As Winnie walked forward, the shadow followed her.

When she stopped to look at her phone, the shadow dodged to the side and hid in a dark corner, watching her every move.

The wind was loud, so Winnie was oblivious to the person's presence.

She continued to walk while sending a voice message to Xavier.

"I've already talked to Granny, and I'll be there soon. Are you done taking a bath?"

In no time, Xavier replied with another voice message.

Just as Winnie put the phone to her ear to listen to the message, a dark figure leaped in front of her and shouted, "Hey!"

The yell sounded especially jarring in the dark yard. Though Winnie managed to suppress her scream, she jolted and almost threw her phone away.

While she stood in place and took deep breaths to get ahold of herself, the figure walked out from the dark spot and showed himself before her.

Under the light, Nate's handsome face looked pale. "You're much calmer than I thought, Winnie! I'm surprised this didn't scare you."

Winnie inhaled deeply. After seeing that it was Nate, she calmed down.

Although her heart rate returned to normal, she felt extremely pissed off.

She frowned and narrowed her eyes, questioning, "Nate, do you know what you've just done?"

Nate leaned against a pillar in the courtyard and crossed his arms. "Of course I do. I saw you hanging around in the courtyard all alone at such a late hour, so I couldn't resist giving you a surprise," he answered casually.

"Surprise, huh?" Winnie clenched her fingers so tight Nate could hear her knuckles cracking. "I'll make you experience the surprise of a lifetime!"

Ever since she returned to Chanaea, she hadn't gotten a chance to practice with the people from the club. Now, the insolent Nate standing before her was the perfect punching bag.

She first gave him a punch to the stomach before sweeping his leg and sending him crashing to the floor.

Although her movements were smooth, the strength she used was nothing compared to those burly men's.

However, Nate was too weak. He had some muscles, but they were only there for the visual enjoyment of his female fans.

Therefore, he couldn't defend himself at all when Winnie attacked.

Staring at Nate on the ground, Winnie curled her lips into a mocking smile.

"You're much weaker than I thought, Nate! I'm surprised at how easy it is to beat you," she teased, echoing Nate's words earlier.

Nate curled into a ball on the floor, covering his stomach with his hands. “Winnie, you sly woman! How dare you sneak an attack on me!”

Winnie couldn't help but laugh. "Sneak attack? If this is considered a sneak attack, then I suggest you donate your eyes. It seems they are of no use to you."

She continued, "Nate Fraser, you better stop messing around. If it weren't for the fact that you're going to Alendor, you'd be a cripple now. I believe there is something you need to know. Xavier and Old Mr. Fairchild keep their hands off you because of your families' close ties and cooperation throughout the generations. However, I don't have that sort of relationship with the Fraser family. Even if I beat you half to death or send you to rot in jail, I'm afraid of nothing. Do you understand? If you can't remember this, it's fine. I can record it and send it to you. I recommend you listen to it at least thrice before bedtime, all right?"

Nate fixed his glare on Winnie. "You evil woman! Was this how you treated Yulissa before?"

Winnie was about to leave, but Nate's ridiculous question held her back.

After giving it a thought, she responded, "To tell you the truth, I usually don't hit women even though I'm good at fighting. As for Yulissa, I think she's actually different from you. Although you're despicable, there's still some humanity in you. On the contrary, she's like a disgusting cockroach that hides in the dark. I don't think I ever got the chance to confront her face-to-face. What a shame it is. When I see her next time, I'll surely squash her with my foot as if she's a cockroach!"

"Shut your trap! I won't allow you to speak of Yulissa like that. You're the disgusting one. You're the cockroach!" Nate struggled to his feet and looked at Winnie with a vicious expression.

Winnie simply glanced at him and countered, "It's not strange for you to think of me like that. Suit yourself. I don't really care."

She then went on her way, but Nate would not stop following her.

Turning around, Winnie warned, "If you insist on walking the same path with me, I can send you flying with one kick right now."

The look in her eyes made it clear that she was not joking.

Out of reflex, Nate covered his stomach and took a step back.

Despite that, he refused to admit his fear as he said, "It's easy to make me leave. Just answer my question. You're required to tell me the truth."

"Required?" Winnie chuckled. "I'm being nice enough by not kicking you. How dare you make a request like that?"

"Of course I dare to! Why wouldn't I? Maybe you're the one who's scared of answering my question," Nate taunted.

His words were met with silence.

Winnie narrowed her eyes, studying Nate. Her calm gaze sent chills down his spine for some reason.

However, he did not cower. "Why are you staring at me? Just tell me if you're scared!"

Winnie laughed again. "How old are you? You're so immature."

"You're the immature one!" Nate hated it when people used that adjective on him. "You're only in your twenties. Stop acting mature in front of me!"

Winnie ignored him. As if speaking to herself, she mumbled, "I remember now. You must be twenty-two this year, just like my stepsister. It seems like you two not only have the same age, but also the same stupidity."

"Who are you calling stupid? Don't compare me to that foolish Kylie!"

Nate's every word sounded amusing to Winnie.

"Why can't I compare you two? Don't you feel that you are similar in many ways? Since you know my sister's name, you probably know about the beef between us. She once pushed me off the mountain here in an attempt to kill me. Of course, Yulissa was in it with her. Kylie was just Yulissa's pawn in that murder attempt. I'm sure you know what happened afterward. Kylie went to jail, while Yulissa continued her evil doings. Kylie is just a pawn of hers, and you are no different. Wait, no. Let me correct myself. You're worse off than Kylie, because Yulissa played with your feelings."

Nate was aware of what Yulissa had done to him. At times, he hated her, but that sentiment was overwhelmed by his love for her and his desire to please her.

He had never truly won her heart, so he badly wanted everything she had to offer.

Winnie knew exactly what was going on in the mind of the conflicted and obsessive Nate.

"I know what you want to know even if you don't tell me. You want to ask me about Yulissa and replace out whether she's still alive, right?" she pointed out.

"Yes. I know you are investigating about her. So, what did you replace? Is she still alive? Tell me where she is now!" Nate demanded as he stared at Winnie fixedly.

Not wanting to cause herself more trouble, Winnie said indifferently, "She's long gone. If you don't believe me, go to the police station. You'll surely see her death certificate there."

"You're lying!" Nate was in disbelief. "You said that you'd step on her the next time you see her!"

Winnie smiled. "You missed some details. I said I'll surely squash her with my foot as if she's a cockroach. I made a wrong choice of word, though. It's not next time, but in my next life. She's dead as a doornail now, so I don't have the chance to do that anymore."

"No, that's impossible. You're definitely lying," Nate insisted while glaring at Winnie.

"Why would I do that? If she were alive, I'd ask you to help me replace her. Now, get lost. Stop following me."

"You're just scared that I'll replace her. You're scared that we'll join hands against you."

"Whatever. I don't care about you guys at all. I have to remind you something, though. If you don't like my master's granddaughter, Yolanda, please stop using her. If anything happens to my master because of this, I will make you pay."

Winnie was starting to lose her patience, so she was exuding an extremely cold aura.

Intimidated by her expression, Nate stopped following her.

However, he suddenly chuckled when Winnie was about to leave.

That stopped her in her tracks. After a short hesitation, she turned her head.

"What are you laughing about?"

Nate laughed again before saying, "Winnie, it seems like you have many enemies. I don't think I'm the only one who wants to give you a 'surprise' tonight."

Winnie was unfazed. "Oh? Who else wants to surprise me?"

Nate raised his brow and said sarcastically, "That I don't know. And even if I do, I won't tell you. All I know is that when I was waiting for you here, someone was tailing you. I only want to know where Yulissa is. As for what that person is after, I have no idea. Who knows? It could be your life."

Winnie narrowed her eyes without saying anything for a moment. Then, she uttered, "Trying to scare me, huh? Well, enjoy your trip to Alendor."

When Winnie entered Xavier's room, she peeked outside before closing the door.

Noticing how cautious she was acting, Xavier couldn't help but furrow his brows. "What happened? What are you looking at?"

Winnie did not replace anything, so she shut the door while explaining, "Nate was waiting for me on my way here, and I gave him a beating. In the end, he claimed that someone who wants to take my life was following me."

Xavier's frown deepened. "Nonsense. Grandma and Mom are both gone. Now, you are the lady of the house. Who would dare to take your life? If I replace them, I'll tear them apart. I can't believe Nate is bold enough to mess with you. He must have a death wish."

"He came to ask about Yulissa. I was worried he'd cause a ruckus, so I lied. He doesn't buy it, though." Winnie knitted her brows and added, "You have to make sure he leaves for Alendor tomorrow. If he stays in the country to get in our way, things will surely become troublesome."

"Don't worry. The Fairchild family has projects in Alendor as well. I can't do anything to him under Aunt Beatrice's nose, but now that he messed with you, they can't blame me for disciplining him."

"He indeed needs to learn it the hard way. All right, enough of him." Winnie took out her acupuncture kit and changed the topic. "Time for your treatment. I still need to go back to Granny later."

"Do you really have to go?" Xavier was already reluctant to let her leave even when it wasn't time for her to go yet. "I'll miss you. Can't you just stay?" he pleaded, wearing a melancholic look on his face. Winnie pushed him away without any hesitation. "No. I've promised Granny."

"But the elders sleep early. Just look at my grandpa. He's probably asleep now."

"If this were another day, she'd probably be sleeping by this hour. But tonight is different. She will definitely wait until I return. Be good and lie down."

Xavier could tell that she was getting impatient.

Not wanting to make her mad, he obediently lay down on the bed.

Winnie had gotten the hang of performing acupuncture. In no time, she had skillfully inserted dozens of needles into various acupoints.

Now, all they had to do was wait.

Xavier wanted to talk to Winnie, but that would affect the effectiveness of the treatment. Thus, she ignored him on purpose.

In the end, the two of them drifted off.

Nearly twenty minutes later, a sudden noise jolted them awake.

"What is it?" Xavier exclaimed, abruptly opening his eyes.

Winnie was a little dazed as she had just woken up, but she soon regained her senses.

"You have needles on your head. Stay still." After calming Xavier down, she looked at the time.

"There are still ten more minutes to go."

At that juncture, another bang sounded outside.

Xavier furrowed his brows tightly. "It's the sound of a gunshot!"

Winnie had stayed abroad for a long time, so she was familiar with the sound of guns. "You're right. Your treatment isn't over, so stay in bed. I'll take a look outside."

"No!" Xavier pulled Winnie back. "How could I let you go out before we even figure out what's going on? If anything, I should be the one to go. Remove the needles on my head." Winnie frowned. "Then today's treatment will be useless."

Xavier shot Winnie a stern look. Then, he attemped to pluck the needles off himself. "Then I'll do it myself."

"Stop it! Don't mess around." Knowing that she couldn't stop Xavier, Winnie could only give in. "I'll do it. Be careful not to hurt yourself."

After a short discussion, the two decided that Xavier should check the situation outside while Winnie went to check on Jacinta.

Right when they left the room, the butler ran up to them, panting.

"Bad news, Mr. Xavier!" he cried out.

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