Elysia brought over the first aid kit and knelt down next to Winona, carefully cleaning the cut on her arm. "Hang in there, okay? This might sting a bit."


    Winona gritted her teeth, her whole face contorting in pain. "Yeah, I can tell- ouch!"


    Elysia winced in sympathy, her brows furrowed. "Sorry, sorry, I''ll be quick."


    Keaton hovered nearby, guilt written all over his face. He looked like he wished he could disappear.


    Meanwhile, Alicia red at Winona from behind Keaton, her arms crossed and a look of smug satisfaction on her face. If looks could talk, hers would scream, "Serves you right."


    By the time Elysia finished stopping the bleeding, the ambnce still hadn''t arrived. Winona was sweating from the pain and growing angrier by the second.


    She shot Keaton a death re, her jaw clenched. "Don''t just stand there—say something! Who is she? Why did she attack me?!"


    Keaton''s face fell. "That''s my girlfriend. She saw you sleeping here and thought you were trying to seduce me. She just... lost it, grabbed the first thing she could find and threw it at you."


    Elysia''s eyes widened in disbelief. "She didn''t even ask first? Who does that? Is she nuts?"<fnfe28> For original chapters go to FindN()vel</fnfe28>


    Alicia, still peeking out from behind Keaton, snapped back, "You''re the crazy one! Who the hell are you anyway? Why do you even get a say in this?"


    Elysia had had enough. She straightened up and shot back, "Because I''m Mrs. Bradford, that''s why!"


    Alicia''s jaw dropped. She whipped her head toward Keaton, desperate for confirmation. "Babe, is she... is she actually Mrs. Bradford?"


    Keaton just sighed and nodded.


    Alicia''s entire e demeanor changed in an instant. She started breathing fast, and then-like a switch flipped she was all apologies. "Oh my God, Mrs. Bradford, I am so s sorry I didn''t recognize youlove heard so much about you but never seen you in person. Please forgive


    SO


    me, I would never have picked a fight with you if I''d known-really, I''m so sorry."


    She kept bowing her head, tripping over her own words. Who knew if she was actually sorry, but she was definitely scared.


    Everyone in town knew the Bradfords—especially how much Mr. Bradford doted on his wife. And Elysia''s own family was just as influential. Getting on her bad side was like asking for trouble.


    But when nobody responded, Alicia tried to defend herself. "I mean, I walk in and see some girl crashed out on my boyfriend''s bed—what was I supposed to think? It''s not every day you find a random woman in your boyfriend''s bedroom!"


    Keaton groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose the whole reason Winona had been sleeping in his guest room was for her own safety so she wouldn''t be alone Zane showed up again. It was his idea, and he''d totally forgotten to mention it to Alicia.


    So when Alicia barged in and saw Winona, she''d just freaked out and started swinging. Winona hadn''t even had time to react. Neither had he, honestly. If he''d been thinking straight, Winona never would''ve gotten hurt like that.


    But there was no way he could exin all that in front of Alicia, so he made something up. "Her ce was packedst night-she had a party too many people, not enough beds. I wasn''t even h?m?, so sh? crashed in the guest room for the night."


    He gestured toward the hallway. "Check for yourself, it''s the guest room. If she was really trying to seduce me, would she choose the guest room? And look at what she''s wearing-does that look like someone trying to seduce anybody?"


    Winona was still in her long-sleeved pajamas, hair a mess and no makeup in sight. She looked like she''d barely made it through the night, let alone had any energy to plot seduction.