Silly Bride

Chapter 285

Make sure to get enough rest, and try to stay in a good mood if possible,” Josiah reminded him as they stood up together.Stay in a good mood, huh? Xavier frowned. “I’ll try my best to.”Right then, Louis came running into the office. “Ah, Mr. Fairchild, there you are!”Xavier’s frown deepened when he saw the anxious look on Louis’ face. “What’s wrong?”Louis shut the door behind him as he replied, “An experienced journalist from Yartran published a news article about Mrs. Fairchild. Due to the journalist’s high level of credibility on an international scale, people have been bombarding our Public Relations Department with phone calls since the article was published. We have no choice but to address the situation. The Public Relations Department is awaiting your instructions, Mr. Fairchild.”Xavier nodded. “We’ll just say it’s a baseless accusation.”Louis was a little shocked as he had yet to tell Xavier about the contents of the news article. “D-Did you already know about that?”Xavier wasn’t exactly in a good mood to entertain him. “What do you think? Just do as I say! We will only make one firm response to this incident. Remember, we have more important work to do. We don’t have time to be addressing such issues.”“Understood!” Louis had been wondering if that incident was true at first, but Xavier’s response told him everything he needed to know.Good thing there’s no issue with Mr. Fairchild’s marriage! I know all too well how his mood can directly affect those working for him!However, the Speiser family in Yartran didn’t take too kindly to the news article.Wilhelm, especially, got really mad when he first saw what Helen wrote.Us inviting Winnie over for dinner was supposed to be a private affair! I can’t believe Helen followed her and took pictures of her! I put in lots of effort to erase Winnie’s information from the Chanaean network, but then Helen just uploaded those pictures to the internet! That woman has gone way too far! She must be punished for her insolence!Emily, on the other hand, advised him against going after Helen.“You can file a complaint against her through the proper channels, but you mustn’t resort to your underhanded methods. Remember, she has a very impressive background, so those methods aren’t going to be very effective. It could also ruin our family’s reputation.”Wilhelm was furious. “D*mn it! She’s lucky she didn’t get a clear shot of Winnie’s face. Otherwise, I would have her head on a silver platter! There’s something I don’t quite understand, though. Where did Helen get the information about Winnie being engaged to Nathaniel? She mentioned something about our families planning their marriages a long time ago.”“About that…” Emily gave it some thought and said, “I think that actually did happen.”“What? When did this happen? How come I’ve never heard of it? Who decided that? Does Winnie know about it?” Wilhelm asked with a frown.“Oh, Wilhelm… Calm down, will you? You asked me so many questions that I don’t even know which to answer first! I know you’re protective of your sister, but you should also be a little more considerate toward your grandmother!”Wilhelm was quick to apologize. “I’m sorry, Grandma. I just got a little worked up because Winnie is like a real sister to me. I still remember how she looked when we first brought her home. She looked pitiful, and yet, she was able to warm all of our hearts.”Back then, Wilhelm had some issues with his health. Everyone was extremely depressed because of it, and he even wanted to commit suicide at one point. However, Winnie calmed him down and reignited the flames of hope in his heart. He treasured her so much that he treated her like his own sister.Seeing as he was really concerned about Winnie, Emily decided to tell him what she knew.“Lady Joseph and your mother are close friends. I believe the thought of having Winnie and Nathaniel marry each other must’ve occurred to them at some point. Winnie may not have made herself known to the outside world, but a lot of people are aware of us adopting a Chanaean girl many years ago. I’m sure you’re familiar with the Huxley family tree, right? They had a Chanaean woman in it as well. Nathaniel’s father used to support Chanaea when the world was at war back then. He saved countless Chanaeans through the use of a church, and his heroic act touched the heart of a strong Chanaean woman. The two of them then fell in love and got married afterward. Because they have Chanaean blood in them, those from his generation onward are particularly fond of Chanaeans. Lady Joseph’s son, Nathaniel, is especially into Aplothian women. That’s why your mother and Lady Joseph made a verbal promise to have Winnie and Nathaniel meet each other. They wanted to see if it would be possible for the two to get married. From what I’ve heard, Nathaniel refused to meet Winnie. Your mother was planning on setting them up on a date, but she scrapped the idea when she found out about Nathaniel’s refusal. Just like that, this whole arrangement was canceled and forgotten.”Wilhelm frowned in displeasure after hearing that.“So, you’re saying Nathaniel rejected Winnie? How dare he? Does he think Winnie doesn’t deserve him? Does he not realize it’s the other way round?”“Wilhelm, sweetie…” Emily didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when she heard that. “I’m simply telling you what happened. Why are you getting so agitated? Bear in mind that the two of them didn’t know each other. You wouldn’t like being forced to marry a woman you don’t even know, would you?”“Hmph! I don’t like Nathaniel. He’s acting really interested in Winnie now, but where the heck was he back then? He even rejected her! This is ridiculous!” Wilhelm protested angrily.Emily patted Wilhelm on the back of his hand as she said, “That’s not the right mentality to have, Wilhelm. Not only do you dislike Nathaniel, but you also dislike the man Winnie chose to marry in Chanaea. His name is Xavier Fairchild, right? You seem to dislike him quite a lot as well. Are they both really that disagreeable? Or do you just dislike any guy that comes close to Winnie in general? I know Winnie is your sister, but she is also an independent individual. If she chooses to remain single forever, then she will have every right to do so. If she chooses to get married, however, then she will someday become a wife or even a mother in her own little family. As her brother, you are supposed to respect her decisions and let her live her own life. We all need to learn to let go, Wilhelm.”“I know, Grandma. Had Winnie not come into my life back then, I probably would’ve killed myself out of despair. Because of that, I have very conflicted feelings toward her. We both know that we’re just siblings, but if I had a daughter, I’d probably treat her the same way. I won’t stop Winnie from getting married and having a family with the man she loves. However, that man must be capable of ensuring her safety and happiness. Otherwise, I will never feel safe handing Winnie over to him. What if Nathaniel is only into Winnie because of her appearance? We all know that external beauty will eventually fade away, and Winnie is no exception. As for Xavier, I don’t think he’s capable of keeping Winnie safe. In fact, I’m concerned about him lusting over her because this means her safety is at risk. I don’t approve of either of them. If anyone wishes to date Winnie, they will have to pass her test as well as mine!” Wilhelm said seriously.Emily understood that Wilhelm loved Winnie like a brother and a father.Fathers tend to dislike their sons-in-law because they don’t like the idea of other men stealing their precious daughters from them. That’s exactly what Wilhelm is doing.With that in mind, Emily let out a sigh as she asked, “What do you plan on doing, then?”Wilhelm replied with a frown, “I’ll let them know it won’t be that easy to marry Winnie! Those who dare upset her are going to be in for a bad time!”When the journalists interviewed the Speisers, one of them asked about Vivian being married to a man in Chanaea. Being the spokesperson of the Speiser family, Wilhelm denied it.Sure enough, that caused a huge uproar among the netizens when word got out about it.Since the Speiser family had made an official statement denying the existence of that marriage, many began to look down on Xavier.They mocked Xavier for being unworthy of Winnie and for shamelessly refusing to admit he had been dumped.Josiah nearly burst out laughing when he read all those nasty comments.“Hey, Xavier! People have always thought of you as a domineering CEO, but now they’re calling you a shameless gold digger! As if being disrespected by her family wasn’t bad enough, people look down on you and ridicule you everywhere you go. Who would’ve thought the CEO of Fairchild Corporation would one day end up like this, eh?”Xavier rolled his eyes at Josiah and hurled a magazine at him. “You seem awfully happy about it!”“Has Winnie replied to your texts yet?” Josiah asked as he put the magazine aside.Xavier furrowed his brows. “No. I’ll go see her once I’ve completed this phase of the drug test. Just a few more days to go… Tell Professor White to put his work on hold until I get back.”Meanwhile, Winnie was enjoying the beauty and serenity of Mount Albeise.She was completely oblivious to what was going on out there, so she couldn’t possibly respond to the incident.She dug out the cans of Sprite that she and Lawrence had buried at the summit. However, the can was frozen solid and covered in a thick layer of ice, so she had no choice but to enjoy it with Lawrence some other time.During her time on the snowy mountain, Winnie was able to clear her head and figure things out.Having come up with the solutions to her problems, she quickly made her way down the mountain to put those