York City. You hear me? The most powerful man!"
Zayden couldn't stop the smirk curling his lips. Was she... drunk and ranting? Or was she talking about him as the most powerful man?
Was this some kind of act?
Before he could get a word out, Briana rushed over and tugged Winona away. Good-looking as he was, Zayden's whole intense aura set Briana on edge.
She shot him a quick apology. "Sorry about that, handsome! My friend's just really upset and went overboard. Please just ignore her." With that, Briana steered Winona out the door fast.
As Zayden watched them go, he could still hear Winona slurring, "Briana! I'll marry... I'll marry the most powerful man..."
