Silly Bride

Chapter 252

He exclaimed, “Are you Xavier? Xavier Fairchild?”Nodding, Xavier replied, “Yes, that’s me. Get in the car, then.” Even if Riley had questioned Winnie’s identity before, all his doubts evaporated once he laid eyes on Xavier.Xavier had driven a small military truck to pick them up.Three people could sit in the front. There were even two motorbikes parked in the back.Winnie and Riley took the two front passenger seats.The professor grew emotional as the truck began moving. He asked Xavier, “Will I see Yulissa soon, Xavier?”The mention of her name brought a frown to Xavier’s face. Several seconds later, he answered curtly, “Yes. Soon.”“Great. That’s great,” Riley mumbled in reply. He subconsciously looked out the window to clear his jumbled thoughts.The factory burst into flames at that exact moment, followed by the sound of a massive explosion.It immediately captured everyone’s attention, and Winnie stuck her head out the window to get a better look.Though they were quite far from the factory, she could clearly feel the heat waves from the explosion on her face.She stared at the burning factory in a daze.Xavier noticed the blast later than Winnie, but he quickly realized something was off about her.He could not help but furrow his brows as he asked, “What’s wrong?”She explained, “It didn’t just burn; there’s an explosion too. But Christopher and I never planned to cause an explosion. We only wanted to burn their warehouse to the ground. There must have been an accident.”Her anxiety grew as she spoke. She shot Xavier a frantic look and questioned, “Where is he? Didn’t he come with you?”“No.” Xavier glanced at Winnie before returning his attention to the road. “We divided our tasks precisely. I received their signal from where I stood by, but I never saw him or his men since the beginning.”“No!” Winnie frowned and muttered, “An accident must’ve happened, or there wouldn’t have been an explosion. We can’t just leave them there to fend for themselves.”Xavier silently pondered their options before asking calmly, “What do you want to do? He’s not alone; he has backup. If anything happens to him, they’ll try their best to save him.”His logical explanation did little to soothe Winnie’s nerves. Instead, she insisted, “That’s different! It’s pretty safe for us to escape underground, but they’re out in the open. The enemy could engage them anytime. They’re in a far more dangerous position than us!”“I understand your concerns, but there’s nothing much we can do. We have to prioritize our safety. There’s only one car carrying both you and Professor White. Do you want me to make a U-turn and possibly get all of us killed?”“I wouldn’t ask you to risk the lives of everyone in this car, but Christopher’s my partner. I have to go back for him! I can’t just let him die here without trying to save him. There’s a motorbike in the back. Stop the car and let me get out.”Flummoxed by her suggestion, Xavier glanced at Winnie and demanded, “Do you have any idea what you’re suggesting? You’re willing to sacrifice your life for him?”“He’s my friend, and he once saved my life! I can’t leave him for dead! He doesn’t deserve that!” Winnie shot Xavier a steely gaze and added determinedly, “You don’t understand what they’ve gone through. All of them deserve to live! Their lives are worth so much more than you could imagine! Now stop the car.”“Yes! I know they’re heroes! But I can’t allow you to throw yourself into the jaws of death! He wouldn’t want you to do that either!” With that, Xavier glanced at Winnie and stepped on the gas pedal as hard as he could.Instead of stopping the car as she had asked, he sped up the vehicle in defiance.Winnie frowned at him and pleaded, “Xavier, I know you want the best for me, and I appreciate your care for me, but you can’t stop me. If I don’t go back now, I’ll never forgive myself for the rest of my life. We agreed to retreat together, and I