Xavier paused what he was doing after hearing her question.He then shot her a displeased look as he exclaimed, âDo you not see how she has been treating me like a criminal? Sheâs your granny. I canât just ignore her now, can I?âWinnie broke into a faint smile. âWow! Youâre being considerate? This isnât like you at all!âFurrowing his brows, the man replied sternly, âAs I said, sheâs your granny. She wouldnât be receiving such special treatment otherwise.ââNot bad. I suppose you do know whatâs good for you, after all,â Winnie said with a smile as she swept her gaze around the study.Apart from books that lined the shelves, there were also lots of expensive paintings, antiques, and artworks in the study.Upon noticing her glancing about, Xavier decided to tease her. âFind something you like? You can have it for free.âWinnie shook her head. âNo, thanks.â I could easily obtain any of these items if I wanted to. I donât need him giving them to me.Eventually, her gaze fell upon the safety deposit box in the corner of the room.This was not her first time being in the study, though.She had searched the place thoroughly when looking for her badge the other day, but she could not get the safe open.Xavier frowned slightly when he saw her staring at the safe. âOh, you canât have that. It contains Fairchild Corporationâs confidential documents.âHearing that, Winnie knitted her brows. If this safe is mainly for storing valuable items, then itâs unlikely for him to keep my badge in there. It was something he had randomly picked up, so he doesnât even know what it represents.With that in mind, Winnie asked him directly, âWhereâs my badge? Itâs not here, is it? When can you give it back to me?âHer badge? Xavier froze for a moment upon hearing that.Had she not mentioned it, he would not have thought about it at all.However, the badge was still with Yulissa, and he could not retrieve it, as he was still faking his death.âIt should be in the office. Iâll go get it after Iâve taken care of this. Itâs not convenient for me to do so just yet.ââAll right.â Winnie nodded before continuing, âHow are things progressing on your end? We managed to trick Zyon after our little act with Old Mr. Fairchild. He hasnât caught on, has he? What do you plan on doing next?ââZyon is still in the dark, and theyâre making their move as we speak. This time, weâll be able to expose all of those with ill intentions. Theyâve always been cautious and conservative in the past, but now, theyâre acting boldly without a care in the world.ââThey have no idea theyâre about to screw themselves over. Still, people can do some pretty crazy stuff when pushed to desperation, so you need to be more careful,â Winnie said after giving it some thought.âYouâre right, and that advice doesnât just apply to me. As my wife, you need to be careful too, soâ¦â Xavier paused mid-sentence and stared at her.âSo what?â Winnie frowned in confusion.âSo, I think you should move your granny to a safe location. Her old house, for example.âWinnie fell speechless upon hearing that.He had a really stern look on his face, so I thought he was going to say something serious⦠Turns out, he just wants me to send Granny back to her house. Does he seriously think I donât know what his intentions are?âXavier, have you forgotten who brought her over in the first place? More importantly, do you remember why sheâs here?â Winnie asked with an amused chuckle.Of course, I do. Back then, I was bent on getting divorced from Winnie and wanted to send her away, but I didnât feel safe leaving her with the Garland family. Eventually, I came up with the idea of having her granny move in with us instead. That was the biggest mistake I had ever made. I havenât been able to sleep with Winnie ever since her granny came over. Instead, Iâve been sleeping in a separate room. Talk about being hoisted by my own petard!Even so, Xavier maintained a serious look on his face as he said, âIt was me.
However, for the sake of her own safety, I believe she should move out temporarily. She could always move back in after I take care of Uncle Stuart and his family.âGlancing at his hand that was holding hers, she replied, âI probably wouldâve believed you if you didnât run your hands all over me while saying that.âXavier tightened his grip on her as he asked, âHow does that count as running my hands all over you?ââAll right. I suppose doing it like this sounds,â Winnie stated while reaching into his shirt from below.Xavier tensed up when he felt her tracing her slender fingers across his abdomen.Not wanting to let such an opportunity go to waste, he picked her up and sat her down on his desk.It was at that moment that Xavier realized he had made a huge mistake.Due to him being in a wheelchair, his lips could not possibly reach hers all the way up there. D*mn it! I canât believe I forgot about the height difference thing! I shouldnât have sat her on the desk! Maybe Iâll try it again when Iâm able to stand on my feet.Right as he was about to pull Winnie into his lap, she grabbed him by the chin and gave him a passionate kiss on the lips.Unbeknownst to him, she really liked the black dress shirt he was wearing that day. On top of that, she also found it cute when he came up with all those excuses to justify his intentions.Like most other women, she found cute things irresistible.Her kiss felt slightly domineering, which left a lingering sensation on his lips.âDo you know why I pretended to be mentally challenged?â
she asked with a smile.âLet me guess⦠To have the Garlands drop their guard so you can deliver the fatal blow?â Xavier replied while caressing her palm.âThat was spot on! So, do you know why I married you and stayed at your mansion for so long despite being bent on getting revenge?ââWhy is that?â
Xavier asked with a frown.I know it isnât because she fell in love with me. I can sense that she has some feelings for me now, but itâs definitely nothing compared to my love for her!âBecause Iâm looking for my cousin. Itâs possible that he ended up in the Fairchild family, be it your household or your relativesâ. I saw someone with a birthmark on his chest during Old Mr. Fairchildâs birthday party. He might be the person Granny has been looking for. I figured youâd be able to help us out with this.ââOf course.âWhile Xavier would be more than happy to fulfill her requests, he also knew that Jacinta would leave her after finding that cousin of hers.That meant he would not have to worry about Jacinta interrupting them anymore.Since Winnie had told him this secret of her own accord, he could not help but feel as if the two of them had gotten closer to each other.Xavier decided he would seize this opportunity and try to close the gap between them as much as possible.After having dinner that evening, Winnie decided to pay Yara a âvisitâ at the hospital.She was determined to avenge her mother by getting Yara admitted into a mental institution.After successfully scaring Yara, Winnie was about to leave when she bumped into Josiah in the corridor.Naturally, he was surprised to see her at the hospital all by herself.âDumbo? What are you doing here at this hour all on your own? Did you come to visit Old Mr. Fairchild?âSince Josiah was not in on her secret, Winnie had no choice but to act like a fool. âMy tummy was hurting, so Granny brought me here to see a doctor.ââDid you have an upset stomach? Whereâs your granny? I donât see her anywhere.ââSheâs right there, Bad Specky. Canât you see her?â Winnie said while pointing at the restroom behind her.Of course, Jacinta was not anywhere near the hospital that night, but Winnieâs innocent expression made her lie sound extremely convincing.As such, Josiah did not give it much thought when he saw her pointing at the restroom.âAll right, then. Wait here until your granny returns. Donât go wandering around, okay? I need to go check on Old Mr. Fairchild, so Iâll be on my way now.âHmm⦠I might as well pay Old Mr. Fairchild a visit while Iâm here.With that in mind, Winnie uttered, âIâll go with you, Bad Specky! I want to see Grandpa Rufus too!âJosiah flashed her a smile. âReally? Thatâs sweet of you, Dumbo. Weâll go see him when your granny comes out of the restroom, okay?ââOkay! Iâll go tell Granny to hurry it up!âWinnie was about to run off when Josiah grabbed her by the arm. âYou silly girl! You canât rush your granny when sheâs using the restroom!âShooting him a glare, Winnie brushed his hand off and ran into the restroom.Moments later, she came back out and remarked excitedly, âGranny says sheâs having a tummy ache. She said I should go ahead and see Grandpa Rufus with Dr. Houghton. You are Dr.
Houghton, right, Bad Specky?ââYes, Dumbo. Iâm Dr. Houghton. Looks like you might not be as dumb as you look. Come on, letâs go,â Josiah replied with an amused chuckle.Now I see why Xavier has fallen for her. Apart from having a pretty and adorable face, sheâs also able to bring joy to those around her. I bet her innocence has melted Xavierâs icy-cold heart, huh?With that in mind, Josiah led Winnie toward Rufusâ ward.While waiting for the elevator, the doors of the next one opened, and two people stepped out of it seconds later.It was a man and a woman, and they both looked rather familiar.Winnie was about to approach them when Josiah grabbed her by the arm and whispered, âShh⦠Donât make a sound, Dumbo.âWinnie played along and covered her mouth with her hands.âWhatâs wrong, Bad Specky? Did you see a ghost or something?â she whispered in his ear.âThere are no such things as ghosts. I just saw Handsomeâs dad and Yulissa,â Josiah replied with a chuckle.Hearing that, Winnie shifted her gaze toward the two and recognized that woman as Yulissa.Wait⦠Whatâs Yulissa doing with Xavierâs dad?