Chapter 418 Deploying The New Spy Just as Harold was about to put Winnieâs fertility report back into the drawer, Josiah entered the room abruptly.
Harold didnât expect him to return so quickly, while Josiah was surprised to see âXavierâ going through his drawer.
Josiah couldnât help but frown curiously. âWhat are you looking at, Xavier? Iâm surprised you actually found something of interest in here.â
Even though Harold was shocked by Josiahâs sudden return, his calm demeanor prevented him from giving himself away.
Instead, he waved the report in his hand at Josiah.
âItâs Winnieâs report. Of course Iâm interested.â
Josiah nodded in acknowledgment. âI forgot to shred it. Itâs just that sheâs blind now. Otherwise, it would be terrible if she saw it.â
âOh?â Harold immediately understood what was going on.
It turns out that they are hiding from Winnie the fact that sheâs barren. They must be doing so to avoid hurting her feelings. This is certainly wonderful news. Haha, if the real Xavier was unwilling to tell her the truth, Iâll be the one to do it!
The mere thought of the devastated look on Winnieâs face caused Harold to curl his lips subconsciously in elation.
Meanwhile, Josiahâs brows furrowed when he saw âXavierâ smiling strangely with Winnieâs fertility report in hand.
Hence, he gave his friend a curious look. âXavier, why are you smiling?â
âWas I smiling?â Harold quickly reverted back to his emotionless expression as he asked, âWhy are you back already? Has the matter outside been resolved?â
âNot yet, but I sent someone to deal with it.â While speaking, Josiah took the report back and dumped it into the shredder in the corner of the room.
After returning his attention to âXavierâ, he inquired, âOther than your wounds, do you feel discomfort anywhere?â
âNo.â Harold shook his head. âWhatâs wrong? Why are you looking at me that way?â
The frown on Josiahâs face deepened. âI just feel that something is different with you, but I canât put my finger on what it is.â
âIn that case, let the data speak for themselves.â Harold cocked a brow. âDidnât you take my blood? You should run them through all the tests you need.â
Josiah nodded while letting out a hum of acknowledgment.
Flashing a smile, Harold patted Josiah on the shoulder. âIn that case, Iâll take my leave first.â
âOkay, Iâll walk you out.â Josiah stuffed his hands into the pocket of his lab coat as he followed Harold out.
However, Harold stopped him. âIâll be fine. You should get back to work.â
âAll right then.â Josiah didnât insist as his gaze trailed Haroldâs leaving silhouette.
Cognizant of the way Josiah was looking at him, Harold was irritated. I have to get rid of this annoying jerk someday.
The moment he stepped out of the hospital, Harold heard his phone ring.
However, when he saw that it was Winnie on the line, he put it back into his pocket, ignoring her call deliberately.
It wasnât until Winnie called a few more times that âXavierâ finally answered.
Over the phone, âXavierâ mentioned that he was busy but confirmed that he would return to Lagune Mansion for dinner.
Hence, Winnie waited for him.
Unfortunately, there was still no sign of âXavierâ even when the food had turned cold.
When Winnie called again to check, she found out that Benjamin had returned to the country. Therefore, âXavierâ had gone back to the Fairchild residence together with his father.
The sudden turn of events baffled Winnie. âWhy didnât you tell me earlier? Iâve been waiting for you the whole time.â
Paying no heed to Winnieâs complaint, Harold cooked up a random lie. âMy dad was speaking to me the entire time, so I didnât have the opportunity. I remember asking Louis to inform you. Did he not do it?â
âNo. If he did, I wouldnât be waiting at home like a fool!â
âWhat?â Noticing the anger in Winnieâs tone, Harold relished in schadenfreude. âLooks like he has forgotten my instructions. Iâll deduct his pay, then. Anyway, my dad told me a lot today and expressed his intense dissatisfaction with you. I wanted to pick you up so we could all have dinner together at the Fairchild residence, but that doesnât seem like a good idea.â
âYes. Thatâs why I should avoid going there for the time being.â
âOkay, Iâm hanging up now. I probably wonât be back tonight, so donât wait up.â
âSure.â Winnie, too, didnât have much to say when she sensed âXavierâsâ lack of desire to chat.
Nevertheless, this was the first time he didnât return for the night.
Sensing something amiss in the back of her mind, she dialed a string of numbers.
It was a number she never saved on her phone because this was the first time she ever called its owner âthe spy whom she implanted in Fairchild Corporation.
Back when Xavier found out about it, he gave his tacit approval. In fact, he didnât even question who that person was.
In other words, apart from Winnie, no one else knew that the person was acting as Winnieâs spy while working for Xavier.
âMs. Garland.â The lady was clearly shocked when she received Winnieâs call. âWhat can I do for you?â
Winnie replied flatly, âThereâs something I want to ask you.â
Even though Louis was the one who knew everything âXavierâ did, Winnie didnât fully trust him since he was Xavierâs subordinate.
As a result, she sought someone on her side. âHave you noticed anything strange with Mr. Fairchildâs behavior over the last two days, be it at work or his usual routine? Tell me everything you know.â
Although Winnie hadnât called her up in a long time, the lady was still on Winnieâs payroll all this while.
Thus, she continued to diligently make notes every day, just in case Winnie needed them out of the blue.
The lady chose her words carefully as she replied, âI have noticed some minute differences, but Iâm not sure if Iâm just being too sensitive.â
âItâs fine. Just give me what you have. Iâll make my own judgment.â
âAll right.â The lady continued, âPerhaps because of the injuries in his throat, Mr. Fairchild hardly speaks recently and seldom makes any decisions. Instead, he lets Mr. Tanser do all the talking in his place. Also, Mr. Fairchild has been making mistakes with minor details and needs Mr. Tanser to remind him about things. This is something that has never happened before.â
âIs that so?â Winnie knitted her brows. âWhat sort of details? Tell me about them.â
âNames. Mr. Fairchild addressed two members of senior management wrongly. In fact, he even got a major clientâs name wrong.â
âWhat?â The words caused the frown on Winnieâs face to deepen.
It doesnât seem like he has any problems with his memory at all. Messing up the names of senior management and a major client is a serious matter.
âAnything else?â Winnie asked.
âYes. Over the last two days, he has been using his stamp instead of his signature while signing documents. Ever since he returned, he has not signed his name at all. This is probably because both his hands were injured, but itâs something unprecedented.â
At that moment, Winnie fell into deep thought.
Although the reason sounds logical, are the injuries on his hand really that serious? Given that contracts worth tens of billions pass through his hands, can he really make do with just a stamp instead of his signature? Were the documents due to be signed over the last two days coincidentally trivial?