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Without even considering it, Xavier rejected her outright. “No. I would never let you go on the mission
alone.”
“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
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtDr. 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.
Trailing the trajectory of his gaze, Winnie saw Mason chatting with someone dressed in a local
costume.
As for Mason—who noticed Winnie watching him—he quickly ended the conversation and walked over.
He explained softly, “The innkeeper is a friend of mine. At the same time, he can gain access to the
Horton residence where he has his ear to the ground. If the two women you’re looking for have been
taken there, he’ll definitely find out.”
“Good. In that case, when is the earliest we can know?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, as it’s too late now. Besides, after traveling for the entire day, everyone should
rest early to recover from the fatigue.”
“All right then, we’ll be waiting for your updates.”
At night, Winnie wasn’t sleepy at all after her afternoon nap in the car.
Standing still in front of the window with a blanket draped over her shoulders, she stared at the
crescent moon hanging in the night sky.
Xavier—who had just emerged from the shower—couldn’t resist hugging her when he saw the troubled
look on her face.
The moment Winnie felt the warmth of his body from behind, she allowed herself to sink entirely into his
embrace.
Holding her in his arms, Xavier leaned in to give her cheeks a peck before whispering into her ear,
“What are you thinking? Why do you seem so distracted?”
Winnie took a deep breath. “For some reason, I just can’t shake off this sense of dread. You know, I’m
starting to regret it.”
“Oh? What are you regretting?” Xavier broke into a mischievous smile as he bit her ear. “Are you
regretting not sleeping with me in the afternoon?”
“Hmph!” Turning around to look at Xavier, Winnie had knitted her brows tightly. “I regret allowing you to
come with me. Back at the top of the mountain, I should have steeled my resolve and kicked you off the
helicopter.”
“Are you serious?” Xavier tightened his grip around her waist. “You would be murdering your husband.”
“No, it looks more like I am murdering you by letting you come with me. I just have a bad feeling about
this.”
“Is that so? Why don’t I feel anything at all? On the contrary, everything seems to be going smoothly
from what I can see. In that case, do you think we should trust your intuition or mine?”
“I don’t know.” Winnie, as she stared at Xavier, was feeling lost.
Although she had been through a lot over the years, this was the first time she experienced such a
strong premonition.
Xavier stroke her cheeks gently.
“Don’t worry too much about something you don’t know. Let’s go to bed. I’ll hug you to sleep. It’s been
a long time since I coaxed you to sleep when you pretended to be dumb. I kind of miss those times.”
After chatting a while longer in each other’s arms, sleep gradually took over them.
The next morning, both of them work up early.
Expecting the innkeeper to only return with news in the afternoon, they were surprised to see him back
at noon.
Subsequently, Mason brought him to Winnie so that the innkeeper could report his findings directly to
her.
Open hearing what the man had to say, Winnie felt pessimistic about the situation.
It turned out that after arriving in Lightspring, Zyon didn’t even go to the Horton residence. Instead,
Harold sent him someplace else directly, seemingly on a mission.
As for the two women with him, Jacinta and Rachel, both of them were sent to the Horton residence.
That was the nice way to put it. In essence, they were being imprisoned there.
On top of that, the innkeeper explained that it was Harold’s style to hold either dirt or someone
important as collateral to ensure his men completed their tasks. The habit arose from this inability to
trust others.
However, Jacinta and Rachel were not important to Zyon at all, as he had randomly taken them
hostage while fleeing for his life.
“What if Zyon doesn’t return? How will Harold deal with the two of them?” asked Winnie as she frowned
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmat 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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