The next instant, her eyes popped wide open.My God, who took those pictures? One can easily tell that the two pictures have been doctored at first glance.In her photo, she smiled so stupidly that she looked exactly like a retard. It was obviously Hamish and Yaraâs attempt to humiliate her.On the contrary, Xavier looked dashing in his photo, as if it had been meticulously edited that way. In fact, their photos looked as if they were at two ends of a spectrum.It was one thing to have such an ugly photo. It had even been shown to many strangers.Truth be told, no woman on earth could tolerate her ugly photo being exhibited in public, especially when being contrasted with a beautiful one.Driven by her displeasure, Winnie confiscated Xavierâs phone.Not pretending any longer, she shifted her gaze over to Xavier. âWhat are you dilly-dallying for? Are you going to deal with them or not? If you canât, Iâll take over.âThe sudden change in her tone caught Xavier off guard.Nevertheless, a smile quickly broke out on his face. âHmm? You dropped the act?âCocking her brow, Winnie threw the question back at him.
âWhy? Do you enjoy watching me behave like a fool?âStumped by her words, Xavier held her hand when she walked past him and repeatedly stroked it.Winnie allowed him to hold it for a few seconds before pulling it back.After that, she kneeled beside Hayden, who was lying on the ground as part of his charade.âHave you seen me before?â she asked.Hayden was taken aback. Isnât she a retard? Why doesnât she behave like one at all?Although he had no idea why she was wearing the clothes he bought for the retarded bride back then, he still expected her to be a fool.What the hell is going on? âN-
No, I have not.ââHah, isnât that the end of it?â Winnie was amused. âListen, everyone, this man has declared he has never seen me before. Hence, itâs clear heâs trying to stage a scam today.âWinnie had hardly spoken when Hayden felt like slapping himself for saying the wrong thing.âDonât think Iâm oblivious to the ill intentions that you harbor,â uttered Winnie. âLet me just be honest with you. My husband is extremely rich, but he would rather set his money on fire than give any of it to you. For helping someone as despicable as Hayden to blackmail us, all of you are nothing but scum. By the way, Hayden, weâve taken away the retarded woman you bought. Her father and brother have collected enough evidence to put you behind bars forever. At least youâll have free food in prison. Also, itâs certainly more comfortable than you lying here trying to blackmail us.âShe continued, âAs for the rest of you here, let me give you a piece of advice. You either choose not to poach or hide whatever you poach better. Do you really think weâre all blind? I have visited the Briggs residence, and guess what I saw in his yard? Leopard sharks and white dolphins. Given that you depend on the sea for your livelihood, donât you know what those are? Leopard sharks are a level two protected species in the country, while white dolphins are level one. Donât you dare tell me you donât have them in your home.
All I need to do is make a call, and all of you will be investigated.âHere, she added, âIâm sure youâre well aware of the laws and punishments related to endangered species. Illegal hunting, killing, and trafficking of endangered wildlife are punishable by at least ten years of prison on top of having all your assets confiscated. I bet no one here is willing to spend ten years in jail on Haydenâs behalf. If I were you, I would leave this place right away with my lips sealed. After that, I would clean out my house and stay away from anyone as despicable as Hayden. Otherwise, all he brings to your family is death and poverty.â Winnieâs eloquenceâespecially when she brought up the laws and punishments related to endangered speciesâcaused many of the islanders to panic. After all, the majority of them were guilty of poaching, and obviously, no one was willing to go to prison.Itâs all Haydenâs fault for lying to us about seeking justice when he was actually looking to extort money. And now, the opposing party could not only show a marriage certificate but also list out the laws we have broken on top of buying the mansion outright.At that moment, the tide turned swiftly as everyone began to deride Hayden and ostracize him.
In fact, there were even some who cut ties with him on the spot.With that, the entire drama finally ended.Staring at his âretardedâ wife, Xavier was unable to peel his eyes away.So thatâs what sheâs really like.Even the driver was stunned to see the lady of the house no longer behaving like a fool. In contrast to before, she was now smart, aggressive, and easily stood out from the crowd.Sensitive to the situation, the driver quickly disappeared now that the matter was over.It was not until the two of them were the only ones left in the living room that Xavier moved his wheelchair up to Winnie.After a long silence, he was the first to speak.âDumbo.â He looked at her intently. âDonât you owe me an explanation?âWinnieâs glistening eyes met his gaze fearlessly. âWhatâs there to explain? Why should I explain to you?âA slight frown descended on Xavierâs face. âYou lied to me. Youâre not a retard at all.âWinnie laughed. âSo what? From the very beginning, your family lied to me when they said you were a vegetable. In the end, you woke up the second night after our wedding. Whatâs wrong, Handsome? Are you the only one allowed to lie to me and not I to you?âShe called me âHandsomeâ
again, and sheâs not even pretending anymore. All of a sudden, his heart began to race.When she pretended to be a fool, I was filled with an uncontrollable urge to protect her and a terrifying sense of possessiveness. Now that she isnât, she has become beautiful and confident. Itâs as if she exudes an intoxicating charm that draws me closer to her.âWinnie.â Xavier could not help but hold her hands, his voice raspy. âWhy did you pretend to be a fool?âWinnie did not resist his advances. âWhat else can it be other than for the mess with the Garland family?ââThe Garland family is nothing to me. Whatever you want to do, Iâll help you do it.âWinnie shook her head. âThat wouldnât be fun. Anyway, what other questions do you have? Iâll answer all of them to clear things up.ââAll right.â After giving it some thought, he asked earnestly, âYouâre Paulina, arenât you? When I spoke to the lady on the fishing boat, you heard everything, didnât you?ââMmhmm.â Winnie nodded, causing the man to furrow his brows.Her response is just too cold. How can she still stay so calm?âThose words were truly from the bottom of my heart. I didnât neglect you on purpose. I just assumed that you were lost for real. During that time, I made up my mind. So what if youâre a retard? And so what if Iâve fallen for you? No one can stop me when I really want you to be mine.âWinnie continued to nod.Unfortunately, her lackluster response caused Xavierâs heart to sink.âWhat does this mean? Do you not believe me?â