Silly Bride

Chapter 201

is often affected by typhoons during this season, and it might be slightly worse this year.”While walking her granddaughter to the door, Jacinta said, “I got it, so go on now. Hurry back!”Although Avenport was not a coastal city, it was often affected by typhoons during the windy season.The wind on that particular night was stronger than usual. In fact, it was so strong that Winnie’s hair was all messed up the moment she stepped outside.She walked along the Chanaean-styled cloister and quickly spotted Xavier, who was standing not too far away.Beautiful crystal chandeliers embellished the cloister, swinging from side to side as the wind blew. In midst of the darkness of the night, the chandeliers shimmered, casting a warm golden light on the road ahead.At the end of the cloister was an arched door that was adorned by fresh flowers. Roses were blooming beautifully during this season and hung right above Winnie’s head as she stepped through the door.Xavier, however, was much taller than the petite Winnie and the door. Hence, he had no choice but to take a few steps to the side and leaned against a wall in order to avoid the fresh flowers hanging above the arched door.The man kept his hands in his pockets, exuding a languid and casual vibe. Nonetheless, his eyes never left the woman who was slowly approaching him.In the faint glow that bathed the entire cloister, Xavier looked exceptionally stunning like the lone moon that hung in the night sky. An air of mystery and calmness enveloped him, and his eyes were shimmering as if an entire galaxy of stars were trapped in them.Looking at the man, Winnie could not help but chuckle.When she was a little girl, she dreamt of her prince charming too.However, she would have never expected that the man she’d end up with would turn out to be a ladykiller—a man so handsome that he could make all the women swoon. Winnie was sure she would not be able to forget him even if a century were to pass.“Did you wait long?” asked Winnie as she finally arrived at his side.“Not at all.” Xavier straightened his posture and lifted a hand to tidy up Winnie’s disheveled hair. After that, he lowered his head and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.He wanted to pull away after the kiss, but of course, Winnie was not about to give him that chance.She lifted her slender arms and wrapped them around Xavier’s neck. Looking at his lips, Winnie could not help but wonder if they were as sweet as the rose petals above their heads.“Hey, are you planning to leave right after kissing me? Well, I won’t let you!” After a deep passionate kiss, Winnie lifted her hand and gently pinched Xavier’s face.The man was still panting after the kiss, his eyes ablaze with excitement. “You’re such a little minx.” “Oh?” The corner of Winnie’s lips lifted into a smile as she gently grazed her finger against the man’s Adam’s apple. As she spoke, her tone was so sweet that it almost bewitched him. “Tell me, what sort of minx am I? The sort of minx that would accidentally suck your all energy out of you by accident?”“No.” Grabbing ahold of her slender hand, Xavier uttered in a low voice, “You looked just like a seductress when you made your way toward me.”Her strides were sexy and even more so when the faint moonlight cast a gentle glow on her.Whether it was her hair that cascaded down her back or her long skirt that swayed as she moved, Xavier’s heart trembled with her every move.She was slowly captivating him, getting him all hot and aroused.A seductress like Winnie did not need to do much. She could bewitch Xavier just by walking toward him.Feeling his self-control was wavering, Xavier enveloped the charming woman in an embrace and switched their positions.He placed one of his hands behind her head and used the other to press her against the sweet-smelling flower wall.Passion and sweetness filled the air, and the chemistry between the two was all too wonderful for words.Xavier and Winnie did not waste time.The former brushed off the petals that had fallen onto Winnie’s hair before pulling out a blue handkerchief from his pocket and using it to tie her messy hair up.His gesture piqued her curiosity. “What are you using? You don’t have hair ties with you, do you?” she asked.“It’s a handkerchief. Don’t worry, it’s clean.” Xavier knotted the handkerchief as he spoke. “Done. Now, you don’t have to worry about your hair getting messed up by the wind.”Winnie did not expect him to think of that, and her heart felt warm at the gesture. “Thank you,” she said.“Instead of thanking me, why don’t you call me ‘Dear Hubby’ as thanks?”Come to think of it, I’ve never addressed him as “Hubby”, let alone “Dear Hubby.” This sudden request of his is really putting me in a tough spot.Winnie smiled and threw her arm around Xavier’s neck, lowering his head. “No can do! I’m afraid that once I call you that, you’ll lose control of yourself, and we won’t be able to get down to business.”The moment she finished speaking, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from the other side, followed by the butler’s voice.“Mr. Xavier, Mrs. Fairchild, Old Mr. Fairchild asked me to pick you two up.”Xavier lowered his head and placed one of his hands on Winnie’s shoulder, giving it two hard squeezes. “Just wait. Don’t forget what you owe me.”As soon as the words left his lips, he took her hand in his own and strode toward the butler.Xavier and Winnie gathered with Rufus.The trio then proceeded to the living room.All the while, Nate had been kneeling in there.His parents—Jonathan and Beatrice—remained seated until they saw Rufus.The couple quickly stood up to greet the patriarch of the Fairchild family, while Nate’s older brother, Kevin, hinted at Nate.Nate swiftly changed the direction he was facing and continued kneeling as he greeted his grandfather.Rufus knew why Nate was kneeling. Hence, he was merely going through the motions when he asked, “Jonathan, Beatrice, what are you two doing? Why would you let Nate kneel there in the middle of the night?”“This imbec*le is here to ask for forgiveness today, Dad,” explained Jonathan.“That’s right. Jonathan has already taught him a lesson at home. Look at the back of his neck. Those are all bruises,” Beatrice chimed in. After a brief pause, she continued, “Nate crossed the line this time. Jonathan’s sending him to Alendor next year, so we wanted him to apologize to you and Xavier in hopes that we can close this chapter before he leaves.”“Hmph!” With a straight face, Rufus chastised, “Honestly, Beatrice, you’ve spoiled Nate too much! So, is he not going to be in show business anymore?”“No, he won’t be dabbling in show business anymore. The Fraser family is big and owns many businesses. His elder brother can’t handle it all by himself. Dad, why don’t you punish him and move on?”“You’ve already taught him a lesson at home. Besides, he’s a Fraser, not a Fairchild. I shouldn’t be the one disciplining him.”“Nate is a Fraser, but the blood of the Fairchild family flows in him as well. Dad, you should just punish him and let the matter slide,” urged Beatrice.Jonathan, who echoed his wife’s sentiments, added, “That’s right, Dad. You or Xavier should punish Nate, so he’ll learn his lesson.”The Fairchild family had a rule. If one were to be punished according to the rules of the family, the family would let bygones be bygones.That was precisely why Jonathan and Beatrice were so insistent that Rufus must punish Nate himself.Xavier’s gaze fell upon Nate, who was still kneeling on the ground. “You’ve truly learned your lesson this time and won’t make the same mistake twice, correct?”A long silence hung in the air before Nate made up his mind and declared resolutely, “That’s right. You have my word!”“All right. I’ll believe you this once.” After saying that, Xavier looked at his grandfather and added, “Grandpa, go ahead and punish him according to our family rules.”It was just a formality for the most part, and Rufus did not actually punish Nate.But after that was done, the Fairchild family’s patriarch received a piece of less-than-good news.Because of the strong winds, a couple of trees at the exit of the Fairchild residence were uprooted and ended up blocking the road.At the same time, the road conditions outside were not that good either.It quickly became evident that there was no way anyone would be able to leave the residence, so Rufus had everyone stay the night.Winnie returned to look for her grandmother as soon as the butler was done making the necessary arrangements.She had to let Jacinta know about staying overnight at the Fairchild residence, but the latter was