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“Winnie?” Jacinta tensed up when she heard Winnie’s voice coming from behind. She immediately
turned around and said, “When did you get home? I didn’t hear you come in at all! You nearly gave me
a heart attack there!”
Jacinta had actually ended that call long before Winnie got home and was deliberately putting up an act
for the latter now.
“What are you doing?” Winnie asked as she stared at the strings on the bed. “I made quite a lot of
noise when opening the door, but you were too focused that you didn’t hear me.”
Jacinta pointed at the bundles of cash that she had tied up. “I was busy counting the money I withdrew
from the bank earlier. I’m tying them into bundles so it’ll be easier for Rach and her father to distribute
them. They’re very busy people, so I wanted to make things easier for them.”
Sitting down beside her grandmother, Winnie said, “If Mr. Zimmerman would find this difficult, then
you’re probably asking the wrong people for help. Besides, we don’t know much about the situation in
the village. Not everyone is equally poor, so I think it’s best if you let Mr. Zimmerman decide how he’ll
distribute the money.”
Jacinta froze. “What? Does this mean my efforts were in vain?”
“Not at all! It’s easier to manage the cash when it’s tied up in neat bundles. By the way, did you know
that you’re my greatest role model when it comes to charity? You adopted my mom and took great care
of me for so many years. You looked after us even though we weren’t connected to you by blood. I’ve
always aspired to become as kind as you, Granny!” Winnie replied with a smile.
She then wrapped her arms around Jacinta’s and nuzzled against the older woman’s shoulder like she
did when she was younger.
Jacinta shot her a glance and patted her on the head.
“You’re a good girl, Winnie. Seeing you all grown up and successful makes me really proud, but…”
She paused halfway through her sentence.
Curious as to what Jacinta was going to say, Winnie looked up at her and asked, “But what, Granny?”
Jacinta frowned deeply as she replied, “Of all the men you could’ve picked, why did it have to be
Xavier? He’s not a good man.”
“Granny…” Winnie let out a huge sigh and let go of Jacinta’s arm. “Why do you hate Xavier so much?
He’s not a bad person! How about you tell me what exactly you hate about him? List it all out, and I’ll
have him change accordingly.”
“Winnie, are you picking a fight with me right now? There are some things that I can’t quite explain,
okay? I just feel that you two aren’t suitable for each other!” Jacinta exclaimed with a frown when she
noticed Winnie losing her patience.
Displeased with Jacinta’s unreasonable behavior, Winnie stood up and said firmly, “Xavier and I are a
married couple, and nothing is going to change that fact. You may not think he’s the right one for me,
but I believe he is. He has always treated you with the utmost respect, so I think you should try to
accept him. Putting aside all the things he has done for me, let’s talk about what he has done for you
instead. Remember when he suffered from memory loss? He couldn’t even remember me at the time.
He had tons of stuff to take care of after regaining his memories, and yet, he never forgot about you.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHe even offered to help you look for your grandson! Meanwhile, I’ve been so busy that I nearly forgot
about that. All I’m asking is for you to give him a fair chance, Granny. He’s now my husband, and you
are one of the most important people in my life. I would really appreciate it if you could treat him a little
better. You’ll just make things difficult for me if you keep hating on him.”
This wasn’t the first time Jacinta had objected to Winnie’s relationship with Xavier, but it was the first
time Winnie had stood her ground so firmly.
Jacinta was well aware of how savage Winnie was toward outsiders, but the latter had always been an
obedient granddaughter at home.
This time, however, a wedge had clearly been driven between them.
Winnie knew what she said was a little over the line, but there was no way to take it all back. That was
especially the case as everything she said was true.
She took a deep breath and continued in a much gentler tone, “Please take some time to think about
what I just said, Granny.”
Since Winnie had broken the prolonged moment of silence, Jacinta stood up and said, “Winnie, tell
Xavier he can stop looking for the boy.”
Winnie frowned in confusion. “Huh? Granny, are you doing this because you’re mad at me?”
Jacinta let out a huge sigh. “No. I never had high hopes in finding my grandson, to begin with. Given
how our attempts to search for him have been fruitless after so long, I’d say the chances of us finding
him are little to none. Perhaps the clues I have were wrong all along. I’m done trying to look for him.”
“But you’ve been searching for so long, Granny. Are you sure you want to give up now? Now that
Xavier is helping you, you don’t even need to do anything!”
Chuckling wryly, Jacinta responded, “That’s impossible. What if he finds someone who matches the
criteria? Can you imagine how disappointing it’d be for me to go do a DNA test, only to find out that it’s
not my grandson? Tell Xavier I’m done searching. Honestly, I had a sudden realization after hearing
what you said. If you two are happy together, then how I feel about him doesn’t matter. It’s clear that
fate does not want me to reunite with my grandson, so I shall give up on searching for him. If he is alive
in this world, then I hope he will find a kind family to live with. You, on the other hand, should hurry up
and have children with Xavier. If possible, I’d like to enjoy the companionship of my great-grandchildren
while I’m still alive.”
She made that sound so convincing that Winnie believed her readily.
“Really? You don’t object to my relationship with Xavier anymore?” Winnie asked with a relieved smile.
Jacinta held Winnie’s hand as she said, “Yeah, I have it all figured out now. There’s no point in me
objecting if it ruins your happiness. The worst-case scenario is you getting hurt by Xavier, but I know
you’re a tough and capable woman. Even if he does end up hurting you, I have faith that you’ll be able
to rise stronger than before. You can count on me to always be on your side, Winnie. Instead of
objecting to your relationship, I hereby give you my most sincere blessings.”
“Thanks, Granny!” Winnie leaned forward and gave her a hug. “Xavier, too, wishes to receive your
blessings.”
“Of course I’d wish for your happiness, silly! Xavier must’ve been pretty upset when I expressed my
dislike for him, huh? Have him come over for dinner someday. I’ll apologize to him in person.”
“That won’t be necessary, Granny. He can’t possibly accept an apology from an elder like you. I’m just
glad you’re okay with him now!” Winnie said with a bright smile.
Jacinta decided to strike while the iron was hot and said, “Then go tell him to stop looking for my
grandson. Think of it as an act of kindness from me to him.”
Naturally, Winnie respected her decision. “All right. We’ll stop looking for him.”
Jacinta nodded with a smile on her face.
She had her reasons for wanting Xavier to stop the search, but giving up on her grandson wasn’t one
of them.
It was actually because she had already figured out her grandson’s true identity after reorganizing
some of the memories buried deep within her head.
I know Xavier has been onto me since the fire at the Fairchild residence. On top of that, he probably
found out about me withdrawing money from the bank as well. Xavier might discover my secretive past
if he continues the investigation. That would definitely spell disaster for me. I don’t think Winnie has
ever suspected me, though. Xavier probably hasn’t told her anything. I should start treating him better
so he’ll drop his suspicions toward me.
Later that night, Winnie followed Jacinta’s instructions and invited Xavier over for dinner.
Although Xavier found Jacinta’s sudden invitation a little unusual, her behavior toward him hadn’t
changed all that much.
Jacinta still maintained a somewhat cold attitude around him, which was considered normal for them.
Is she accepting my relationship with Dumbo because she’s genuinely trying to change, or is she
simply putting up a convincing act to achieve some kind of goal? I can’t tell…
Because Xavier wasn’t sure about Jacinta’s intentions, he didn’t dare let his guard down and continued
monitoring her.
He even went as far as checking her call history and daily schedule, but he couldn’t find anything
suspicious.
Just like that, three days soon came to pass.
Xavier received word that Jacinta was leaving the house, but it came as no surprise since he already
knew about it.
Apparently, she would be seeing Michael and Rachel off as they went home.
As it would be more comfortable and convenient to travel by plane, Michael and Rachel were originally
going to take a flight home. However, their flight got canceled due to bad weather, so they chose to go
home by ferry instead.
The date of the ferry ride was a day before their original return flight.
Xavier was able to obtain all of that information with the help of his assistant, so he wasn’t the slightest
bit surprised when he heard about it. As everything seemed to make perfect sense, he didn’t think
there was anything wrong with it.
Winnie, on the other hand, was shocked when she found out about it.
She was driving to Sebastian’s house when she got a call from Jacinta regarding the change.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Why the sudden change? Old Mr. Xander and I have a very important appointment today, so I can’t
postpone it.”
“That’s fine. I’ll let Rach know when I see her later. They know you’re busy, so I’m sure they’ll
understand,” Jacinta replied with a chuckle.
“Okay. Old Mr. Xander and I are going to visit an old professor at a medical university. His name is
Lionel, and he specializes in traditional medicine. We think he might be able to provide us with some
useful suggestions for Xavier’s treatment,” Winnie explained.
“That sounds very important. You should just focus on doing what you need to do. Don’t worry about
anything else,” Jacinta said.
“All right.” Winnie nodded. “What time does their ferry leave? Let me know when you plan to leave the
house. I’ll have the driver send you to the docks.”
“No need to trouble yourself. The driver might not be able to make it in time, so I’ll just take a cab there
later. It’s a lot more convenient that way. I might have some difficulty getting a ride back, though. I’ll
give you a call if I need you to get me a ride home. You can make the arrangements then.”
“Okay. Remember to stay safe on the road.”
“Got it. You make sure to drive safely too!”
The two then had a brief chat before ending the call.
Winnie arrived at the Xander residence about half an hour later.
As her time with Sebastian was rather limited, she made sure to pay full attention to his teachings and
got to work upon entering the study.
Thanks to her efficiency and hard work, she managed to get all the files ready in time for their meeting
with the professor.
The journey from the Xander residence to the university took a little over an hour, which was about the
same as Jacinta’s trip to the docks.
Winnie had thought of giving her a call to check on her, but she was too busy to do so.
Sebastian’s leg was still in a cast, so he needed Winnie to help him get around in his wheelchair.
After walking around the campus for about twenty minutes, Winnie finally found the old professor.
The three of them then sat together and discussed Xavier’s condition.
Winnie was so focused on the discussion that she didn’t have time to call Jacinta at all.
Right as their discussion was reaching its climax, her phone started ringing all of a sudden.
Upon seeing that it was Xavier’s name on the caller ID, she declined the call and sent him a text: I’m
busy right now. Talk to you later.
However, Xavier ignored her text and continued calling her again and again.
Lionel knew Winnie was declining the call because she respected him, but he also feared it could be an
emergency.
As such, he told Winnie to go ahead and take the call.
Winnie nodded and stepped aside to answer her phone, only to receive a piece of shocking news from
Xavier immediately after.
“Bad news, Winnie! Zyon has abducted your granny!”
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