From Love to Ashes—My Ex-Lover's Regret

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.