Both lunch and dinner were delivered by the help there, who had been trained impeccably. They would make small talk, but they would never disclose any information that went beyond their rank.
For that reason, she failed to pry anything out of them. She had no idea when Christopher would return either, so she could only stay in his room and wait.
That night, she merely slept shallowly.
Before going to sleep, she had already locked the door from the inside. Therefore, her eyes immediately popped open at the sound of a key being inserted into the keyhole outside the door.
Although the person outside was, in great likelihood, Christopher, she still whipped out the knife she hid under her pillow at lightning speed and sprinted over to the side of the door posthaste.
In that position, she could instantly restrain the individual who entered if it wasn’t him.
Sure enough, the door was pushed open from the outside no sooner had she gotten into position.
The moment the door swung open, however, the person outside promptly stated, “It’s me. You don’t need to be afraid.”
Winnie breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m not afraid.”
As she spoke, she lifted her hand and swiped the light switch on the wall. At once, a burst of light illuminated the entire room.
Christopher casually locked the door before he flashed her a tight-lipped smile.
“I’m glad to hear that. Sorry I didn’t make our appointment because I had to take an impromptu trip today. It was Harold who ordered Wesley to go and pick you up. I hope he didn’t do anything to you?”
Winnie glanced at him, but she didn’t answer right away. Instead, she strolled to the window and studied the situation outside carefully.
In truth, Christopher knew it was safe outside at that moment without anyone monitoring them or eavesdropping on them. Nonetheless, he didn’t stop her from doing so.
After all, it was a good habit to remain vigilant at all times at such a place. It might even save one’s life at a critical juncture.
He went over to the refrigerator and took out two bottles of water. By the time he turned around, Winnie was already walking toward him.
“It so happens that I want to talk to you about Wesley. You must be careful of him,” Winnie warned.
Murmuring an acknowledgment, Christopher unscrewed one of the bottles of mineral water and handed it to her. “Have some water first.”
After saying that, he guzzled half a bottle down himself as he was parched beyond words.
Winnie wasn’t all that thirsty, so she merely placed the water aside after taking it from him.
She waited until he had finished drinking before continuing, “He’s at odds with you and determined to go head-to-head with you. During the drive here, his libido flared, and he wanted to force himself on me. Initially, I planned on feigning weakness, but I didn’t feel like holding back anymore at the sight of his revolting expression. Thus, I slashed his stomach a few times and made him bleed. He appeared as though he yielded to me on the surface then, but I don’t think he’ll take it lying down. Besides, he’ll definitely take the humiliation I caused him out on you. At that time, I even specifically urged him to keep this matter a secret, forbidding him from telling you that I was actually not as weak as I looked. He has probably started suspecting my identity, so I reckon he’ll report the matter to Harold for sure. After all, you’re someone Harold trusts highly right now, so Wesley’ll undoubtedly pick fault with you relentlessly if he wants to take you down.”
Christopher couldn’t help narrowing his eyes after hearing all she had to say.
“Ah, that explains how his injuries came to be. He was waiting at the gates when Harold and I came back, insisting that he had something to report to Harold. The look in his eyes as he glanced back at me even appeared pretty smug. So, he thought he finally had dirt on me. Anyway, it isn’t your style to give yourself away easily. You must have some plan, yes?”
“Yup!” In the next heartbeat, a frown marred Winnie’s countenance before she explained, “I’m worried Harold will be suspicious if you introduce me to him directly. It doesn’t matter much if he only suspects me, but the consequences would be grave if you were compromised. Hence, I plan to approach him by myself. Then, he won’t suspect you. All the flaws I’m revealing now happen to be the best evidence for the fake identity I’m going to reveal soon!”
Her explanation was remarkably detailed, so Christopher immediately understood her intention.
He nodded in response. “This plan of yours is indeed much better than my previous arrangements.”
“Well, I actually only made some changes to the details. The entire plan is still based on the one you devised. If necessary, we can create some conflict when appropriate. The greater our conflict, the safer you’ll be.”
Despite knowing that Winnie’s remark made sense, Christopher still frowned instinctively.
“You can’t just consider my safety only. Your safety is equally important.”
Hearing that, Winnie grinned at him. “I know. Everything I do is for the sake of keeping myself safe. Therefore, no matter what you do henceforth, you only need to consider yourself. There’s no need to worry about me.”
Christopher went silent, saying nothing. If a terribly dangerous situation were to really transpire in the future, how could I possibly not give a whit about her?
Upon receiving no reply from him, Winnie didn’t continue speaking of that topic since she had said all there was to be said.
She promptly changed the subject. “It’s late, so let’s rest. You take the bed while I take the floor.”
Christopher was startled for a moment. Only then did he notice that she had already made her bed on the floor beside his bed.
The pillow on the floor was wrinkled, so he could tell at a glance that she had been sleeping on the ground.
Torn between amusement and exasperation, Christopher wore a wry smile on his face. “Are you kidding me? How could I have you sleep on the floor while I take the bed?”
Winnie chuckled. “I know you’re very gentlemanly, but my decision stands. I believe you won’t coerce me.”
At her remark, Christopher’s smile turned all the more bitter. “You trust me that much?”
To that, Winnie quirked an eyebrow. “Of course. Or are you not worthy of my trust?”
Chortling softly, Christopher relented, “All right, then. It’s too difficult for me to betray my conscience and claim that I’m not that great a man. I’m going to wash up for a bit. You go ahead and sleep.”
After saying that, he turned off the lights in the room.
In the dark, Winnie’s brows furrowed slightly. “Can you see if you turn off the lights so early?”
“It’s not so bad that I can’t see anything. Mainly, I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable. Go ahead and sleep without worrying. I’m here, so it’s very safe.”
“Okay.” Winnie groped for her phone. Unlocking the screen, she found her bed on the floor and lay down.
She was merely human, so she similarly felt drowsy when she relaxed after having been overly tense. Not only had Christopher returned safely then, but as he said, it was also safe with him there.
Hence, she started feeling sleepy at once. But before sleeping, she still couldn’t resist the urge to bid another person good night.
While the person in question might not be able to hear her right then, she still lifted her left hand and gently kissed the ring on her ring finger.
“Good night, and sweet dreams.”
“Good night. I love you,” Xavier, who was far away in a particular inn in Lightspring, replied when he heard Winnie’s voice from the earphones.
Although he knew that she couldn’t hear him, he ultimately couldn’t help adding that final utterance.
It seems that I’ve never uttered those three simple words to her in person.
At that very moment, he made a vow to himself inwardly. When we next meet, I’ll definitely hug her tightly and say that to her a million times!
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