Winona happened to bump into Nellie and Zeke at the entrance of Seacrity Airport. They exchanged greetings and went into the airport lobby together.


    As they chatted along the way, Nellie nudged Victor, subtly suggesting that he should keep a respectful distance from Winona before marriage and not act impulsively.


    Victor just nodded with a smile, unsure if he really understood. Nellie wasn’t sure if he understood either. As an elder, she couldn’t say much more, so the topic was dropped.


    Winona was quiet on the sidelines. Zeke fell a step behind to walk beside her. He sneered coldly and said unkindly, “Look at how much Mom worries about you, Sis. She’s afraid Victor might take advantage of you, but I think she worries too much. You know, if you don’t sleep with him, there’s plenty of women out there waiting to pounce on him, hehe…


    Winona gave Zeke a sideways nce. She was already ustomed to this kind of sarcasm, having had a strained rtionship with Zeke since childhood.


    She said. “You don’t need to worry about me, but you should watch yourself. With Dad spoiling Yvette, are you sure you’ll inherit the Chambers family as the rightful heir? Instead of mocking me, you’d better focus on your grades. If Dad finds out you’ve been using a stand-in for your exams, it won’t end well for you.”


    Zeke’s face darkened as he shot a sinister re at Winona, his voice dripping with malice. Im warning you, if you dare to backstab me. I’ll have Mom deal with you. You know whose side she’s on between the two of us, right?”


    Winona understood her circumstances. She knew that in front of Nellie, she’d never prevail against Zeke, so she wouldn’t invite bad luck upon herself. After all, the three of them were in the same boat. They prospered together and suffered together. She understood this..


    She replied, “I don’t have the time to bother with you, so you’d better not make fun of me, either. Ourmon enemy is Yvette. You should focus on how to deal with her in the future. If things continue like this, will we still have a ce in Dad’s heart or the Chambers family? Think about it carefully.”


    Winona knew exactly what mattered most to Zeke: being the heir to the Chambers family and the shares that their father held. Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zeke stopped ring at her and looked down, saying nothing. Winona knew Zeke was taking her words seriously,


    “Good, let them fight it out. I can take advantage of it as a bystander, she thought.


    Richard came to Seacrity this time with only two people. Both were fifth-level members of the Art Association, around thirty years old. They were able to be fifth-level members naturally due to Richard’s indispensable aid.


    When Richard stepped out, Winona immediately noticed him. It wasn’t because Richard was particrly noticeable. Rather, he insisted on wearing a suit with a morning coat wherever he went, which made him stand out in any crowd. Apart from his distinguished position, Richard looked like a typical elderly manN?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    “Mr. Griffin, over here… over here!” As soon as Winona called out. Nellie quickly nced over to see-Richard in his navy suit. followed by two men carrying suitcases.


    Over the past few years, Nellie had seen Richard a few times, usually while apanying Winona for art lessons. They hadn’t interacted much, mainly because Richard was nearing seventy years old and they didn’t have much inmon.


    Before he agreed to take Winona as his apprentice, Nellie personally visited Richard and handed him 15 million dors. Fortunately, the money wasn’t wasted, as Richard finally agreed to take Winona as his apprentice.


    Richard also noticed Winona and was atisfied with her. Part of the reason he agreed to mentor her was Nellie’s 15 million dors, but Winona did show some talent. More importantly, the painting from Cyanbird that Winona received yed a key role.


    B


    The painting was the best evidence. With it, he had some leverage against Cole Pavben. There were too many association members who secretly doubted him, so Winona’s painting became an essential asset.


    Richard walked over to Winona and her friends, looking at her fondly. “Winona, you’re still as beautiful as ever. Have you been under a lot of pressuretely? You look a bit tired.” He then nced at Nellie, who stood next to her.


    Nellie smiled and nodded. “Hello, Mr. Griffin, it’s been a while. How have you been?” As she talked, she brought Zeke over. “This is my son and Winona’s brother, Zeke. Please look after high in the future”


    Zeke, always quick to understand, gave Richard some flowers he had just bought at the airport and greeted him politely. ‘Hello, Mr. Griffin


    Richard nodded in approval. “Not bad, young man. You have a bright future ahead of you.” He then nced at Winona again, puzzled by the heavy dark circles under her eyes. Surely being excited about bing his apprentice wouldn’t cause this


    Winona didn’t bother to cover the dark circles; she had her reasons, Winona kept her head down, not responding to Richard. When Richard had finished speaking, Victor immediately stepped up. “Mr. Griffin, Winona is being bullied by her sister. You have no idea what her sister-”


    Winona tugged sadly at Victor’s sleeve. “Victor, please don’t say it. I’m begging you,” she said.


    Victor felt even more sympathy for her, his heart filled with indignation. “Why not? I’ll say it. Yvette has bullied you so much, and you’re still covering for her.”


    Richard looked confused. He had never heard this name before and hadn’t been following Seacrity’s news, so naturally, he had no idea who Yvette was. ‘Based on what he said, she’s Winona’s sister? But doesn’t Winona only have a brother? Where did this sistere from? Richard thought, looking puzzled. He asked, “Who is Yvette? And who are you?”


    Victor bowed slightly, speaking politely and respectfully to Richard, “Hello, Mr. Griffin. I’m Winona’s fiancé, Victor Carter.”


    Richard looked him over carefully from head to toe. He had heard of Winona’s fiancé, supposedly from one of Seacrity’s four major families. He had also heard about the Carter family a few times in Betrico.


    “Oh, so you’re young Winona’s fiancé. She’d mentioned you often. Nice to finally meet you. Not bad, young man. Are you saying that Winona’s issues are rted to her sister?” asked Richard.


    Victor nodded and was about to speak when Winona politely addressed Richard. “Mr. Griffin, you must be tired from such a long flight, right? Don’t worry about us, we’ll take you to the hotel first. My mom has prepared a meal. Since you have a sensitive stomach, you shouldn’t dy your dinner.”


    Winona appeared genuinely concerned for Richard’s well-being, which touched him deeply. He was d he epted Winona as his apprentice and became less fond of this Yvette character even without meeting her. He also felt more genuine concern for Winona,


    “Alright, let’s listen to Winona. We’ll go to the hotel first, and once we’re there, you can tell me everything that’s happened recently. Don’t hide anything from your mentor. You’re my apprentice, and I want to see who dares to bully you!” he said.


    Nellie was secretly pleased. With Richard standing up for Winona, tomorrow night’s ns were sure to go more smoothly. “Yes, you see, none of us are as thoughtful as Winona, Mr. Griffin must be hungry. Let’s head to the hotel first.”


    Ethan and Zeke stepped forward to take the suitcases from the two men. The two men pretended to refuse for a bit but eventually allowed them to take the suitcases.


    Just as Richard and the others arrived at the hotel, Winona’s phone started ringing.