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“What’s he doing here? How dare he show up here?” Looking utterly displeased, Rufus thundered, “He
didn’t even have the courtesy to inform me before coming over, and for that, he’s not welcomed here!”
Despite saying all of that, the elderly man still felt unsatisfied and added, “Tell them to go back to where
they came from. I don’t want those eyesores around!”
“But Old Mr. Fairchild,” the butler said in a hushed voice, “They’re already here. Furthermore, I heard
that…”
The butler continued whispering into Rufus’ ear, and only then did the latter’s tensed-up expression
soften.
Nonetheless, his tone was still ice-cold. “Just let them wait outside for now as this matter requires the
agreement of both Xavier and Winnie.”
Xavier and Winnie exchanged glances with one another, feeling taken aback when their names were
brought up.
Despite not knowing what was going on and what they were about to face, Xavier gave Winnie a
reassuring look and took the initiative to ask his grandfather, “Grandpa, what is it that made you so
angry? Does it concern me and Winnie?”
“It has nothing to do with you two. You’re both good kids!” Rufus got increasingly angry while thinking of
the predicament they were in. “It’s all because of that cousin of yours, Nate! He knows you’re here, so
he’s come to ask for forgiveness.”
A crease appeared between Xavier’s brows. “You knew about it, Grandpa?”
Glancing at his grandson, Rufus retorted, “How can I not? How long are you planning to keep it a
secret from me? If it weren’t for your Aunt Beatrice, I’d still be in the dark right now.”
“Nate crossed the line. Last time, we were all fooled by him, and I doubt his apology will be sincere. His
tactics are getting increasingly nastier. He clearly wants you to meet a fate that’s worse than death!” he
continued.
“Indeed,” said Xavier with a frown. “However, he’s a direct descendent of the Fraser family and Aunt
Beatrice’s favorite. Uncle Jonathan also dropped by the office and talked to me about it. Perhaps we
can sweep this incident under the rug.”
“What did he say to you? He’s considered your elder, but in the corporate world, the Fairchild family
and the Fraser family are two different entities. There’s no reason for us to take the short end of the
stick.”
After giving Rufus a slight nod, Xavier reassured him, “Don’t worry, Grandpa. I’m well aware of where
to draw the line.”
Keeping one’s personal relationships out of their professional life was something Rufus had taught
Xavier since the latter was a young boy. Satisfied with his grandson’s response, the patriarch of the
Fairchild family exclaimed, “Good! What did you two discuss? Is it about the gold mine?”
“Yes.” Xavier nodded. “They’ve made a huge compromise.”
“All right. I’ll swing by the company tomorrow. Let me have a look at the proposal then,” said Rufus in a
tone laced with content.
“Why don’t I bring it to you? I wouldn’t want you to overexert yourself, Grandpa.”
“It’s fine. Besides, going out every now and then will be good for me.”
Rufus’ words had essentially confirmed his plans to drop by the company the next day.
Once that was settled, he instructed the butler, “You may let them in now.”
As soon as the butler had left, Rufus then called Winnie over with the intention of discussing the latter’s
grandmother, Jacinta.
Jacinta had no idea what Nate had done to Xavier. Needless to say, she was not aware of the history
between the Fairchild family and the Fraser family either. Hence, Rufus wanted to have her settled
down in a separate room.
Winnie understood Rufus’ concerns. Hence, she brought her grandmother to another room.
After making sure Jacinta was comfortable, Winnie proceeded to switch on the TV in the room.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Granny, why don’t you watch TV? You can go on your phone if none of the shows interest you. I’ll be
back in a moment.”
Hearing that, Jacinta furrowed her brows slightly. “This is a matter between the two families. Do you
have to be involved in it?”
Winnie’s tone was laced with a hint of seriousness as she explained, “The truth is, Xavier’s illness and
everything that happened does concern me. Since I’m here tonight, it’s best if I step up for a bit. Don’t
worry, Granny. I’ll be fine.”
“All right, then. Come back as soon as you can.”
“I will.” While Winnie was speaking, she received a message from Xavier. She scanned it quickly before
saying to her grandmother, “I have to go now, Granny. It’s windier than usual tonight, so I’ll shut the
windows for you.”
“Okay.” The wind was whistling outside. Jacinta walked over to shut the windows herself. “I can take
care of it. Where did this wind come from anyway? It’s about to take the trees with it.”
“A typhoon has come onshore, affecting a couple of coastal cities. Avenport is often affected by
typhoons during this season, and it might be slightly worse this year.”
While walking her granddaughter to the door, Jacinta said, “I got it, so go on now. Hurry back!”
Although Avenport was not a coastal city, it was often affected by typhoons during the windy season.
The wind on that particular night was stronger than usual. In fact, it was so strong that Winnie’s hair
was all messed up the moment she stepped outside.
She walked along the Chanaean-styled cloister and quickly spotted Xavier, who was standing not too
far away.
Beautiful crystal chandeliers embellished the cloister, swinging from side to side as the wind blew. In
midst of the darkness of the night, the chandeliers shimmered, casting a warm golden light on the road
ahead.
At the end of the cloister was an arched door that was adorned by fresh flowers. Roses were blooming
beautifully during this season and hung right above Winnie’s head as she stepped through the door.
Xavier, however, was much taller than the petite Winnie and the door. Hence, he had no choice but to
take a few steps to the side and leaned against a wall in order to avoid the fresh flowers hanging above
the arched door.
The man kept his hands in his pockets, exuding a languid and casual vibe. Nonetheless, his eyes
never left the woman who was slowly approaching him.
In the faint glow that bathed the entire cloister, Xavier looked exceptionally stunning like the lone moon
that hung in the night sky. An air of mystery and calmness enveloped him, and his eyes were
shimmering as if an entire galaxy of stars were trapped in them.
Looking at the man, Winnie could not help but chuckle.
When she was a little girl, she dreamt of her prince charming too.
However, she would have never expected that the man she’d end up with would turn out to be a
ladykiller—a man so handsome that he could make all the women swoon. Winnie was sure she would
not be able to forget him even if a century were to pass.
“Did you wait long?” asked Winnie as she finally arrived at his side.
“Not at all.” Xavier straightened his posture and lifted a hand to tidy up Winnie’s disheveled hair. After
that, he lowered his head and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
He wanted to pull away after the kiss, but of course, Winnie was not about to give him that chance.
She lifted her slender arms and wrapped them around Xavier’s neck. Looking at his lips, Winnie could
not help but wonder if they were as sweet as the rose petals above their heads.
“Hey, are you planning to leave right after kissing me? Well, I won’t let you!” After a deep passionate
kiss, Winnie lifted her hand and gently pinched Xavier’s face.
The man was still panting after the kiss, his eyes ablaze with excitement. “You’re such a little minx.”
“Oh?” The corner of Winnie’s lips lifted into a smile as she gently grazed her finger against the man’s
Adam’s apple. As she spoke, her tone was so sweet that it almost bewitched him. “Tell me, what sort of
minx am I? The sort of minx that would accidentally suck your all energy out of you by accident?”
“No.” Grabbing ahold of her slender hand, Xavier uttered in a low voice, “You looked just like a
seductress when you made your way toward me.”
Her strides were sexy and even more so when the faint moonlight cast a gentle glow on her.
Whether it was her hair that cascaded down her back or her long skirt that swayed as she moved,
Xavier’s heart trembled with her every move.
She was slowly captivating him, getting him all hot and aroused.
A seductress like Winnie did not need to do much. She could bewitch Xavier just by walking toward
him.
Feeling his self-control was wavering, Xavier enveloped the charming woman in an embrace and
switched their positions.
He placed one of his hands behind her head and used the other to press her against the sweet-
smelling flower wall.
Passion and sweetness filled the air, and the chemistry between the two was all too wonderful for
words.
Xavier and Winnie did not waste time.
The former brushed off the petals that had fallen onto Winnie’s hair before pulling out a blue
handkerchief from his pocket and using it to tie her messy hair up.
His gesture piqued her curiosity. “What are you using? You don’t have hair ties with you, do you?” she
asked.
“It’s a handkerchief. Don’t worry, it’s clean.” Xavier knotted the handkerchief as he spoke. “Done. Now,
you don’t have to worry about your hair getting messed up by the wind.”
Winnie did not expect him to think of that, and her heart felt warm at the gesture. “Thank you,” she said.
“Instead of thanking me, why don’t you call me ‘Dear Hubby’ as thanks?”
Come to think of it, I’ve never addressed him as “Hubby”, let alone “Dear Hubby.” This sudden request
of his is really putting me in a tough spot.
Winnie smiled and threw her arm around Xavier’s neck, lowering his head. “No can do! I’m afraid that
once I call you that, you’ll lose control of yourself, and we won’t be able to get down to business.”
The moment she finished speaking, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from the other side, followed by
the butler’s voice.
“Mr. Xavier, Mrs. Fairchild, Old Mr. Fairchild asked me to pick you two up.”
Xavier lowered his head and placed one of his hands on Winnie’s shoulder, giving it two hard
squeezes. “Just wait. Don’t forget what you owe me.”
As soon as the words left his lips, he took her hand in his own and strode toward the butler.
Xavier and Winnie gathered with Rufus.
The trio then proceeded to the living room.
All the while, Nate had been kneeling in there.
His parents—Jonathan and Beatrice—remained seated until they saw Rufus.
The couple quickly stood up to greet the patriarch of the Fairchild family, while Nate’s older brother,
Kevin, hinted at Nate.
Nate swiftly changed the direction he was facing and continued kneeling as he greeted his grandfather.
Rufus knew why Nate was kneeling. Hence, he was merely going through the motions when he asked,
“Jonathan, Beatrice, what are you two doing? Why would you let Nate kneel there in the middle of the
night?”
“This imbec*le is here to ask for forgiveness today, Dad,” explained Jonathan.
“That’s right. Jonathan has already taught him a lesson at home. Look at the back of his neck. Those
are all bruises,” Beatrice chimed in. After a brief pause, she continued, “Nate crossed the line this time.
Jonathan’s sending him to Alendor next year, so we wanted him to apologize to you and Xavier in
hopes that we can close this chapter before he leaves.”
“Hmph!” With a straight face, Rufus chastised, “Honestly, Beatrice, you’ve spoiled Nate too much! So,
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmis he not going to be in show business anymore?”
“No, he won’t be dabbling in show business anymore. The Fraser family is big and owns many
businesses. His elder brother can’t handle it all by himself. Dad, why don’t you punish him and move
on?”
“You’ve already taught him a lesson at home. Besides, he’s a Fraser, not a Fairchild. I shouldn’t be the
one disciplining him.”
“Nate is a Fraser, but the blood of the Fairchild family flows in him as well. Dad, you should just punish
him and let the matter slide,” urged Beatrice.
Jonathan, who echoed his wife’s sentiments, added, “That’s right, Dad. You or Xavier should punish
Nate, so he’ll learn his lesson.”
The Fairchild family had a rule. If one were to be punished according to the rules of the family, the
family would let bygones be bygones.
That was precisely why Jonathan and Beatrice were so insistent that Rufus must punish Nate himself.
Xavier’s gaze fell upon Nate, who was still kneeling on the ground. “You’ve truly learned your lesson
this time and won’t make the same mistake twice, correct?”
A long silence hung in the air before Nate made up his mind and declared resolutely, “That’s right. You
have my word!”
“All right. I’ll believe you this once.” After saying that, Xavier looked at his grandfather and added,
“Grandpa, go ahead and punish him according to our family rules.”
It was just a formality for the most part, and Rufus did not actually punish Nate.
But after that was done, the Fairchild family’s patriarch received a piece of less-than-good news.
Because of the strong winds, a couple of trees at the exit of the Fairchild residence were uprooted and
ended up blocking the road.
At the same time, the road conditions outside were not that good either.
It quickly became evident that there was no way anyone would be able to leave the residence, so
Rufus had everyone stay the night.
Winnie returned to look for her grandmother as soon as the butler was done making the necessary
arrangements.
She had to let Jacinta know about staying overnight at the Fairchild residence, but the latter was
nowhere to be found.
Winnie only found out that Jacinta had gone out for some fresh air after calling her.
Fortunately, Jacinta did not go far. She returned soon after Winnie’s phone call.
“Granny, it’s so dark and windy outside. Where did you go?”
“There’s a nice breeze outside, so I went for a walk. Besides, being cooped up in here alone was
boring. Can we head back now that everything’s settled?”
“We can’t go now. We can drive out tomorrow morning.” Winnie told her grandmother why they needed
to stay overnight and added, “I have to perform acupuncture on Xavier in a bit, but I’ll be back to
accompany you as soon as I’m done.”
“Okay. Come back soon.” Jacinta let out a sigh, commenting, “I knew this wind was up to no good. We
can’t even leave now.”
Winnie let out a resigned chuckle upon hearing Jacinta’s words. “It’s just a typhoon, Granny. Okay, I’ll
head over to Xavier’s.”
With that, she turned around and walked toward the door. As she was walking, however, Winnie
noticed a scent that had wafted up her nose.
“What’s wrong?” asked Jacinta upon seeing that.
A slight frown appeared on Winnie’s face. “Granny, did you notice the stench of alcohol?”
“What stench? Where is it coming from?” Jacinta took a couple of sniffs before commenting, “I don’t
smell anything at all.”
Winnie sniffed again and quickly concluded, “I must have made a mistake then.”
At that moment, Winnie was in a hurry. Coupled with the fact that the wind was howling outside, she did
not notice anything other than the sound of the wind.
Just as Winnie made her way through the courtyard, a dark shadowy figure was creeping up behind
her.
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