Silly Bride

Chapter 289

public space, and I don’t want to make things embarrassing for you, so don’t force me to do that.”Xavier was taller than Nate, and he was of a larger build than the latter. If he were to really pull or push Nate around, Nate would not stand a chance against Xavier.Furthermore, Nate did not want to be humiliated in public, so he had no choice but to let Xavier push him away.Midway to the counter, he abruptly whipped his head around and said to Xavier, “Xavier, there’s something wrong.”Thinking that he was trying to con his way out of this, Xavier forced him to take another big step forward. “You can write an email and tell me what’s wrong when you’re back in Chanaea. If you’re inspired, you can even write a ten-thousand-word email.”“Xavier!” Nate turned around again, his expression was solemn and his voice was low. “I’m not kidding with you. I think someone’s been watching us from the shadows.”Xavier halted in his tracks before surveying his surroundings. Then, he asked, “Who is it? Are you talking about the airport staff?”It was not entirely impossible that no one would be watching them. After all, any normal person would be able to see that Xavier was forcing Nate to walk somewhere else.However, Nate said, “No, it’s definitely not the airport staff. The airport staff wouldn’t be acting so suspiciously. Moreover, the staff members are all wearing uniforms. The ones I saw earlier were wearing black suits.”Hearing that, Xavier narrowed his eyes and stopped searching the area. Instead, he pretended as if nothing had happened and continued pushing Nate down the path.Nate immediately flew into a panic. “You have to believe me, Xavier! I’m not lying to you!”“I know.” Xavier gritted his teeth. “Shut up. I know what to do.”As he spoke, he pushed Nate to the back of a giant billboard.Right as Nate was about to speak, Xavier lifted his arm and stopped him.At that, Nate instantly realized that Xavier was trying to lure the people who were tailing them out.Indeed, not long after they “disappeared” behind the billboard, someone ran out.Upon hearing the urgent footsteps behind them, Nate lifted his head to glance at Xavier.“Xavier, they must be the ones who were following us earlier. They must have come for us.”Xavier lowered his head to look at Nate and emphasized, “They’re here for me, so scram and go home.”While they spoke, the few men in black arrived at the back of the billboard.Once they spotted Xavier, they formed a circle to surround Xavier and Nate.Xavier’s sharp eyes met with the leading man’s eyes.“Who are you, and why are you following me?”The leader of the men in black was expressionless as he said to Xavier, “Greetings, Mr. Fairchild. Mr. Speiser wishes to invite you for a meeting. Please come with us.”“Wilhelm Speiser?”“That is correct, Mr. Fairchild.”Xavier drew his brows together. He had contacted Winnie before his trip.She told him that she was going to the airport to pick him up, but he did not want her to exert herself, so he rejected her offer. He had also asked her for the address, planning to head there himself to meet up with her.However, what Winnie never mentioned to him was that her brother, Wilhelm Speiser, was going to pick him up.Therefore, Xavier ignored the man in black and took out his phone instead. He called Winnie, but she did not pick up the call.Xavier thought that Winnie might not have her phone with her at the moment, but what he did not know was that Winnie was actually watching her phone vibrate in front of her on the table.She wanted to pick up the call, but Wilhelm did not allow her to do so.“Winnie, we have agreed on this. We’re going to test him, and you’re not allowed to tell him anything. That’s why you have to pretend to not notice the call.”As she rapped her finger on the armrest of the chair she was on, she said, “Must we do this? I’ve already agreed to not say anything to him. Even if I pick up the call, I won’t tell him anything about this.”Wilhelm stared at Winnie for a few seconds. “I’ve already made the rules. Is there something you’re worried about? Could it be that your beloved Mr. Fairchild won’t be able to pass the test?”“Wilhelm!” The corners of Winnie’s lips turned downward. “That’s mean of you to say that.”“Perhaps, but I’ll still test him regardless.”At that, Wilhelm gestured for Winnie to stay silent before making a call.In the meantime, the leader of the men in black received a call from Wilhelm.After a while of listening to Wilhelm’s instructions, the leader passed the phone to Xavier.“Mr. Fairchild, it’s a call from Mr. Speiser. He’d like to talk to you for a bit.”Xavier could not possibly reject the call, so he took the phone.The moment he put his ears to the speaker, he recognized Wilhelm’s voice. It was the same voice as the one he heard the other time.“Hello, Mr. Speiser,” Xavier said in a flat tone. “I’m Xavier Fairchild. Your men have stopped me at the airport. May I know why?”“They stopped you? I told them to invite you here,” came Wilhelm’s cold voice. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell them off later. Could you please come over now? You’re not unhappy about meeting me, right?”“Of course not, Mr. Speiser.” Xavier pursed his lips. “Though, I have a question.”“Pray tell.”“Is Winnie okay?”“Of course,” Wilhelm replied, a little upset at that. “Mr. Fairchild, it seems like you aim to humiliate us with your question. This is Winnie’s home. Are you implying that we put her in a difficult spot at home?”Nevertheless, Xavier did not take Wilhelm’s mocking to heart.“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll see you soon, Mr. Speiser.”With that, Xavier returned the phone to the man in black, who then moved forward and gestured.“This way please, Mr. Fairchild.”At the same time, another man in black took Xavier’s suitcase for him.When Xavier began walking, Nate tried to follow him.Not wanting to verbally persuade Nate to return anymore, Xavier said to the men in black, “The one Mr. Speiser wishes to meet is me. Please take those who are unrelated in the meeting away.”At that, the leader of the men in black lifted his arm. In the next second, two men towed Nate away.Less than half an hour later, Xavier was brought to a building in the city center.After leading him to the conference room, the men in black left.All it took for Xavier to lock onto the location of the camera was a brief round in the conference room.When he lifted his head to stare at the black camera, he narrowed his eyes slightly.Meanwhile, the image of him frowning at the camera was displayed on the screen, and seated in front of the screen were Winnie, Wilhelm, and Emily.Looking at the image, Emily said, “If we judge him solely on his looks, then I must say that Mr. Fairchild is a handsome man. He looks like a fine man who is worthy of Winnie.”Winnie agreed with her grandmother’s thoughts, but before she could say anything, Wilhelm stood up and solemnly said to Emily, “Grandma, it’s too early to come to a conclusion like this. I’m going to meet him now. Please keep a close eye on Winnie and don’t let her tell him anything.”Winnie was speechless for a moment. “Wilhelm, do you really think I’m still that silly kid from the past? If I tell you I won’t say a word to him, I won’t contact him naturally.”Wilhelm glanced at Winnie. “I hope that’s the case.”Just as Xavier took a sip of his coffee, Wilhelm entered the room.Without missing a beat, he rose to his feet to greet Wilhelm.Xavier used a normal amount of strength when they shook hands, but Wilhelm held his hand exceptionally hard.Nevertheless, Xavier saw that coming. He knew Wilhelm was not going to go easy on him, so he promptly responded by tightening his grip.The two of them were almost of the same height. Moreover, they had cold expressions and were people who commanded attention with their presence. For a moment, neither seemed to be able to overpower the other in the room.The silent and tense handshake lasted for a few seconds before Wilhelm let go of Xavier.Then, he walked to the main seat by the conference table and gestured at Xavier to sit on a chair by the side of the table.“Please have a seat, Mr. Fairchild.”Xavier nodded. Xavier was in Wilhelm’s territory, and he was not going to stir up trouble with the man of the house. Thus, he was fine with taking the seat by the table, which signified his lower status in comparison to Wilhelm.“I was planning to make a visit, but who knew that I’d be honored enough to meet you first, Mr. Speiser? May I know why you’re looking for me?”Xavier revealed no traces of nervousness when he said those words, which was something that surprised Wilhelm.Hence, Wilhelm decided to start putting pressure on Xavier. “Mr. Fairchild, it’s a little too early for you to say that you’d be paying us a visit. Not everyone can get into the Speiser family. Since you’re here, I might as well be clear with you. I’m sure you know who Vivian Speiser is. To my knowledge, Fairchild Corporation’s shares had skyrocketed when she was first revealed to be the adopted daughter of the Speiser family in Chanaea. However, a while earlier, when the media revealed the possibility of her getting engaged to the Huxley family’s son, Fairchild Corporation’s shares fell. I’m not at all surprised that she was able to affect Fairchild Corporation’s shares that greatly with her identity. Besides, I won’t be surprised to hear that you would like to continue staying married to her. However, Mr. Fairchild, your ulterior motive is too obvious, and I feel bad for Vivian. You want to profit, don’t you? I’ll give you that. You’re no nouveau riche, so I won’t degrade you by offering you checks. Instead, I’ll offer you opportunities and resources. Here are three collaboration contracts. One is for trading with Yartran, one is a multinational economic alliance, and one is with the Epean Economic Alliance. As long as you sign them,