Chapter 765

Chapter 765

Did I not die?

Am I still breathing smoothly?

"How do you feel?" Sylvia's familiar cold tone rang in my ears.

Winter suddenly looked over and saw that unforgettable beautiful face.

She was stunned, the voice she heard when she was drowning, was it

really Sylvia's?

How did Sylvia get here?

Her eyes were full of shock.

She struggled to sit up, but she didn't have much strength. She wanted

to speak, but her throat was sore from being choked by water, as if

there were gravel grinding inside.

"Sylvia..."

"Winter, long time no see," Sylvia looked at her calmly, with no emotion

in her eyes.

Winter's tears slid down her cheeks, and to her surprise, she bumped

into her old arch-nemesis Sylvia. But it was this very enemy who

extended a helping hand when Winter was on the brink of death.

She cried out in a somewhat dejected manner.

After a while, she said hoarsely, "If you had known it was me that you

were saving, would you still have helped?"

“I would." Sylvia's voice was resolute.

Winter was momentarily stunned and asked, "Why?"

"Because I cannot bear to watch a baby about to be born disappear

before my eyes," Sylvia smirked and raised her eyebrows, "so now give

me your right hand, I need to check on the condition of your baby."

She could feel the pulse.

Now that Winter has drowned, she needed to make sure she was okay.

This village was remote and underdeveloped, and there was no way to

send them to a hospital in the city for examination.

As Sylvia talked about the child, Winter obediently extended his right

hand.

Sylvia pressed her fingers onto Winter's pulse and withdrew them after

a while, "The baby is temporarily safe.”

So the people in the village were all shocked and stared at this scene.

Did these people know Winter?

At this moment, they heard the village chief, nodding and bowing with a

respectful expression, saying, "Miss Andrews, I'm so glad that

everything's alright now. How did you and Winter come to know each

other?"

"Um, we've known each other for a long time," Sylvia didn't say much.

Franklin's stern and cold gaze swept over the crowd. “The original plan

for developing the resort was to offer high compensation, but now..."

Winter was completely soaked, with wet clothes sticking to the body,

which was very uncomfortable.

She couldn't help but sneeze.

"Mr. Maskelyne, we were wrong. We won't do it again," the village chief

replied.

The villagers couldn't believe that these strangers were actually the big

bosses. They thought about their changing fate and couldn't help but

feel sad and anxious about the future, uncertain about their livelihoods.

"Don't worry about your new livelihoods. The resort will need workers

from the foundation to completion,” Sylvia reassured them. "The village

will be rebuilt, and you won't have to relocate. But I hope nothing like

this happens again in the future, or you may not be so lucky next time."

Sylvia turned to Winter and asked her where she lived.

“I... I don't have any strength left,” Winter replied shyly.

"Help her up,” Sylvia ordered two men who immediately lifted Winter up

by her arms. "Go forward, turn left, then walk a little further.”

After five minutes of walking, they arrived at Winter's small wooden

house which was simple but complete in its own way. As Sylvia looked

around inside while the men helped Winter onto her bed before

retreating outside and closing the door behind them leaving an

awkward silence between them all in its wake.

Winter finally spoke up after a long pause, "Miss Andrews, can you

please get me some clean clothes from that cabinet over there?" She

pointed towards a corner of the room where a cabinet stood against

one wall.

"Sure thing." Sylvia got up to retrieve some clothes for her.

"Do you need any help changing?" she asked kindly.

"No thanks; I can manage on my own.” Winter had regained some

strength, but the frigid river water had left her shivering and her hands

trembling. However, she couldn't possibly allow Sylvia to help her

change clothes. When she thought about the complicated history

between her and Sylvia, all that remained now was awkwardness and a

sense of desolation.

With her pregnant belly, it took her quite a while to change her clothes,

about five or six minutes.

“I know you're probably silently mocking me, thinking I deserve this,

that I shouldn't have followed Clark and done harm in the past,” Winter

said with a bitter smile, a look of despair in her eyes. "Though Clark

cleared me of all guilt, bearing the burden himself, what good does it

do?"

"The foundation has harmed many people and cheated many out of

their money," Winter said.

“I may not have directly killed anyone, but I indirectly cheated people

out of their money. The Royal Galaxy Building was destroyed by Clark.

If you want revenge, you can come after me. It doesn't matter

anymore,” she continued.

Winter whispered to herself, "I'm due in two weeks. Please leave my

child with me."

Tears streamed down her face as despair consumed her.

The moment she saw Sylvia, Winter knew she had nowhere else to

turn.

Sylvia squinted at the woman's pained expression. In just six short

months, Winter had gone from a graceful and elegant Mrs. Wilson to a

pitiful woman.

If it weren't for today's chance encounter, Sylvia would have thought

that Winter was living well and that her quality of life hadn't changed

much since before.

"Winter, I don't want to know why you're hiding in such an isolated

place. I can save your child's life if you agree to my conditions,” Sylvia

said calmly but firmly.

"What are your conditions? What do you want me to do?" Winter asked

hopefully as a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes.

“I don't want to keep a potential threat around. Clark has already been

sentenced to death, but his crimes go far beyond what I managed to

gather. Where are the other pieces of evidence?" Sylvia spoke calmly,

idly tracing her fingers.

Winter froze up; already pale from crying earlier on now even paler

upon hearing Sylvia's words!

Seeing the hesitation on Winter's face made Sylvia chuckle softly.

"What? You don't want to give him up? You are the one person Clark

cares about most; he entrusted everything he had with you."

“Your child's fate along with yours is entirely within my grasp right now -

whether or not it lives or dies depends solely on your decision! Clark

has been sentenced to death; there is no hope for him ever getting out

again! If you give me this evidence against him, then I will spare your

life and provide a good environment for your kid."

Sylvia spoke evenly without any fluctuations in tone but for someone

like Winter who was currently desperate beyond measure, it sounded

incredibly tempting!

“I've also heard some things about the Wilson family... Do you think

they'll let go of someone who owes them something? Or are you

planning on hiding forever? Are you going make your child live every

day under constant fear?"

“Think carefully about this... Let me know when you decide."

After finishing her sentence, Sylvia turned to leave. Just as she was

about to open the door, Winter suddenly called out to her, "Miss

Andrews, wait."

Sylvia turned around and saw Winter's eyes filled with determination. It

seemed like she had made a decision in an instant. "Miss Andrews, I

can give it to you. But... I hope you can keep the promise you made to

me."

"Winter, never go see Clark again,” Sylvia said in a low voice. "The

father of your child has lived a life of sin. If you want your child to live a

clean life, then you must forget this man who once appeared in your

life."

"Sylvia! Are you being so cruel?" Winter's tears flowed again as she

spoke. "The Wilson family is hell and everyone there is evil except for

Clark... he protected me and looked after me... and now you want me

to forget him!"

"Winter, don't be ignorant,” Sylvia said sternly. "You need to face the

facts. If you want to live an honest life free from, cut any ties with the

Wilson or Bennett families.”

"Does the Bennett family have any place for you? Did they agree when

you asked them to save Clark?" Every word that Sylvia spoke hit hard

on Winter's heart.

Winter fell onto the ground and cried uncontrollably while covering her

face.

Her entire life had been one tragedy after another since birth; she felt

trapped within it all along with her child.

"Do you want people all over the world laughing at your child's origin?"

Sylvia walked up close beside her and bent down towards her face

while speaking firmly.

“Listen to me, forget Clark, start anew. That includes your name. Winter

should become a thing of the past.”

Winter's lips quivered, and her gaze fixed on Sylvia. "What do you

mean?"

“I'll give you a fresh identity," Sylvia assessed her. "You're highly

educated, and you're intelligent. It's a waste not to put those to good

use."

Winter grew a bit nervous. "What do you want to use me for?"

"You'll find out in due time."

In the small courtyard of the wooden house, Jasper was waiting with a

touch of impatience, kicking the ground lightly.

"Master Franklin, why isn't Miss Andrews coming out? What could she

possibly have to discuss with Winter?"

Franklin faced Jasper sideways, gazing into the distance at a small tree

in the yard. The contours of his profile were sharp, making it difficult to

discern his expression.

"No need to rush; she'll come out when she's ready," Franklin replied in

a calm, emotionless tone.