Winnie also stared at him, the frown on her face still as deep as before. “That would be best!”
With that, she raised her leg and kicked the door close.
She rarely threw tantrums on other people’s turf. Given how hard she had kicked on the door, it was evident to all that she was utterly furious.
Thus, Josiah quietly huddled on his chair, whereas Xavier strode in Winnie’s direction.
“Winnie, you can talk to me about anything. I don’t wish to see you fuming like this.”
“Glad that you noticed my anger, Xavier,” Winnie retorted sternly. “I will have you know that I hate being lied to, especially when it’s a repeated offense.”
“All right.” Xavier actively reached for Winnie’s hand. “I get it now. You must be furious because you feel that I have lied to you about something. Can you tip me off as to what that might be?”
Before the issue was dealt with, Winnie couldn’t bring herself to be nice to Xavier.
She cast his hand away before explaining in a stern tone, “I can understand that we all have our privacy, and I admit that I do also keep my own secrets from you. However, I will come clean if you ask me about it instead of covering it up by lying to you. Although we’re a married couple, we’re also, at the same time, two different individuals. While I respect your privacy, you are not to lie to me. I wish you will prioritize this matter.”
“I will make sure to prioritize it!” Xavier promised. “Josiah can testify for everything I said today. You can punish me as you wish if I lie to you.”
“Good!” Seeing that the terms had been laid out, Winnie cut to the chase. “I’ve repeatedly asked you about this, but I will ask you once more. Have you ever found in your car a black badge etched with a rose at the front and a scepter at the back?”
Xavier immediately knew where the conversation would lead the moment he heard her mention a black badge.
Frowning, he pursed his lips and only opened up after a two-second silence.
“Yes, I did find a badge that matches your description. I also lied to you. I’m sorry. Allow me to offer my sincerest apologies.”
“Oh?” Winnie didn’t know if she should praise him or beat him to death given how quickly he admitted to his past deeds. “Go on. I sure like to know how you repeatedly lied to me.”
Xavier pinched in between his brows during the momentary silence. “I did find the badge, but I had no idea it belongs to you. It just so happened that I was being an idiot and brought Yulissa to Lagune Mansion. However, I did not show her that badge beforehand. Right after that, she proceeded to have me help her pick out a gown because she had to attend Grandpa’s birthday banquet the next day. I didn’t pick out her gown, but I clearly remember her picking one that hugs her figure. After that, she went on to choose herself a brooch. Then, she told me that one of her brooches was missing from her jewelry box and described its appearance to me, which matched the black badge you mentioned. She also told me she might have left it on the back seat of my car when she was hitching a ride a few days ago. She got it all correct, be it the appearance of the badge or where I found it. I ended up believing in her and handed it to her and only came to know that it was yours later on. Back then, Yulissa was intent on causing you harm, so I didn’t tell you the truth. I was planning on getting that badge back and personally returning it to you. However, I didn’t expect so much to happen after that, including Yulissa’s death and my losing my memories. If you hadn’t mentioned it just now, I probably wouldn’t have recalled this on my own. I’m sorry, Winnie. I admit that I’ve lied to you, but it wasn’t intentional. I thought I could retrieve that badge soon, but I have underestimated the severity of the matter!”
Xavier offered a thorough explanation for everything that had happened, and Winnie wasn’t someone who would ignore circumstances surrounding issues indiscriminately.
Yulissa came prepared, so Xavier, who didn’t recognize the badge at all, couldn’t have prevented what had happened.
Afterward, it was true that he lost his memories, which caused a delay in him returning the badge to her.
Under such circumstances, Winnie couldn’t bring herself to blame Xavier.
She rubbed in between her brows. “You should’ve told me the truth back then, but it’s no use blaming you now. However, you will remember what you said today, that you will never lie to me ever again.”
“I swear!” When Xavier reached out to grab Winnie’s hand again, she didn’t cast his hand away.
Holding onto her hand tightly, he asked, “Did the call you pick up just now have something to do with the badge?”
“Yes. That badge is a token of the Speiser family. Every important member of the family holds one each, and I happened to have one. The black badge symbolizes power in the underground. I utilized it for the first time ever when I was in Avenport to purchase from the black market firearms that weren’t circulated in the market. That was also where I first saw Yulissa using drugs. Back when the badge was presented, it stirred up a ruckus within the black market, which was also the reason I was pursued.”
She paused before continuing, “Coincidentally, Josiah got out of your car to puke after getting drunk, so the car was parked by the road. I snuck into it and accidentally left the badge in your car at that time. I suppose Yulissa must’ve also heard some news about that black badge that night, so she conned you to get it from you out of greed after seeing it in your car. You should never underestimate the power that the black badge represents, especially in the shadows. Given that a drug addict like Yulissa has gotten a hold of it, there might be dire consequences if she abused the power it bestowed her. So, I need to get it back right away! I need to set out to find it this instant!”
“Where to?” Xavier frowned. “Who was the person who contacted you just now? Does he have news about the badge?”
“That would be Wilhelm, a member of the Speiser family and also one of my brothers. He holds much power in the underground of Yartran. To be more specific, he was the one who gifted that black badge to me. A few days ago, he received news that the badge was spotted on someone at Jipsdale. He thought I was the one holding on to it, so he called me for confirmation. He has always assumed that the badge, much like me, would remain in hiding in Avenport. Similarly, I, too, assumed that it would be lying quietly in a drawer or safe in your office. But apparently, the badge is with Yulissa, and she was spotted at Jipsdale a few days ago!”
Josiah, who had kept a low profile up until then, couldn’t help but interject, “So I suppose it is most likely that Yulissa is still alive, then. Not only are the saliva and DNA found on the cigarette butt proof of that, but that family badge of yours has also directly exposed her trajectory! Did your brother tell you her exact location? If he has his men over there, could he possibly send them to retrieve the badge for you?”
“This poses a slight challenge.” Winnie frowned. “So far, that badge has shown up in Jipsdale twice in different locations that are geographically distant from each other, so it’s impossible to lock down on the holder’s exact location.”
“Then send someone in for an investigation. By now, we can be certain that Yulissa is the one holding on to the badge, and we have her photo, so we won’t need to worry about not being able to identify her. It’s just a matter of time before we get her,” Xavier said.
Winnie nodded after a short period of silence.
“Considering our circumstances, that’s our only way forward.”
However, her phone in her pocket rang again before she could finish her sentence.
Xavier lowered his gaze to glance at her phone before asking in jealousy, “Is it your dearest Wilhelm?”
Winnie took out her phone, ignoring Xavier for the time being.
Unlike her, Josiah blurted out, “Worry not. It’s not dearest Wilhelm this time. Just check the caller ID yourself. If my guess is correct, the call should be from the First Institute of Applied Toxicology in Yartran.”
Xavier gave him a side glance in silence, unhappy that the latter interfered.
Meanwhile, Winnie added as an explanation to Xavier, “Josiah’s right. It’s from the First Institute of Applied Toxicology. There might be new progress regarding the analysis of the venom. Please excuse me.”
With that, Winnie picked up the call.
Although Winnie was speaking a foreign language throughout the phone call, both Xavier and Josiah understood what she said.
“What? Is it that hard?” Winnie heaved a sigh before continuing her conversation. “Sure. Thank you for your hard work. This is already great news. I will. Thank you all.”
Soon, Winnie ended the call and proceeded to explain the situation to the others.
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