After Zach stormed out, Winter glanced at the dishes on the table with disdain. If she’d known he’d storm out, she should’ve made him clean up before leaving.

She picked up her phone. “Hey, can you book a cleaner for me for two hours? Yeah, to clean the whole place… especially the couch…”

Meanwhile, after slamming the door behind him, Zach sped back to his place. The car’s speedometer was pushing 120 miles per hour. He was being reckless with his life.

As soon as he got home, he stripped off his clothes and jumped into the shower, hoping to wash away any trace of last night. But no matter how much he scrubbed, Winter’s subtle, lingering scent clung to him.

“Damn it!”

He kicked the couch in frustration. Immediately, images of last night flooded his mind – how they’d started on the couch and ended up in the bedroom, and how their wild, tangled bodies moved in sync.

Zach couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out why the same woman who had been so passionate and playful the night before had woken up cold and distant. She even told him not to come back.

And to top it off, she even ate the instant noodles he made!

Zach, who had never set foot in a kitchen to cook for a woman in over 20 years, had made her a meal! Even if it was just instant noodles.

And what did she do? She flipped the script right after eating!

“Shit!” He kicked the couch again. “Ouch! Damn it, that hurts! Even you’re turning on me now? Fine, I’ll keep kicking! I’ll kick you until you break!”

The poor couch was now the victim of Zach’s anger.

Fine, she wanted to break things off? He would break it, tear it all apart until there was nothing left!

Fueled by his rage, Zach grabbed his phone and blocked Winter – both her number and his social media account.

After that, he tossed his phone onto the couch and was about to retreat to his room when suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Zach’s heart leaped into his throat, his breath catching. He then scoffed! If Winter had come to apologize, he would surely not forgive her that easily.

At the very least, she’d need to bow her head, pour him a drink, and sweetly admit her mistakes before he’d even consider accepting her apology. Otherwise, she could stew in her regret!

Zach yanked open the door. “What? You were wro–Mom?”

Phoebe stood there, smiling. She blinked at his greeting. “Realized what, exactly?”

Zach’s high hopes came crashing down in an instant, shattering into pieces. “Mom, it’s you…”

“Of course, it’s me. Who else? Were you expecting Winter? I just called her, and she said you were here, so I figured you must have come back here.”

“Oh.” Zach slumped onto the couch, deflated and visibly unmotivated.

Phoebe frowned, noticing his lack of energy. “What’s wrong with you? You look… completely drained.”

“Do I? Nah, I’m fine.”

“You say that, but you can’t even muster the strength to speak.”

“… Mom, why did you come all the way here? You didn’t have to tire yourself out.”

At his question, Phoebe’s eyes lit up. She pulled several jewelry boxes from her bag and placed them in a neat row on the coffee table.

Zach stared at them, confused. “What’s this for?”

“These are a few pieces of jewelry I retrieved from the vault this morning. I want you to give them to Winter and tell her they’re from me.”

Winter… again with Winter.

Zach was beyond frustrated.

“Why are you giving her this stuff? She probably won’t even care! She’s seen it all. She’ll just toss it aside, moving on to the next shiny thing. That woman is selfish and greedy…”

“Watch your mouth!” Phoebe snapped, glaring at him. “Badmouth Winter again, and I’ll break your legs!”