When Christopher got out and opened the car door for Winnie, the man in the Mercedes-Benz squinted his eyes, looking displeased.He calmed down when he saw Winnie walking off and heading home without talking much to Christopher.However, the next moment, Christopher took out a jacket from the rear seat, ran up to Winnie, and draped it over her shoulders.The man in the Mercedes-Benz subconsciously tightened his fists when he saw that.Clenching his teeth in anger, he bellowed an order, âLetâs go!âAfter bidding Christopher goodbye, Winnie quickened her pace and hurried into the compound of the residential area.Christopher could not drive her in as his car wasnât on Aqua Moanaâs registered vehicle list.Hence, Winnie had to walk through a garden to reach home.When she passed by a tall tree, a shadow suddenly appeared by her side.Before she could react, she was already pinned against a tree behind her, and a pair of moist, warm lips kissed her on her eye.She was about to fight back when she heard a familiar voice.âWhy did you turn off your phone? You got into trouble, then your phone went off! Do you know how worried I was when I canât reach you?âWinnie was stunned when she heard the voice, and her first response was, âWhy are you back, Xavier?ââWhy do you think I came back?â He glared at her and grabbed the jacket that was draped over her shoulders, flung it aside, and glared at her, his eyes glowing in the dark. âYouâll probably be taken by someone if I donât come back!ââWhat are you talking about?â Winnie barked back. She was already in a lousy mood, so having her warm jacket ripped off and being pinned against the prickly tree only served to annoy her more.Thus, she shoved Xavier and chided, âWhatâs with this rough handling? And what do you mean by taken by someone? Canât you behave decently and talk nicely?ââWinnie Garland!â Xavier hollered at her, still angry when he recalled Christopherâs intimate gesture of draping the jacket over her.He lowered his head, pressed his forehead against hers, and muttered, âI was so worried about you. I was worried that you were in danger, so I rushed back as soon as possible. Canât you be nicer to me?âAs he finished his sentence, he planted a quick peck on her lips.Winnieâs heart softened when he ditched his tough act and revealed his vulnerability.She tenderly said, âI didnât mean to turn off the phone. The battery died on me. Did you really come back because of me?âXavier rubbed his nose against hers and said, âWhat do you think? Do you think I came back for that macho Captain Bennett?ââWhatâs with you?
Are you jealous?â Winnie was amused.Xavier frowned and circled her waist as he lamented, âSo what if I am? Isnât it obvious? Do I have to spell that out to you?âWinnieâs smile grew wider. âYouâre being ridiculous!ââAm I?â Xavier bit her on her lip and asked, âCan you swear thereâs nothing between the two of you?ââOf course! Weâre only friends!ââFriends? Can you not be his friend?â Xavier knitted his brows and asked.Winnie rolled her eyes at him and retorted, âWhy? Just because you are interested in a woman, you canât bear to see her having a normal social life? Iâm afraid youâll never get married and will be condemned to a lonely life if you behave in this manner.âBeing possessive means being condemned to a lonely life? Xavier was rendered speechless.Instead of replying to her accusation, he merely bent over and started kissing her incessantly.His kisses were gentle but random, and it was as if he were a premature beast who had just broken free from his cage. He was wild and eager, albeit harmless.His kisses landed everywhere, starting from her forehead, her brows, her eyes, then her nose. Subsequently, he moved downward and pecked her on her lips, her chin, and her neck.He only stopped when Winnie became overwhelmed and bit him as a warningâWinnie, you are my little Dumbo.
I hope Iâm the only man in your heart and in your eyes. You canât look at other men,â he said solemnly and domineeringly, looking her straight in the eyes.Winnie gave him a playful push and quipped, âArenât you being a little too possessive? Letâs go home!âWith that, she pulled away from his embrace.Xavier just stood there frowning, deep in thoughts.Am I being too possessive? Isnât it normal to yearn for all the attention of the person you love? Why canât she have eyes for me and only me, like before?Xavier missed the Dumbo that Winnie used to be, when he was her everything. He missed hearing her call him âHandsome,â and he was confused about the way she was currently behaving.When he saw that Winnie was about to leave, he grabbed her wrist.She stopped in her tracks, looked him up and down, then asked, âHow did you run up to me? Whereâs your crutch? Or were you in your wheelchair? Where did you leave it?âI was using my crutch. Itâs in the bushes.â Xavier lovingly rubbed his fingers against her wrist and said, âYou still care a lot about me, donât you?â âOf course! Iâm worried youâre going to be permanently crippled. If so, then youâre not going to be worthy of me!â she teased. After that, she turned around and started searching for Xavierâs crutch in the bushes.She soon found the crutch and brought it back to Xavier. Along the way, she also picked up Christopherâs jacket from the ground.Xavier glanced at the black jacket and became upset. âCanât you throw that away?â he asked.âWhat?â It took Winnie a while to realize he was referring to the jacket in her hand.Winnie took a deep breath to suppress the rising annoyance within her. âDo you have to do that? Itâs only a jacket!â
she said, frustrated with Xavierâs possessiveness.âExactly! Itâs just a jacket, so no big deal if we throw it away, right?â Xavier was also getting frustrated.âAre you serious, Xavier Fairchild?â Winnie asked in disbelief.He stonily replied, âDo I look like Iâm joking?âHeâs crazy!Winnie was speechless and decided to ignore him. She walked off with the jacket in her hands, and couldnât care less if he had difficulty following her with an injured leg.She made her way home without turning back to check on him, not even once.The light was still on when she got home. Jacinta was waiting for her in the living home.âOh, youâre back, Winnie. I couldnât reach you. Why is your phone off?â Jacinta asked with concern.Winnie replied, âMy phoneâs battery ran out. Didnât I tell you not to wait up for me tonight?ââI happen to be up watching TV. What happened to you? You look moody. Did things not go well for you today?ââOh, donât worry. Itâs just a little hiccup. Itâs nothing serious and Iâm almost done with what I needed to do,â Winnie assured Jacinta. Then, she added, âItâs getting late, so why donât you go and get some sleep?ââAre you really okay? I can tell youâre annoyed and unhappy. Tell me whatâs bothering you. I may not be of much help, but youâll feel better after getting it off your chest.â Jacinta walked over and held Winnieâs hands.âXavier is back!â Winnie confessed, frowning slightly.At that moment, the ladies heard the door knob of the main entrance turning.âGranny, Iâll head back to my room.â Winnie knew it was Xavier, so she quickly hurried back to her room.Xavier stepped in as soon as Winnie closed the door to her room.Staring at the tightly-shut door to Winnieâs room, Xavier couldnât help but frown.âHello, Mdm.
Sumner.â Xavier saw Jacinta in the hall and greeted her respectfully.Xavier had always been aloof to everyone around him except for Winnie.Jacinta, on the other hand, also behaved formally and distantly around Xavier. She merely made some polite small talks with him before retiring to her own room.Winnie was standing behind the door to her room, listening and monitoring the movement in the hall. It was only after she heard Xavier opening a door to leave that she turned around and went to take a bath.However, when she stepped out of her bathroom, she saw Xavier seated on her bed, reading a book.Winnie could tell that he just had his shower too. He was wearing an oversized bathrobe and his hair was still wet.She was attracted to his demeanor, which appeared more sexy than usual.Darn it!
Heâs trying to seduce me with his hunky appearance again!âWhy are you here?â She gave him a side eye and started picking on him. âHow did you shower with that crippled leg of yours? Make sure youâve cleaned yourself properly before sitting on my bed!âFrom the tone of her voice, Xavier knew her anger had diminished.He gave her a smile and cheekily retorted, âThis is my room, so why canât I sit on my own bed? Fancy my wife having the cheek to accuse me of being dirty when she didnât come to my rescue despite knowing Iâm inconvenienced by my crippled leg!ââWife? The audacity of you to mention that. Donât you remember how a dumbass like me got married to a vegetable like you back then? So who are you to complain?â Winnie refuted him harshly.Xavier was still smiling cheekily, for he found his wife adorable when she pretended to be mean.âI took pity on you for being dumb in the past and never argued with you. Now that youâre no longer dumb, do I still have to give in to you?â he teased dotingly.Next, he put away his book, patted the spot next to him, and said, âCome here.âWinnie begrudgingly walked over, gave him the side eye, and hit him on his leg cast, asking, âHow did you shower with this on?ââSit down.â Xavier held her hand and asked in his deep, manly voice, âDo you really want to know?âWinnie was momentarily dazed when her eyes met his alluring dark eyes. When she snapped out of it, she said, âForget it if you donât want to answer me!ââAll right, all right. Iâll tell you everything you want to know.â There was a playful twinkle in his eyes when he looked at her. Then, he pulled her toward him and pinned her against the soft beddings.