Winnie decided to strike while the iron was hot.Yara had forced her biological mother into a mental institution years ago.Winnie hardly thought it was fair for the woman to suffer such a minor setback for her misdeeds in the past.To that end, Winnie hired someone to follow Yara and consequently knew her stepmotherâs whereabouts like the back of her hand.She learned that Yara had gone to the hospital after her huge fight with Hamish.After leaving the hospital, Yara drank her weight in liquor at a bar, and she ended up booking the services of a driver to send her home.Said driver happened to be dispatched by Winnie.Based on Winnieâs instructions, the driver bundled Yara into the passenger seat and drove the car into a secluded alley.Winnie hid in the backseat throughout the whole process.She had dressed up as a female ghost, replete with ghastly makeup, a long black wig, and a billowing white dress.As the driver pulled into a secluded alley, Winnie slowly emerged from her hiding spot.Quietly, she rested her pale face on the passenger seat and played a pre-recorded audio tape.An eerie voice filled the air, calling out Yaraâs name over and over again.Yara had not drunk herself into oblivion and was still slightly conscious.When she heard someone calling her name, she groggily turned around to face the backseat.She immediately saw a ghastly face behind her. The dark, secluded alley and the dim light in the car merely added to the eeriness of the situation.Winnieâs prop eyes rolled down her face and fell right into Yaraâs lap.Yara was so frightened that her heart skipped a beat. It felt as though her soul had left her body.She went berserk and shrieked, âAhh! Ghost! Thereâs a ghost!âThen, Yara tugged on the driverâs elbow and pleaded, âStop the car! Please! Stop the car!âThe driver opened his mouth, and to Yaraâs shock, his tongue fell out.Yara was petrified. After staring wide-eyed at the scene before her for a good second, she opened the car door and leaped out.The car was driving so slowly that Yara did not sustain any major injuries. However, fear had taken all the strength out of her legs.Coupled with her drunken state, Yara failed to get to her feet and could only crawl on the ground at a snailâs pace.Winnie alighted from the car and easily caught up to Yara.Her recording continued to play. âYara, hurting me wasnât enough. You had to go after my daughter. I want your daughter dead and your family destroyed!
Then, I want you to die and rot in h*ll!âYara could no longer move at that point. She buried her head on the ground, her body heaving with sobs as she stammered, âY-Youâre Lorelei Garland! Please spare me! Please! Iâm begging you! I know what I did was wrong! Iâm truly sorry for that!âLorelei Garland was Winnieâs late biological mother.She happened to share the same surname as Hamish. Winnie was only a Garland because she followed her motherâs surname. It had nothing to do with any shred of love she had for her despicable father.Winnie admired Yaraâs cowering form as the pre-recorded audio continued to play. âI want you to pay with your life. I want you to spend the rest of your life in living h*ll.âYara quite literally wet her pants from fright.If Mom can see this, Iâm sure sheâd be more than satisfied.However, just as Winnie planned to torture Yara a little longer, a beam of light cut through the darkness.A car had driven into the alley, and its driver had stuck his head out the window curiously. He demanded loudly, âHey! What are you doing?â Winnie frowned in frustration at the unexpected early end to her little ploy.Alas, she had no choice but to keep her phone and dart into a nearby alley.She had no idea if that nightâs incident was enough to turn Yara mad, but she could only hope.After all, Yara was the one who had turned Lorelei mad in the first place.Winnie had racked her brains for ideas, yet she could not think of a better way to exact revenge than to give Yara a taste of her own medicine.She plucked off her wig and strode away, huffing with annoyance.Suddenly, her phone rang with a call from Xavier.Winnie answered the phone. âWhat?âXavier took note of her cold tone and asked solemnly, âWhat happened? Where are you?âTaking a deep breath, Winnie leaned against the wall and drawled, âNothing much. I just remembered some unhappy memories from my past. I feel trapped. Plus, I was interrupted halfway through my plans. Thatâs why Iâm not in the best mood.ââWhat plans?â asked Xavier.âOh, nothing. I just wanted to teach someone a lesson, but a stranger cut my lesson short.âAs Winnie spoke, her ears suddenly twitched. She furrowed her brows, recognizing the sound of footsteps behind her.For some reason, she had a bad feeling that the person was coming for her.Winnie promptly held her breath, and Xavier immediately sensed her tension through the phone.Anxiously, he asked, âWhatâs wrong, Winnie? What happened? Talk to me!âWinnie glanced at the shadow on the ground that was rapidly approaching her. Lowering her voice, she whispered, âSomeoneâs following me.âThe words had barely left her mouth when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.Winnieâs heart jumped to her throat. Time seemed to freeze at that moment.She stuffed her phone into her pocket and gripped the hand on her shoulder, prepared to flip her stalker over in a shoulder throw.Unfortunately, the mysterious stalker was much taller than her and stable on his feet. Winnie was hardly his match at all. Instead, he spun her around and pinned her against the wall by her wrists.Winnie groaned in pain as her back collided with the wall.She had not hung up on her call with Xavier, and the commotion drifted over the receiver to his ears.Xavier, who was extremely worried, shouted frantically, âWinnie! Winnie Garland!
What happened to you? Answer me!âWinnie heard Xavierâs cries, and so did the man who was pinning her against the wall.Or rather, he heard the name that Xavier called out.âWinnie Garland?â The mysterious man immediately released her and asked, âWhy are you here?âAfter breaking free from his grasp, Winnie turned around and finally recognized the man under the dim illumination of the street lights.Shocked, she cried, âChristopher Bennett?ââYes. I happened to walk past this place after getting off work. I saw someone sprawled on the ground out there and another person appearing to harm her, so I gave chase. I even picked up a wig on the way here. Is it yours?ââItâs mine. Are you going to take me into the station then, Captain Bennett?ââWinnie!â Xavier was scared out of his wits after learning that Winnie had been followed.He hated that she was alone, frightened, and traumatized without his protection.At the same time, he was surprised to learn that her stalker was Christopher.Worst of all, the two of them began chatting after recognizing each other and completely ignored his presence on the other end of the line.Here he was, worried out of his mind for her safety, yet she seemed to treat him like air.Xavier was upset at her treatment. Still, he tried to catch her attention again by calling out her name, âWinnie! Answer me!â