The Substitute Bride: Idiot Or Not?

Winnie wouldn't be too surprised if the mysterious Mr. Hall found it unchallenging and rejected her proposal. However, she did not expect that he would demand a reason from her. Taken aback, she narrowed

her eyes and blurted out, "Isn't it obvious? I'm after money."

Xavier gave her a snort, his piercing bright eyes staring at her with disdain.

"Since Ms. Gator isn't sincere about our collaboration, I shan't waste my time. Goodbye!" he said, then maneuvered his wheelchair to head out.

Xavier was in a hurry to leave as he had just received news from his assistant that Winnie had gone missing.

He had left Winnie in his office so that he could attend his meeting with Gator. However, he had not expected she would go missing as a result.

"Wait a moment!" Winnie was caught off guard by his abruptness and tried to stop him from leaving.

She gave him a smile and said, "What if I tell you I'm after them for revenge?"

"I'm sorry, but I've already given you a chance earlier, and you blew it," Xavier uttered coldly.

With that, he pressed a button on his motorized wheelchair and headed out. He did not even bother to turn his head to face Winnie when he rejected her.

After leaving the private room, he took out his phone and dialed Winnie's number.

Winnie was still standing dumbfounded in the private room, deliberating if she should go after her potential partner.

Suddenly, she saw something lit up in her bag and knew it was her phone screen coming on. She had muted her phone and left it in her bag before entering the bar.

Fishing out the phone, she realized that it was Xavier calling her. Winnie did not pick up his call but stared at the phone until the screen dimmed.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

That was when Xavier, who was just outside the private room, hung up and kept his phone.

Both of them were in such close proximity but brushed past one another due to their hidden identities and good disguise.

Winnie wondered if Xavier called her because he realized she had gone missing. However, she was also curious as to why he only called once. Next, her imagination ran wild, and she started imagining him busy getting raunchy with Kylie.

Kylie was so smug and confident, so she must have given Xavier a high dose of the drug. Where can they be? Are they in his luxurious and spacious office? Oh gosh! Snap out of this, Winnie! What has that gotta do with you?

Winnie was annoyed with herself when she realized she seemed to care about Xavier.

He never hid his disdain for you, his "dumb" wife, and had plans to divorce you. So why do you care if he's being manipulated?

Back at Fairchild Corporation, Xavier's assistant, Louis, was already waiting for him in the lobby when he rushed back. "Where is she? Have you found her?" Xavier asked.

"No. The surveillance footage showed Mrs. Fairchild heading to the toilet. Then she appeared to have lost her way and wandered around the building mindlessly. She was last seen in the underground car park Unfortunately, there were some blind areas in the car park, so we lost track of her after that," Louis reported.

"Get going and search for her! Search the whole car park and every single car in it. She could be hiding in one of the cars, or maybe even crawled under one of them and fell asleep there!" Xavier offered. "All the security personnel are out there looking for her. Unfortunately, no success so far," Louis said.

"What about those cars that left the car park during that period of time? Are you tracking down those vehicles?" Xavier asked.

"We're already looking into that." Louis said, then he changed the subject and asked, "By the way, Mr. Xavier, we just found out something with regard to another matter. Should I update you now?" Xavier pinched between his furrowed brows and said, "Go ahead."

"It's about the other night's car accident. The driver involved was found. He's an underage teen who was high on alcohol and driving without a valid permit. The car was also a stolen one," Louis shared. "Meticulously planned, just like the previous plot. They weren't satisfied that they only got me into a coma a year ago, so now they're back with another attempt! Keep up with the investigation!" Xavier ordered. His mind was still on Winnie, so he brought the attention back to her case and said, "Show me the surveillance footage."

"Sure, but..." Louis hesitated.

"What is it now?" Xavier was losing his patience and getting agitated.

"Ms. Kylie is still waiting for you in your office," Louis said.

"Kylie?" Xavier stopped in his track. "Why didn't I think of her earlier? Let's go back!" He turned around and marched back to his office.

The automatic doors to Xavier's office drew apart, and Kylie saw Xavier walk in.

She stood up immediately and went up to him with a flirtatious smile.

"Oh, Xavier, you're finally back from your meeting! I've been waiting for you for such a long time. I brought you some juice that I personally prepared. Try it! You must be thirsty after such a long meeting!" she cooed in a repulsively pretentious voice.

"Cut the crap. Where's Winnie? Bring her back to me!' Xavier glared at her darkly and solemnly demanded.