âWhat do you mean? Where has she gone? Why did she leave?âLouis could feel Xavierâs anxiety and impatience through the phone.He then told Xavier what happened at Rufusâ ward earlier.Sure enough, Xavier did not take kindly to hearing about Benjamin slapping Winnie and abusing her verbally.âWhy didnât you tell me about my dadâs return sooner?â he questioned angrily.Dad was so dissatisfied with Winnie that he gave me a stern warning a while back.âIâm sorry, Mr. Fairchild. This happened because I didnât do my job well enough. Hamish has taken Mrs. Fairchild with him, and Dr. Houghton is going after them as we speak. Dr. Houghton tried to convince Mrs. Fairchild to stay, but she insisted on returning to the Garland residence. I thinkâ¦ââYou think what? Stop beating around the bush! Get to the point!â Xavier urged him impatiently.âI think Mrs. Fairchild might be angry.âXavier was really worried when he first heard about Hamish taking Winnie away.However, he soon calmed down upon recalling that Winnie was not actually mentally challenged.That woman is smart and extremely capable. Hamish wouldnât be able to take her away if she didnât want him to. Winnie mustâve returned to the Garland residence of her own accord, so I have no reason to worry about her safety. I am, however, concerned about her being mad at me. After all, Dad slapped her because of meâ¦âBy the way, Mr.
Fairchildâ¦ââWhat is it?â Xavier asked as he put the phone on speaker and began texting his driver on WhatsApp.Louis lowered his voice as he continued, âMr. Rufus has told Mr. Benjamin about you being alive. Mr. Benjamin wants you to remain in your condominium tonight. He said heâll pay you a visit soon.âXavierâs hands trembled slightly when he heard that. âHeh, whatâs that supposed to mean?âI believe Mr. Benjamin has made it very obvious that he doesnât want Xavier to go see Winnie. Thereâs no way someone as smart as Xavier wouldnât be able to figure it out! Why would he ask me a question he already knows the answer to? Does he intend on going against Mr. Benjaminâs orders?Xavier was indeed planning on having his driver take him to the Garland residence.Unbeknownst to him, Benjamin was right behind Louis, so he had heard everything Xavier said.D*mn it! I canât believe my son is still madly in love with that dumb*ss!As he was angered at having his authority as a father disregarded, Benjaminâs expression was icy-cold. âPass me the phone, Louis. Iâll talk to him myself.âNaturally, Xavier heard that as well.âHey, Dad. Iâm sure Grandpa mustâve told you about me now that youâre back. Louis said you wanted to come see me, but I donât think thatâs necessary. Seeing as youâve just returned, Uncle Stuart and the others would surely have someone tail you, so you coming over would only expose my location to them.â Benjaminâs tone was dripping with sarcasm as he said, âReally? I bet you just want to go see that dumb*ss behind my back, huh? You wonât let me visit you because you donât want me exposing your location, but youâre willing to risk exposing yourself just so you could see that dumb*ss? Xavier, have you lost your mind? Has she infected you with her stupidity? Is she more important than Fairchild Corporation? Sheâs just a woman, Xavier! She canât possibly compare to all of Fairchild Corporation!âXavier fell silent as he tried to come up with a response, but he could not think of anything.At that very moment, memories of Winnie were all that filled his mind.The way she hugged me and clung to me filled my heart with warmth and brought a smile to my face. Heck, I canât even remember the last time I smiled before marrying her. Her very existence in my life has changed everything. In fact, I sometimes found myself smiling just by looking at her. Iâve seen her silly side as well as her brave and decisive side. Iâll never forget the despair I felt when I fell into the ocean that night. It was Winnie who swam to me, untied me, and breathed into me. I can almost feel her sweet breath in my mouth just thinking about it⦠So, have I really lost my mind? Is Fairchild Corporation truly more important than her? No, Iâm not crazy! We canât just decide which of them is more important like this!âIâm not like you, Dad. You placing Fairchild Corporation above everyone else is the reason Mom left us. Anyway, I know what Iâm doing. Youâve just returned from overseas, so you should go home and get some rest,â Xavier stated and hung up immediately after.At the same time, his driver had prepared the car.About forty minutes later, a black Mercedes-Benz pulled up on the street outside the Garland residence.Xavier kept calling Winnie inside the car, but she was not responding to his calls and texts at all.Iâm not sure if Winnie isnât responding because something has happened to her, or if sheâs just ignoring me because sheâs mad at me. All I know is that I want to see her and hear her voice right now!When he saw Jacinta entering the Garland residence, he decided to call her instead.Jacinta hung up the phone without saying a word when she heard Xavierâs voice on the other line.Annoyed by his incessant calling, she switched her phone off after the third call.Xavier frowned in confusion and displeasure as he did not understand why Jacinta hated him that much.Fine! If I canât get through to their mobile phones, Iâll call the Garland residenceâs landline instead!This time, after waiting for a good few minutes, he was finally able to talk to Winnie on the phone.However, as she needed to put up an act in front of everyone, she hung up the phone after a brief exchange.Five minutes later, he received a call from Winnie. âAre you crazy? Whyâd you call me so many times?â she scolded over the phone.