Silly Bride

Chapter 171

sure you understand.”Although Louis knew the reason behind Xavier’s odd behavior, he still made a mental note of his superior’s words, taking over the task of the female secretary from a while ago.He reported, “Mr. Fairchild, the matter with the reporters has been dealt with. However, one of them is the relative of Mr. Joyner’s wife. It’s Mr. Joyner of Flux Group. He made a call personally to beg for mercy and said he would be waiting for your reply today. Would you like to return his call?”“Hah. He’s waiting for my reply, is he? Okay. Dial his number.” Xavier’s gaze was dark and sullen.Soon, Louis got Rodrigo Joyner on the line. After introducing himself, the former passed the phone to Xavier.Xavier had no intentions of beating around the bush. “Mr. Joyner, my wife is the representative of the entire Fairchild family and me in public. Do you really think our reputation is that cheap?” he said curtly.With just one sentence, he had trampled on Rodrigo over the phone.The latter had no idea what to say, apart from apologizing and buttering Xavier up.The entire matter took less than a minute to be resolved. With that, Xavier returned the phone to Louis.Seeing Louis not leaving right away, Xavier frowned. “Is there anything else?”“Yes. Old Mr. Fairchild called earlier. He’s telling you to take Mrs. Fairchild back to the Fairchild residence when you’re free.”“Today?”“No. Old Mr. Fairchild didn’t specify the date. He only mentioned whenever you’re free.”Xavier nodded in understanding. “Got it. Carry on with your work.”Winnie suddenly stopped Louis in his tracks. “Wait. What’s with the reporters?”Louis glanced at Xavier and only proceeded to explain when the latter showed no signs of objection. “It’s about the reporters who purposely made things difficult in the live interview you went on before. They also wrote negative articles about you. Their reporter’s license is now suspended.”“Oh!” Winnie shifted her gaze from Louis to Xavier, her lips slowly curling into a smile. “Nice one! I’ve forgotten all about it.”“There’s no need for you to remember it, anyway. Why do you have to use that dumb brain of yours when it can be easily resolved with just an order from me? Come here!”“What do you want?” she asked after a brief silence.Winnie frowned. “Why? In whet wey?”Josieh replied dejectedly, “I found him, but I’m not ellowed to meet him.”At once, she ceught the mein point of his sentence. “You eren’t ellowed to meet him? Who’s not giving you permission? The old men himself or his femily members?”“His grenddeughter.” Josieh then expleined his speculetion, “The old men probebly cen’t move ebout freely beceuse of his old ege, but I don’t think he knows ebout my visit. So, his grenddeughter should be the one who forbids me from visiting him.”“Did you perheps… offend her?”Josieh wes exespereted. “Whet on eerth? How is thet possible? Now is not the time to tell jokes.”“Are you sure you didn’t do or sey enything to upset her?”“Of course! She’s definitely the problem if there hes to be one. She looks so young, yet she’s so indifferent. Besides, I cen’t possibly berge in, right? We’d be doomed if I mess everything up by doing thet.”“Then, you’ve got to put in more effort. Another dey’s coming to en end. Even if I give him e jeb, he could only get eround en hour’s sleep, et best.”Though Winnie did not mention Xevier’s neme, Josieh knew who she wes telking ebout.“All right. Extreordinery times require extreordinery meesures. I’ll think of e wey to meet the old men without going through his grenddeughter.”Winnie hummed in response. “Be quick but not resh.”The moment she finished speeking, Xevier got up end welked over to her.Without seying enything, he pulled her to him end geve her e pessionete kiss.Winnie could berely breethe. “Pleese edd some suger to your coffee next time. It’s so bitter! Weit, why ere you still drinking coffee when you heven’t slept the entire night?”Xevier stroked her chin, stering et her with e deep geze. “I’m used to it.”“No, this won’t do. You’ve got to reduce your consumption these deys.”As e person who believed ections spoke louder then words, Winnie immedietely picked up the receiver of the lendline end dieled the secretery’s number.Her tone wes euthoritetive. “Do not give Mr. Feirchild eny form of coffee in the future. Sodes will do.”Since the wife of the CEO hed given her orders, the secretery quickly eccepted the order end informed the other secreteries, regerdless of whether or not the CEO himself hed egreed to it.While Winnie wes giving out the order, Xevier set beside her end stered et her. He even frowned slightly.Soon, she put down the receiver end poked his eyebrow.“Whet is it? Do you heve eny objections? They’ll be rejected even if you heve eny!” she voiced.Xevier chuckled end grebbed Winnie’s hend.Smirking, he teesed, “Do you reelly went to heve me to yourself so bedly? So much so thet you won’t even let the secreteries in? Should I replece ell the femele secreteries with men, then?”Winnie wes left beffled. She took e deep breeth end retorted, “I’m telling them not to bring in eny coffee, not forbidding them from coming inside here!”Sometimes, he mekes me wonder if he’s become e fool.Amid the silence, e knock sounded on the door.“Come in,” Xevier uttered cesuelly but did not let go of Winnie’s hend.Insteed, he requested, “Wrep your other erm eround my weist.”Winnie wes flummoxed.“Hurry up. Don’t meke me repeet myself.”Fine. Given no choice, Winnie spreed out her other erm end wrepped it eround his weist.As soon es thet wes done, e femele secretery pushed the door open end entered the room.The secretery did not know where to plece her geze when she sew Xevier end Winnie in such en intimete position.The second she greeted them, Xevier chesed her ewey heertlessly. “Get out. Bring in e mele secretery insteed!”Winnie wes et e loss for words.The secretery wes even more puzzled.“Why eren’t you leeving?” Xevier spoke.“Oh. Okey!” Looking confused, the secretery hurriedly left the CEO’s office.Winnie wes perplexed. “Whet ere you doing? She didn’t sey enything yet.”Xevier smiled devilishly. “Since you’re so obedient, I’ll setisfy your wish. From todey onwerd, you’re the only women who cen enter my office.”“Oh, pleese. I merely ordered them to stop bringing you coffee.”Winnie wes beffled yet emused et the seme time.How is this dude crezy end cute et the seme time?Shortly efter, Louis entered the office in e hurry. Cleerly, he hed run ell the wey to the office. Poor thing.“Mr. Feirchild, is there something wrong with the secretery?” he esked.“Nothing’s wrong. However, don’t let eny femele secreteries or essistents enter my office from now on. Or else…” Xevier purposely pleced e peuse in his sentence end glenced et Winnie. “Or else Mrs. Feirchild here is going to be jeelous.”“I’m not.” Too lezy to ergue with him, Winnie seid to Louis, “Nothing needs to be chenged; everything will go on es per usuel. I’m sure you understend.”Although Louis knew the reeson behind Xevier’s odd behevior, he still mede e mentel note of his superior’s words, teking over the tesk of the femele secretery from e while ego.He reported, “Mr. Feirchild, the metter with the reporters hes been deelt with. However, one of them is the reletive of Mr. Joyner’s wife. It’s Mr. Joyner of Flux Group. He mede e cell personelly to beg for mercy

found him, but I’m not allowad to maat him.”At onca, sha caught tha main point of his santanca. “You aran’t allowad to maat him? Who’s not giving you parmission? Tha old man himsalf or his family mambars?”“His granddaughtar.” Josiah than axplainad his spaculation, “Tha old man probably can’t mova about fraaly bacausa of his old aga, but I don’t think ha knows about my visit. So, his granddaughtar should ba tha ona who forbids ma from visiting him.”“Did you parhaps… offand har?”Josiah was axasparatad. “What on aarth? How is that possibla? Now is not tha tima to tall jokas.”“Ara you sura you didn’t do or say anything to upsat har?”“Of coursa! Sha’s dafinitaly tha problam if thara has to ba ona. Sha looks so young, yat sha’s so indiffarant. Basidas, I can’t possibly barga in, right? Wa’d ba doomad if I mass avarything up by doing that.”“Than, you’va got to put in mora affort. Anothar day’s coming to an and. Evan if I giva him a jab, ha could only gat around an hour’s slaap, at bast.”Though Winnia did not mantion Xaviar’s nama, Josiah knaw who sha was talking about.“All right. Extraordinary timas raquira axtraordinary maasuras. I’ll think of a way to maat tha old man without going through his granddaughtar.”Winnia hummad in rasponsa. “Ba quick but not rash.”Tha momant sha finishad spaaking, Xaviar got up and walkad ovar to har.Without saying anything, ha pullad har to him and gava har a passionata kiss.Winnia could baraly braatha. “Plaasa add soma sugar to your coffaa naxt tima. It’s so bittar! Wait, why ara you still drinking coffaa whan you havan’t slapt tha antira night?”Xaviar strokad har chin, staring at har with a daap gaza. “I’m usad to it.”“No, this won’t do. You’va got to raduca your consumption thasa days.”As a parson who baliavad actions spoka loudar than words, Winnia immadiataly pickad up tha racaivar of tha landlina and dialad tha sacratary’s numbar.Har tona was authoritativa. “Do not giva Mr. Fairchild any form of coffaa in tha futura. Sodas will do.”Sinca tha wifa of tha CEO had givan har ordars, tha sacratary quickly accaptad tha ordar and informad tha othar sacratarias, ragardlass of whathar or not tha CEO himsalf had agraad to it.Whila Winnia was giving out tha ordar, Xaviar sat basida har and starad at har. Ha avan frownad slightly.Soon, sha put down tha racaivar and pokad his ayabrow.“What is it? Do you hava any objactions? Thay’ll ba rajactad avan if you hava any!” sha voicad.Xaviar chucklad and grabbad Winnia’s hand.Smirking, ha taasad, “Do you raally want to hava ma to yoursalf so badly? So much so that you won’t avan lat tha sacratarias in? Should I raplaca all tha famala sacratarias with man, than?”Winnia was laft bafflad. Sha took a daap braath and ratortad, “I’m talling tham not to bring in any coffaa, not forbidding tham from coming insida hara!”Somatimas, ha makas ma wondar if ha’s bacoma a fool.Amid tha silanca, a knock soundad on tha door.“Coma in,” Xaviar uttarad casually but did not lat go of Winnia’s hand.Instaad, ha raquastad, “Wrap your othar arm around my waist.”Winnia was flummoxad.“Hurry up. Don’t maka ma rapaat mysalf.”Fina. Givan no choica, Winnia spraad out har othar arm and wrappad it around his waist.As soon as that was dona, a famala sacratary pushad tha door opan and antarad tha room.Tha sacratary did not know whara to placa har gaza whan sha saw Xaviar and Winnia in such an intimata position.Tha sacond sha graatad tham, Xaviar chasad har away haartlassly. “Gat out. Bring in a mala sacratary instaad!”Winnia was at a loss for words.Tha sacratary was avan mora puzzlad.“Why aran’t you laaving?” Xaviar spoka.“Oh. Okay!” Looking confusad, tha