When Winnie entered the Horton family’s territory again, she was brought directly to Christopher’s
room.
Both lunch and dinner were delivered by the help there, who had been trained impeccably. They would
make small talk, but they would never disclose any information that went beyond their rank.
For that reason, she failed to pry anything out of them. She had no idea when Christopher would return
either, so she could only stay in his room and wait.
That night, she merely slept shallowly.
Before going to sleep, she had already locked the door from the inside. Therefore, her eyes
immediately popped open at the sound of a key being inserted into the keyhole outside the door.
Although the person outside was, in great likelihood, Christopher, she still whipped out the knife she hid
under her pillow at lightning speed and sprinted over to the side of the door posthaste.
In that position, she could instantly restrain the individual who entered if it wasn’t him.
Sure enough, the door was pushed open from the outside no sooner had she gotten into position.
The moment the door swung open, however, the person outside promptly stated, “It’s me. You don’t
need to be afraid.”
Winnie breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m not afraid.”
As she spoke, she lifted her hand and swiped the light switch on the wall. At once, a burst of light
illuminated the entire room.
Christopher casually locked the door before he flashed her a tight-lipped smile.
“I’m glad to hear that. Sorry I didn’t make our appointment because I had to take an impromptu trip
today. It was Harold who ordered Wesley to go and pick you up. I hope he didn’t do anything to you?”
Winnie glanced at him, but she didn’t answer right away. Instead, she strolled to the window and
studied the situation outside carefully.
In truth, Christopher knew it was safe outside at that moment without anyone monitoring them or
eavesdropping on them. Nonetheless, he didn’t stop her from doing so.
After all, it was a good habit to remain vigilant at all times at such a place. It might even save one’s life
at a critical juncture.
He went over to the refrigerator and took out two bottles of water. By the time he turned around, Winnie
was already walking toward him.
“It so happens that I want to talk to you about Wesley. You must be careful of him,” Winnie warned.
Murmuring an acknowledgment, Christopher unscrewed one of the bottles of mineral water and handed
it to her. “Have some water first.”
After saying that, he guzzled half a bottle down himself as he was parched beyond words.
Winnie wasn’t all that thirsty, so she merely placed the water aside after taking it from him.
She waited until he had finished drinking before continuing, “He’s at odds with you and determined to
go head-to-head with you. During the drive here, his libido flared, and he wanted to force himself on
me. Initially, I planned on feigning weakness, but I didn’t feel like holding back anymore at the sight of
his revolting expression. Thus, I slashed his stomach a few times and made him bleed. He appeared
as though he yielded to me on the surface then, but I don’t think he’ll take it lying down. Besides, he’ll
definitely take the humiliation I caused him out on you. At that time, I even specifically urged him to
keep this matter a secret, forbidding him from telling you that I was actually not as weak as I looked. He
has probably started suspecting my identity, so I reckon he’ll report the matter to Harold for sure. After
all, you’re someone Harold trusts highly right now, so Wesley’ll undoubtedly pick fault with you
relentlessly if he wants to take you down.”
Christopher couldn’t help narrowing his eyes after hearing all she had to say.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Ah, that explains how his injuries came to be. He was waiting at the gates when Harold and I came
back, insisting that he had something to report to Harold. The look in his eyes as he glanced back at
me even appeared pretty smug. So, he thought he finally had dirt on me. Anyway, it isn’t your style to
give yourself away easily. You must have some plan, yes?”
“Yup!” In the next heartbeat, a frown marred Winnie’s countenance before she explained, “I’m worried
Harold will be suspicious if you introduce me to him directly. It doesn’t matter much if he only suspects
me, but the consequences would be grave if you were compromised. Hence, I plan to approach him by
myself. Then, he won’t suspect you. All the flaws I’m revealing now happen to be the best evidence for
the fake identity I’m going to reveal soon!”
Her explanation was remarkably detailed, so Christopher immediately understood her intention.
He nodded in response. “This plan of yours is indeed much better than my previous arrangements.”
“Well, I actually only made some changes to the details. The entire plan is still based on the one you
devised. If necessary, we can create some conflict when appropriate. The greater our conflict, the safer
you’ll be.”
Despite knowing that Winnie’s remark made sense, Christopher still frowned instinctively.
“You can’t just consider my safety only. Your safety is equally important.”
Hearing that, Winnie grinned at him. “I know. Everything I do is for the sake of keeping myself safe.
Therefore, no matter what you do henceforth, you only need to consider yourself. There’s no need to
worry about me.”
Christopher went silent, saying nothing. If a terribly dangerous situation were to really transpire in the
future, how could I possibly not give a whit about her?
Upon receiving no reply from him, Winnie didn’t continue speaking of that topic since she had said all
there was to be said.
She promptly changed the subject. “It’s late, so let’s rest. You take the bed while I take the floor.”
Christopher was startled for a moment. Only then did he notice that she had already made her bed on
the floor beside his bed.
The pillow on the floor was wrinkled, so he could tell at a glance that she had been sleeping on the
ground.
Torn between amusement and exasperation, Christopher wore a wry smile on his face. “Are you
kidding me? How could I have you sleep on the floor while I take the bed?”
Winnie chuckled. “I know you’re very gentlemanly, but my decision stands. I believe you won’t coerce
me.”
At her remark, Christopher’s smile turned all the more bitter. “You trust me that much?”
To that, Winnie quirked an eyebrow. “Of course. Or are you not worthy of my trust?”
Chortling softly, Christopher relented, “All right, then. It’s too difficult for me to betray my conscience
and claim that I’m not that great a man. I’m going to wash up for a bit. You go ahead and sleep.”
After saying that, he turned off the lights in the room.
In the dark, Winnie’s brows furrowed slightly. “Can you see if you turn off the lights so early?”
“It’s not so bad that I can’t see anything. Mainly, I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable. Go ahead and
sleep without worrying. I’m here, so it’s very safe.”
“Okay.” Winnie groped for her phone. Unlocking the screen, she found her bed on the floor and lay
down.
She was merely human, so she similarly felt drowsy when she relaxed after having been overly tense.
Not only had Christopher returned safely then, but as he said, it was also safe with him there.
Hence, she started feeling sleepy at once. But before sleeping, she still couldn’t resist the urge to bid
another person good night.
While the person in question might not be able to hear her right then, she still lifted her left hand and
gently kissed the ring on her ring finger.
“Good night, and sweet dreams.”
“Good night. I love you,” Xavier, who was far away in a particular inn in Lightspring, replied when he
heard Winnie’s voice from the earphones.
Although he knew that she couldn’t hear him, he ultimately couldn’t help adding that final utterance.
It seems that I’ve never uttered those three simple words to her in person.
At that very moment, he made a vow to himself inwardly. When we next meet, I’ll definitely hug her
tightly and say that to her a million times!
The next morning, Winnie found herself sleeping on the bed when she awakened.
Shock flooded her. I was sleeping on the floor last night. How did I end up in a different place now?
She swiftly sat up and darted her eyes around.
Only then did she realize that Christopher was neither on the bed nor the floor.
Just when she was about to get out of the bed, Christopher suddenly opened the door and walked in.
“You’re awake? I brought you some food. I don’t know what you like to eat, so I randomly grabbed
something.”
As their gazes met, Winnie quickly slid off the bed. She didn’t bother asking such a dumb question as
to how she got on his bed.
She merely asserted with a faint smile, “Actually, I’m fine sleeping on the floor. Don’t move me again
next time. I didn’t expect myself to sleep like the dead last night.”
Both of them were smart, so Christopher naturally understood the underlying meaning of her words.
Despite that, he likewise insisted, “In that case, take the bed tonight. I’ve got thick skin, so I’m not afraid
of mosquitoes or bugs. It’s humid and hot here, so there are a lot of bugs.”
Everything was fine before he mentioned that, but as soon as he did, Winnie felt her arm itching.
Lifting her hand, she glanced at it, only to see several huge bumps on her arm.
The instant she started scratching them, Christopher stopped her from doing so. “Don’t scratch. I
brought you some cream.”
While saying that, he took out a tube of cream from his pocket. “There’s no new one, so make do with
this used one first, okay?”
Winnie took it from him. “Thank you. And sorry you had to go to such trouble.”
Nevertheless, Christopher didn’t seem bothered at all. “If you feel bad for troubling me, take the bed
tonight. Then, there won’t be any problems.”
At long last, Winnie nodded in acquiescence.
Subsequently, the two of them had breakfast face-to-face. As Winnie peeled an egg, she asked
Christopher, “Is Harold home today? I’ve got to kick up a fuss soon to set the atmosphere in advance.”
Christopher’s brows creased. “Nope. He has a deal today, so he has left with the goods.”
Hmm? Upon hearing that, Winnie stilled for a moment. “If so, why didn’t he bring you along? Has he
grown suspicious of you?”
Similarly, Christopher stopped eating. “That’s probably not it. He’s quite a careful person. Apart from
the few bodyguards who have been with him for more than ten years, he brings different subordinates
to each deal. This time, he brought Wesley.”
“Then, when does he usually come back?” Winnie continued querying.
“Generally, he returns on the same day if it’s quick. But there have also been times when he only came
back two to three days later or even three to five days later. Mainly, I don’t know where exactly they’re
going to be having the deal, so I can’t tell,” Christopher admitted.
Winnie bobbed her head in understanding. She pondered for a while before she abruptly remarked,
“I’m having a bit of a stomachache, so I’m going to the bathroom first.”
“What’s wrong?” On reflex, Christopher swept his gaze over the food he brought back. “Is there a
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmproblem with the food?”
Winnie said nothing, merely shaking her head before pointing at the ring on her ring finger.
Instantly, Christopher understood her meaning. Ah, the ring on her hand is actually a listening device!
Nodding, he played along and didn’t speak further.
It wasn’t until then that Winnie answered, “No, I don’t think so. Perhaps I caught a cold from sleeping
on the floor last night. Just carry on eating. There’s no need to worry about me.”
As she spoke, she went into the bathroom.
But in no time, she tiptoed out again.
When she returned, the ring on the ring finger of her left hand was no longer there.
In a lowered voice, Christopher inquired, “Xavier prepared that?”
Winnie nodded. “Yeah. But there are some things I didn’t tell him, so I removed it.”
“I understand. Where were we just now?”
Winnie promptly continued where they left off earlier.
“You were saying that you didn’t know where he headed for the deal, but it doesn’t really matter since
this area isn’t that big. I’ve already had people spread the news that I’ve got a new formulation. Thus, I
believe he’ll hear that rumor, no matter where he might be going these few days. He won’t be the only
one, for the other two major drug lords will also catch wind of that piece of news. They’ll go to great
lengths to discover my whereabouts. Next, I’ll only need to find an opportunity to make an appearance
before him. The only thing we have to do right now is to wait for him to come back.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you about Harold, then. Some of it is insider information. You must be careful, for he’s
even crueler than you can imagine…”
That very night, Harold returned. He even had a pool party in the courtyard.
He was over the moon because he had managed to cinch a huge order.
According to Christopher, the man was very generous. Every time he closed a substantial deal, he
would give his subordinates a monetary gift.
When it came to money, he won the hearts of all.
Just as Winnie was racking her brain for a way to sneak into the pool party, a knock sounded outside
all of a sudden.
“Are you in there, Vivian? Chris told me to come over and look for you.”
Needless to say, she recognized that woman’s voice. “Yup. The door isn’t locked, so just come in.”
No sooner had Winnie’s words rang out than a young woman in a swimsuit stepped in.
At the sight of Winnie in pajamas, the woman exclaimed with a chuckle, “You’re already in bed? Why
are you going to sleep so early? Didn’t you hear the noise outside? Chris asked me to bring you out to
have fun together. Let’s go. Change and go out with me. You’ll even be getting a monetary gift.”
Feigning ignorance, Winnie questioned, “What monetary gift? What games are you guys playing?”
“Naturally, it’s a monetary gift from Mr. Horton. He’s jubilant tonight and opened champagne at the pool.
They called a lot of women over tonight. Chris is popular among the ladies, so he might get stolen by
another woman tonight if you don’t go.”
“What?” Immediately, Winnie shot up and roared emotionally, “There are other women by his side?”
“Yes, but don’t worry, for he isn’t interested in them. That’s why he asked me to come and bring you
there. Hurry up and change. I’ll wait for you outside.”
“Okay! I’ll be done in a jiffy!”
While saying that, Winnie started to rummage for a suitable outfit.
Soon, she selected a white swimsuit. White was actually very plain, but Harold loved it.
Spread the love