“What a pity,” Winter muttered.

She smiled faintly and continued, “It’s okay. A broken phone can be replaced, and a lost SIM card can be reissued. My number hasn’t changed, so I won’t lose contact.” After all, most of the time, they contacted her. Winter rarely took the initiative to call anyone. If she wanted, she could always catch someone new, so she never really thought about the old ones.

Zach blinked in surprise. Winter snatched her broken phone back from him. “If you ever touch my things again, I’ll break your hands. Try me!”

With that, she stormed out of the living room. Her car had already been brought over, so there was no need for anyone to drive her—she could just leave on her own.

Zach hurried after her. “Wait… I think your phone number isn’t very lucky. It’s full of 1s and 3s. How about we change it? I’ll get you a fancy number, all 6s, how about that?”

“1s and 3s aren’t lucky?” Winter rolled her eyes, wondering if Zach had a screw loose.

“Don’t you know? Friday the 13th. Ever heard of that?”

Winter snapped. “Shut up! Stop bothering me!”

With that, she started the car and released the handbrake. With a press on the gas pedal, she sped off, leaving Zach fuming in place.

“You ungrateful woman! Do you even realize that I never give out the fancy numbers I collect to anyone?” Zach yelled after her, but it was no use. Winter was long gone.

Even if she had heard him, she would probably just respond with a sarcastic laugh.

Upstairs on the balcony, Phoebe stood with the maid, smiling as they watched the scene unfold below. Maggie hesitated before speaking. “It seems Ms. Jefferson doesn’t really pay much attention to Mr. Zach….”

“That’s good,” Phoebe replied while crossing her arms. She had just finished her beauty treatments, and her skin glowed with radiance. Her entire demeanor oozed a relaxed, pampered luxury. “These men… the easier they think they’ve won, the less they care.

“They all assume women will throw themselves at them the moment they walk into a room. But ignore them, stay cool, and they’re hooked.”

Phoebe turned to Maggie with a smirk and asked, “Do you know what this is called?”

Maggie blinked, “What… what do you call it?”

“Scumbags.”

Maggie coughed, nearly choking. “Mrs. Graham, do you really talk about your own son that way?”

“I’m just telling the truth. It’s not just him; his father’s the same way.”

“Honestly, I think Winter’s approach is perfect,” Phoebe said. There was a hint of pride in her tone, as if Winter reminded her of her younger self.

Maggie, meanwhile, thought to herself, “Should I be hearing this?” But she wisely stayed silent.

Winter spent the next few minutes venting her frustrations, calling Zach an “idiot” at least ten times.

Then, Miranda spoke softly, “Don’t you think he did it on purpose?”

“On purpose?” Winter paused, stunned for a few seconds. “You mean, you think he deliberately broke my phone?”

“Yeah,” Miranda replied.

“But why? What does he gain from breaking my phone?”

Miranda sighed. “Don’t you get it?”

Winter was still confused. “Get what?”

“Never mind. I don’t really understand either…”

Miranda couldn’t figure out how someone as experienced and savvy as Winter had suddenly become so oblivious.

Had the seasoned player in the game of love been caught off guard, or had the queen of charm suddenly forgotten what love was?

Winter, still perplexed, asked one last time, “Are you really not going out today?”

Miranda responded, “Sorry…”

“Fine. If you’re not coming with me, I’ll just post on social media, see if I can get someone to join me…

“Hey, make sure to block Zach first—hello? Winter?”

Too late; the call had already ended.

Miranda sighed, unsure if Winter had heard her last warning.