As they were arriving at Lagune Mansion, Louis received a phone call.A problem came up at the office, and neither Louis nor the senior executives could solve it, so he asked if Xavier could go over to the office to check it out.Xavier was dog-tired, but he couldnât ignore the issue his company was facing.He said to Winnie, âIâll send you back to the mansion first so that you can rest. If I canât make it home for lunch, Iâll definitely be back for dinner.ââGo on.â Winnie nodded in acknowledgment. âItâs all right if you canât make it back in time for dinner. But come home as soon as you finish your work, okay? You need to rest as well.ââOkay.â Xavier hugged Winnie tightly and kissed her forehead. After that, he instructed the driver to drive faster and proceeded to talk to Louis about work.Around ten minutes later, they arrived at the compound of the mansion.Xavier wanted to send Winnie to the entrance of the mansion, but she rejected him, saying, âHere is fine. You guys should turn around and go to the office. Iâll have Josiah walk me in.âXavier held her hand and frowned in response. âAre you not tired?âWinnie shook her head. âI got into the car right after I got off the plane. I want to walk and stretch my limbs.âJosiah had a feeling Winnie had something to tell him, so he said, âGo on, Xavier. You canât possibly be worried about leaving Ms. Garland with me, right?âJosiah was joking around, but Xavier wasnât in the mood to bicker with him. âAll right, Iâll go to the office first. Call me if anything crops up.ââSure.â Josiah flashed a smile and said to the driver, âStop here.âAfter the driver stopped the car, Josiah immediately got out of the car to assist Winnie.Once Winnie had gotten out of the car as well, Josiah went to close the car door.Before Josiah could close it, Xavier blocked it with his hand.Xavier glanced at Winnie and alighted from the car as well.He couldnât help but embrace her and put his head on her shoulder. âIâll miss you.âWinnie smiled. âYouâre still here, though.ââYes, but Iâll miss you. Will you miss me?â Xavier asked.âOf course.â Winnie cocked her head to the side and kissed Xavier on the cheek.Xavier only turned around to leave after he caressed Winnieâs head.After they left, Winnie turned back to Josiah and said, âLetâs go.ââAll right. Where should we go?âWinnie stood rooted to the spot and gave it some thought. âLetâs go somewhere quiet.ââSure. Iâll lead the way. But stay here and wait for me for a while.
Iâll be right back.ââOkay. Be quick.ââI know. Iâll be back in two minutes. Wait for me.âA few moments later, Winnie heard the sound of branches rattling.Feeling curious, she asked, âWhat are you doing, Josiah?âJosiah kept her in suspense by saying, âItâs a surprise!ââOh,â responded Winnie.She wasnât sure if it was because of a gust of wind or if Josiah had shaken the branches, but she caught a whiff of the sweet smell of osmanthus.She seemed to be in a good mood when she said, âWhat a nice smell! Is osmanthus already in bloom at this time? Isnât it a bit too soon?â Josiahâs voice rang out from a distance away. âNot really. Itâs almost Thanksgiving. Isnât it the time osmanthus blooms?ââIs it? When is Thanksgiving?â Winnie had been in and out of hospitals over the past month, and she had totally forgotten about Thanksgiving.âIn a weekâs time, I think. Iâll have to check the calendar to be sure.â
Josiahâs voice was getting closer because he was making his way back to Winnie.As he was approaching, the sweet smell of osmanthus became more intense.âHere you go.â Josiah gave the flowers to Winnie. âHold them.âWinnie reached out her hand to grab the flowers and waved at Josiah.
âThank you. They smell so nice. Why would you think of giving me flowers?ââSo that I can lead the way by holding the flowers!â Josiah laughed.Winnie let out a hum of realization and said, âYouâre rather caring, Dr. Houghton.ââYou flatter me.ââHaha! Youâre too humble!âJosiah then led Winnie to a bench, and they both sat down.While Winnie was smelling the flowers, Josiah asked, âWere you hiding something from me when we were in the car just now?âWinnie froze and kept mum.Seeing that, Josiah grew anxious and immediately rose to his feet before squatting down in front of her. He stared into her eyes and asked, âWhat exactly is the matter? Did something happen and youâre not supposed to talk about it? Does Xavier not know about it as well?âWinnie leaned against the bench and gradually closed her eyes. âYeah. I havenât told him. Something has been bothering him since he was keeping me company in Yartran over the past month. Heâs been moody, so I didnât tell him when it happened.âJosiah grew even more anxious. âWhat exactly happened?âWinnie furrowed her brows and answered, âMy condition has worsened, and I had nosebleeds. Even my ears bled when I boarded the plane. Although I canât see it, I know the red marks on my abdomen mustâve become more serious. Iâve already talked to Lisanne, and sheâs also experiencing something similar. Iâm going to see Lisanne in a while, so come with me.âJosiahâs face turned pale the moment he heard those words. âWhy is this happening?ââWell, thatâs just what it is.ââAre you not going to tell Xavier about this? Are you going to keep hiding it from him?ââNo, but I think heâs going to have his hands full for the time being. Iâll keep receiving treatment, and Iâll only tell him about it when heâs in a better mood or when heâs not so busy.âJosiah felt terrible. He couldnât utter a word in response. Instead, he could only nod silently. No wonder she looked so sick.He then quickly realized Winnie couldnât see his reaction, so he said, âOkay.
Iâll go with you to look for Lisanne. Would you like to go back to your room to rest first?ââNo. Get the car ready so that we can leave shortly.ââSure. Iâll make the arrangements now.âFive minutes later, Winnie and Josiah left Lagune Mansion.Prior to that, Xavier had installed a tracker in Winnieâs braille watch.
Right when Winnie and Josiah were leaving Lagune Mansion, Xavier was sitting in the conference room. He couldnât help but frown when he saw the location of the watch moving on the software on his phone.