When Love Breaks (Josephine)

when the call connected, Zayn's voice carried a trace of amusement. "Winnie?" he asked.

*Zam, you really are blind and heartless!" Winnie snapped.

Without warning, she lashed out with a sharp reprimand.

Zam's expression darkened. "Mrs. Shaw, what's the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"Meaning? Hah, stop pretending!" Winnie seered. "Let me ask you, was it that little tramp you're keeping v

who stole the shoes?" she pressed.

Zayn's face grew even grimmer. "Did Josephine tell you that?" he asked tersely.

"Who told me doesn't matter. Just answer me-was it her?" Winnie pressed.

"Yes," Zayn admitted reluctantly.

Winnie let out a cold laugh. "It's good that you admit it," she said, then added, "Let me make this clear-I don't care if that little tramp conjures the shoes out of thin air, begs Thompson to make another pair, or does whatever she wants. "If I don't see those shoes within two hours, the Shaw family's cooperation with you ends right here and now!"

"Winnie-"Zayn began, but he was immediately cut off.

"Shut up! Listen to me," she interrupted sharply. "You're going to have that little tramp come to my doorstep, kneel and apologize. It she dares not to, she can lass her entertainment career goodbye for life.

"And you don't even think about getting involved in anything entertainment-related ever again. I've said my piece. Take it or leave it!"

Without giving Zayn a chance to respond, Winnie hung up.

Zayn stood frozen in shock, still holding his phone.

Since starting his partnership with Ronin, he had met Winnie seven or eight times. Each time, she had been all smiles, warm and gracious, leaving him with the impression that she liked him However, it seemed he had been mistaken.

He found it laughable for a mere woman to try and sever his collaboration with Ronin over a pair of shoes. To make matters worse, she even threatened to block him from the entertainment industry

He had already been discussing with Nadine about apologizing and compensating for the shoes, but Winnie's threats made him change his mind.noveldrama

The Forbes family might not have the same foundation as the Shaw family, but they weren't so weak as to tolerate such humiliation.

After some thought, he picked up his phone and called Ronin.

When the call connected, Zayn quickly downplayed.

the situation,

trying to make it seem like a small issue.

"Mr. Shaw, it's ridiculous for a few women to make such a fuss over a pair of shoes, to the point of jeopardizing our partnership and even threatening Forbes Group's tuture," he said quickly. "How about this-1'll transfer the money for the shoes to you, and you help me talk to Winnie. What do you think?"

He had expected Ronin to agree readily. After all, they had been drinking and addressing each other as buddies just last week.

Instead, Ronin let out a dismissive laugh. "Mr. Forbes," he said. "You really had to cross my wife, of all people? Her temper is so bad that even I'm afraid of her. She wants you to return the shoes and have that woman apologize. You'd better do it, or no one will be able to save you.

Zayn's heart sank "Mr. Shaw, what do you mean?" he asked. "Are you really going to cancel our renewal over a pair of shoes?"

Ronin gave a faint, mocking smile. "It's not me canceling the renewal over a pair of shoes, Mr. Forbes," he replied, his tone edged with sarcasm. "It's you, who would rather cancel the renewal with me to protect your little mistress. Think it over." with that, he hung up

Zayn stared at the disconnected call with frustration. He thought Ronin was pathetic to let his wife control him like that

He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window with a frown. What had originally been a threat from Winnie alone had now turned into a coordinated attack from both her and Ronin.