Silly Bride

Chapter 219
Winnie gave a terse reply, speaking less than three sentences throughout the conversation.Xavier and Josiah only heard her
uttering “yes” and “okay,” in a foreign language.Although they did not know the content of the discussion during that phone call,
both of them noticed her facial expression had turned more solemn than before.Xavier was worried about her. “What’s the
matter? Did something happen?”Winnie gazed at him and slightly furrowed her brows.Although they promised to trust and not lie
to one another, she had yet to be able to confide in him entirely.She scratched her forehead and said, “It’s nothing. I’m just
feeling a little anxious because we are about to cross the border.”“Don’t worry.” Xavier lifted his hand to rearrange Winnie’s stray
hair strands and smiled faintly at her. “Even if the sky collapses, the taller people will be there to hold it up, and you will always
have my support no matter what.”“Don’t forget about me!” Josiah made a gesture of comparing their heights and chirped at
Winnie, “See? I’m taller than you too.”She glanced at them and nodded. “Let’s go.”Soon, they entered a small village in northern
Manchernius.Winnie followed the coordinates provided to her by Lucas and arrived at a local inn.As that village was near the
border of Chanaea, most locals there were fluent in Chanaea. Hence, communication was not an issue there.Winnie talked to
the inn’s owner and confirmed the booking of the room Lucas had placed in advance. Josiah saw that only one room was
reserved, so he secured the room next to Winnie’s.Subsequently, the party moved to the second floor.They chatted while walking
upstairs.Xavier asked Winnie in an undertone, “Where is the person your friend helped you to find? When will we meet up with
them?”She looked down at her wristwatch. “Soon. They should be here looking for me in approximately half an hour.”“Half an
hour, you say? That’s perfect. I shall go in and take a shower first.” Josiah tugged at the front of his shirt and could not help but
grumble, “This place is too hot. I really cannot stand the temperature here. You two can take a stroll here. I want to go back to
the room first.”With that, he jogged ahead.A few moments later, Winnie and Xavier heard the sound of Josiah unlocking the
door.However, in lesser than three seconds after he pushed the door open and entered the room, Josiah was seen to be
gradually stepping back out with his hands raised.Winnie and Xavier exchanged glances and knitted their brows
instantaneously.The few mercenaries who were dressed like locals beside them swiftly placed their hands around the back of
their waists. All of them seemed ready to spring into action at any moment.Winnie also immediately retrieved a small silver
handgun from her boot shaft and hid it in her pocket.Sensing her intention to move forward, Xavier grabbed her arm at once and
pulled her to one side. “You should stay back for now. Let them check out what’s going on first.”Winnie frowned. “But Josiah is
there. I’m a woman, so I’ll appear more approachable. I will check out the circumstances first, and if things turn south, we’ll let
the mercenaries handle the situation. We should minimize being caught up in a conflict with others at a place like this.”She spoke
adamantly, and with that, she pushed Xavier’s hand aside and strode forward.Upon arriving at the doorway, she saw someone
pointing a gun at Josiah’s head while the latter was so nervous he did not dare to make a sound.However, after seeing the
gunman’s face, she swiftly let out a sigh of relief.Winnie had seen a picture of that man before. He was the team leader of the
mercenaries Lucas had helped her find.“Hello, I suppose you are Mason, and I believe you should be familiar with my face.”“Yes.

I’ve seen a photo of you. You’re my boss, Ms. Garland.” said the man, Mason, while sizing up Winnie.“That’s right.” Winnie
understood how a smile could go a long way, so she pointed at Josiah while flashing a grin. “This is a friend of mine who is
accompanying me this time. He booked the room next to mine, so please put away your gun.”That man named Mason Manfield
immediately lowered his weapon. Seemingly to explain, he said, “I received news that you’ll be coming alone, and when I arrive,
this room next to yours was still unoccupied.”“That’s right. That was the previous arrangement, but I changed my mind and
brought along a few more companions prior to my departure. Where is the rest of your team? Should I book another room for
you all?”Mason had a decisive manner of speech. “That’s not needed. I’ve already received the deposit. My team’s current
mission is to safeguard and assist you. You don’t have to bother yourself with anything else except to transfer the remaining
payment to us after the job is done,” he said while keeping his gun.At the same time, he also summoned his other teammate
inside the room over.“You can memorize our faces for the time being. My other teammates are staying upstairs. We’ll get
acquainted when we depart later.”Winnie smiled politely. “You’re a straightforward person, Mr. Mason. Tentatively, we should
meet up half an hour later, but since we’re already here, let’s have a discussion.”Mason was an efficient and taciturn man. He
nodded and uttered curtly, “Follow me, Ms. Garland.”“Okay,” Winnie answered before turning around to call Xavier over.Right
after she entered the room, she saw removed a black handbag from underneath the bed.He placed the bag on the table and said
to Winnie, “Mr. Marsh told me to give this to you. Please take a look.”“Okay,” she responded and proceeded to pull open the
zip.Inside the bag were two custom-made phones, a few guns, and a sufficient amount of magazines. All the items available
were as Lucas had described.She nodded and said, “Cool, everything is here. I’ll discuss the plan with you later.”“All right. I’ve
saved my contact details in the two phones, and my men will be protecting you in secret.”He left with his teammate after saying
that.Josiah hastily shut the door after they left.Winnie took out the phones from inside the bag. “These phones come with two
systems, one is basic and the other with encrypted mode. The encrypted mode allows us to use the device without being easily
detected by ordinary people. However, my friend only prepared two devices. One of the phones is for standby purposes, but
there are three of us.”“You guys can use the phone. I don’t need it. I’ll use my own phone.” Josiah fathomed Winnie’s concern, so
he quickly expressed his stance.“Okay.” After all, that wasn’t the time for them to be indecisive, so Winnie handed the other
device to Xavier at once and taught him the method and password to access the encrypted interface of the phone.She began
distributing the guns after both of them inserted their SIM cards into the phones.Xavier and Josiah fell silent when they saw how
skilled Winnie was in assembling, aiming, and pulling the trigger of the guns.Noticing their unusual behavior, she could not help
but turn her head around to glance at them.“Why are you two looking at me like that? Is it that weird for me to be good with
guns? Don’t forget that I stayed in Yartran for a long time, and it is legal for people there to possess firearms.”Josiah adjusted his
glasses. “Anyway, it’s because your movements are too smooth.”She smiled. “I shall take that as a compliment, then. By the
way, are you two good at shooting?” “I guess I’m all right. I’ve never lost in playing shooting games,” Josiah replied.Winnie rolled
her eyes at him. “Do you have the time to play games when you’re so busy all the time?”Josiah fiddled with the gun in his hand.
“There is always time as long as you are determined to do something.”Xavier scoffed. “Don’t take his words seriously. If not

because he had to take over the family’s hospital, perhaps he would’ve become an Olympics gold medalist in
shooting.”“Amazing!” She turned around and gave Josiah a thumbs-up. Then, she asked Xavier, “What about you? How’s your
shooting skill?”Josiah uttered non-exaggeratedly, “Him! Let’s put it this way. I learned shooting from him.”“Really?” A surprised
look flashed across Winnie’s eyes when she reshifted her gaze onto Xavier.Xavier gave a more humble response than Josiah.
“But I’ve only practiced in the shooting range. I don’t have any real-life gunfight experience.”“Real-life scenarios are indeed
different from practice. In real life, there will be a lot of uncertainties, so a person’s state of mind will be highly tested during these
circumstances. Nevertheless, one will get used to it after experiencing it a few times,” Winnie elaborated nonchalantly while
wearing a smile.Xavier’s gaze darkened as he took in her casual demeanor.At that instant, he had countless things on his mind
that he wanted to say to her, but he didn’t know where to start.Staring at Winnie, Xavier suddenly grasped her hand and dragged
her out of the room.“What are you doing?” She knitted her brows but didn’t resist as she feared she might injure the wound on
his arm.Hastily, Winnie merely kept her gun and followed him back to her room next door.As soon as they entered the room, he
pushed her onto the bed before she could place the card into the cardholder and switch on the lights.“What are you doing—”
Before she could finish the rest of her sentence, Winnie felt Xavier’s lips pressed against hers.Then, the sensation of a
domineering kiss overwhelmed her instantly.He caressed her body with his large hands, prompting them to succumb to fiery
desires.Winnie was someone who had a clear understanding of her yearnings, and she would never conceal her wants at any
time.Disregarding the injury on his arm, she ripped apart his shirt without hesitation.The button of his shirt fell to the timber floor
with a dull thud. At that moment, Winnie even temporarily lost her rationale.In the end, if it wasn’t because of the smell of blood
from Xavier’s wound wafting into her nose, she might have chosen to see their intimate activity to the end.Panting heavily, she
rolled over on the bed and said, “Let’s stop. You’re crazy. You know you’re injured, yet you seduced me.”“I’m sorry, Winnie.”
Xavier turned on the bed and pulled her into his embrace. He buried his face in the curve of her neck and took deep breaths. His
voice sounded deep and hoarse as he added, “Actually, I can still continue.”“Forget it.” She closed her eyes and recollected
herself. “I don’t want this to turn into a bloodbath.”Xavier chuckled. “Bloodbath? What ridiculous description is this?”“This is all
your fault for suddenly getting turned on!”“Yes. This is all my fault.” He held her tighter. “I was out of my mind at that moment. Do
you know why?”“Why?” Winnie slowly rolled over and lay in his arms.“When I listened to you described your real-life battle
experiences so casually and how good you were at handling guns, I suddenly realized how little I know about you. I don’t know
anything about the things you’ve been through in the past. You didn’t even know of my existence when you went through tough
times and were terrified. If I can turn back time, I’ll go back in time to when you were little and stay by your side as you grow
up.”Winnie fell silent and was stunned. She did not expect he would tell her such a romantic speech at that time.Sensing the guilt
and affection brimming in his eyes, she was genuinely touched by his sincerity.“You’re so silly.” She poked his aquiline nose
while beaming at him. “Do you like me that much?”Xavier gulped and uttered hoarsely, “Yes.”Then, he pressed her against his
chest, took a deep breath, and spoke with all seriousness.“After the initial phase of our relationship, where everything was new
and exciting, you’ve been integrated into my life and are now an inextricable part of my body and soul. I love you more than

anything else in this world.”She was running out of breath as he hugged her tightly, but she did not struggle or put up any form of
resistance.Instead, Winnie merely listened to her heart.“I love you too, Xavier.”He kissed the top of her head. “Okay. I know your
feeling towards me is not as intense as mine, but that’s alright as long as you love me.”“Who said that? Who are you to say my
feelings are not as strong as yours?”He chuckled. “Dummy. I can give up my life for you at any time without hesitation. This has
already become part of my instinct, driving me to take action before my mind can give me a signal on what to do. Are you able to
do the same?”She opened her mouth to retort, but no words came to her for a few seconds. “I’ll never let you face any danger on
your own, but I’ve yet to accomplish the reflective action you mentioned. Give me some time, okay?”Xavier grinned without
saying a word. He simply leaned forward and repeatedly kissed the girl in his arms, showering her with so much love she could
drown in his affection.At three o’clock in the afternoon, Winnie woke Xavier up from his deep slumber.Five minutes later, Mason,
the team leader of Winnie’s mercenaries, the leader of Xavier’s hired soldiers, and Josiah were all gathered inside her room.She
placed a map on the table and pointed at a location in the middle of the map.“I received a piece of reliable information earlier
saying that my granny and Jacinta are still alive. However, they and Zyon were brought to a place called Lightspring. They are
most likely heading to the Horton residence. The person in charge of the Horton residence is Harold Horton. He’s one of the
three most powerful figures in this area. It will not be easy for us to rescue them from the Horton residence unscathed. Captain
Manfield, you and your men are more familiar with Lightspring, so do you have any constructive suggestions?”Mason thought for
a few moments before saying, “Harold is not an influential veteran figure before. Initially, the medication production and logistics
were handled by the other two tycoons here, but since Harold’s arrival, the situation had evolved into a tripartite situation. A
newcomer like him can expand his business to a large scale mainly because he controls vast amounts of firearms, which means
he has absolute power. Therefore, it is a little far-fetched for us to dream of rescuing those people directly from his territory. I
think what we should do now is to confirm whether the people we are looking for are truly at the Horton residence or not. I don’t
want all of us to lose our lives simply because we rely on a piece of fake information. Only after confirming the location of our
target can we formulate a strategy to rescue them.”Winnie nodded. “You’re more familiar with this area, so I’ll follow your lead.
Let’s depart as soon as possible. We’ll gather an hour later. Is that all right?”“No problem. We can depart at any time. I’ll go and
inform my teammates.”She bobbed her head in response and opened the door to see Mason out.After Mason left, Winnie
immediately asked Xavier, “Where is Yulissa now? I think we should take action separately.”