Chapter 6: Chapter 6: The Benefit of a Backup

Vincent Reed stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Marry someone else? You’ve got to be kidding. You’re my damn girlfriend, who the hell are you going to marry? I said I can marry you. If you didn’t hear me clearly, I’ll say it again. I’m agreeing to marry you. You’ve fucking hit the jackpot!"

Vincent Reed looked around, picked up an unopened can of beer from the floor, and pulled off the tab. He held up the pull-tab, glanced at it with a sneer, then swaggered over to Yvonne Sutton.

He grabbed Yvonne Sutton’s hand, curled his lip in disdain, and then slipped the pull-tab onto her middle finger.

"There. You believe me now?"

Yvonne Sutton looked at the pull-tab on her hand and laughed silently.

’In Vincent Reed’s mind, just how cheap must I be, that a single pull-tab would be enough to lock me down.’

She shook off Vincent Reed’s hand, yanked the pull-tab off, and threw it at him. "Save it for Wendy Winters. I’m not worthy."

With that, she strode toward the door.

"Nine o’clock tomorrow, I’ll be waiting for you at the Civil Affairs Bureau! I fucking dare you not to come!"

Vincent Reed yelled after her, but she didn’t stop, walking right out of the private room.

"Yvonne!"

Joshua Hale chased after her, an apologetic look on his face.

"Vincent is just lashing out, you..." He had intended to speak up for Vincent Reed, but he couldn’t bring himself to continue. Vincent had truly gone too far.

"I’m going to let Wendy Winters know that I don’t need her! She won’t marry me? Plenty of other women would love to!"

Vincent Reed’s roar echoed from the private room. Yvonne Sutton shook her head and smiled wryly.

"See? He’s just trying to spite Wendy Winters. He doesn’t genuinely want to marry me."

"He and Wendy aren’t actually a good match."

"That’s none of my business. But if you consider me a friend, then please respect me. He and I have already broken up."

Joshua Hale looked at Yvonne Sutton. For the first time, he saw absolute finality in her eyes.

’This time, the breakup seemed to be for real.’

Back at the villa, Yvonne Sutton’s stomach was growling with hunger. She still hadn’t eaten dinner.

On her way back, she’d passed a convenience store, and after wandering around inside, all she bought was a pack of instant noodles.

The kitchen was empty, but thankfully there was a small pot. Only after she’d cooked the noodles did she realize there were no bowls, so she had to eat straight from the pot.

Just then, Wyatt Shaw sent her a picture. It was a photo of a bowl of clear broth beef noodle soup.

"The beef was braised last night. This morning, I just cooked some noodles, sliced up some beef, and sprinkled on some scallions. It was super easy to put together."

Looking at the picture and the text below it, Yvonne Sutton smiled.

’That Wyatt Shaw was a strange person.’

’He’d slipped into the role of fiancé so quickly. And he seemed to just say whatever was on his mind.’

Yvonne Sutton thought for a moment, took a picture of her instant noodles, and sent it to him.

He replied quickly: Want to try my noodles?

Yvonne Sutton sent a clapping emoji, but after sending it, she wondered if it was inappropriate.

But Wyatt Shaw replied: I’ll make some for you when I’m back.

Yvonne Sutton stared at the words, and for some reason, her heart clenched. A bittersweet feeling washed over her.

The next morning at the hospital, she first went to the inpatient building to do her rounds. Just as she entered the Obstetrics and Gynecology department, the head nurse, Ms. Miller, grabbed her and pulled her toward the VIP wards upstairs.

"The Director wants you to take on a patient."

"Me?"

"Yes. They specifically requested you."

Arriving at the upstairs VIP ward area, Yvonne Sutton immediately spotted Vincent Reed leaning against the wall in the corridor.

His head was wrapped in gauze, and he was smoking with a furious expression.

Smoking was prohibited in the ward area, but though doctors and nurses walked back and forth, no one dared to remind him.

The head nurse told Yvonne Sutton the room number and then hurried off to her other duties.

Yvonne Sutton walked over, stopping in front of the room behind Vincent Reed.

The door to the room was shut, but through the glass window, she could see Wendy Winters lying inside.

Last night, Wendy Winters had tried to commit suicide by slitting her wrist.

In the head nurse’s words, it wasn’t serious; even without medical attention, the wound would have healed on its own.

But a suicide attempt is an alarming thing, so her arrival in the middle of the night had caused quite a commotion.

Vincent Reed looked up and saw her, as if he’d finally found an outlet for his frustration. He threw the cigarette in his hand to the ground and viciously stamped it out.

"For a scumbag that irresponsible, she actually tried to kill herself! Was it worth it? I’m asking you, was it worth it?"

Yvonne Sutton raised an eyebrow. "You’re asking me?"

"Aren’t you both women?"

The corner of Yvonne Sutton’s mouth twitched. "It’s not worth it. At least I wouldn’t hurt myself over a scumbag."

Vincent Reed frowned. "There’s a hidden meaning in your words, isn’t there?"

"You’re the one who asked."

Ignoring Vincent Reed’s fury, Yvonne Sutton pushed the door open and walked in.

This VIP room was the most luxurious one in the hospital, its furnishings more like those of a presidential suite in a hotel.

Wendy Winters was lying on the king-sized bed, an IV drip in her arm, tears streaming down her face.

When she saw Yvonne Sutton enter, she turned her head toward the window.

Yvonne Sutton went over to her. She first examined the wound on Wendy’s wrist, then listened to her chest with a stethoscope.

"I just looked at your test results. The wound on your wrist isn’t serious, and the fetus is stable as well, so there’s no need to worry too much."

"Where is he?" Wendy Winters asked, her voice thick with tears.

"Who?"

"Vincent."

"Mr. Reed is outside."

"Why won’t he come in to see me?"

Yvonne Sutton was silent. ’Are these two out of their minds?’

’Why do they ask me everything?’

"I know he came last night, but he’s refused to see me. I know I hurt him this time, but I promise this is the last time. I’ve given up on that other man completely."

"Miss Winters, please wait a moment. I’ll go get Mr. Reed so you can tell him yourself."

"No, I’m telling you."

Wendy Winters turned her head to look at her. Though her face was streaked with tears, her expression was still haughty.

"Before, I did plan on a sham marriage with Vincent to deceive the public, but now, I genuinely want to marry him."

Yvonne Sutton clicked her tongue.

’So this is the benefit of having a backup. Always ready to fill the void.’

’Just as I was for Vincent Reed, and Vincent Reed was for Wendy Winters.’

"Why are you telling me all this?" Yvonne Sutton asked, amused.

"I want to make it crystal clear to you: stop pestering Vincent."

"I’m pestering him?"

"I know you love him, but he loves me. As long as I’m willing to be with him, there’s naturally no place for you." At this, Wendy Winters even sighed. "Of course, considering you were with Vincent for eight years, I’ll give you some compensation."

’Compensation?’

’That’s a new one!’

Yvonne Sutton slid her hands into the pockets of her white coat and looked at Wendy Winters with amusement. "Actually, Vincent Reed proposed to me last night."

Upon hearing this, Wendy Winters’s face immediately grew tense.

"If I had nodded, I could have become the Second Young Madam of the Reed Family right then and there."

"He only loves me."

"So what? After all, for the past eight years, I was the one in his bed, while you were in another man’s."

"You..."

"So you’d better think long and hard about how you’re going to compensate me enough to let go of such a ’good man’ as Vincent Reed."