âOkay!â Winnie replied as she held his face and gave him a kiss on the lips. âShow me around this secret hideout of yours!âXavier let out a chuckle. âThereâs nothing much to see, really. Itâs just a very peaceful spot.ââNonsense! This beach is the best place to view the sunrise! Xavier spent a lot of money buying this! All of Fairchild Corporation thought he was going to develop it into a resort or something, but he actually purchased it for his own personal use! He literally spent hundreds of millions just so he could sit here and enjoy the sea breeze! Can you imagine that?â Josiah said.Xavier rolled his eyes at him in response. âWhy are you worried about how I spend my money? I just want a quiet place where I can relax.ââYeah, I know. It really is a nice place, so I suppose it was worth the money. Honestly, I do support your decision. Can you imagine what would happen to this beach if the Fraser family got their hands on it? I bet theyâd ruin it by building a beach resort here or something! We need to give Mother Nature a break every now and then.âXavier frowned. âYeah, sure, go ahead and steal all the good lines from me.âWinnie let out a giggle. âNow, now⦠Are we here to argue or relax and unwind?âShe then got out of the car, stretched her body, and took in the fresh air as she continued, âItâs been so long since Iâve been to a beach. Come on, letâs go!âXavier walked up to her and held her hand. âWeâll find a less windy spot to sit down. Here, hold the bag. Iâll switch the flashlight on.ââWho needs flashlights when Iâve got these?â Josiah called out to them from behind.Winnie turned around and saw him holding two lamps which looked like glass bottles with countless fireflies in them.The lamps exuded a comforting glow that added some warmth to the cold windy night.âWhere did you get those? Do you have some sort of storage ring on you?â she exclaimed in surprise.âOh, itâs not mine. I found it in Xavierâs car, so you should ask him instead.âXavier shook his head. âI didnât prepare that. It was probably the driver or Mary who put them there.ââWho cares who prepared them? Anyway, would you like to hold one? It looks kind of pretty,â Josiah asked while handing one of them over to Winnie.âSure!â Winnie glanced at the car that still had its high beams on as she said, âWeâll be able to go a lot farther with these lamps.âThe three of them then walked along the beach, leaving their footprints in the sand behind them.After a bit of walking, Winnie sat down at a spot where they could easily touch the sea with their feet.Xavier sat down in the middle and handed them both a can of beer before helping himself to one.âWhenever Iâm in a bad mood, Iâd come here to enjoy the sea breeze, listen to the waves, and watch the sunrise. My mood would usually improve by the time the new day begins,â he said while staring into the distance.Winnie rested her head against Xavierâs shoulder as she commented, âThe sound of the waves is indeed relaxing.âA few minutes later, she started talking about what had happened that day. âThere really is no telling what will happen next in life. Mason was just fine earlier in the morning, but heâs now dead and lying in a mortuary. I thought things were going well with Granny, only to have reality spit right in my face. These past few days have been filled with nothing but lies, depression, betrayal, and unpleasant surprises. Everything has been catching us off guard lately. I really canât stand any more surprises like these. Back then, I liked keeping my identity hidden for the safety of those around me. Right now, Iâm really worried about you guys. Just take Mason, for example.
He and Harold werenât enemies before, but Harold targeted him because he was protecting me. This is Haroldâs way of provoking and threatening me. If he were to come after you two, IââXavier cut her off, âWeâll be fine, all of us. Not only will we be all right, but we also wouldnât betray you or lie to you.ââYeah!
I wonât blindly trust any messages that I receive in the future, so you two had better stop texting me. Iâll only trust a voice message or video calls. May these problems be gone from our lives for good!â Josiah added and held his can up.The three of them then clinked cans and chugged their drinks down.âYouâre going to pay for what you did, Harold!â Josiah yelled at the top of his lungs.Turning toward Winnie, he suggested, âYou should try screaming too. Itâll make you feel a lot better. Weâre in an open area far away from the residences, so you donât have to worry about disturbing anyone.âWinnie nodded and shouted in the direction of the sea as well, âYouâll pay for this, Harold!âSure enough, screaming her heart out did help her feel a lot better. It felt as though her negative emotions were all carried away by the sea.Instead of screaming like they did, Xavier simply pulled Winnie into his arms and hugged her tightly.Watching how the two depended on each other for comfort, Josiah flashed them an envious smile as he said, âWhen you two have kids, you better take me as their godfather!ââI think you should go ahead and do that yourself. Marry a woman you love and have us become the godparents of your children,â Winnie replied.âWhy do I have to be the first one? I donât even have a girlfriend!âXavier frowned. âHave you forgotten about my condition? We arenât planning on having kids for the time being, so you might actually have children before us.ââWait a minute, why are you urging me to get married instead? You know what? I donât like where this topic is going. Letâs talk about something else instead.
Hmm⦠Ms. Garland, how about I tell you some embarrassing stories from Xavierâs childhood instead?ââWhat? The great Mr. Fairchild has embarrassing stories?â Winnie exclaimed in surprise.âOf course he does!âJust like that, the three of them continued chatting the night away. It wasnât until high tide that they retreated back to the car.Xavier woke Winnie and Josiah up at about five in the morning.The sun was slowly rising from the horizon, lighting up the darkness little by little as it bathed the place in a gentle, warm glow.Winnie flashed them both a bright smile. âThanks, you two! I feel so much better now!âThey were on their way back when Winnie received a call from Lisanne offering to treat her to a meal.After giving it some thought, Winnie declined her offer.âBut why? Youâre going on a vacation with Xavier soon, arenât you? If you wonât have a meal with me before you go, who knows when Iâll get to do so again?â Lisanne protested.