Chapter 5

"What are you doing here?" Winona asked first, her composure a stark contrast to Logan's rattled demeanor. It was actually a good chance for Logan to come clean. He could have told Winona right there and then about his identity, but what came out of his mouth was yet another lie. "It's my friend's birthday, so he had a bunch of us come over to… celebrate." Winona backed up a few steps and took in the large, palace-like villa. She mused breezily, "I didn't know you had such a loaded friend." The more he spoke, the more likely he'd fumble. As such, Logan changed the subject. "When did you take up delivery work? It's tough work, especially in this scorching weather." Winona glanced at her arms, tanned from all the hours she spent under the sun, and said blandly, "Your birthday is next month. You said you wanted a new laptop, so I figured I'd make some extra money and surprise you with one." That had been her original plan, but now that she had learned she had been duped, she realized how foolish she was. For some reason, Logan grew nervous when he heard Winona's explanation. He followed her gaze and noted the bruises on her sunburned arms. A strange look flickered in his eyes. He was born into money and grew up with it. Prior to this, he had never met a young lady who would go on delivery runs just to afford a birthday present for him. His heart suddenly tightened. He was about to say something when his buddies, who had outstayed their welcome, sauntered over to see what was keeping Logan at the door. "Hey, Logan, what's taking you so long—" When they saw Winona, they exchanged a brief look among themselves, then quickly covered for Logan. They switched their respectful tone for an impatient one. "Come on, man. Zachary invited us to this drinking party to celebrate his birthday. At least hurry with the takeout." "Is this your girlfriend? Why don't you have her come in and drink with us?" Chuckling noisily, they hauled Winona into the house. Winona surveyed her surroundings as she entered the house, spotting many familiar items. Among them were the figurines in a display case, the teddy bear with the rose on the couch, and the crystal ornaments in the glass cabinets. All these were the same items she had seen on Naomi's Instagram. Winona had found it strange that Naomi was receiving such expensive-looking gifts despite coming from an average family. As it turned out, the gifts were from Logan. They either came in sets of blue and pink, male and female, or big and small. It was clear that these were his-and-hers items. Winona eyed each gift assessingly. At last, her gaze fell on the dog. The snow-white poodle bounded down the hall in a blue little skirt, but it was not the dog's endearing appearance that caught Winona's attention; it was the tie that had been fashioned into a bow around its neck. The tie featured blue floral prints and a Louis Vuitton monogram. At its end was a small embroidered "LV" as well. It was hard to miss. Winona had worked part-time for half a year and slept for no more than three hours a night just to come up with the money for that tie. It had been a gift for Logan in honor of their second anniversary. She had wanted to give him the best. It had been the first time she mustered the courage to step into a designer boutique with her hard-earned money. But Logan didn't appreciate the gift at all and instead adorned his puppy with it like the tie was worth nothing! Nails digging into her palms, Winona felt her breath coming up short. Logan had been watching Winona since she entered the house, terrified that she might notice something amiss. When the drunken gang rowdily demanded that they play a game, Logan quickly pulled Winona over to distract her. They had only just sat down when his phone rang. He was about to decline when he saw the caller ID. After a few seconds of hesitation, he decided to take the call on the balcony. Right as he disappeared through the balcony doors, the game started. "Alright, gather around, everybody! Let's play 'Never Have I Ever'!" Winona wanted to decline the invitation, but the others pinned her to her seat. "Never have I ever owned a beachside villa! Put a finger down if you haven't!" "Never have I ever bought the latest Maserati sports car! Put a finger down if you haven't!" "Never have I ever bought the most expensive collectible during a premium auction and kept it at my place! Put a finger down if you haven't!" Winona had not done any of the things that these heirs and heiresses mentioned. After all, she did not belong to their world.