Winifred lifted her head, her gaze cold and distant as she looked at Mrs. Reeves, as if she were a stranger.
Mrs. Reeves was taken aback by her expression.
Winifred said ambiguously, “Mrs. Reeves, do you think I should be happy?”
Mrs. Reeves felt a lump in her throat, like a hard piece of bread stuck there. She lowered her head guiltily.
Everyone at the table had their own thoughts. Mrs. Reeves felt guilty towards her, but what about Garrison? How did Garrison feel about her now?
Winifred suppressed the curve of her mouth, scooping soup from her bowl intermittently. For a moment, the only sound at the table came from her, creating an eerie silence.
Suddenly, a hand touched her thigh, causing Winifred to stiffen.
Leland’s expression remained composed and gentlemanly, but under the table, his hand was on Winifred’s leg. Sensing her stiffness, Leland’s lips curled into a slight smile of satisfaction.
To be honest, he hated Winifred’s dismissive attitude towards him. He wanted to destroy her pride yet see that same proud and stubborn look on her face in bed because it would give him a sense of accomplishment. Perhaps this was just a man’s inherent flaw.
Winifred and Leland sat close together, making it impossible for her to avoid him. Suppressing her shame and anger, Winifred stomped hard on Leland’s foot.
But this only made it easier for Leland to move his hand further up her inner thigh…
This action scared Winifred into immediately retracting her foot and clamping her legs together, trapping Leland’s hand.
How dare Leland… how dare he toy with her under the table in front of so many people, with Garrison sitting right across from them…
Leland had no scruples. His wolfish ambition had been evident for years-on the boat a year ago and last night at the hotel-he had done everything imaginable. Today, bringing Winifred to the Reeves family might have been his plan to possess her in front of Garrison to satisfy his own desires.
Winifred dared not make any sudden movements for fear of drawing attention.
Leland sat next to Mr. Reeves. Fortunately, everyone focused on the table and not what was happening beneath it.
Mrs. Reeves was anxious to ask Leland about funding but found it inappropriate in such a setting, so she suppressed her emotions.
She couldn’t help but wonder if Winifred resented her enough to influence Leland against providing the funds they needed.
Several times she tried to gauge Leland’s thoughts but failed. Glancing at Leland and Winifred, she noticed their strange expressions-especially Winifred’s pale and tense face as if enduring something…
Unbeknownst to Mrs. Reeves, a storm brewed under the table.
Winifred gripped the spoon with her right hand while pressing down on Leland’s wandering hand with her left.
Her face was already pale; now it was bloodless, and even her lips trembled.
Leland knew all of Winifred’s sensitive spots well. His long fingers easily reached Winifred’s thigh through the thin fabric of her pants, feeling both its warmth and trembling.
The dining room was quiet except for the sounds of eating; even slightly heavy breathing would be noticeable. Winifred could clearly feel her breath becoming erratic despite trying to control it.
Some things come naturally without being taught-especially for someone as experienced as Leland who aimed to humiliate Winifred publicly.
Winifred held back tears of humiliation, eyes reddening as she struggled to maintain composure. Her breathing became thick with nasal sounds; every nerve in her body was taut like a string about to snap.
“Winifred, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?” Garrison finally noticed something wrong and looked at her with concern from across the table.
His simple question caused Winifred’s tightly wound string to snap suddenly. Her hand shook, spilling the soup bowl with a loud “bang,” drenching herself in soup-a pitiful sight.
The noise drew everyone’s attention; even the servants looked over. Garrison stood up immediately, reaching out with napkins as if wanting to help clean up Winifred.
Winifred felt herself growing colder by the second-the warmth from the spilled soup turning icy on her thighs and spreading through every corner of her body until even her lips lost color.
Leland withdrew his hand while Winifred declined Garrison’s napkin offer and stood up amidst the mess before saying awkwardly, “I need to go to the restroom.”
She rose unsteadily and hurried towards the restroom without needing directions since she knew where it was located within the Reeves family home.
As Winifred left, Leland pulled out his hand stained with soup residue and leisurely wiped his fingers with a napkin.
Heaven bestows all advantages upon those with superior appearances-not just faces but also hands like Leland’s: long-fingered and well-defined joints perfect enough for internet photos that would attract countless admirers.
Leland exuded an aura beyond his years-a cold demeanor that even Mr. Reeves found hard to withstand despite being older than him by a generation.
With dark eyes resembling ink drops absorbing all light without reflection or transparency-Leland stood up saying calmly: “I’ll go check on her…”
Once he left, everyone at the table breathed easier while Garrison belatedly tried following but got pulled back by Mrs. Reeves grabbing his arm firmly: “You stay here!”
Garrison protested urgently: “Mom! I want to check on Winifred…”
Mrs. Reeves’ expression turned icy: “Can’t you see what’s happening? Winifred is with Leland now-they slept together last night! Not just last night-their relationship likely started long ago…”
“Mom!” Garrison interrupted shakily: “Winifred isn’t like that! She wouldn’t be with Leland willingly-it must be him forcing her! I can tell she’s unhappy-Mom! She agreed yesterday before this happened that we’d be together…”
“But now she’s already involved with Leland! You saw how powerful he is-the entire Reeves family can’t stand against him! Can you compete? It’s best if you give up-there are other women besides Winifred.”
“But there’s only one Winifred…”