Silly Bride novel (Winnie and Xavier) novel Chapter 211

“Winnie?” Jacinta tensed up when she heard Winnie’s voice coming from behind. She immediately turned around and said, “When did you get home? I didn’t hear you come in at all! You nearly gave me a heart attack there!”

Jacinta had actually ended that call long before Winnie got home and was deliberately putting up an act for the latter now.

“What are you doing?” Winnie asked as she stared at the strings on the bed. “I made quite a lot of noise when opening the door, but you were too focused that you didn’t hear me.”

Jacinta pointed at the bundles of cash that she had tied up. “I was busy counting the money I withdrew from the bank earlier. I’m tying them into bundles so it’ll be easier for Rach and her father to distribute them. They’re very busy people, so I wanted to make things easier for them.”

Sitting down beside her grandmother, Winnie said, “If Mr. Zimmerman would find this difficult, then you’re probably asking the wrong people for help. Besides, we don’t know much about the situation in the village. Not everyone is equally poor, so I think it’s best if you let Mr. Zimmerman decide how he’ll distribute the money.”

Jacinta froze. “What? Does this mean my efforts were in vain?”

“Not at all! It’s easier to manage the cash when it’s tied up in neat bundles. By the way, did you know that you’re my greatest role model when it comes to charity? You adopted my mom and took great care of me for so many years. You looked after us even though we weren’t connected to you by blood. I’ve always aspired to become as kind as you, Granny!” Winnie replied with a smile.

She then wrapped her arms around Jacinta’s and nuzzled against the older woman’s shoulder like she did when she was younger.

Jacinta shot her a glance and patted her on the head.

“You’re a good girl, Winnie. Seeing you all grown up and successful makes me really proud, but…”

She paused halfway through her sentence.

Curious as to what Jacinta was going to say, Winnie looked up at her and asked, “But what, Granny?”

Jacinta frowned deeply as she replied, “Of all the men you could’ve picked, why did it have to be Xavier? He’s not a good man.”

“Granny…” Winnie let out a huge sigh and let go of Jacinta’s arm. “Why do you hate Xavier so much? He’s not a bad person! How about you tell me what exactly you hate about him? List it all out, and I’ll have him change accordingly.”

“Winnie, are you picking a fight with me right now? There are some things that I can’t quite explain, okay? I just feel that you two aren’t suitable for each other!” Jacinta exclaimed with a frown when she noticed Winnie losing her patience.

Displeased with Jacinta’s unreasonable behavior, Winnie stood up and said firmly, “Xavier and I are a married couple, and nothing is going to change that fact. You may not think he’s the right one for me, but I believe he is. He has always treated you with the utmost respect, so I think you should try to accept him. Putting aside all the things he has done for me, let’s talk about what he has done for you instead. Remember when he suffered from memory loss? He couldn’t even remember me at the time. He had tons of stuff to take care of after regaining his memories, and yet, he never forgot about you. He even offered to help you look for your grandson! Meanwhile, I’ve been so busy that I nearly forgot about that. All I’m asking is for you to give him a fair chance, Granny. He’s now my husband, and you are one of the most important people in my life. I would really appreciate it if you could treat him a little better. You’ll just make things difficult for me if you keep hating on him.”

This wasn’t the first time Jacinta had objected to Winnie’s relationship with Xavier, but it was the first time Winnie had stood her ground so firmly.

Jacinta was well aware of how savage Winnie was toward outsiders, but the latter had always been an obedient granddaughter at home.

This time, however, a wedge had clearly been driven between them.

Winnie knew what she said was a little over the line, but there was no way to take it all back. That was especially the case as everything she said was true.

She took a deep breath and continued in a much gentler tone, “Please take some time to think about what I just said, Granny.”

Since Winnie had broken the prolonged moment of silence, Jacinta stood up and said, “Winnie, tell Xavier he can stop looking for the boy.”

Winnie frowned in confusion. “Huh? Granny, are you doing this because you’re mad at me?”

Jacinta let out a huge sigh. “No. I never had high hopes in finding my grandson, to begin with. Given how our attempts to search for him have been fruitless after so long, I’d say the chances of us finding him are little to none. Perhaps the clues I have were wrong all along. I’m done trying to look for him.”

“But you’ve been searching for so long, Granny. Are you sure you want to give up now? Now that Xavier is helping you, you don’t even need to do anything!”

Chuckling wryly, Jacinta responded, “That’s impossible. What if he finds someone who matches the criteria? Can you imagine how disappointing it’d be for me to go do a DNA test, only to find out that it’s not my grandson? Tell Xavier I’m done searching. Honestly, I had a sudden realization after hearing what you said. If you two are happy together, then how I feel about him doesn’t matter. It’s clear that fate does not want me to reunite with my grandson, so I shall give up on searching for him. If he is alive in this world, then I hope he will find a kind family to live with. You, on the other hand, should hurry up and have children with Xavier. If possible, I’d like to enjoy the companionship of my great-grandchildren while I’m still alive.”

She made that sound so convincing that Winnie believed her readily.

“Really? You don’t object to my relationship with Xavier anymore?” Winnie asked with a relieved smile.

Jacinta held Winnie’s hand as she said, “Yeah, I have it all figured out now. There’s no point in me objecting if it ruins your happiness. The worst-case scenario is you getting hurt by Xavier, but I know you’re a tough and capable woman. Even if he does end up hurting you, I have faith that you’ll be able to rise stronger than before. You can count on me to always be on your side, Winnie. Instead of objecting to your relationship, I hereby give you my most sincere blessings.”

“Thanks, Granny!” Winnie leaned forward and gave her a hug. “Xavier, too, wishes to receive your blessings.”

“Of course I’d wish for your happiness, silly! Xavier must’ve been pretty upset when I expressed my dislike for him, huh? Have him come over for dinner someday. I’ll apologize to him in person.”

“That won’t be necessary, Granny. He can’t possibly accept an apology from an elder like you. I’m just glad you’re okay with him now!” Winnie said with a bright smile.

Jacinta decided to strike while the iron was hot and said, “Then go tell him to stop looking for my grandson. Think of it as an act of kindness from me to him.”

Naturally, Winnie respected her decision. “All right. We’ll stop looking for him.”

Jacinta nodded with a smile on her face.

She had her reasons for wanting Xavier to stop the search, but giving up on her grandson wasn’t one of them.

It was actually because she had already figured out her grandson’s true identity after reorganizing some of the memories buried deep within her head.

I know Xavier has been onto me since the fire at the Fairchild residence. On top of that, he probably found out about me withdrawing money from the bank as well. Xavier might discover my secretive past if he continues the investigation. That would definitely spell disaster for me. I don’t think Winnie has ever suspected me, though. Xavier probably hasn’t told her anything. I should start treating him better so he’ll drop his suspicions toward me.