“But I’m not alone.” Winnie walked up to Xavier’s side and held his hand to coax him. “There’ll be someone protecting me the entire way.”
If it was in the past, Xavier would have either pulled her onto his lap or grabbed her hand without letting go.
But this time, he struggled free from her grip.
Moreover, he got to his feet. There were displeasure and annoyance written all over his face.
“If that’s the case, what did you think I came all the way here for? Just to split up with you again? Shouldn’t I just stay in Avenport and provided you moral support from there?”
His words stumped Winnie. He’s getting increasingly demanding.
Knitting her brows, she replied in a serious tone, “No one ever wants to come back to a place like this unless one has no choice. Therefore, we have to make sure everything is perfectly executed the first time. Besides, don’t you realize that splitting up will increase our efficiency?”
Xavier stared intently at her. “Not at all.”
“Oh?” Winnie cocked a brow. “In that case, what do you propose?”
“Get him to go.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Xavier’s finger pointed at Josiah.
“Huh?” Josiah was caught off guard when his name was mentioned abruptly.
It took him a moment before he regained his senses and nodded in agreement.
“I-I won’t say no, but you have to increase my pay. After all, this task is risky.”
“Deal!” Xavier sealed their agreement before turning toward Winnie. “Look, it’s resolved.”
“That’s right.” Josiah flashed a smile at the duo. “Money makes the world go round, and your husband has successfully paid me off.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Josiah’s humor almost elicited a smile from Winnie.
Nonetheless, she rolled her eyes at him. “Only you can utter such words. I am truly amazed at what you’re capable of.”
Josiah shamelessly declared, “I guess I have no choice. Capability and responsibility come hand in hand.”
“Cut the crap. Let me brief you on Yulissa’s current situation.”
Xavier didn’t like the direction things were going when he watched how Josiah’s eloquent tongue captured his wife’s attention.
Dumbo is my wife and she can only have eyes on me.
As for Winnie, she didn’t protest any further, for she knew there was no way of convincing Xavier to split up with her.
In fact, she couldn’t help but feel secretly delighted over the arrangement.
While the two were still in the midst of their discussion, she reminded them, “You should hurry. It’s about time already.”
“Almost done.” Xavier glanced at his watch. “We should be able to reach Lightspring before dark.”
Just as Winnie responded with a nod, she received a call from Mason.
She went to the washroom to take the call as she didn’t want to disturb Xavier and Josiah’s conversation.
By the time she emerged, the two men were already done with their discussion.
Seeing her, Xavier reached out his hand.
“All right, we can go now. We’ll leave three men with Josiah, while the rest will come with us. They will rest here tonight, whereas we’ll head toward Lightspring first.”
“Are three men even enough?” Looking at Josiah, Winnie commented half-jokingly, “Given how gentle Dr. Houghton looks, he probably can barely defend himself. What if something happens to him?”
Even though she was teasing him, it wasn’t lost upon Xavier and Josiah that it was her way of showing her concern.
Amused, Josiah removed his spectacles to reveal a fearsome look in his eyes.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover. When I get serious, no one can stand in my way,” he bantered in response before putting his spectacles back.
No sooner had he done so than his seriousness returned. “Don’t worry. I’ll get a few more bodyguards to come with me, but I’m not as weak as you imagine me to be. Anyway, I hope everything goes smoothly for all of us.”
“It will,” Xavier asserted.
“Yea. Lady luck has always smiled upon me!” Josiah had barely spoken when he stepped forward to give Xavier a hug.
However, when he walked up to Winnie, he simply smiled at her.
“Remember to stay safe. Or else, Xavier will come crying to me again.”
The grinning Winnie threw him a glance before surprising him with a hug.
Despite being momentarily stunned, he quickly regained his composure.
It wasn’t until Winnie and the rest were gone that he realized how fragrant her natural scent was.
Soon, Mason arrived in a small convoy that consisted of more than ten men.
Winnie’s brows knitted slightly at the sight of the four cars in front of her.
She asked Mason, “Won’t we stick out like a sore thumb with so many cars?”
“It’s normal,” he reassured her. “Anyone who’s slightly rich will have at least a few men by their side. Why don’t you ride in my car? It’ll be safer, as we’ll be in the center of the convoy.”
Upon nodding in agreement, Winnie and Xavier joined him.
Manchernius wasn’t a particularly developed country, and its public amenities paled in comparison to Chanaea’s. It didn’t help that Mason took the narrow streets that were littered with potholes, causing the car to bounce violently.
In spite of the conditions, Winnie unexpectedly managed to fall asleep on Xavier’s shoulder.
By the time she opened her eyes, darkness had already fallen.
When she felt as if she was hanging in the air, she quickly realized that Xavier was carrying her in his arms.
Remembering the injury on his arm, she—without a moment’s hesitation—jumped off to the ground.
“You should’ve woken me,” she remarked.
He lowered his gaze to throw her a glance. “I couldn’t bring myself to do that when I saw how soundly you were sleeping.”
Winnie then gently pounded on her sore neck. “I didn’t sleep well on the plane last night. By the way, what is this place?”
While she was speaking, she scrutinized the surroundings and quickly found them to be foreign.
The wariness on her face caused Xavier to hold her hand at once.
“This is an inn in Lightspring where we’ll be staying the night. It was Mason who brought us here.”
Xavier looked in front while explaining to her.
“What if Zyon doesn’t return? How will Harold deal with the two of them?” asked Winnie as she frowned at the innkeeper.
“That will depend on whether they are of any use. But usually, they always have a need for women,” the innkeeper flatly explained, seemingly used to such situations.
Winnie’s brows furrowed intensely. “Since they’re not Zyon’s family members at all, they would not be treated well regardless of whether Zyon completes his task.”
Winnie gave Mason a solemn look. “Captain Manfield, I’m going to rescue them, and you have to help me.”
Mason nodded. “It probably isn’t difficult to get the two women out, but we can’t barge in and seize them with brute force. The best way is to sneak them out from the inside.”
“In that case, we’ll have to leverage the innkeeper’s resources, and I’m willing to pay pretty penny for it.” While speaking, Winnie turned her attention to the innkeeper.
Contrary to her expectations, the innkeeper—having considerations of his own—rejected her.
“No way. My friend can’t do it. It’s one thing to sell some information, but this is way beyond what he’s willing to do. Having said that, I can smuggle you in tonight if you’re willing to take the risk.”
“Fine, tell me about your plan,” Winnie replied.
“All right,” the innkeeper continued, “I’ll be sending a bunch of girls in tonight, and you can hide among them if you’re up to it.”
“No, you can’t go.” No sooner had the innkeeper finished than Xavier pre-empted Winnie’s answer.
The frowning Winnie subsequently threw him a glance.
“We don’t have a choice. If only they were interested in men, I would have gladly sent you. Anyway, say no more, as my decision is made. Once I get Granny and Rachel out, we’ll leave Lightspring immediately.”
“But Winnie—” “Xavier, since we’re already here, we’ll get nothing done if we continue to hesitate. I’m truly happy that you can be by my side, but I need your support instead of you getting in my way all the time!”
Winnie’s steely resolve was evident in the look she gave Xavier.
Cognizant that there was no stopping her, Xavier could feel the concern grow within him.
He looked in Mason’s direction. “Captain Manfield, do you have a plan?”
“I do. Our priority is to keep Ms. Garland safe, and I’ll put in place the necessary measures.”
Just as he finished, he called out into the air. “Greta!”
His voice had hardly faded away when a figure somersaulted down from the inn’s second floor, landing right by his side.
Mason introduced her to Winnie, “This is my woman, Greta.”
Winnie furrowed her brows curiously. “Why didn’t we see her during the entire journey?”
“She’s the sniper who protects you from the shadows. Hence, she doesn’t show her face under normal circumstances. Since she didn’t join us in our car, you naturally didn’t notice her presence.”
Nodding, Winnie hummed in acknowledgment.
Mason continued, “As we won’t allow you to go alone, Greta—who’s also a woman—will be going along with you. Also, she has infiltrated the Horton family’s territory before and is consequently familiar with the place. Once you’re in, find an opportunity to break free from the group and find the two you’re looking for. When you do so, Greta will lead you to scale the walls for your escape, and we’ll be waiting outside to receive you.”
“All right!” Winnie concurred before turning her attention to Xavier. “Now that I’m not alone, I hope that puts your concerns to rest. Even though my wish is for you to wait here, I know you’re not going to obey. Therefore, you should join the party that will be receiving us outside.”
Xavier shot her a glare. “Stop stating the obvious. There’s no way I’m staying here alone.”
“It’s decided then. Let’s go get ready now.”
After dinner, Winnie began to put on makeup and change into a flowy dress. Once she was done, she got into the innkeeper’s car.
As for Xavier, he was feeling drowsy after consuming a drink Winnie had spiked.
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