Silly Bride

Chapter 82
The next instant, her eyes popped wide open.My God, who took those pictures? One can easily tell that the two pictures have
been doctored at first glance.In her photo, she smiled so stupidly that she looked exactly like a retard. It was obviously Hamish
and Yara’s attempt to humiliate her.On the contrary, Xavier looked dashing in his photo, as if it had been meticulously edited that
way. In fact, their photos looked as if they were at two ends of a spectrum.It was one thing to have such an ugly photo. It had
even been shown to many strangers.Truth be told, no woman on earth could tolerate her ugly photo being exhibited in public,
especially when being contrasted with a beautiful one.Driven by her displeasure, Winnie confiscated Xavier’s phone.Not
pretending any longer, she shifted her gaze over to Xavier. “What are you dilly-dallying for? Are you going to deal with them or
not? If you can’t, I’ll take over.”The sudden change in her tone caught Xavier off guard.Nevertheless, a smile quickly broke out on
his face. “Hmm? You dropped the act?”Cocking her brow, Winnie threw the question back at him. “Why? Do you enjoy watching
me behave like a fool?”Stumped by her words, Xavier held her hand when she walked past him and repeatedly stroked it.Winnie
allowed him to hold it for a few seconds before pulling it back.After that, she kneeled beside Hayden, who was lying on the
ground as part of his charade.“Have you seen me before?” she asked.Hayden was taken aback. Isn’t she a retard? Why doesn’t
she behave like one at all?Although he had no idea why she was wearing the clothes he bought for the retarded bride back then,
he still expected her to be a fool.What the hell is going on? ”N-No, I have not.”“Hah, isn’t that the end of it?” Winnie was amused.
“Listen, everyone, this man has declared he has never seen me before. Hence, it’s clear he’s trying to stage a scam
today.”Winnie had hardly spoken when Hayden felt like slapping himself for saying the wrong thing.“Don’t think I’m oblivious to
the ill intentions that you harbor,” uttered Winnie. “Let me just be honest with you. My husband is extremely rich, but he would
rather set his money on fire than give any of it to you. For helping someone as despicable as Hayden to blackmail us, all of you
are nothing but scum. By the way, Hayden, we’ve taken away the retarded woman you bought. Her father and brother have
collected enough evidence to put you behind bars forever. At least you’ll have free food in prison. Also, it’s certainly more
comfortable than you lying here trying to blackmail us.”She continued, “As for the rest of you here, let me give you a piece of
advice. You either choose not to poach or hide whatever you poach better. Do you really think we’re all blind? I have visited the
Briggs residence, and guess what I saw in his yard? Leopard sharks and white dolphins. Given that you depend on the sea for
your livelihood, don’t you know what those are? Leopard sharks are a level two protected species in the country, while white
dolphins are level one. Don’t you dare tell me you don’t have them in your home. All I need to do is make a call, and all of you
will be investigated.”Here, she added, “I’m sure you’re well aware of the laws and punishments related to endangered species.
Illegal hunting, killing, and trafficking of endangered wildlife are punishable by at least ten years of prison on top of having all
your assets confiscated. I bet no one here is willing to spend ten years in jail on Hayden’s behalf. If I were you, I would leave this
place right away with my lips sealed. After that, I would clean out my house and stay away from anyone as despicable as
Hayden. Otherwise, all he brings to your family is death and poverty.” Winnie’s eloquence—especially when she brought up the

laws and punishments related to endangered species—caused many of the islanders to panic. After all, the majority of them
were guilty of poaching, and obviously, no one was willing to go to prison.It’s all Hayden’s fault for lying to us about seeking
justice when he was actually looking to extort money. And now, the opposing party could not only show a marriage certificate but
also list out the laws we have broken on top of buying the mansion outright.At that moment, the tide turned swiftly as everyone
began to deride Hayden and ostracize him. In fact, there were even some who cut ties with him on the spot.With that, the entire
drama finally ended.Staring at his “retarded” wife, Xavier was unable to peel his eyes away.So that’s what she’s really like.Even
the driver was stunned to see the lady of the house no longer behaving like a fool. In contrast to before, she was now smart,
aggressive, and easily stood out from the crowd.Sensitive to the situation, the driver quickly disappeared now that the matter
was over.It was not until the two of them were the only ones left in the living room that Xavier moved his wheelchair up to
Winnie.After a long silence, he was the first to speak.“Dumbo.” He looked at her intently. “Don’t you owe me an
explanation?”Winnie’s glistening eyes met his gaze fearlessly. “What’s there to explain? Why should I explain to you?”A slight
frown descended on Xavier’s face. “You lied to me. You’re not a retard at all.”Winnie laughed. “So what? From the very
beginning, your family lied to me when they said you were a vegetable. In the end, you woke up the second night after our
wedding. What’s wrong, Handsome? Are you the only one allowed to lie to me and not I to you?”She called me “Handsome”
again, and she’s not even pretending anymore. All of a sudden, his heart began to race.When she pretended to be a fool, I was
filled with an uncontrollable urge to protect her and a terrifying sense of possessiveness. Now that she isn’t, she has become
beautiful and confident. It’s as if she exudes an intoxicating charm that draws me closer to her.“Winnie.” Xavier could not help but
hold her hands, his voice raspy. “Why did you pretend to be a fool?”Winnie did not resist his advances. “What else can it be other
than for the mess with the Garland family?”“The Garland family is nothing to me. Whatever you want to do, I’ll help you do
it.”Winnie shook her head. “That wouldn’t be fun. Anyway, what other questions do you have? I’ll answer all of them to clear
things up.”“All right.” After giving it some thought, he asked earnestly, “You’re Paulina, aren’t you? When I spoke to the lady on
the fishing boat, you heard everything, didn’t you?”“Mmhmm.” Winnie nodded, causing the man to furrow his brows.Her
response is just too cold. How can she still stay so calm?“Those words were truly from the bottom of my heart. I didn’t neglect
you on purpose. I just assumed that you were lost for real. During that time, I made up my mind. So what if you’re a retard? And
so what if I’ve fallen for you? No one can stop me when I really want you to be mine.”Winnie continued to nod.Unfortunately, her
lackluster response caused Xavier’s heart to sink.“What does this mean? Do you not believe me?”