Silly Bride

Chapter 252

stepped in front of Riley to protect him. Frowning, she demanded, “What’s going on?”The mercenary replied, “He’s a new face. Who is he, and why is he here?”A new face? Is he one of Harold’s men?Winnie narrowed her gaze thoughtfully and was about to say something when Riley stepped forward.He explained, “That man does not work for Harold. He’s my assistant and was captured like me. When you arrived with your men to rescue me, I begged them to save my assistant.”“Professor White is right. I really don’t work for Harold!” The stranger raised his hands and pleaded, “Please save me from this place! I promise I won’t bother any of you again once I’m out of here.”Riley stared at Winnie earnestly and vowed, “I can vouch for him. I hope you trust me.”Time was running out, and Winnie did not have time to hesitate. “Fine. Let’s go. We can’t hang around here any longer.”“Over here!” Mason led them ahead. They had walked over ten meters when a pair of headlights blinded them.Riley raised his hand to cover his eyes. Then, he looked at Winnie anxiously and asked, “Did Harold’s men come after us?”The headlights were so piercingly bright that Winnie could not make out the vehicle. Thankfully, Mason yelled out reassuringly, “Don’t worry! He’s with us! Let’s go. We’ll be out of this place soon!”They strode ahead as the car drove closer to them.The car pulled to a stop, and Xavier alighted from the driver’s seat.The only person he could see at that moment was his beloved Dumbo.He reached Winnie in a couple of strides and pulled her into a tight hug. At the same time, he bent over and repeatedly muttered, “You’re safe! Thank God you’re safe.”Winnie returned his hug, relishing the familiar comfort of his embrace. “I’m fine. Look! We saved Professor White! We can cure your disease now, Xavier.”Xavier could sense the joy in her tone, yet he could not bring himself to share her excitement.Instead, he merely tightened his arms around her and croaked through the lump in his throat, “Thank you. It must have been grueling in there.”Winnie chuckled and replied, “Well, we’re out now, so it wasn’t that bad. You should let go of me. We’re technically still on the run.”“All right.” Xavier reluctantly released the woman in his arms before turning his attention to Riley, who stood behind Winnie. He pursed his lips before asking, “Professor White. Remember me?”Riley appraised the tall man before him and quickly recognized Xavier. 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