Winnie cocked her head and glanced at Xavier before saying with a chuckle, âIf youâre doing everything for me, what am I supposed to do?âKeeping his eyes ahead, the man held Winnieâs hand and replied, âItâs natural for a man to take care of his woman. Your job is just to stay pretty. Leave everything else to me.ââWell, that makes sense.â Winnie smiled and squeezed Xavierâs hand before replying, âBut am I not already pretty enough? Besides, I want to have first-hand information of whatâs going on in the investigation.ââI know.â Xavier gazed at her thoughtfully and said, âDonât worry. I will keep you updated on the go. I wonât hide anything from you.âRight after he finished speaking, Josiah picked up. âXavier, whatâs the matter?â the doctor asked.âRegarding the person who looked like Greta, are you finding out whatâs going on? Can we have a chat?ââOh. Sure,â Josiah agreed immediately. âAre you free this afternoon? I can go to your office.ââThis afternoon?â Xavier glanced at Winnie before replying, âTonight is better. Come straight to Lagune Mansion.âJosiah sounded slightly taken aback when he asked, âYouâre not in the office today?ââNo,â Xavier replied and said, âIâll see you tonight then.ââAll right. See you later.âThe two men hung up after that.Winnie was slightly stunned as well. âWhere are you going if not the office?âThe only thing on her schedule that day was to visit her grandmother at the psychiatric hospital. As the visit was already completed in the morning, Xavier did not have to accompany her anymore.Xavier could easily tell what Winnie was thinking.He reached out and tousled her hair while saying, âSilly girl. Iâm staying with you and not going anywhere. I donât need a reason to accompany you, right?âA smile broke out on Winnieâs face as she replied, âIâm not as fragile as you think. After meeting the professors today, Iâve already accepted the matter with Granny. If youâre busy, you donât have to stay with me. We can go on a proper vacation when youâre on leave.ââI donât care,â Xavier snorted lightly and continued, âIâve already instructed Louis to cancel everything on my schedule today.
I have nothing to do now. I shall personally cook dinner for you tonight.ââYou can cook?â Winnie was surprised to hear that.âOf course. Other than giving birth, thereâs nothing that I canât do,â Xavier answered before glancing at her and saying, âIf thereâs something I donât know, I can always learn.ââAll right then. Iâm looking forward to trying your cooking.â Winnie smiled and continued, âOn account of your sincerity, I shall prepare my signature dish for you tonight.âXavier simply hummed in acknowledgment, and instead of speaking further, he held her hand to his lips and planted a gentle kiss on it.He was glad that his Dumbo was finally smiling again.Although Winnie looked equally stunning regardless of whether she was smiling or not, he loved to see her happy face.Since the couple had already decided to cook for each other that night, they headed to the supermarket before going home.Even though they had been together for some time, it was the first time they went grocery shopping together, mainly because there was usually someone else doing the shopping for them.As the supermarket was huge, and there were lots to see, Xavier and Winnie spent quite a while there.The couple had an enjoyable time chatting with each other and weaving through lanes, searching for the ingredients they needed.After leaving the supermarket, Xavier drove straight toward Lagune Mansion.Although he had already decided on their destination, he still asked, âSo, shall we head back to the mansion now?ââSure.â Winnie nodded and said nothing more. However, deep down inside her heart, she knew that if nothing had happened to her grandmother, they would have gone back to Aqua Moana as usual instead. After what happened to Jacinta, Xavierâs intention was for them to move back to Lagune Mansion to prevent Winnie from being triggered by past memories and feeling upset.Winnie was agreeable to that.Although she had already accepted reality, it would take some time for her to move on and feel better.Dinner was finally ready at seven in the evening.The coupleâs combined effort consisted of mushroom soup and steamed fish prepared by Winnie, as well as beef brisket, spareribs, and grilled prawns prepared by Xavier.However, just when they were about to dig in, Josiah suddenly arrived.Seeing that Xavier and Winnie had yet to start eating, Josiah immediately asked for an additional set of cutlery.Annoyed, Xavier said, âCanât you reach slightly later? Why do you have to arrive just when we are about to eat?âJosiah looked at Xavier incredulously and replied, âOh, come on!
Itâs just a meal. Hmm, where is everyone? Why hasnât anyone brought me my cutlery?âHe started looking around after saying that.Xavier shot Josiah a glance and said, âStop looking. There isnât anyone else here. I gave them a day off today.ââHuh?â Josiah swept his gaze across the dining table and noticed that the spareribs did not look very appetizing. He instantly understood what was happening and exclaimed, âXavier, donât tell me you made these yourself!ââWhat if I did? Are you not happy with that?ââThatâs not what I meant. Although the spareribs look so-so, the steamed fish looks great. Seems like youâve made some improvements.ââDr. Houghton, you have a great eye. I was the one who cooked that fish,â Winnie said.âI see.â Josiah nodded before continuing, âI get it now. It seems like Iâve arrived at the perfect time. Itâs my honor to be able to taste the food prepared by the two of you. Iâm still quite disappointed though. You guys already know that Iâm coming here tonight, but you didnât even bother to invite me for dinner beforehand. I could have contributed some dishes as well.ââWe wouldnât dare,â
Xavier replied with a cold expression. âWe are just having some couple fun. How could we waste your precious time and ask you to cook for us, Dr. Houghton?ââTsk, tsk!â Josiah pretended to look hurt and said, âObviously, you two only have eyes for each other now and have forgotten about me. Wait, donât start eating yet. Give me three minutes to cook something.âWhen Winnie heard that, she cocked her brows and replied, âIâm looking forward to it.ââAll right!â Josiah got up at once and rolled up his sleeves.Noticing that Winnie was in good spirits, Josiah nudged Xavier and said, âWe should open a bottle.âXavier looked toward Winnie instinctively and asked, âShall we have some wine?âWinnie nodded and replied, âSure.âFive minutes later, Josiah emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of salad.Meanwhile, Xavier had already opened a bottle of reserve red wine.Winnieâs jaw dropped when she glanced at the salad which comprised some greens and nothing else. âIs this what you meant by cooking? Pardon me for being direct, Dr. Houghton, but itâs impossible for you to find a wife with this.âJosiah pushed up his glasses and replied, âWith my stunning good looks, do you think I would need to rely on my cooking skills to get a wife?âThe atmosphere became even more cheerful with Josiahâs sense of humor.The three of them finished two bottles of wine together, and Winnie was slightly tipsy by the end of the night.She did not like the feeling of being drunk, but she liked the fact that it helped empty her mind and put her in a relaxing mood.Before she fell asleep that night, she promised herself that, from the next day onward, she would stop feeling upset about what happened to Jacinta.