When Xavier saw the car speeding toward them, he reflexively tried to pull Winnie behind him. Due to the venomâs aftereffect, however, his reaction speed was no longer as fast as it used to be.In the past, his body would always react faster than his brain when it came to protecting her.That wasnât the case any longer. His movements couldnât catch up with his brain anymore.Occasionally during the middle of the night, Xavier would worry that one day, even his mind would slow down too.As those thoughts crossed his mind, Winnie had already rapidly pulled him backward.That act of hers made him feel ashamed. It also intensified his desire to find Yulissa and the cure for his condition as soon as possible.Xavier desperately wanted to return to tip-top shape quickly for the sake of his loved one.After all, he couldnât hide behind his wifeâs back and be protected by her forever.Meanwhile, Winnie didnât notice Xavierâs emotions at all because her focus was set wholly on the incoming car.After the vehicle stopped, the car window was promptly lowered before a familiar face appeared in front of her.It was Greta. Mason was the driver.Winnie furrowed her eyebrows slightly and wanted to speak up, but she was interrupted by Gretaâs apology.A concerned expression was set on Gretaâs face. âNeither of you got hit, right? Iâm so sorry, Ms. Garland. This carâs brake isnât in good condition, and the hornâs not working well. You two were also walking too fast, so much so that I almost crashed into you two.
Thankfully, Mason moved quickly and stepped on the brakes even when there was still a huge distance between us and you two.ââWeâre fine, luckily.â Winnie frowned after listening to Gretaâs explanation.
âHowever, as great as your driving skill is, you shouldnât be showing it off like this. Itâs time for you two to buy a new car!ââDefinitely!â Greta chuckled. âNow that the people you wanted to save have been rescued, this means weâve successfully completed the first mission you gave us, Ms. Garland. Since weâve already received the remaining payment, itâs only a matter of time before we buy a new car.ââMhm.â Just as Winnie was about to ask them why they suddenly showed up and if it was because they had news to share, Xavier, who was standing behind her, spoke first.Turning to her, he asked, âFirst mission? Isnât rescuing Granny the only mission? What else did you ask them to do? You never mentioned this before.âWinnieâs mouth dropped open. While she agreed that neither of them should hide or lie about anything to the other, she couldnât fulfill that promise when it came to the mission Wilhem gave her.She wasnât authorized to disclose the mission to others without permission because it wasnât just a random, common matter.Even if Xavier knew nothing about it, he still wasnât completely safe at their current location.Should he learn the truth, he would be in grave danger. The more he knew, the more perilous his situation would become.That was why Winnie betrayed her conscience and chose to lie. âI thought you were able to guess it by yourself. Thereâs another reason weâre here, and thatâs to find Yulissa. With their additional help, our search will go much more smoothly, donât you think?âThe reason she provided was sound and valid, so Xavier had no reason to suspect it was an excuse and believed her wholeheartedly.He also explained, âIâm sorry. I wasnât intentionally suspecting you earlier. I was just worried that you were making yet another dangerous decision by yourself behind my back.âWith a smile, Winnie assured, âThereâs no way Iâd do that.ââMhm. Thatâs great.âIt was then Greta realized she mightâve accidentally spilled the beans and exposed Winnie in front of Xavier.After all, the mission they received wasnât to find Yulissa.Thus, she believed she should do something at that moment to redeem her image in her bossâ mind, like changing the topic.When Gretaâs train of thought ended there, she suddenly cleared her throat. âOh yeah, Ms. Garland. Seeing that you were in such a hurry earlier, do you two have something urgent that you need to attend to? Do you need our help with it?âGlancing at Greta, Winnie answered, âYour words reminded me that we still need to go to the hospital. This is my keycard. You two should head inside first and wait for me there.ââOkay!â With a bright smile, Greta grabbed the keycard. âWeâll go and park our car first. See you in a bit!ââYeah,â
Winnie replied before holding Xavierâs hand again and continuing their journey toward the hospital.However, after they took a few steps forward, Winnie suddenly glanced back.Gretaâs eyes met with Winnieâs in that instant because the formerâs line of sight still hadnât moved away from the latter.A very serious expression was visible on Winnieâs face when she looked at Greta. Silently, Winnie gestured for Greta to zip her mouth.Greta subconsciously nodded and waited for Winnie to vanish from her sight completely before letting out a sigh of relief.Then she turned to Mason. âOh my god. You know, Iâm pretty tough compared to a normal woman, but I didnât expect to be stunned by a look from her. Sheâs really incredible!âMason frowned. âYouâre talking a bit too much today. No, actually, you always become quite chatty when it comes to Ms. Garland. You arenât planning to befriend her, are you? Weâre mercenaries, Greta. The only thing we care about is money, not people. Once we accept a mission from our employer, we will have to execute it, even if it means we have to kill her.ââI know that!â
Her eyebrows furrowed intensely. âI just think sheâs different from our previous employers.âAs she spoke, she stretched her hand and pushed up the sun visor inside the car.Mason promptly shot a glance at her. âWhat are you doing? Does the sunlight not bother you?ââNope!â Greta narrowed her eyes. âI like the sun. I hope it can illuminate this entire dark, dirty place!âBefore Xavier and Winnie arrived at the ward, they could already see the bodyguard guarding the room at a distance.When the bodyguard saw them, he immediately trotted toward them.He halted his movements two steps away from the couple and informed sternly, âIâm sorry, Mr. Fairchild, Mrs. Fairchild. I couldnât complete the task I was given. Additionally, because of my mistake, Mdm. Sumner was injured. Please punish me! I donât mind if you both want to scold or hit me!âWinnie furrowed her eyebrows slightly. Just from a glance, she could see the scratch marks on both sides of the bodyguardâs face. Scabs had already formed on those wounds. It was pretty obvious that those marks were caused by fingernails.Truth be told, she did want to reprimand the bodyguard, but she was an understanding person.There was no way a muscular young man couldnât keep an elderly under control. However, if one were to do that, the elderly would undoubtedly suffer some form of injury. If a man like that improperly exerted his strength, then the elderly in question might even get killed.The bodyguard mustâve been unwilling to restrict Jacinta by force, which then allowed her to escape and accidentally fall down the stairs. When Winnie thought about that, she took in a deep breath and asked, âHow did you get the scratches on your face?ââEh?â The bodyguard was dumbstruck for a moment because he didnât expect that to be the first thing out of her mouth.The scratches were caused by Jacinta, but he believed he mustnât complain about the old woman in front of Winnie, so he lied, âI accidentally got them when I ran and brushed against the wall. These are all just minor scrapes. Itâs not anything serious.âOf course, Winnie knew he was lying, but the fact that he didnât shift the blame made a good impression on her. Heâs a loyal man.However, she still felt compelled to reprimand him. âIâll deduct your bonus since you were unable to complete the very important mission we entrusted you with. Be more careful next time, all right? If something like this happens again, you should know how to handle it.ââIâll bear that in mind, Mrs.
Fairchild! Thank you!â the bodyguard replied.âMhm.â Winnie then noticed Xavier had been staring at her from the corner of her eye.Turning to him, she asked, âWhatâs the matter? Does it upset you that I was lecturing your people?ââWhy would I be upset?â His eyes were filled with affection. I feel like sheâs constantly emitting an alluring charm thatâs just so d*mn attractive to me.Xavier chose not to reveal his actual thoughts and furrowed his eyebrows. âYou shouldnât be making distinctions like that. I already belong to you, so why wouldnât my people and assets be yours too?ââOh yeah, I almost forgot about that. Ignore what I said, then.âHe smiled quietly before turning to the bodyguard. âWhat did the doctor say?ââHer fibula was fractured, and she has a mild concussion. Her leg has already been put in a cast and hung up,â the bodyguard answered. There were also some scrapes on the old womanâs arm and face, but those were minor injuries. It would take only a few days before they healed.Jacinta was an elderly woman, so getting a fracture wasnât some minor issue. That was why the doctor suggested she rest on the bed and not leave it for the time being. However, that would mean she couldnât return to her home country until she recovered.âThen sheâll have to recuperate here first,â Xavier uttered after listening to the bodyguardâs report. âYouâll be in charge of Mdm. Sumnerâs safety from now on. Protect her well. If an accident like this happens again, youâre fired.ââI understand! Iâll definitely protect Mdm.
Sumner well!â the bodyguard promised.While Winnie didnât express any opinion about Jacintaâs injury, she was quite infuriated.Xavier could tell she was unhappy, so he patted her head and spoke gently to her as though he was coaxing a child. âShe should be fine as long as itâs not an internal injury. I bet she can leave the bed after a week.âShe massaged between her brows and let out a long sigh. âThereâs nothing else we can do about it by this point. Letâs go in and visit her.âAs they stepped into the room, Jacinta began shouting before the two of them could even make a sound. âWhy are you here again?
Didnât I tell you not to come in here willy-nilly? I donât want to see you at all! I want you to go back to whoever hired you!âWinnie immediately frowned when she heard that.It was obvious Jacinta thought she and Xavier were bodyguards.Winnieâs impression of Jacinta was that she was a kindly old woman, yet the words the latter was saying now sounded pretty mean.âXavier and I are here to visit you, Granny. Are you doing well?â The instant Winnieâs voice traveled into the old womanâs ears, Jacinta turned around and stared in the direction of the entrance.When she saw Winnie, her eyes immediately reddened.Winnie thought Jacinta was feeling aggrieved, so she speedily strode toward the bed, squatted down next to it, and asked worryingly, âAre you feeling pain somewhere, Granny? Let me know if you are. Iâll call the doctor!âHowever, Jacinta pushed the younger womanâs hand aside. âGet away from me! Donât touch me. I didnât expect you to lie or fail to fulfill your promise to me, Winnie.
However, thatâs nothing compared to the fact that you used drugs to knock me out! I canât believe you did that to me and then handed me over to a stranger!âThe more she spoke, the more emotional she became, so much so that her eyes began filling with tears.âWhen you were a child, your father didnât love you, and your mother died an early death. Not only that, you became mentally disabled. I was the one who raised you to adulthood. How could you do this to me? Just because I have my own thoughts and am unwilling to listen to you, you drugged me and demanded I do what you want. What happens when you donât like listening to me talk anymore? When you resent me for being noisy, annoying, and disobedient? Will you poison me then?ââThatâs not what Iâm trying to do, Granny. I didnât drug you because you werenât listening to me. I only did so because this place isnât safe.ââI donât care if itâs safe!
If this place truly isnât safe, then how do other people survive here? Do you know what I thought the moment I fell down the stairs? I thought maybe I shouldâve just died then and there! That way, my dearest granddaughter wouldnât need to bother drugging me!âWinnie felt awful as she watched Jacinta cry.She kneeled before Jacintaâs bed as her eyes reddened. âIâm sorry, Granny. I know I shouldnât have drugged you. Itâs my fault. I was wrong. It doesnât make me feel good for breaking your heart. Youâre free to scold me and hit me however you like!ââHit you? Why would I do that? Do you think I wonât feel terrible if I hit you?â After wiping her tears away, Jacinta turned her back to Winnie.Winnie took in a deep breath. âThen Iâll hit myself.âJust as she raised her hand, Xavier stopped her. âDonât hurt yourself, Winnie.âHe couldnât bear her harming herself.Even though Winnie was a prideful woman who had never bowed her head to anyone before, she was doing exactly that in front of Jacinta at the moment.
She was kneeling on the ground and humbly asking for Jacintaâs forgiveness.Xavier couldnât help but wonder if someone like Jacinta deserved it.In truth, he even suspected that Jacinta mightâve intentionally injured herself. There must be a reason sheâs trying so hard to stay here. I must get to the bottom of this!He successfully stopped Winnie from hitting herself while Jacinta made it clear she forbid Winnie from doing so as well.Despite that, she was still angry at Winnie and refused to talk to her.Thus, Winnie let Xavier leave the room first.After Xavier was outside of the room, he contacted someone in his home country.He still believed Zyon wouldnât make a claim like that for no reason before dying. In fact, there was a part of him that thought it could very well be true. Otherwise, Jacinta, someone who had never used a gun before, wouldnât have gotten so agitated that she shot at Zyon.Thus, Xavier relayed another order through a text message: Look into Zyonâs background again. For example, find out if itâs possible that the hospital he was born in mistook him for someone else or if my aunt committed adultery with someone.