âFrankly speaking, I have no idea.â Josiah frowned. âLook, why donât you try approaching this from a different angle? This is the age of big data, so it isnât difficult at all if someone really wants to track your movements. What baffles me is how he even managed to find out about the two vials of samples that are inside your briefcase.ââCorrect.â Winnieâs eyes narrowed to a slit. âHow exactly was this person able to nail down my movements undetected is something worth questioning in itself.ââYou donât say.
An unseen enemy is definitely a bigger threat than one in the open. Since neither of us has any idea who that person is nor where he is holed up at, thatâs pretty scary to me.â Josiah then hypothesized, âCould it be someone who is opposed to you from within Garland Group itself?âWinnie shook her head.
âI canât be sure, but we should be able to trace it back to wherever the trail leads us.ââHuh?â Josiah was somewhat surprised. âBy the way you describe it, it seems you already got a hold of the situation. Have you already set a trap for that person? Didnât you have no clue whatsoever to work with, for starters?
How did you manage to figure that out?âBrimming with confidence, Winnie chuckled. âWhat happened back at the airport seems to have been staged beforehand, and whoever set that up was just waiting for me to show up at the boarding gate. While everything was going down, I noticed that someone was filming me. Instead of a phone that other people would normally use, a professional-grade camera was employed. Therefore, by looking into the high-resolution video feeds that are being broadcast online, we should be able to pick some bits and pieces as to who the culprit might be.ââThatâs brilliant!â Josiah was simply blown away. âYouâre just unbelievably sharp. Itâs no wonder you were able to snag the whole of Garland Group by simply pretending to be mentally impaired.âWinnie fell silent before she broke into a guffaw. âIs that supposed to be a compliment or a dig at me?ââA compliment, of course,â
replied Josiah cheerfully. âConsidering how amazing you are, Iâm actually kind of worried the hospital that my family runs could wind up being named after you in less than a few days.âWinnie laughed, tickled by Josiahâs words. âRelax. I donât have any interest in the healthcare industry, at least for now.âThe pair continued their banter, and the tense atmosphere within the car quickly diffused into a chirpy one.That was when Josiah tried to channel the conversation back on track. âWhat happens next? When is the next scheduled flight, and should I drop you off at the airport right now?ââThereâs no need for that.â Winnie loosened up and leaned back in her seat. âIâve already looked it up. There arenât any more direct flights scheduled for today. A transit flight would require double the travel time and is also inefficient cost-wise.ââWhat then?ââIâm getting the folks from the other side to come over. Theyâll be arriving on a direct flight.âJosiah acknowledged that with a nod. âI was thinking about arranging for you to fly on my private plane, but it looks like that wonât be necessary anymore.ââYeah. Theyâll be flying in on a chartered flight themselves and should have taken off already, so I guess thatâs pretty much settled.ââThen where should we go now?ââBack to Garland Group. I still have some stuff to sort out there.ââWill do, Ms. Garland!â Josiah breathed in and remarked in jest, âSeems to me that whenever Iâm not fulfilling my primary responsibilities as a doctor, Iâm always on the road, chauffeuring either Xavier or yourself around.ââShall I award you a plaque for being such a good Samaritan so that you may have it on display at the hospital?âHalf an hour later, the scurrilous news revolving around Winnie exploded online when the pair was still on the road.At that time, Winnie was napping in the car while Josiah was still behind the wheel. Neither of them was aware of the events that were in motion. It was only when Louis texted Winnie that she got wind of it.Louis gave her a rundown of the situation, with a screencap of the trending news itself appended underneath.In addition, he also inserted a comment of his own: Mr. Fairchild already knows about this.Xavierâs call came in before Winnie was able to view the image Louis had just sent her.As much as she wanted to check out how the media report was framed first, Xavier kept calling her, that she could not decline his calls, even if she wanted to.Even Josiah could not stand it, either.âFor the love of god, please pick it up, Ms. Garland. Itâs Xavier, isnât it? Itâs so noisy Iâm losing my focus driving.âLeft with no recourse, Winnie had to answer.Xavier did not sound like a happy camper. âHow dare you lie to me, Dumbo! Didnât you say you were going to visit your granny?
What were you doing at the airport in the Northern District, and where were you planning to go?âWinnie was momentarily dumbstruck. âMy dear Mr. Fairchild, are you sure youâre not missing the point? Why would I want to lie to you?ââAha, youâve finally admitted to it! You were intending to leave me, just as I thought! Tell me where you are right now. Iâll pick you up.ââThat wonât be necessary. Iâm currently with Josiah.ââWhat? Youâve hooked up with my friend? Havenât I been treating you well enough?ââOh, give me a break.â Winnie was almost fraying at the seams. âHe came down to bail me out from the police station becauseâââReally? To think that you still have the temerity to say that to my face? Why did you choose to call him instead of me? Why is it that the first man you think of reaching out to isnât me but some other guy?âHeâs not well right now, so I canât get into it with him. I just canât! Holding her forehead, Winnie silently repeated that to herself until Xavier was done talking.âAll right, I got it. Iâll come straight over to your office, so just stay put and wait for me there. Donât go anywhere else, okay?ââSplendid! Iâll be right here waiting!âEnding the call gave Winnie some measure of relief.She then regarded Josiah in the seat in front of her. âIâm sorry. I may have to ask you to turn around and drive me over to Garland Group instead.âGlancing up at her through the rearview mirror, Josiah pursed his lips.
âYou donât have to stand on liberties with me. Just revert to that time when you called me Bad Specky and swung your fists at me often. Thatâll do just fine.âWinnieâs brows pinched in response to that. âI was merely trying to scare you back then. When have I ever actually hit you?ââOh, are you sure you didnât?
There was that one time when I brought you to visit Old Mr. Fairchild, remember? Donât tell me youâve forgotten about what happened in the elevator lobby?ââItâs your fault for pissing me off first.ââCanât blame me for that, because you were absolutely loco back then. Nearly everyone wanted to make fun of you.ââAre you sick in the head?ââHow is that sick?â Josiah laughed. âWith Xavier being in the state heâs in right now, I somehow think youâve become more patient with him than you were previously.
Seems to me you donât actually dislike him as much as you think you do.ââIs that so?â Winnie could not restrain herself from chuckling softly at the mention of that. âDonât you think heâs more fun to be around the way he is right now?ââYeah.â Josiah then stole another glance at Winnie through the rearview mirror. âBeing as nutty as you were, you were pretty fun to be around, too.âWith that, Josiah stomped down on the gas pedal because he suddenly felt that he was quite beside himself.Winnie found the change in Xavierâs personality to be amusing because they are a couple, and the reason why she would tease him or even yell at him is that she cares for him. Then what about me, Josiah Houghton? Have I also fallen for Winnie? But sheâs my best friendâs woman!