Unable to support Yulissa’s dead weight, Winnie had no choice but to allow the former to collapse onto the ground.
The sight of the corpse stunned Winnie, for the dead Yulissa wore a strange expression on her face.
Although her eyes were wide open and brimming with indignance, she looked as if she was gloating instead.
Baffled by the sight, Winnie wondered, How can she be so smug even in death?
Meanwhile, Josiah and Nate had blocked the door with the metal box. At the sound of the gunshot, both of them rushed over to check.
Greeted by the sight of Yulissa’s corpse, Nate stood frozen. Even though he had walked up to her with his eyebrows furrowed intensely, he couldn’t help but stagger back. Filled with disbelief, he still couldn’t accept the truth that was laid bare in front of him.
Staring at the dead Yulissa’s wide-opened eyes and devious smile, Josiah could instantly feel his hair stand on end.
Brows knitted, he knelt down to close her eyes but failed to wipe the smile off her face.
Unable to bear the sight of her eerie expression, he took off his shirt and covered her face with it.
Thereafter, he looked up at Winnie. “How are you feeling? Is your arm all right?”
Upon giving her right hand a stretch, the immediate pain she felt caused her to grimace. “Not really.”
She then raised her head toward the sky. “The helicopter is about to arrive. Let’s get ready to board.”
At the sight of Winnie leaving, Josiah quickly questioned her, “Where’s your black badge? Did you ask Yulissa about it?”
Winnie frowned at Yulissa’s body. “Prior to this, she claimed to have hidden it in a location that only she knows.”
“What are you going to do now?” Josiah began feeling anxious on Winnie’s behalf. “Obviously, she isn’t talking anymore.”
“I’ll have to forget about it,” Winnie flatly replied. “Even if she lives, it would be unlikely for her to reveal it anyway.”
“You have a point.” Josiah nodded.
In spite of his words, he frisked Yulissa’s body but didn’t find anything.
As the result didn’t come as a surprise, he got to his feet and quickly caught up with Winnie.
Before he had the chance to ask Winnie about what had happened to Christopher, the helicopter arrived.
As its spinning rotors roared out loud, one could only speak by screaming at the top of one’s voice. Thus, Josiah decided to raise the matter with Winnie only when they were back.
The moment the helicopter landed on the rooftop, Winnie and Josiah began to move the others.
Despite her desire to help, Winnie was stopped by Josiah.
He—amidst the deafening sound of the rotors—yelled, “You don’t have to help. Just take care of your arm.”
Throwing Josiah’s bleeding leg a glance, Winnie was filled with concern. “Is your leg all right? Can you bear the pain? Remember not to force yourself.”
While loading Xavier onto his back, the smiling Josiah reassured her, “This is nothing. I’m really capable, so don’t underestimate me.”
With his gentlemanly look, Josiah’s smile gave Winnie a refreshing feeling.
It was the first instance of warmth she had felt ever since watching Christopher fall off the building.
Relishing in the sensation, she reciprocated with a slight curl of her lips.
Meanwhile, amidst the gale unleashed by the helicopter’s rotors, Winnie’s jet-black hair and sleeves fluttered in the air. The beauty she exuded blew Josiah away when he caught a glimpse of her.
Stunned momentarily by the sight, he quickly picked up his pace.
After loading Xavier into the helicopter, he then piggy-backed Rachel in.
Subsequently, it was Jacinta’s turn and then Winnie’s.
However, by the time Winnie was about to board, there wasn’t enough space left.
Initially, they had prepared two helicopters to carry all six of them.
Nevertheless, the first helicopter had left with only Riley, causing them to be two seats short.
“What are we going to do?” Josiah scratched his head before turning to look at Nate—who was still staring blankly at Yulissa’s body—and shouted, “Let the ladder down. We’ll hold onto it. As for the corpse, we’ll have no choice but to leave it here.”
“No.” Lowering his head to throw Yulissa’s body a glance, Nate suggested abruptly, “You guys should go. That Horton guy doesn’t know who I am. Thus, even if he barges in, he’ll probably not harm me.”
“All right then.” Given their desperate circumstances, Josiah didn’t want to waste time debating. “Remember to stay safe.”
With that, he returned to where Winnie was.
Since Winnie’s arm was incapacitated by her injury, Josiah tied a safety harness around her waist.
When the helicopter finally lowered its ladder, he hugged Winnie tightly before grabbing onto it.
Finally, the helicopter began to lift off gradually. During its ascension, Josiah couldn’t help but look down at Nate, who was watching them leave.
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of the metal box being moved. As a grim expression descended upon his face, Josiah yelled, “Nate, take care!”
Nate nodded in response before shifting his attention to Winnie.
Gazing at her, he shouted abruptly, “I’m sorry!”
As a slight crease emerged between her brows, Winnie—after a two-second delay—threw her pistol down for Nate.
The sight of the pistol at his feet caught Nate by surprise. However, by the time he picked it up and looked in Winnie’s direction, the helicopter had flown far toward the horizon.
From the moment the helicopter left the rooftop, Winnie’s eyes were focused down below.
Despite that, their distance from the ground simply made everything look like a blur.
“The police…” The words spoken by Rufus triggered a wave of images in Xavier’s mind.
Back when they were on the rooftop, Yulissa accused Winnie and Christopher of having an affair. During that time, his mind was already clouded by the swelling anger within him.
Still, Yulissa continued to infuriate him further with her treacherous words.
In the end, he lost control of himself, and he pushed Yulissa to the ground.
In spite of that, Yulissa did nothing to calm his boiling rage, causing him to seemingly walk in Christopher’s direction.
However, he couldn’t remember whether he ended up approaching the latter or not, as his memories went black from that moment on.
“Argh!” Xavier snarled as he smacked his own head. “D*mn it. I can’t recall anything. What about Christopher? Where is he? Isn’t he a police officer? Given that he was on a mission, why couldn’t he report to his superiors by himself? Why did those men need to take Winnie away?”
Staring at his grandson, Rufus didn’t know how to break the news to him.
It was then that Josiah’s voice suddenly rang out at the ward’s entrance. “Xavier, do you really not remember anything?”
“Josiah!” Xavier’s gaze trailed the voice to the door. At the sight of the wheelchair-bound Josiah, he knitted his brows curiously. “What happened to your leg?”
“It’s fine.” Giving his lap a pat, Josiah replied with a smile, “I was shot, and the bullet pierced through my calf, but it’s no big deal. It’ll fully recover after a few months of recuperation. What about you? How do you feel?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Staring intently at Josiah, he asked, “Do you know where Christopher is? I want to see him.”
A momentary silence descended upon Josiah before he turned to look at Rufus.
“Old Mr. Fairchild, why don’t the few of you wait outside? I need to talk to Xavier in private.”
With a frown on his face, Rufus gave Xavier a look before reminding Josiah, “I’m sure you know his condition better than anyone else. No matter what, you had better not trigger him.”
Josiah nodded in response. “I understand, Old Mr. Fairchild.”
Their exchange elicited a curious expression from Xavier.
What are they talking about? What in the world did I forget? Why are they speaking as if Josiah is going to tell me something terrible?
After Rufus left the ward, Xavier questioned Josiah right away, “What in the world happened? Don’t you dare hide a single detail from me!”
Josiah moved his wheelchair up to Xavier’s bed before considering his words.
“Christopher’s dead.”
“What?” Xavier was stunned as Josiah and Rufus’ reaction suddenly made sense to him. Unable to believe what he heard, he murmured, “Don’t tell me…”
He gave Josiah a confused look. “Don’t tell me that I killed him by mistake?”
Xavier cleared his throat again. “How did he die?”
“He fell off the building,” Josiah replied grimly. “At that time, only you, Mdm. Sumner, and Yulissa were on the rooftop. By the time we arrived, Mdm. Sumner and Yulissa told us that it was you who pushed Christopher off. We’re well aware that Yulissa can’t be trusted, but Mdm. Sumner corroborated the story that it was you who did it. Back then, Christopher happened to land right beside Winnie. When she asked him who was responsible, he only mentioned your name. Xavier, do you really not remember anything at all?”
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