Chapter 12: Stay away from my life Agnes

Winter remained by Byron's side, hoping the old man would wake up soon. She had never felt so powerless before, as he had always been there to guide her along. And seeing him in such a state, she realized how much she misses him.

"Wake up, oldie. This little girl is waiting to hear your voice." Her voice quivered a little and she carefully reached to hold on his hand and kiss his knuckles.

Winter never imagined Bryon's life would be in danger. It had been years, but she had never seen a scenario like this before, and now he had opponents who were so deadly that they were threatening his life.

Out of the blue, the idea occurred to her that she should oversee all of Byron's projects. She even decided to investigate people who were affiliated with him. She needed more information to understand the source of these threats and why someone was carrying a grudge against him to the extent of wanting to kill him.

Winter opted to depart after sitting there for a while. She requested Hayes to keep her updated on Byron's status and then headed out of the hospital.

Just as she was going to hail a taxi, someone called her.

"Winter"

She cocked her head sharply toward the approaching figure and her appearance became gloomy.

Eric, who had been waiting for Winter, eventually spotted her and approached her, but her apathy caused him to hesitate.

"Come, let me drop you," he replied, offering to drive.

Winter arched her brow and inquired, "I have already informed you that I do not know you, Mister. Why bother offering a ride to a stranger?"

"Eric. My name is Eric, and we're not strangers," he clarified.

Winter grinned, finding his desperation funny."So what? I still don't acknowledge someone like you," she lamented.

Eric looked pitiful, but he ignored her coldness and asked, "How are you?"

Winter's brows wrinkled. His stubbornness and intransigence made her want to throw up at him.

"Excuse me?" She questioned, giving him a strange look as if he had lost his mind.

"You seem different from the last time we saw each other," he continued, dismissing all of her assertions.

Eric had been attempting to contact her in various ways, but nothing seemed to work.

Winter rolled her eyes with annoyance. His casual demeanor with her was making her furious. He acted as if everything between them was normal.

"Have you lost it, Eric?" How can you pretend that everything in our relationship is fine when all you did was cheat on me with Agnes? Do you not realize what you've done? " Winter snapped when her patience ran out.

Eric's lips twisted into a sad smile as he nodded helplessly. "And I regret it," he replied, leaving her completely stunned.

He looked up, staring directly into her eyes. Something ominous was bubbling within, making Winter uneasy. However, she instantly dismissed those thoughts and retorted.

"And I don't care, so stay out of my life," she said before turning to leave, but Eric grabbed her hand.

"At least listen to me," he urged, but Winter yanked his hand and sneered.

"Don't you dare touch me with your filthy hands. I don't talk with a cheater like you," she yelled, releasing her rage.

Eric glanced at her with amazement. He was aware of Winter's dislike for him, but he never expected her to hurl such terrible words against him.

Anger welled up in his heart, and he grasped her arm. "What did you do, huh? He lost his composure and argued.

Winter could now see his layers wearing away.

"How could you do that, Winter?" he questioned, suddenly feeling betrayed.

Winter wanted to chuckle at his hypocrisy. 'How dare he question me when he himself broke my trust? '

"Eric, what are you doing here?" A voice attracted their attention, and they both snapped their heads towards Agnes, who was walking towards them.

Her eyes were devoid of emotion, but her lips continued to fake a grin.

Winter pulled her hand away from Eric's grip and stepped back.

Agnes stood next to Eric, her hands clasped around his arm. Her gaze then shifted to meet Winter's, and she grinned even more.

"Oh Winter, I'm glad you're here too," she smiled, pretending to be surprised by Winter's presence.

Agnes rushed back to the hospital after handling things with Niko with the intention to see the man with her. But instead of the anonymous person, she ended up seeing Winter with Eric.

"You left yesterday before I could introduce you to my fiancé. This is Eric Spencer, and Eric, she is my sister Winter," she said, introducing them.

Agnes purposefully used the term fiancé to wound Winter's ego, but her calm response startled her.

"Hi, brother-in-law. It's wonderful to finally meet you," Winter smiled as she flicked her gaze to Eric.

Back then, only Byron was aware of her relationship with Eric. He was a commoner with no influence whom she met while working at the cafe. His humble and compassionate nature drew her in, and they gradually developed affections for each other.

Winter understood Eric wasn't like those men who like to mess about, and when he proposed to her, all of her doubts went away. She contemplated whether she could entrust her heart to someone and allay her fears.

She was looking forward to spending the rest of her life with him. But when she got those images of him with a woman, it ruined all of her dreams.

Winter had no idea who the lady was at the time, but things began to make sense when her family revealed Agnes' engagement to Eric.

Perhaps he only loved her while she was living with the Grayson family, and after she left, he discovered she was nothing more than a normal person.

Eric smiled weakly and reached out to grab the phone from his pocket, freeing his hand from Agnes's grip.

"Excuse me, I have a call to make," Eric excused himself, leaving Winter and Agnes behind.

"Isn't my fiancé a handsome man?" Agnes said as she moved closer to Winter. Agnes stood before her, her tone taunting.

Agnes's eyes gleamed at Winter, and her smile quickly disappeared. "And I don't like anyone looking at him," she said, making Winter smile with her remarks.

Agnes furrowed her brow and asked, "I am serious, Winter. I do not want you anywhere near him."

"That's why you leaked those pictures of me and my daughter so that you could use them as a way of shoving me out of your life." Winter's words stunned Agnes, and unease took over her expressions.

"W-What are you talking about?" she asked, feigning innocence.

Winter was not foolish to not understand what Agnes was saying. But she chose not to fret and instead made everything obvious to her.

"I know you were the one who hired someone to leak those photos, disclosing mine and my daughter's identity to the world because you knew that by doing so, Mr. Grayson would get pissed, and he would forbid me completely from stepping into this city. You can also keep me away from your fiancé."

Agnes' face turned pale as she watched Winter's menacing smirk. She had always known her sister was a rebellious person, which is why she despised her, because no matter how hard they tried to break her, she would stand tall with her head high.

Furthermore, she despised Winter because her grandfather loved her more than her. She was the apple of his eye, while Agnes was just a family member living under his roof.

"But sorry to let you know that your plan failed, and I am still here. Who knows... your fiancé might have a change of heart." Winter's remarks caused her to tighten her jaw and snap.

"Mind your words, Winter."

Winter exaggerated his startled expression, which irritated Agnes further. But shortly, her emotions darkened, and she took a frightening step closer to her and warned.

"Stay away from my life, Agnes. You're not welcome here. Back then, I was lenient with you, but if you try to involve my kid in your nasty intentions, I will forget you are my sister," Winter said, leaving no room for dispute.

She met Agnes's furious expression before turning her heels and walking away.

Agnes observed Winter take the taxi and drive away. However, this did not deter her from despising herself.

"You think you can win me over, Winter? No way, I'll make sure you leave our lives this time."