Chapter 3
Winstona gare darker
Tot if that’s true things could get away. Heal meas
Chelsea looked like she il been thuenigh the wainger, farely holding herself together. She wih ribot manage
“Winston: “She tried to pull back, but her knees bucklest, as she studded fan ward.
“Hey–steady inw,“ Wandon inuiered, wrapping his her out of the elevator.
fighter aicinul her wald. He lonely noticed fallar’s wide eyel
“What are you doing here?” he asked, finside, he wondered. Did she come to at leap trouble!
chelsea’s fare was pale as a glost, her voice barely a whisper. “My family his
“A friend?” He anched an rycbow.
“Kate Meyer, She’s in HIIC” Chelsea steadied herself, glausing annual “Wall
I was looking for a friend
She couldn’t help but think, maybe her rashi lausland had some talent she hadn’t seen. Onbetwise, he couldach endbugs here.
Winston handed her a glass of warm water, noticing how sickly she looked. “Yeali, jou started”
In was true. Heilmily recently reimmed from studying abroad, Bailly
aly to sink his teeth
He’d hranol Kate, Sharp, Init with a serious case of busybody syndrome.
Chebes took a sip of the water, the warndlurasing berdiscomfort. “Thanks,” she said.
“So, they really threw you out!” Winston maart one to get nosy, but alter List night, he felt a nagging sense of
“Vep. The second they found out
A flicker of something crossed Winston’s face, but he i
sir lighed, a hollow some “Now Fun banke, and Kate was my last option”
Just then, Chelsea’s phone lastzzed, and she grabbed it, relief flooding her lace.
Kate blurted out, “Chelseat Oh my god, I just saw your
Tumot even in town right now Stay at my plier tonigla, okay? The cride in
The call out off siddenly, her plone thashing a low battery warning before dying completely
She stared at the dead screen, feeling lier stomach drop.
Kate was gone, she had zero cash, and her last shrest of hope was slipping away. Panic bobbled up inside her, and she felt trapped.
Winston’s gaze swept over her, taking in the full picture. She was still wearing Hut classy dress, her figure elegant yet fragile, her and helplessness. She looked completely lost.
“Why don’t you just crash at my place tonight? Winstim siggestri, a little uncertain
re a mix of pride
* Winston saw the do
doubt flicker in her eyes and quickly realized she might ve misunderstood. He was about to clear things up, but she kepe
realize
going.
Chelsea’s eyes widened in surprise, but then she hesitated. “Is it th your eat big enoughe
Look, Fin totally broke right now. If you’re offering, that would be amazing” Chelsea admitted, sounding relieved. She handly knew anyone in Evergreen besides Kate. Winston was literally the only prison she could ask.
She added, I just started this job, and the pay isn’t great. sat I’ll cover my share of rent and groceries, I promise. I’ll find my own place as soon as I
She looked at him with genuine gratitude. “Thank you, Mr. Moody” She was all too aware of how steep ilse cost of living in Evergreen could be, and
Chapter 3
even with a Nova Group paycheck, she doubted he was living in luxury
Winston hadn’t exactly thought this through it had been an impulsive offer. Now, seeing her take in so seriously and even talking about pitching in, he realized she might have misunderstood his background. But there was no taking it back now
“Let’s go, he said, turning toward the parking lot.
“Wait where are we going?” Cheben asked, a bit thrown off
“My car’s in the lot.”
She followed him, her eyes trailing his tall, broad frame–he had to be around six–three, lowering over her five–seven.
When he mentioned a car, she blinked, mildly surprised. But that was nothing compared to what came next
They reached the lot, and Chelsea nearly did a double take. Winston was walking straight toward a slick black Rolls Royce
Her jaw dropped–this car had to be worth more than her entire life savings.
“No way… are you serious? This is your car she blurted, hurrying to catch up and grabbing his arm just before he could open the door.
Winston smirked, instantly reading her disbelief–she clearly thought he was living paycheck to paycheck.
“Actually, that’s—” he started to explain, but she cut him off.
“Wait, hold up.” she hissed, noticing someone sitting inside. Lowering her voice even more, she quickly added, “Sorry, we must’ve mixed up the
Fabian looked out, utterly bewildered, but Winston gave him a quick look that screamed. “Play along”
Fabian, getting the hint, nodded and drove off without a word.
When it was gone, Winston casually pointed to a much more down–to–earth car in the next spot. This one’s actually mine. Hop in.”
“Right,” Chelsea said, exhaling with relief.
She’d seen her fair share of fancy ears, and this one–worth maybe a few hundred thousand–seemed a lot more fitting for a guy in his position.
As Chelsea reached for the back door handle, Winston’s voice came out sharp. “Hey, get in the frontTM
He gave her a look that said it all. Seriously? Does she really thinks I am her driver or something?
Chelsea froze, suddenly realizing her blunder. Awkwardly, she pulled her hand back and stammered, “Oh, uh sorry.”
Without another word, she opened the front passenger door and slipped inside, keeping her movements quick and careful
Winston didn’t bother responding. Instead, he pulled out his phone and tired off a message to Fabian Find a two–bedroom apartment near the office. Immediately.]
Fabian: On it, Mr. Moody
Fabian stared at his phone, his eyebrows lifting “What’s this, some kind of poverty cosplay! Since when does Mr. Moody slum it? Shaking his head, he went back to work.
It was peak rush hour, and the streets were jam packed. A trip that should’ve taken five minutes dragged on for nearly thirty
By the time they pulled up outside the apartment, an hour had crawled by
As the car rolled to a stop, Chelsea peered our the window–and her face fell.
The place was rough, to put it kindly. The walls were scrawled with faded graffiti, and the buildings showed their age. A drowsy security guard leaned against the gate, half–asleep, while locals milled about casually, paying no mind to the world around them.
Chelsea, who’d grown up surrounded by luxury, couldn’t hide her reaction. She looked at Winston, half expecting him to say this was all some kind
of joke.
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Extra Check–in
Ad–Knee Broding
The Mouchar
Chapter 3
The car door clicked open, and Chelsea stepped out, Winston was already ahead of her, striding toward the building. “Let’s go.”
She hurried after him, taking in the peeling paint and grimy hallways. At least there was a keypad lock on the stairwell door.
Winston punched in the code, and the door clicked open.
Inside, the apartment wasn’t much better. Small, basic, and cold as hell–it suited Winston’s frosty vibe almost too well.
Winston didn’t seem fazed. He went straight to the shoe cabinet, pulled out a pair of slippers, and slipped them on like he’d done it a million times.
Chelsea stood there, watching him, more convinced than ever that he actually lived in this dump.
“Gol
any spare slippers?” she asked, her voice softer now. She hadn’t brought anything–no change of clothes, no toiletries, nothing
“Disposable ones. Cabinet he replied, already walking toward the kitchen
Winston had a full–on obsession with keeping things spotless–like, over–the–top clean freak. So, Fabian always made sure to have plenty of disposable stuff on standby, ready to whip out whenever Winston started freaking out over a linle mess.
Chelsea crouched down, opened the shoe cabinet, and blinked. Sure enough, there were at least a dozen pairs of disposable slippers stacked neatly
inside
She raised an eyebrow. Who the hell keeps this many? Does he bring people here often?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Winston’s return, enffee in hand and a look that was pure ice. “What are
Chelsea snapped out of it, shaking her head quickly. “None of my business, whatever it is!
She slipped on the slippers and cleared her throat “Which room’s mine!”
are you staring att
“The first on the left is mine. Yours is the second” He took a sip of coffee and addeit, as if it were a side note. “And stay out of my room.”
The warning in his tone was impossible to miss. Winston didn’t just value his privacy–he demanded it.
“Got it,” Chelsea said with a nod
Chelsea pushed open the door to her room and stepped inside. It wasn’t big, but it had everything she needed.
The place was spotless, not a speck of dust in sight. By the window, a few small potted plants added a touch of life to the otherwise plain decor.
Still, the room felt bare. It lacked the warmth and comfort she was used to ‘I need to buy a few things, she thought, pulling out her phone
Within minutes, she had a cart full of essentials ready to check out. But when she hit “Pay, the screen flashed a message that sent her stomach plummeting: Insufficient funds
For a moment, Chelsea just stared at the screen. Then it hit her–she was broke. Completely, utterly broke.
The sun was already setting, and the air in the room felt colder by the second. There was no way she was sleeping on the bare floor
“What now? Ask Winston for help? The thought made her stomach twist. But she had no choice.
When Chelsea stepped back into the room, Winston was already settled, pulling his laptop out and logging into th
the company network like he could do it in his sleep.
A message from Fabian Howe popped up instantly: [Mr. Moody, everything alright with the apartment!
Winston: [Yeah]
Chelsea came back out just as he logged off the network and switched to browsing the official site, casually
He didn’t feel the need to clear up her assumption that he was just some broke guy. If she wanted to think that, so be it. He thought it might even work in his favor, especially since she’d had a thing with Wade
“Mr. Moody, do you happen to have any spare sheets?” she asked in a small voice.
Chapter 3
“None, Winston replied bluntly.
Then, catching the embarrassed look on her face, be raised an eyebrow and ailded, in a slightly cold tone. “You strapped for cash or sounrthing“”
Chelsea v cheeks went red. “No. I was actually gonna ask a friend for help,” she mumbled, feeling even more awkward.
Asking him for a place to stay was already a big deal, no way she’d start hitting him up for money too,
She’d never felt this self–conscious in her life. She was just about to dock out of the conversation when Winston spoke up
“Hold on” He grabbed his wallet, pulled out his phone, and in one smooth move, transferred her 1500 dollars.
Chelsea stared at the notification, feeling warmitly bloom in her chest. “Mr. Moodly. I’ll treat this as a loan. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can, promise”
He opened his mouth, ready to tell her not to bother, but before he could get a word out. Chelsea’s phone buzzed.
She picked up, only to hear Drogo, speaking in his usual commanding tome. Chelsea, I need you in the office tomorrow”
“Got it?” she replied evenly. She still technically worked for the Wise Group, and she needed to go in to handle her resignation.
“And another thing.” he added, voice hardening, “you’re going to divorer that man and marry Mr. Robinson right away. Or you can forget about-
Chelsea didn’t even wait for him to finish. She hung up and blocked his number on the spot, funning
Marry that old bastard Over my dead body, she thought with a flash of anger.
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