On My 18th, I Escaped To Yu’s Group

Chapter 6

Winona quietly looked at Nathan's arrogant expression. A sharp ache pierced through her chest, making every breath feel painful.

Nathan had once stood in front of her and protected her in exactly the same way. "If anyone dares to bully Winona, I will never let them off!"

But now, the person standing beside Nathan was Rosie.

And the person he condemned without hesitation was Winona.

Memories of the past surged through her mind, leaving behind a deep and unbearable sorrow.

Her voice was hoarse when she finally answered, "Fine."

Having gotten what he wanted, Nathan finally left with Rosie, both of them wearing satisfied expressions.

Winona immediately called an ambulance and personally sent Cole to the hospital.

After Cole regained consciousness and learned that Maison Yara was about to close, he asked anxiously,

"Winona, are you really going to close the store? Why? Your mother left it for you."

Winona's eyes stung. She forced a gentle smile and comforted him,

"Don't worry. The store is only closing temporarily. Once you recover, it will reopen soon."

After she entered the group's headquarters and established herself in her new position, she would make sure Maison Yara reopened.

After what happened at the jewelry store, Winona stayed at home for three days.

During that time, she either familiarized herself with the group's operations or talked with God, trying to ease the pain buried deep in her heart.

On the fourth day, Winona received an invitation to a dinner party from the only close friend she had left.

She did not want to lose this friendship, so she had to accept it.

*****

She attended the dinner as promised.

Winona never expected to see Rosie and Nathan there.

Everyone present kept glancing among the three of them, their curiosity obvious.

Winona felt increasingly uncomfortable.

She waited for a long time, but the friend who had invited her never appeared.

In the end, she left the banquet alone.

Winona walked to a pavilion beside the lake and sat down, hoping to clear her mind.

Not long after, Rosie appeared.

She sat beside Winona and asked in a falsely concerned voice,

"Winona, are you getting used to living alone after leaving the Eastwood family?"

Winona had no interest in responding to Rosie's fake concern.

But Rosie acted as though she had not noticed Winona's cold attitude and continued.

"You even lost the jewelry store your mother left you. You must be devastated."

Winona took a slow breath and stood up. Looking down at Rosie, she asked,

"Rosie, do you only feel happy when you see me suffering?"

Rosie stood as well and smiled.

"That's right. Seeing you miserable is the only thing that makes me happy."

The moment those words left her mouth, a trace of cruelty flashed in Rosie's eyes.

She suddenly stepped backward and fell straight into the lake.

Winona reached out instinctively to grab her, but she was too late.

Someone nearby screamed, "Oh no! Rosie fell into the lake!"

Nathan rushed over immediately.

Without hesitation, he jumped into the water.

The sudden turn of events left Winona standing there in shock.

She could only watch as Nathan carried the unconscious Rosie back to shore.

Winona was about to check on Rosie when someone in the crowd suddenly pointed at her.

"It was Winona! She pushed Rosie into the lake!"

Winona froze.

Turning around, she immediately met Nathan's dark, accusing gaze.

"Winona, I was far too lenient with you before."

His words and expression sent a sharp pain through her heart, as though countless needles were stabbing her all at once.

Winona knew that no one would believe her, no matter what she said.

Even so, she still forced herself to explain.

"I didn't push her. She jumped into the lake herself."

Not a single person present was willing to believe her.

Whispers spread through the crowd.

"She always looked so obedient. Who would've thought she could be this vicious?"

"She used to bully Rosie all the time. Looks like she hasn't changed at all."

At that moment, Nathan cared about nothing except Rosie.

Holding her tightly in his arms, he quickly left with her.

Winona did not follow.

She had seen it clearly. While everyone's attention was focused on Rosie, Rosie had quickly opened her eyes and given Winona a provocative look.

Realizing something was wrong, Winona immediately left the dinner and prepared to return home.

Halfway there, a group of security guards in black uniforms suddenly appeared and blocked her path.

Before she could react, they forcibly took her back to Eastwood Manor.

When they finally arrived, Winona saw Rosie lying on the bed with her eyes tightly closed, her face pale and fragile.

Nathan stood at the foot of the bed with a grim expression, while David stood beside Rosie's head.

The moment David saw Winona, he turned toward her with a cold expression.

"Why did you push Rosie into the water?"

His icy voice made Winona's body tremble.

She clenched her teeth and forced herself to explain. "I didn't push her."

Nathan let out a cold laugh.

"I saw everything with my own eyes. Are you still going to deny it?"

Winona refused to admit to something she had never done.

Her lips moved as she prepared to explain herself further.

But before she could speak, David's hand struck her across the face.

The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the room.

Everyone fell silent.

Winona froze.

Holding her burning cheek, she slowly looked up at David.

All she saw was anger on his face and hatred in his eyes.

Then David spoke, his voice just as cold as Nathan's, "If anything happens to Rosie, I will never forgive you."

At that moment, the last bit of affection Winona had for David disappeared completely.

She suddenly remembered the days when their parents were still alive, and she was still a mischievous child.

She had always been the one causing trouble.

When Winona was in elementary school, she once stole a classmate's hair accessory and even pulled her teacher's beard during class.

When their father became furious and intended to punish her, David had stepped forward and taken all the blame.

He wrote a letter of self-criticism in her place and accepted the punishment himself.

After their parents died, whenever outsiders bullied Winona, David had always stood in front of her, protecting her.

He had once told her, "As long as I'm alive, no one is allowed to bully you."

The man standing before her was still David.

Yet he had become so unfamiliar that Winona could barely recognize him anymore.

Tears finally broke free, rolling down her face uncontrollably.

Her lips trembled as she asked softly, "David, do you still remember that I'm your biological sister?"

David showed no reaction.

He only looked at her with cold indifference.

"I wish I had never had a sister like you."

The surrounding voices reached Winona's ears clearly.

It felt as though her heart had been ripped open, leaving behind nothing but emptiness and pain.

God's indifferent voice sounded in Winona's mind, 'Boring...'

Before God could finish speaking, Winona calmly wiped away her tears.

"This slap repays you for all the years you took care of me. We were brother and sister for sixteen years. I once believed that as long as you protected me, I would never have to fear anything..."

Winona bit down hard on her lower lip, forcing herself not to cry.

"This is the last time I will ever see you as my brother. From this day forward, I will never step through these doors again."