Immediately, everyone went on guard. As Greta retreated, the person in the bushes slowly appeared.âDamn it! Itâs the b*stard Zyon again!â Winnie cursed when she saw the personâs face.Even Xavier furrowed his brows. âHe has taken Rachel hostage.âThe more Winnie thought about it, the angrier she was.âWhat is up with Zyonâs eyes? He picked Rachel back at the dock as well. Now, even after Iâve hidden Rachel well, he still managed to find her! Did he put a tracker on her or something?ââUnlikely.â Xavier held Winnieâs hand. âCalm down. Letâs hear what he has to say first.âWinnie let out a long sigh. âThatâs the only thing we can do right now. He must have no other thoughts other than wanting to stay alive.âXavier hummed in agreement. âIâll go and talk to him. Stay here. Someone needs to keep an eye on Granny and the car.âWinnie parted her lips, but she said nothing.She had decided to exchange herself for Rachel instead of staying back.Furthermore, Xavier had injured his arm. He would be in even more danger if he were to confront Zyon.However, she changed her mind right then. âAll right. Be careful.âXavier nodded. âDonât worry. There are many of us.
Even if heâs desperate, he wonât do anything rashly.âWith that, he went forward without looking back.Meanwhile, while the others were not paying attention to her, Winnie hid inside the trunk of the car.By the time Xavier went over, Greta had already retreated.The moment Mason and the others saw Greta returning unharmed, they tightened their grips on the weapons, ready to spring into action at any moment.Fear overwhelmed Zyon. As he pressed the muzzle of the pistol against Rachelâs head, he dragged her backward and yelled, âPut down your guns, or Iâm going to shoot her! No one else might know about this, but Iâm sure you do, Xavier. I was the one who wrecked one of her legs! If you donât listen to me, Iâll shoot her other leg. Do you hear me, Xavier Fairchild?âOf course, Xavier knew how Zyon had crippled Rachel.His gaze on Zyon was frigid and sharp like a blade. âWhat do you want?ââWhat do I want? Are you really asking me that? Obviously, I want to leave this place alive! Put down the gun and give me the car. Itâs that simple. Otherwise, Iâll make this dumb womanâs life a living hell!ââOkay.â Xavier knew that was something Zyon was more than capable of doing at a desperate moment like this. âJust calm down. Iâll get them to put their guns down.ââYou too. Throw your gun over here!ââOf course. Weâll do as you say,â Xavier said as he threw the gun half a meter away from him.The others followed suit as they threw the weapons in their hands to the ground.âVery well.â Zyon dragged Rachel forward a little. âIâm glad youâve got good head on your shoulders. Now, keep walking back until youâre at that tree over there. Do you hear me?âThe tree that Zyon pointed at was at least fifteen meters away from their current position.If they were to retreat all the way there and let Zyon get into the car, it would be no easy feat for them to catch up to him again.However, there was nothing else they could doâZyon still had Rachel hostage, so Xavier had no choice but to choose to go along with the formerâs words.Nevertheless, while they were retreating to the tree in a group, the people in the front smartly concealed the people in the back from Zyonâs line of sight, which allowed them to discreetly pick up their weapons. Xavier also picked up a pistol as the others hid him with their bodies.Greta had long told Jacinta to step out of the car and retreat with Xavier and the others.Right than, Greta, who was by Xavierâs side, sensed something amiss. When the alarm bells in her head became louder and louder, she whispered, âBy the way, Mr. Fairchild, whereâs Ms. Garland? I thought I saw her standing with you earlier. Where did she go?âXavier froze before whipping his head in Jacintaâs direction.âGranny, isnât Winnie with you?âJacinta shook her head in confusion. âNo. Wasnât she by your side the whole time? When was she with me?ââDamn it!âAt that very moment, Xavier realized what was going on.She must have hidden in the car. She guessed that Zyon was going to ask for the car and that he was going to ask us to put down our weapons and stay away from him. Thatâs why she was so quick to agree to stay behind to keep an eye on Jacinta. Itâs because she was planning to hide in the car.
Sheâs not going to let Zyon go, and sheâs not going to let him leave today.Xavier looked at the car up ahead, feeling the urge to run over to it.However, his rationality told him that he would alert Zyon to the plan if he were to do that.If that were to happen, the risks Winnie had taken would be for naught.Thus, he chose to do nothing.Not long after, everyone had retreated to the tree where Zyon had told them to go.The first thing Zyon did was push Rachel into the car. Then, he began picking up the guns and throwing them into the car, planning to bring them all with him. He was not going to let Winnie, Xavier, and the rest have the chance to turn the tables.However, what he never saw coming was someone pressing a gun to the back of his head when he turned over to pick up the weapons on the ground the second time.âWho is it? Whoâs behind me?â The hair on the back of Zyonâs neck stood up.Winnie pulled the safety pin and hissed, âAny last words?âInstantly recognizing Winnieâs voice, Zyon begged, âPlease, please let me go! Iâll give you all of my money. Iâll give you the gold too. Iâll give you all the assets I have. Please just spare my life! From now on, you can enjoy your life with Xavier in Avenport. I swear I wonât step foot into Chanaea ever again. Iâll stay here for the rest of my life.âWinnie scoffed, âDo you think Iâm that stupid to believe in your nonsense? Go to hell! You have no right to even peek at heaven!ââNo! No, no, no! You canât kill me. I have a secret to tell you. Itâs real! I swear itâs real. If you shoot me now, youâll regret it!ââOh? Letâs hear if this secret of yours is worth that much.âDespite her words, Winnie did not let down her guard. The moment Zyon did anything suspicious, she would end his life.Realizing that he had been given a chance to live, Zyon hastily said, âIf we talk about blood relations, Iâm your cousin. Your maternal granny is my paternal grandma. Iâm the grandson she has been looking for all these years. Weâre cousins, so how can you kill me? Please spare my life for the sake of the same blood flowing in our veins!âWinnie had thought that she would be unfazed by anything that came out of Zyonâs mouth.However, a trace of suspicion crept into her mind at that moment.No one knows that Granny has been looking for her grandson. How did Zyon find out about that?