How to Train Your Ex-Billionaire novel Chapter 43

Yvan didn't know why he was following Winifred. He'd spent the last few weeks convincing himself to give up on her, forcing himself to forget her and try to move on.

But seeing her tonight had undone all his efforts in an instant.

He knew he couldn't forget her, couldn't let her go.

The melancholy in her eyes had compelled him to follow.

The taxi stopped at the side of the road. He watched Winifred get out and walk into an alley, then quickly parked his own car and followed her.

The alley was narrow and dimly lit, with the feel of a run-down neighborhood.

Winifred didn't usually take this route. The alley was known for its shady characters and wasn't entirely safe at night.

But today, the driver wasn't familiar with the area and had taken a detour, and lost in her thoughts, she hadn't been paying attention. She only realized where she was when the driver told her they'd arrived.

Not wanting to bother asking the driver to go around, she got out.

It was only a few hundred yards to her place, and it wasn't that late—just after eight o'clock.

As she entered the alley, she saw a few rough-looking men with bleached hair standing on the side, smoking. Winifred kept her eyes straight ahead and quickened her pace.

Someone whistled. "Hey, pretty lady, where are you off to?"

A flicker of panic went through Winifred, but she forced herself to stay calm and kept walking without acknowledging them.

One of the men stepped in front of her, grinning. "Hey, I'm talking to you. Why the silent treatment?"

Winifred remained silent and tried to walk around him, but he mirrored her movements, blocking her path.

The other men laughed.

"Yvan, look out!" Winifred instinctively grabbed his hand.

Yvan's heart stirred. He pulled Winifred behind him. "Don't be afraid."

He threw a punch at the approaching men. Winifred watched, completely frozen, forgetting all about calling the police.

Yvan was tall and had clearly trained before, so the men were no match for him. But there were several of them. After momentarily fending them off, Yvan grabbed Winifred's hand. "Run."

They sprinted toward a more crowded area and quickly disappeared from sight. The thugs, seeing them gone, muttered a few curses and gave up.

Now, Winifred and Yvan were hiding in a corner. Winifred held her breath, her hand gripping Yvan's tightly.

When she saw that the men weren't following, Winifred finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did she realize she was still holding his hand.

Embarrassed, she tried to pull away, but he didn't let go.