As Winnie walked forward, the shadow followed her.When she stopped to look at her phone, the shadow dodged to the side and hid in a dark corner, watching her every move.The wind was loud, so Winnie was oblivious to the personâs presence.She continued to walk while sending a voice message to Xavier.âIâve already talked to Granny, and Iâll be there soon. Are you done taking a bath?âIn no time, Xavier replied with another voice message.Just as Winnie put the phone to her ear to listen to the message, a dark figure leaped in front of her and shouted, âHey!âThe yell sounded especially jarring in the dark yard. Though Winnie managed to suppress her scream, she jolted and almost threw her phone away.While she stood in place and took deep breaths to get ahold of herself, the figure walked out from the dark spot and showed himself before her.Under the light, Nateâs handsome face looked pale. âYouâre much calmer than I thought, Winnie! Iâm surprised this didnât scare you.âWinnie inhaled deeply. After seeing that it was Nate, she calmed down.Although her heart rate returned to normal, she felt extremely pissed off.She frowned and narrowed her eyes, questioning, âNate, do you know what youâve just done?âNate leaned against a pillar in the courtyard and crossed his arms. âOf course I do. I saw you hanging around in the courtyard all alone at such a late hour, so I couldnât resist giving you a surprise,â he answered casually.âSurprise, huh?â Winnie clenched her fingers so tight Nate could hear her knuckles cracking. âIâll make you experience the surprise of a lifetime!âEver since she returned to Chanaea, she hadnât gotten a chance to practice with the people from the club. Now, the insolent Nate standing before her was the perfect punching bag.She first gave him a punch to the stomach before sweeping his leg and sending him crashing to the floor.Although her movements were smooth, the strength she used was nothing compared to those burly menâs.However, Nate was too weak. He had some muscles, but they were only there for the visual enjoyment of his female fans.Therefore, he couldnât defend himself at all when Winnie attacked.Staring at Nate on the ground, Winnie curled her lips into a mocking smile.âYouâre much weaker than I thought, Nate! Iâm surprised at how easy it is to beat you,â she teased, echoing Nateâs words earlier.Nate curled into a ball on the floor, covering his stomach with his hands. âWinnie, you sly woman! How dare you sneak an attack on me!âWinnie couldnât help but laugh. âSneak attack? If this is considered a sneak attack, then I suggest you donate your eyes. It seems they are of no use to you.âShe continued, âNate Fraser, you better stop messing around. If it werenât for the fact that youâre going to Alendor, youâd be a cripple now. I believe there is something you need to know. Xavier and Old Mr. Fairchild keep their hands off you because of your familiesâ close ties and cooperation throughout the generations. However, I donât have that sort of relationship with the Fraser family. Even if I beat you half to death or send you to rot in jail, Iâm afraid of nothing. Do you understand? If you canât remember this, itâs fine. I can record it and send it to you. I recommend you listen to it at least thrice before bedtime, all right?âNate fixed his glare on Winnie. âYou evil woman! Was this how you treated Yulissa before?âWinnie was about to leave, but Nateâs ridiculous question held her back.After giving it a thought, she responded, âTo tell you the truth, I usually donât hit women even though Iâm good at fighting. As for Yulissa, I think sheâs actually different from you.
Although youâre despicable, thereâs still some humanity in you. On the contrary, sheâs like a disgusting cockroach that hides in the dark. I donât think I ever got the chance to confront her face-to-face. What a shame it is. When I see her next time, Iâll surely squash her with my foot as if sheâs a cockroach!ââShut your trap! I wonât allow you to speak of Yulissa like that. Youâre the disgusting one. Youâre the cockroach!â Nate struggled to his feet and looked at Winnie with a vicious expression.Winnie simply glanced at him and countered, âItâs not strange for you to think of me like that. Suit yourself. I donât really care.âShe then went on her way, but Nate would not stop following her.Turning around, Winnie warned, âIf you insist on walking the same path with me, I can send you flying with one kick right now.âThe look in her eyes made it clear that she was not joking.Out of reflex, Nate covered his stomach and took a step back.Despite that, he refused to admit his fear as he said, âItâs easy to make me leave.
Just answer my question. Youâre required to tell me the truth.ââRequired?â Winnie chuckled. âIâm being nice enough by not kicking you. How dare you make a request like that?ââOf course I dare to! Why wouldnât I? Maybe youâre the one whoâs scared of answering my question,â Nate taunted.His words were met with silence.Winnie narrowed her eyes, studying Nate. Her calm gaze sent chills down his spine for some reason.However, he did not cower. âWhy are you staring at me? Just tell me if youâre scared!âWinnie laughed again. âHow old are you? Youâre so immature.ââYouâre the immature one!â Nate hated it when people used that adjective on him. âYouâre only in your twenties. Stop acting mature in front of me!âWinnie ignored him. As if speaking to herself, she mumbled, âI remember now. You must be twenty-two this year, just like my stepsister. It seems like you two not only have the same age, but also the same stupidity.ââWho are you calling stupid? Donât compare me to that foolish Kylie!âNateâs every word sounded amusing to Winnie.âWhy canât I compare you two? Donât you feel that you are similar in many ways? Since you know my sisterâs name, you probably know about the beef between us. She once pushed me off the mountain here in an attempt to kill me. Of course, Yulissa was in it with her. Kylie was just Yulissaâs pawn in that murder attempt. Iâm sure you know what happened afterward.
Kylie went to jail, while Yulissa continued her evil doings. Kylie is just a pawn of hers, and you are no different. Wait, no. Let me correct myself. Youâre worse off than Kylie, because Yulissa played with your feelings.â Nate was aware of what Yulissa had done to him. At times, he hated her, but that sentiment was overwhelmed by his love for her and his desire to please her.He had never truly won her heart, so he badly wanted everything she had to offer.Winnie knew exactly what was going on in the mind of the conflicted and obsessive Nate.âI know what you want to know even if you donât tell me. You want to ask me about Yulissa and find out whether sheâs still alive, right?â she pointed out.âYes. I know you are investigating about her. So, what did you find? Is she still alive? Tell me where she is now!â Nate demanded as he stared at Winnie fixedly.Not wanting to cause herself more trouble, Winnie said indifferently, âSheâs long gone. If you donât believe me, go to the police station. Youâll surely see her death certificate there.ââYouâre lying!â Nate was in disbelief. âYou said that youâd step on her the next time you see her!âWinnie smiled. âYou missed some details. I said Iâll surely squash her with my foot as if sheâs a cockroach. I made a wrong choice of word, though. Itâs not next time, but in my next life.
Sheâs dead as a doornail now, so I donât have the chance to do that anymore.ââNo, thatâs impossible.
Youâre definitely lying,â Nate insisted while glaring at Winnie.âWhy would I do that? If she were alive, Iâd ask you to help me find her. Now, get lost. Stop following me.ââYouâre just scared that Iâll find her. Youâre scared that weâll join hands against you.ââWhatever. I donât care about you guys at all. I have to remind you something, though. If you donât like my masterâs granddaughter, Yolanda, please stop using her. If anything happens to my master because of this, I will make you pay.âWinnie was starting to lose her patience, so she was exuding an extremely cold aura.Intimidated by her expression, Nate stopped following her.However, he suddenly chuckled when Winnie was about to leave.That stopped her in her tracks. After a short hesitation, she turned her head.âWhat are you laughing about?âNate laughed again before saying, âWinnie, it seems like you have many enemies. I donât think Iâm the only one who wants to give you a âsurpriseâ tonight.âWinnie was unfazed. âOh? Who else wants to surprise me?âNate raised his brow and said sarcastically, âThat I donât know. And even if I do, I wonât tell you. All I know is that when I was waiting for you here, someone was tailing you. I only want to know where Yulissa is. As for what that person is after, I have no idea. Who knows? It could be your life.âWinnie narrowed her eyes without saying anything for a moment. Then, she uttered, âTrying to scare me, huh? Well, enjoy your trip to Alendor.âWhen Winnie entered Xavierâs room, she peeked outside before closing the door.Noticing how cautious she was acting, Xavier couldnât help but furrow his brows. âWhat happened? What are you looking at?âWinnie did not find anything, so she shut the door while explaining, âNate was waiting for me on my way here, and I gave him a beating. In the end, he claimed that someone who wants to take my life was following me.âXavierâs frown deepened. âNonsense.
Grandma and Mom are both gone. Now, you are the lady of the house. Who would dare to take your life? If I find them, Iâll tear them apart. I canât believe Nate is bold enough to mess with you. He must have a death wish.ââHe came to ask about Yulissa. I was worried heâd cause a ruckus, so I lied. He doesnât buy it, though.â Winnie knitted her brows and added, âYou have to make sure he leaves for Alendor tomorrow. If he stays in the country to get in our way, things will surely become troublesome.ââDonât worry. The Fairchild family has projects in Alendor as well. I canât do anything to him under Aunt Beatriceâs nose, but now that he messed with you, they canât blame me for disciplining him.ââHe indeed needs to learn it the hard way. All right, enough of him.â Winnie took out her acupuncture kit and changed the topic. âTime for your treatment. I still need to go back to Granny later.ââDo you really have to go?â Xavier was already reluctant to let her leave even when it wasnât time for her to go yet. âIâll miss you. Canât you just stay?â he pleaded, wearing a melancholic look on his face.Winnie pushed him away without any hesitation. âNo. Iâve promised Granny.ââBut the elders sleep early. Just look at my grandpa. Heâs probably asleep now.ââIf this were another day, sheâd probably be sleeping by this hour. But tonight is different. She will definitely wait until I return. Be good and lie down.âXavier could tell that she was getting impatient.Not wanting to make her mad, he obediently lay down on the bed.Winnie had gotten the hang of performing acupuncture. In no time, she had skillfully inserted dozens of needles into various acupoints.Now, all they had to do was wait.Xavier wanted to talk to Winnie, but that would affect the effectiveness of the treatment. Thus, she ignored him on purpose.In the end, the two of them drifted off.Nearly twenty minutes later, a sudden noise jolted them awake.âWhat is it?â Xavier exclaimed, abruptly opening his eyes.Winnie was a little dazed as she had just woken up, but she soon regained her senses.âYou have needles on your head. Stay still.â After calming Xavier down, she looked at the time.âThere are still ten more minutes to go.âAt that juncture, another bang sounded outside.Xavier furrowed his brows tightly. âItâs the sound of a gunshot!âWinnie had stayed abroad for a long time, so she was familiar with the sound of guns. âYouâre right. Your treatment isnât over, so stay in bed. Iâll take a look outside.ââNo!â Xavier pulled Winnie back. âHow could I let you go out before we even figure out whatâs going on? If anything, I should be the one to go.
Remove the needles on my head.âWinnie frowned. âThen todayâs treatment will be useless.âXavier shot Winnie a stern look. Then, he attemped to pluck the needles off himself. âThen Iâll do it myself.ââStop it!
Donât mess around.â Knowing that she couldnât stop Xavier, Winnie could only give in. âIâll do it. Be careful not to hurt yourself.âAfter a short discussion, the two decided that Xavier should check the situation outside while Winnie went to check on Jacinta.Right when they left the room, the butler ran up to them, panting.âBad news, Mr. Xavier!â he cried out.