Silly Bride

Chapter 287

motel staff arrived with the first-aid kit as soon as Wilhelm was done speaking.He took over the first-aid kit and began taking care of Winnie’s wound, starting with disinfecting it.While he was disinfecting the wound, Wilhelm glanced at his sister. “Does it hurt?”Winnie was busy fiddling with her phone at that moment. “I remember turning on my phone. Why did it turn off again? Wilhelm, you haven’t answered me. Why did you take my phone earlier?”After tossing the cotton bud away, Wilhelm responded without lifting his head, “I made a call with your phone.”“You used my phone? Who did you call?” Winnie was slightly taken aback.Wilhelm didn’t answer her questions right away, but he wasn’t planning on hiding the truth from her either.“Xavier,” he answered.“What?” Winnie was utterly dumbfounded. “You two don’t know each other. Wilhelm, how could you do something like this?”She didn’t need to ask to roughly guess what her brother had said to Xavier.Winnie felt rather irate and pulled her wounded hand away from Wilhelm before turning on her phone once more. After that, she quickly gave Xavier a call.The call got through almost instantly, but Xavier’s tone was less than kind. “Who are you? What the f*ck do you want? Where’s Winnie? Is she all right?” he thundered.“Xavier…” Upon hearing the familiar voice, Winnie instinctively breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s me. I’m fine. I was in the bathroom earlier, and the person who spoke to you on the phone is my brother. I don’t know what he said to you, but no matter what he said, his words do not reflect mine,” she stressed.After a brief pause, Winnie continued to assure the man on the other end of the line, “You have to understand something. No matter what it’s about, unless I tell you myself, you shouldn’t believe anything that others have said or written! Engagement, arranged marriage, and all that are nothing but baseless rumors. I just got to the foot of the mountain and found out about the news regarding my engagement with Nathaniel. That is all fake.”“I knew it…” Upon hearing her explanation, Xavier couldn’t help curling his lips into a smile, and his tone also became much gentler. “I knew it was all complete nonsense. I won’t believe it unless you tell me about it yourself.”“That’s good, then.” Similarly, Winnie also broke into a smile as she threatened with her usual sweet and gentle tone, “You’re dead if you dare to doubt me. I’ll chop you up into pieces when I get back.”Xavier didn’t pay attention to her threats at all as he was completely fixated on her last four words.Does this mean she’s coming back to me?He tried his best to suppress the glee that was welling up in him and pretended to be calm when he asked, “Are you done relaxing now? When are you planning on coming back?”Although he tried not to sound too excited, Xavier was ultimately betrayed by the eagerness in his voice.Sure enough, Winnie noticed, but she didn’t expose him. A beautiful smile hung on her lips as she said, “Soon. I’ll probably head back in a day or two.”Meanwhile, Wilhelm, who was observing his sister the whole time, couldn’t help wondering if she had been bewitched by Xavier.What’s so great about that man? Is he even worthy of all the things Winnie does for him? She hasn’t even been home for half a month, yet she’s already eager to return.Wilhelm was ticked off and pulled Winnie’s injured hand back.“Don’t move. Your wound needs to be dressed! Winnie, I know you want to leave, but have you asked Grandpa and Grandma for their opinion on the matter? I think you should stay home and accompany them more often. Besides, our family doesn’t acknowledge your relationship with this Mr. Fairchild. Don’t you think you should carefully reconsider this relationship?” he scolded.Wilhelm didn’t bother lowering his voice. He knew Xavier would be able to hear him through the phone, and he meant for the latter to hear all of the things he said.“Wilhelm!” Once again, Winnie pulled her hand away from her brother. “You using my phone and calling Xavier without my permission is highly inappropriate! I’m still upset about that.”She then said to Xavier, “I have to go and take care of something, but I’ll call you later.”“No need!” Wilhelm bellowed. “Let him listen. I can also tell you every single word I said to him if that’s what you want.”On the other end of the line, Xavier suggested, “Why don’t you put me on speaker, Winnie? Besides, Mr. Speiser is your brother, and I’d like to have a discussion with him, too.”Winnie mulled over it for a couple of seconds and came to the conclusion that Xavier’s suggestion wasn’t a big ask. Hence, she put him on speaker and placed her phone aside.Winnie then spoke to her brother. “Let’s talk, Wilhelm. If my memory serves me right, I told you I have a partner a couple of months ago and that I’d find a suitable time to bring him here to meet you all.”Here, she paused before continuing, “I know Helen’s behind the whole ordeal with the Huxley family, and I don’t blame you for that, but what’s up with your statement? How could you publicly announce that my marriage to Xavier is invalid? And without my permission? Don’t you forget this, Wilhelm, I might be a part of the Speiser family, but I’m a Chanaean, through and through. I chose my Chanaean nationality when I became an adult, and both my identification card and my passport back this up. Although Xavier and I have yet to register our marriage in Yartran, we have a marriage certificate that’s issued in Chanaea, and our union is acknowledged by the Chanaean law.”“Your actions truly disappointed me, Wilhelm,” concluded Winnie.Wilhelm had tried to reason with his sister in the past, but those instances involved other matters.This was the first time their argument concerned a man.Feeling an uncomfortable sensation in his heart, Wilhelm drew a deep breath before saying, “That’s because I’m disappointed in Xavier Fairchild. Winnie, you’re outstanding and capable, so your partner should be just like you. Not to mention his peculiar illness, Mr. Fairchild can’t even protect you. If he was capable, then your escape from Manchernius wouldn’t have been so difficult. If he can’t even guarantee your safety, then I don’t think he’s fit to be your husband!”“Besides, your union is nothing but a farce. Your marriage should be grand, romantic, and happy, not some kind of child’s play. This is why I object to your marriage. Grandpa and Grandma will not feel at ease leaving you in the hands of a man who can’t even ensure your safety,” he added.A crease formed between Winnie’s eyebrows after she listened to her brother’s reasoning. Nonetheless, she stood her ground.“There’s no use objecting now. If you put it this way, then I have no choice but to refute everything you’ve just said. You said he’s plagued by a peculiar illness, but do you know why he ended up like this in the first place? That’s because he saved me. If it hadn’t been for him, I would be the one who’s being endlessly tormented. Furthermore, you said he couldn’t keep me safe while I was in Manchernius, but who was the one who sent me on that mission, and who was the one who put his life in danger to go with me? You were the one who tasked me with infiltrating the drug den, and Xavier was the one who was willing to live and die with me!”An emotional Winnie continued, “I never once resented you for sending me on those life-threatening missions, but this is the truth, and you have no right to criticize Xavier for all of it! Also, I won’t change my mind after making a decision. I’m going back to Chanaea.”Wilhelm’s expression turned sullen when he saw how resolute the woman was. “Vivian Speiser! Don’t forget you still have this identity. You can’t just do things your way and refuse to listen to your family’s opinion!”Seeing how Winnie and Wilhelm were about to get into an argument with one another, Xavier hurriedly