The female voice on the other end of the phone enunciated, “It’s about Winnie Garland. How is she now? Have you finished her off?”
“Well? What is it you want to ask me?”
The female voice on the other end of the phone enunciated, “It’s about Winnie Garland. How is she now? Have you finished her off?”
“No.” While answering that question, David cast a surreptitious glance in Winnie’s direction.
At the same time, Winnie had also perked up her ears upon hearing her name.
Then, David continued, “She isn’t dead, but she will be soon. She inhaled a bottle of radioactive gas and passed out. I don’t think she’ll be able to survive, but even if she does, the rest of her life will probably be hell.”
“Really? If you’re not lying to me, this is truly great news.” The female voice on the other end of the phone chortled gleefully.
At once, a frown marred David’s countenance. “What do you mean by that? Why would I lie to you?”
“Calm down. That was just a casual remark. Just hide and wait for me to save you.”
After saying that, the person hung up right away.
Shrugging, David said to James, “She didn’t reveal her current location at all.”
James dipped his head a fraction in acknowledgment before turning to Winnie. “Do you know of any woman Harold once had who holds a grudge against you?”
“No,” Winnie denied firmly. “He’s been intimate with countless women, that’s for sure, but then I’ve never heard of him collaborating with any of them. Besides, the female voice on the phone earlier sounded unnatural to me. It’s highly likely that the person used a voice modulator.”
James nodded. “That’s indeed a possibility.”
After he said that, he asked Greta, “Did you record the conversation just now?”
“Yeah. I’ll take it back to the team for analysis later.”
“Okay. Make it fast.”
After James and the others left, Winnie plunged into deep contemplation.
Seeing that, Xavier couldn’t help lifting his hand and caressing her hair. He called out to her softly.
Only then did Winnie jolt out of her thoughts. “What is it?”
“What are you thinking about that you’re not even talking to me anymore?”
Chuckling lowly, Winnie groped for his hand. “I’m talking to you now! I’m thinking that the person must detest me to the core, considering the fact that he was so glad after learning about my current condition. If that voice was a result of a voice modulator, it was most probably a man. Other than Leandro, I can’t think of anyone else fitting the description of a man who’s in collaboration with Harold and wants me dead.”
With his gaze pinned on her eyes in anguish, Xavier replied, “You’re right. You’ve already told Officer Clark and the others about this, so they’ll investigate thoroughly. The only thing you’ve got to do right now is—”
Knowing what the man wanted to say, Winnie cut him off and completed his utterance. “Adhere to the treatment plan. I know! Don’t worry. I don’t want to die. I’ll value my life, no matter for the sake of myself, you, or those who love and care about me. I’ll cherish it greatly.”
“Okay. I’m glad you understand. You’re going to have the surgery tomorrow, so don’t overthink things today. Be sure to stay positive and relaxed. Adequate rest is vital before the procedure. You can’t strain your eyes. As for the result, you don’t need to worry either. The doctor has said that there are a lot of cases of such retinopathy. The success rate of the operation is pretty high,” Xavier rambled, spouting advice after advice.
Although Winnie couldn’t see him right then, she could imagine that he was undoubtedly frowning and looking exceedingly fretful.
Perhaps he wouldn’t be so nervous even if he were the one undergoing surgery soon.
Following that thought, a wealth of warmth suffused her.
Raising her hand, she tentatively reached out for the man’s head. She cradled it and planted a light kiss on him by approximating the position.
While her kiss fell on the face shield used for quarantine purposes, Xavier abruptly went silent.
As he was no longer talking, Winnie immediately declared, “I wanted to seal your mouth. So, how was it? I got it right, didn’t I? Sure enough, you’re not nagging me anymore.”
“Yeah, you got it right,” Xavier fibbed in a muted voice.
In truth, she hadn’t gotten the position right. Her kiss had almost landed on his forehead.
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