âYes,â Xavier replied. âSpeaking of that, I remembered you said you were looking for a toy in my car, but the thing you were actually looking for was this badge, was it?ââYeah, you even brought Yulissa along that day.â Winnie scrunched her brows at the mention of Yulissa, feeling a deep sense of loath for the latter.Xavier caught the undisguised disgust in her eyes at the mention of Yulissa.âYou seem to hate her a lot. Jealous much?â Xavier asked.âYou have an overactive imagination. I donât feel possessive over you at that time. Who you brought back to sleep with was not my concern because in the future ââBefore Winnie could finish, Xavier urgently cut her off, âI never slept with her before!â Xavier knew he had to explain before she misunderstood him. âI have never touched her from the day she was back, including that night. I still couldnât help but look for you. You have no idea how much I missed you, how much I wanted to look at your silly face. I truly thought I went crazy. I even asked Josiah whether I needed to consult a psychologist. He suggested I find a normal woman. The only one Iâve ever felt something for was Yulissa. I was so troubled then. I didnât want to spend any time or effort looking for another woman, so I thought of her. But you have to believe me, Winnie. I wasnât the one who brought her back. I just met her at a charity gala. She was the one who decided to return to the country, and you knew about the rest. I was such a joke. I thought I could win the fight against my heart but suffered a crushing defeat instead.âWhen he finished, Winnie nodded. âI believe you. I trust you have never touched her, or she wouldnât have been so mad on that day when she pushed me down the hill.ââWhat?â Xavier frowned. âDidnât you say Kylie was the one who pushed you? How did Yulissa get involved?ââWoah!â Winnie exclaimed exaggeratedly. âThis is another story. Iâll tell you in a minute. For now, I want to continue the discussion about my badge. Now that youâve mentioned you saw it, where is it? Can you return it to me when you go back?ââSure.â After a brief hesitation, Xavier added, âBut I forgot where I left it. It could be at home or in the office.ââIâve searched every corner of your house except for the safety deposit box. Itâs not there.ââThen it might be in the office. Iâll help you look for it when I return. Oh, by the way, is that badge your family heirloom? Is it important to you?ââSomething like that. Itâs very important to me,â Winnie stated gravely. âI have to get it back as soon as possible.âNodding, Xavier decided not to tell Winnie about how he had mistakenly returned the badge to Yulissa.Iâll take it back from her once I return to Avenport, then give it back to Winnie.He then changed the topic. âI recall I was already intentionally putting distance between us then. How did you lose that badge in my car? Could it beâ¦â Xavier trailed off, letting out a chuckle.âYou were the one who stole my car that night? You even knocked me out?âRubbing her nose, the woman cleared her throat a couple of times before explaining, âIt was a coincidence that day. I just coincidentally crashed into your car.âAs Xavier heard her admitting to it, his gaze darkened. âSo it really was you. Do you know how dangerous that was? What in the world were you doing? Why did you have people chasing after you?
Have you ever thought of the consequence if it wasnât my car you got on that night?â âI had no choice.
It was an emergency. Whatâs wrong? Why are you angry? Were you mad that I knocked you out?ââOf course I am! I was so furious that I wanted to catch you and soak you in a pool filled with diethyl ether for three days straight.ââHaha, nice one!â Winnie laughed. âWhat about now? Are you still mad?âXavier leveled his gaze at her for a while before his eyes softened. âYes, I am. Iâm mad about how careless you are. You donât take your safety seriously. What in the world are you doing the dark? Could you tell me?ââWhatâs the rush? You havenât passed my test yet. Besides, this whole thing is a huge mess. I donât even know where to start. I think we should still keep some distance between us for now. Even real married couples have privacies, let alone a fake one like us.ââAll right. Iâll give you some time and freedom. I trust that youâll open your heart to me one day.â Xavier stared at her intently. âI have a condition, though. You have to stay by my side.ââYouâre so bossy!â Winnieâs eyes sparkled. âThatâll have to depend on your performance. I have legs, so I can leave whenever I want to.âSuddenly, Winnieâs phone pinged, indicating she had received a message.Looking at the screen, she turned to Xavier with a grave expression.Xavier arched his brow at her. âWhat?ââLetâs talk about Yulissa next. Has she used drugs before?âMulling over it for a bit, Xavier responded, âNo. Well, at least she wasnât when I met her.ââDid you notice there was something strange about her kidnapping?âXavier nodded. âThat did cross my mind.âWinnie continued her barrage of questions. âWould you believe me if I say she was the one who threw the smoke bomb and injected herself with drugs?ââI would,â Xavier replied without a second of hesitation.Stunned at his reply, Winnie asked, âYou donât even have the slightest hesitation?ââYeah, itâs suspicious how she chose to return to the country out of the blue. I suspect she might have some relation with Zyon, so I had someone to keep a watch out for her. Are you investigating her too?â Xavier queried.âNot really. I wanted to ignore her at first, but she kept targeting me. Iâm not a benevolent person. I canât feign ignorance about what had happened. Okay, let me tell you what happened that day.âWinnie only told him about the crucial parts. By the time she finished, Xavierâs eyes had completely dimmed.âSeems like Zyonâs addicted to drugs, tooâI seriously never expected that. Murder and arson. Is there anything else he doesnât dare to do?ââHeâs a desperado.â
Winnie snickered. âHeâs most likely the culprit behind your car accident a year ago.ââYeah.ââI heard youâve been looking for evidence the whole time?ââThatâs right. Heâs a direct descendent of the Fairchild family line. I donât want to repay his favor in secret. Even though I have a lot of ways I can make disappear from this world, Iâm different from him. Iâm not that foul. I canât do what he does underneath the table.âHearing Xavierâs words, Winnie chuckled. âIt looks like we have another similarity. We do things upfront, different from the scums who hide in dark corners. So, what are you planning to do next?â