Chapter 24

Cindy was happy knowing that her sister actually liked what she made. She offered warmly, "If you like it, then I'll make more once you come for a visit."

"Then I'll make something too," Winter said. "I need to leave now. It's getting late."

"Mhm, your husband must be waiting for you at home," Cindy said. She watched her sister wearing her heels, ready to leave. 

She opened her mouth but closed it before saying anything. Cindy was holding back the whole time, not wanting to bother her sister.

"Just spill it before I go, Cindy. Do you need something?"

Cindy fiddled nervously before asking, "I—I wonder if your company has any job openings. I'm considering starting a master's degree, but I'm worried it'd be hard to get a job later on if I only have education qualification but not work experience."

Winter went silent for a moment.

Of course, there was always a position available for her sister. As the owner of Goldmine Realty, she could just ask the HR department to give Cindy a job.

If there was no opening? Then, they just needed to create one special for Cindy!

But she was worried about Sebastian and especially Camilla. 

On top of that, she worried that the red-haired woman who'd eventually become Sebastian's mistress was Cindy. 

Winter actually WANTED Sebastian to cheat to start her plans for revenge. She only needed one hard proof of him cheating before she could get an uncontested divorce and preserve more than half of her wealth.

But she didn't want Sebastian to cheat on her with Cindy because she knew that Cindy would have a bitter end if she had contact with Sebastian and his crazy mother. 

'But what if I'm just being paranoid? What if that red-haired woman is someone else?' Winter began to doubt her own suspicions. 'Cindy isn't that kind of cheap woman who'd be willing to become a mistress.'

Winter was on the fence whether to give a green or red light for her sister's request. However, when she saw Cindy's pleading eyes, she couldn't help but soften a bit.

'As long as she's not working directly with Sebastian, I think it would be just fine, right?' Winter thought.

Cindy thought her sister was hesitating, so she hurriedly said, "I can take an internship too. As long as I get experience before pursuing a master's degree."

"You don't need an internship. Just come to the office tomorrow, and I'll tell the HR department to give you a suitable job. Don't forget to dress well and bring your certifications," Winter said. She checked her watch and added, "Okay, I'm leaving now. See you tomorrow, Cindy."

Cindy's eyes sparkled with hope. She had been struggling to find a job by herself since graduating from university.

She knew that working in Winter's office would give her a bridge to a better job in the future.

"Thank you so much, sis!" Cindy wanted to hug her sister, but Winter only gave her a smile before leaving the apartment. 

Winter's smile gradually faltered as she left the apartment. 

She couldn't shake the feeling that something bad might happen if Cindy got too close to Sebastian. 

That anxiety persisted as she entered the car and told Arthur to drive off.

Arthur checked on his anxious Madam from the rearview mirror and asked, "How was the visit to your mother's house, Madam?"

Winter stared at Arthur, who was sitting in the driver's seat. She weighed the possibility of whether she might overshare her problem with him.

But there was nothing wrong with sharing a few things about your life with your close confidant, right?

"It's going very well. I cleared up the misunderstanding because I couldn't invite them to the wedding yesterday," Winter said. She raised the small basket and added, "Look, my sister even baked me dozens of chocolate chip cookies. Do you want some?"

"Is it okay for me to eat it, Madam?" Arthur asked, but he seemed to have a hidden intention beneath. "Your sister baked it. You might want to share it with your husband instead."

Winter scoffed, "That man could drop dead for all I care."

She grabbed three sheets of tissues, wrapping four cookies for Arthur. "These are for you, Arthur."

Arthur clenched the steering wheel as he felt emotional, glancing at the cookies his Madam had put on the dashboard. 

Winter might view it as a kind gesture towards her employee. But Arthur was happy and also proud when he realized that Winter had prioritized him over Sebastian.

'Even if I will never have you. At least I hold a better spot in your heart than that bastard, Madam…' Arthur thought. He tried suppressing his emotion and said, "Thank you so much, Madam. You're too kind for someone like me."

"Come on, I'm just giving you cookies, not a million dollars," Winter chuckled. 

"These are worth more than a million dollars!" Arthur insisted.

Winter laughed because she thought Arthur was joking. "Alright, whatever you say. Just drive me back to the penthouse, Arthur."

"Yes, Madam."

**

Arthur parked the car in the basement parking lot. He opened the door for Winter and asked, "Will you be coming to the office tomorrow, Madam?"

"Yes, just get ready every morning," Winter confirmed before she said goodbye to Arthur and used the elevator to reach the penthouse. 

She sauntered towards the penthouse door. She was about to take her key card to unlock it, but frowned when she saw the door was ajar.

"Huh? Did the housekeeper forget to close the door?" Winter wondered. She didn't worry about a break-in because the penthouse had very strict security in the lobby. So, the only plausible explanation for why the door was slightly open was the old housekeeper, who forgot to close it after daily cleaning. 

"Oh well, I'll tell her to be more careful later," Winter shrugged it off and walked into the penthouse.

Closing the door behind her, she kicked off her heels and made her way to the foyer.

It was already dusk, and the penthouse was dark. So she clapped her hands twice to turn on the lights.

She squinted when the bright light hit her eyes, but once she regained her sight, she almost jumped out of fright when she saw a handsome man sitting on the sofa in the living room.

His office shirt hung loosely on his well-built frame, fully unbuttoned. 

In his right hand, he held a half-empty bottle of wine, indicating he was probably a bit tipsy, as evidenced by the reddish hue on his cheeks.

The man didn't seem worried about getting reprimanded by Winter. But why would he need to worry? They were legally married, and as her husband, he also had all the right to stay in this penthouse with HIS wife.

Besides, he should be the one reprimanding his wife, who went out without telling him where she went.

Sebastian knew he had to exercise self-restraint and acted cordial with Winter who absolutely hated him. But the alcohol had gotten into his mind, so now the only thing in his mind was anxiety and jealousy.

He was anxious that Winter might've gone somewhere dangerous and gotten hurt by Camilla.

He also got jealous, thinking that Winter might've gone out to search for his replacement. After all, she already made a claim that Sebastian had no worth for her except as Aiden's replacement in the office.

Despite these thoughts driving him to madness, he continued drinking the wine, and the alcohol only made it worse.

"You're late, Winter," Sebastian said coldly as he stared at Winter with a scrutinizing gaze. "Where have you been?"