The tension instantly skyrocketed the moment Xavier showed up.Greta rubbed her nose awkwardly in response.Something tells me this man has been standing here for quite a while. He mustâve heard me asking Ms. Garland about her skills in bed! I think itâs best if I leave nowâ¦âAhem!â Greta cleared her throat and said, âIâll be heading upstairs now. I need to call my man and find out where he and the boys are at.âAs there were quite a lot of people around, Winnie decided to take their conversation elsewhere.She looked Xavier in the eye and said calmly, âGretaâs leg is injured, so it wonât be easy for her to go up the stairs by herself. Iâll help her up the stairs, and then we can talk in our room. Would that be okay?ââOf course.â Xavier nodded. âAfter all, youâre the one calling all the shots here. Who cares about what I think, right?âWinnie was about to say something in response, but the words were stuck in her throat.Greta felt so awkward that she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. âS-Shall we head upstairs now?ââLetâs go.â Winnie then grabbed Gretaâs arm and started helping her toward the back door.Xavier felt his blood boil when he saw Winnie treating a mercenary better than him.After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, he threw away the item he was holding and rushed forward.The next thing they knew, he swept Greta off her feet and carried her in his arms.âHey! What are you doing?â Greta asked instinctively.âShut up!â Xavier shouted without even looking at her.âYouâre hurting my wound!â Greta exclaimed with a frown.âBear with it!â Xavier snapped back at her.Greta fell silent after that.âXavier!â Winnie called out to him, but he ignored her completely.She was about to chase after Xavier when she noticed the item that he discarded earlier.As she went over to pick it up, she realized it was a rather familiar-looking scarf.Wait a minute, this is the scarf I bought after arriving at Lightspring! I either use it to cover my face or drape it loosely over my shoulderâ¦With that in mind, Winnie glanced at her clothes and saw that her skirt had been torn in quite a few places during the chaos at the Horton residence last night.That was when she realized Xavier had gone to retrieve the scarf when he disappeared earlier.She quickly ran up the stairs, only to see him leaving Gretaâs room and storming toward their room.While passing by Gretaâs room, Winnie saw that Xavier had tossed her onto the floor instead of the bed.Oh, no⦠Xavier is so mad that heâs taking it out on Greta!Xavier had taken off his shirt by the time she entered the room, revealing his muscular upper body as he stood there in his shorts.âWhat are you doing?â Winnie asked as she shut the door behind her and walked up to him.âIâm so mad that my blood is boiling. I need to take a cold shower to cool off!â Xavier replied angrily as he threw his shorts on the floor and entered the bathroom.Winnie quickly ran after him. âWatch it! Your arm is still injured!ââYeah, youâre right! My arm is still injured!â
Xavier paused in his tracks and turned around to glare at her as he yelled, âIs that why you decided to drug me, huh? I told you that I love you with every fiber of my being! I love you so much that I canât live without you! I believed you when you said you loved me too, but now I question if you even know what it means to love someone! I woke up later in the morning, only to realize that you and those mercenaries who would give their lives up for money were nowhere to be found. Do you have any idea how I felt? How could you be so cruel to me, Winnie? Even if you canât put yourself in my shoes, you could at least respect my opinion and the promise you made. Why do you keep lying to me again and again? Am I just a toyboy who you happen to come across in life? Is that why you keep toying with me?â âPlease let me explain, Xavier! What I told Greta earlier wasnât true!âWinnie knew she was at fault for drugging him, so she was sincerely trying to apologize and ask for forgiveness.However, Xavier simply slammed the bathroom door in her face. Had she not backed away in time, her nose wouldâve been smashed in right then and there.Xavier had yet to turn on the shower, so Winnie knew he could still hear her. She kept banging on the door as she shouted, âIâm sorry! I really am! Not only are you wounded, but your reflexes are also slower due to the poisoning. I only did it out of concern for your safety, Xavier! It had nothing to do with trust! Why would I not trust you when youâve sacrificed yourself for me time and time again? Iâve always thought of you as a wise man, Xavier. You may lose your cool once in a while, but youâre usually calm and rational when faced with problems. Had I known youâd get this mad at me for drugging you, I wouldâve discussed my decision with you instead!ââYeah, youâre right. You didnât know Iâd get this mad and upset because love is just a game to you! Well, guess what?
You won! Congratulations!â Xavier shouted through the bathroom door.âLove is not a game, Xavier! I have never treated it as such! Now, will you please open the door and let me in?â Winnie protested, but all she heard was the sound of water running in the shower.Winnie knew he wasnât in the mood to talk to her at all, but she insisted on waiting for him to come out anyway.She then leaned against the bathroom door while thinking about what to say to him. The next thing she knew, she lost her balance when the door was flung upon without warning, and she fell backward as a result.Xavier then wrapped his arm around her waist and spun her into a soaking wet embrace.His movement was so rough that he nearly broke Winnieâs nose in the process.âHey! Canât you hug me normally for once? Youâre always strangling or crushing me to death! Are you trying to kill me or something?â she yelled while pushing against Xavierâs chest.âYou know what? There have been times when I actually felt like killing you, you vile woman!â Xavier muttered through clenched teeth as he lifted her chin and rubbed his finger against her lips.âOw! What the heck are you doing?â Winnie felt like he would scrape her lips off if she didnât stop him.Xavier shot her a vicious glare as he replied, âWhat do you think? You let a man kiss you right here!ââI was just putting on an act!ââThatâs not allowed either.ââIn that case, you canât date celebrities, or theyâd have to quit their jobs!ââDonât try to change the topic! Youâre the only person Iâve ever liked, got it? Now, stop moving! I canât clean your lips if you keep wriggling about!ââIt was just a quick peck! It didnât even last a second, for goodnessâ sake!ââShut up! I donât want you recalling that moment!ââWill you cut it out? Stop being so unreasonable, d*mn it! Youâre hurting me! Youâd better not tell me to bear with it, you hear?âXavier glared intensely at her lips as he said, âOkay, donât bear with it, then! Iâm not sure if youâre able to scream out, though!âWinnie opened her mouth and tried to scream, only to have Xavier seal her lips with his a second later.