Chapter 7 Mr. Bailey Comes to the Slums

"Why's your hand bleeding?" Rebecca gasped, rushing over to gently hold Winona's hand. "How'd you get such a big cut? Where'd you scrape it?"

Winona gave a quick rundown of what happened. "I was super mad and wasn't paying attention while lugging the bags. Got a scrape."

Rebecca was freaking out and immediately started hunting for a first aid kit as soon as they got upstairs. "How could you hurt your hand this bad? This hand is a national treasure."

Winona found it funny, thinking Rebecca was being dramatic. "It's not that big of a deal. I'm not a hand model. A little cut won't stop me from using it."

But Rebecca wasn't having it, shaking her head firmly. "You're a gem in the artifact restoration world. Mr. Baker called me this morning, hoping you'd join his studio. If you weren't so secretive about your identity, I'd have given him your number ages ago."

She let out a deep sigh. "You're a world-renowned artifact restorer. So many people would pay a fortune to find you, but you stay hidden because of that jerk Zachary. Every time I think about you doing menial tasks at the Bailey Group, it breaks my heart."

Rebecca's words were a bit over the top, but there was some truth to them. Winona had learned artifact restoration from her mom since she was a kid and later went to university to study more. Her amazing skills made her a well-known restorer in the industry, with tons of museums offering her gigs even before she graduated.

But because of some issues with the Sullivan family, she had to marry Zachary and put her craft on hold, relying on Rebecca to help her get clients and take on simple private jobs.

Now that she was planning to divorce Zachary and had handed in her resignation, she could get back to her old profession.

Winona said softly, "Can you help me get in touch with Mr. Baker and tell him I'm ready to join his studio?"

Rebecca, who had been lamenting, was shocked at what she heard. "Wait, what? Have you made up your mind? No more playing Zachary's full-time maid?"

Rebecca called the highly sought-after personal assistant job a full-time maid, making Winona laugh and cry. "That was before. But you know, our agreement ends in three months. I'm also gearing up for the divorce with Zachary. It's better to agree with Mr. Baker early and find a way out for myself."

Rebecca patted her shoulder vigorously. "Winona, you should've done this ages ago. By the way, has Zachary signed the divorce papers?"

Winona's face fell. "No, Zachary refuses to sign. I even said I didn't want any money, but he's pissed and has frozen my bank card."

Rebecca frowned. "That's weird. Isn't he head over heels for Fiona? Could it be..."

Rebecca suddenly clapped her hands, looking like she had a lightbulb moment. "He must still be holding a grudge against Fiona for dumping him. So now he's dragging out the divorce to make Fiona jealous. If Fiona knows he's still desirable, she won't dare to break up with him again."

Winona had an epiphany. "Right, he even said in front of Fiona that he wanted to buy me a bag."

"Exactly." Rebecca's eyes lit up. "He's doing it on purpose. What a jerk. You should totally post your marriage certificate online, and make Fiona look like the other woman. He'll be so desperate to divorce you and marry Fiona to clear her name."

Winona thought for a moment. "Nah, if this blows up and he gets even angrier, it'll be harder for me to leave. Plus, I still want to find my next love. Who'd want to date me if things get messy?"

Rebecca nodded, seeing Winona was serious about leaving Zachary.

Over the last three years, Rebecca had watched Winona get tangled up in Zachary's drama and felt helpless as a friend. Now that Winona was ready to take action, Rebecca was thrilled.

"Forget about it. Let's go grab some Mexican food to celebrate you finding your next true love. He'll be a great guy!"

Just as she finished speaking, the doorbell rang.

Rebecca muttered as she opened the door, and standing outside was the Bailey family's driver, Brian Ford. He looked pretty down. "Mrs. Bailey, Mr. Bailey is waiting for you downstairs. Please come down quickly."

It was the first time Brian had used such a respectful tone with Winona, surprising her. It seemed Zachary was really pissed. Was her leaving making him this mad?

But it made sense. Anyone would be upset if someone who had been trying to please them suddenly stopped.

Winona casually shook her head. "If he wants to wait, let him wait. I'm busy."

Rebecca, who had also changed her clothes, chimed in. "Yeah, we're busy. Move aside, don't delay us from having Mexican food."

Ignoring the shocked Brian, she pulled Winona downstairs.

Downstairs, Zachary stood by the car with his arms crossed, looking grim.

Seeing Winona come down, he thought Brian had convinced her to go home with him. He sighed in relief, though he didn't show it.

Winona's sudden outburst and demand for a divorce seemed to be a result of his indulgence over the years. He sneered. "Do you dare to run away again?"

Winona pretended not to hear, turned her head, and walked past him with large strides.

Realizing Winona wasn't planning to go home with him, Zachary was first stunned, then his face darkened, his deep eyes filled with a storm of anger.

He quickly walked to Winona's side, grabbed her slender wrist, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth. "Where are you going?"

Winona winced in pain and shook off his hand. "I wonder what brings you to our slum?"

Years ago, when Rebecca bought a new house here, Winona had excitedly helped her move and shared their joy on Instagram.

Zachary had sent a message at that moment: [Delete your Instagram post. What's so great about that slum? It lowers your status.]

Winona, who had been in high spirits, felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. She deleted the post and never dared to post anything casually again.

Bringing up the old matter now was purely to disgust Zachary.

But to her disappointment, Zachary didn't get the hint. Such a small matter had completely slipped his mind. He rubbed his temples. "If you know it's a slum, why come here? Isn't the family estate enough for you?"