Chapter 206
“Winnie, are you asking to be hit?” Veronica snapped immediately.
Her voice was sharp enough to draw nearby glances.
Across from her, Winnie only lifted her chin slightly, unfazed.
Veronica’s mother quickly cleared her throat and shot her daughter a warning look, forcing Veronica to swallow the rest of her fury.
If the banquet hadn’t still been in progress, she would have already slapped Winnie without hesitation.
But she held back—for now.
Still, the humiliation burned.
She couldn’t touch Khloe tonight, but Winnie was another matter entirely. That debt would be settled sooner or later.
Meanwhile, what was meant to be a calculated exposure had turned into a public declaration of love and a flawless proposal.
Khloe had not been disgraced.
She had been elevated.
Clarice felt as though she had swallowed something bitter.
Her smile remained intact, but only barely.
After taking only a few symbolic bites, she excused herself under the excuse of feeling unwell and left the banquet early.
Once she departed, the atmosphere gradually loosened.
Not long after, the Hunt family also rose to leave with Khloe.
With the main players gone, the banquet effectively dissolved into polite farewells.
As Clarice’s representative, Ethan stayed behind to oversee the guests’ departure.
Oscar left with Michael, and on their way out, they crossed paths with the Olson family.
Winnie had changed into another gown, her presence quiet as she walked slightly behind the others.
After a brief hesitation, Michael slowed his steps.
“Winnie.”
At the sound of his voice, she paused.
For a moment, something flickered across her face—so brief it was almost invisible.
She turned.
Her eyes landed on him for less than a second before drifting away again.
“What is it?” she asked evenly.
Michael reached into his pocket and pulled out a delicate bracelet.
It shimmered faintly under the lights.
A single aquamarine gem hung from it like a teardrop.
“The bracelet,” he said, offering it to her.
“You dropped it earlier.”
Winnie’s gaze fell onto it.
The moment she saw it, something subtle shifted in her expression.
Mermaid Tear.
A rare aquamarine stone.
A gift from Michael on her eighteenth birthday.
Back then, he had no wealth of his own—only determination.
He had saved every bit of allowance he could for months just to buy it.
Winnie had cherished it.
So much so that she later turned it into a bracelet and wore it constantly.
Now, it lay in his palm like something already belonging to the past.
Michael’s voice was calm, distant.
“If it’s broken, just return it to its owner.”
Winnie didn’t reach for it.
Her eyes stayed on him instead.
On the man he had become.
Neat.
Controlled.
Polished.
And utterly unreachable.
Since they stopped speaking, Michael had changed.
The warmth was gone.
So was the impulsiveness.
What remained was a perfectly restrained shell—polite, rigid, and suffocatingly distant.
Winnie’s lips curved faintly, though there was no warmth in them.
“Once something is given away, it belongs to the receiver.”
Her voice was steady.
“If you don’t want it anymore, throw it away yourself.”
Before Michael could respond, she stepped forward, took the bracelet, and pressed it back into his hand.
Hard.
Then she turned sharply.
And hurled it straight back at him.
It struck his chest and fell to the ground.
Her eyes flashed.
“Michael, don’t act like this.”
Her voice rose, sharper now.
“If you can’t handle it, then don’t pretend you can.”
“Don’t walk around as if I owe you something.”
“Who do you think you are?”
Without waiting for an answer, she spun on her heel and stormed away in her heels, her steps fast and furious.
Silence settled between them.
Michael stood still for a moment.
Then slowly bent down and picked up the bracelet again.
His fingers closed around it tightly.
Of course he knew.
To her, he had never truly meant much.
And yet—
Why did it still hurt like this?
Not far away, Oscar watched the exchange quietly.
His expression grew heavier as he approached his son.
He placed a hand on Michael’s shoulder.
“Michael,” he said quietly, “some roads are hard to walk back from once you’ve taken them.”
Michael lowered his gaze slightly.
“I’m not…” he began softly, slipping the bracelet back into his pocket.
“I’m not going back, Dad.”
Oscar studied him for a moment, then sighed.
“That’s good.”
But his tone wasn’t entirely convinced.
“Still… sometimes, following your heart isn’t something you can afford.”
He looked toward the direction Winnie had left.
“You’re not young anymore.”
“Starting next week, I’ll arrange for you to meet some suitable young ladies.”
Michael immediately frowned.
“Dad, I don’t need—”
“How can you bury yourself in work every day?” Oscar cut in.
“You may not be in a hurry, but I am.”
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“After seeing Khloe and Nick tonight… didn’t you feel anything at all?”
Michael fell silent.
Oscar continued, softer now but insistent.
“You’re my son.”
“You’re excellent. You’ll find someone even better.”
A pause lingered between them as the night air outside the banquet hall settled into uneasy quiet.