Silly Bride novel (Winnie and Xavier)

This must be painful, but he never winced, not even once. If Josiah didn’t remind me, I wouldn’t have

noticed that Xavier was right by my side all along.

“Xavier…”

Unknowingly, tears had welled up in Winnie’s eyes. She quickly knelt down beside Xavier and

examined his wounds, but she couldn’t stop her hands from trembling.

Her voice was shaking, too. “Does it hurt? Why didn’t you say something?”

“It doesn’t hurt.” The seawater had drenched Xavier’s hair and face. He sustained a few grazes on his

forehead, and the water that was caught in the pocket between his brow bone and eye was stained

red.

He lifted up his good arm and gently wiped off the drop of blood on the corner of Winnie’s eye. “Do you

blame me for not saving you in time?”

“How could I?” Seeing Xavier in this state, Winnie couldn’t hold back her tears. She held his hand

tightly and placed it on her cheek. “Didn’t you save me in the end?”

Xavier sighed and chuckled lightly. “It wasn’t me. It was Josiah who saved you. My reaction is way

slower now. He was much faster than me, and he was the one who saved you. By the time I came

over, you were already safe.”

“What about it? You’re here now, and that’s what matter.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, Dumbo.”

“No, don’t be sorry. This is Zyon’s fault. He was the one who bombed the cargo ship. If it weren’t for

him, this wouldn’t have happened at all! He’s the one who should be repenting. Where else are you

hurt? Tell me.”

“Here.” The man slowly pulled his hand out of Winnie’s and gently patted himself on the chest.

When Winnie noticed where he was patting, her face instantly fell.

That’s where the heart is!

“Let me have a look!” She forced her hands from trembling and was about to pry Xavier’s shirt open,

but Xavier promptly stopped her.

“I’m not wounded. It just hurts… I watched with my own two eyes as the love of my life fell in front of

me, but I couldn’t even react in time to run to her.”

“It’s fine!” Winnie stopped what she was doing upon hearing Xavier’s words. She knew this was the

aftereffect of the venom he was injected with, and not only did his reaction become slower, but his

stamina also deteriorated.

“We’ve already found Yulissa. I believe we’ll be able to produce an antidote soon, and everything will

go back to normal.”

Josiah, who was lying near the couple, also comforted them, “That’s right. All three of us are extremely

lucky. We survived this ordeal, so what else can’t we survive? An antidote is just child’s play compared

to this!”

Then he smiled and explained to Winnie, “Truth is, he was the one who forced me to save you.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have sprinted that fast. Oh right, since we’re all in such a pathetic state, let’s grab

an extra meal tonight.”

Winnie was still tearing up, but Josiah’s humorous words successfully made her feel less upset about

the situation.

Lifting the corners of his lips into a smile, Xavier agreed, “Sure. Go ahead and pick whatever you like.

It’s on me.”

“Nah”—Josiah struggled to prop himself up—“I’ll buy you guys a meal. I guarantee you it’ll be fresh!”

As he spoke, he reached into his shirt and chuckled mischievously.

It was then Winnie noticed he had pulled out an octopus that was as big as a human brain.

The couple was utterly taken aback by the sight of the sea creature.

“You’ve won, Josiah…” uttered Xavier after he regained his senses.

All of a sudden, Winnie didn’t feel as if she had just overcome a disaster. She felt as if she was

watching a comedy show instead.

After composing herself, she wiped the tears from her eyes and said to Xavier, “Wait here. I’ll go get

the first aid kit to treat your wounds.”

“What about me?” asked Josiah. “Am I not one of your saviors too?”

“Just sit here and accompany me, and take good care of your octopus. After all, you’re supposed to

treat us to a meal. It won’t be fresh if it dies,” Xavier retorted.

“Don’t just rely on me to do all the work. There’s a fish right next to your hand. Hurry up and catch it!”

The men’s banter made Winnie chuckle, but she swiftly shot a glare at Josiah and then warned Xavier,

“Don’t move about, or you might exacerbate your wounds! You two wait for me here. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, she stood up.

But as soon as she did that, the cargo ship behind her exploded once more.

The second explosion was likely caused by the oil tank of the ship instead of a bomb.

Nonetheless, another wave was bound to hit.

“Quick! Let’s go! We can’t stay here much longer,” said Josiah, his tone laced with urgency. He then

bent forward and pressed Xavier’s wound, applying pressure to it. “Winnie, pull out the steel bar!”

Winnie had witnessed the power of a wave that resulted from an explosion. She did not want to put

Xavier in danger for a second time.

After grunting in acknowledgment, she mustered her strength and pulled the blood-stained bar out of

the man’s arm.

The wave crashed right after that.

When the water receded, the three slowly got to their feet from among the ruins.

Winnie stood in the middle while supporting Xavier and Josiah on her sides.

Both men were almost two-meters tall, and needless to say, their weight was almost suffocating her.

As the three of them staggered forward with much difficulty, Josiah chuckled smugly. “Haha, I still have

the octopus. It’s destined to be our main course tonight.”

Upon hearing that, Xavier shot his friend a glare. “Is food all you can think of?”

“If I were you, I’d keep it as a pet,” said Winnie as her gaze landed on Josiah.

“Sure. I’ll listen to you, Ms. Garland.” Josiah chuckled before fishing his phone out of his pocket. “Oh,

my phone’s still working. Come, come! Let’s take a picture together.”

“Do we need to?” Winnie asked.

“Of course! We survived two catastrophes. Isn’t that worth taking a picture for commemoration?”

“But… you two are still bleeding.”

“It’s no big deal! Isn’t it just a gash on my back? What are you two afraid of?”

Unwilling to be bested by Josiah, Xavier chimed in, “Yeah. It’s just a gaping hole in my arm. It didn’t

injure my nerves or bone; it’s not a big deal at all. Come, let’s take a picture!”

“That’s right! Say cheese, everybody!”

Noticing he was still fiddling with the filters on his phone, Winnie snatched the phone from Josiah and

said, “It’s much more convenient for me to take the picture since I’m in the middle. Big smiles, boys, in

celebration of our survival!”

Just like that, the memory of the trio and an octopus huddled together in the middle of what was left of

a ruined dock was burned into a picture.

The picture went on to become the unchanging wallpaper on Josiah’s phone for many years that

followed.

Meanwhile, Zyon had obtained a hydrofoil.

The hydrofoil was a type of high-speed boat that could cover a distance of over a hundred kilometers

every hour. It was twice as fast as a regular merchant ship.

A normal boat could hardly catch up if the hydrofoil reached its fastest speed, and only a motorboat

could potentially match its pace.

Even so, there wasn’t an ounce of fear in Zyon, for he had already blown the yacht and cargo ship that

the police had prepared into smithereens.

The force of the explosion was so strong that the coast guards who wanted to chase them down in

motorboats would’ve been blown away.

Planning to catch me, huh? Don’t even think about it!

He cracked open a bottle of beer and celebrated with his subordinates and Scarface, who had come to

back him up.

“Hahaha! Thanks for the help, Scar. If it hadn’t been for your timely arrival, I would have had to spend

the rest of my life locked up in a Chanaean jail. The bombs you brought were truly incredible! Here,

allow me to toast you as thanks for saving my life.”

“You’re too kind, Mr. Fairchild.” Scarface clinked his bottle with Zyon’s. “Mr. Horton was the one who

made the order for you to be escorted back safely. You should thank him instead.”

“Of course, of course. I’ll make sure to thank Mr. Horton once we arrive. For now, let’s drink!”

Zyon clinked his bottle with the rest of his subordinates and drank happily. Meanwhile, Jacinta, who

was sitting on the deck, looked at him with a hint of disappointment and displeasure in her eyes.

After a while, she finally switched on her phone, intending to give Winnie a call.

Unfortunately, her effort was futile as the boat was far away from land, and there was no signal out in

the ocean.

Jacinta’s phone didn’t have international roaming either, so it wouldn’t be of use even when they

reached international waters. At best, her phone was just an alarm clock.

I can’t keep waiting like this.

Left with no choice, Jacinta could only call out to her captor, “Zyon, come over here.”

If it hadn’t been for Jacinta’s help, Zyon’s escape from the Fairchild residence wouldn’t have gone so

smoothly. Moreover, if it hadn’t been for Jacinta’s money, he would’ve never been able to get in touch

with his contact and obtain the hydrofoil.

Although Zyon was still doubtful of the story Jacinta had told him and wasn’t entirely convinced she

was his biological grandmother, he still felt rather indebted to the elderly lady.

Hence, he didn’t mistreat her and walked over right after putting his bottle down.

“What’s wrong, Grandma? Are you thirsty?”

“No. You promised me you’d let us off once you’re safe. Rach’s wound needs to be treated, and she’s

already starting to develop a fever. She’ll get an infection if she doesn’t get taken to a hospital soon.”

“But”—Zyon scratched his head and scanned their surroundings—“there are no lifeboats here, only a

couple of lifebuoys. Do you want me to let you off right here? Can your body handle it though?”

“It’s better than following you. The police will definitely come after you, so we’ll be saved when they

arrive,” said Jacinta as she tightened her arm around Rachel.

“All right. This is farewell, then. Let’s not meet again, Grandma.”

Jacinta looked at Zyon and whispered through gritted teeth, “I helped you because my blood flows in

you, but how could you do such a thing? Do you know how many people you could’ve killed?”

“It wasn’t me who pulled the trigger.” Zyon lowered his voice as well and subtly pointed at Scarface,

who was behind him. “He was the one who brought all the bombs. He’s a ruthless one and compared

to him, I’m not that insane.”

“I don’t care! I just want to leave right now!”

“Okay, okay. I wasn’t planning on bringing you two along either. I’ll get the lifebuoys right away.”

Zyon turned around as he spoke, but almost instantly, he felt a cold sensation.

It was none other than a gun barrel that was being pressed against his temple.

This terrified Zyon, and he quickly raised his hands in submission as he staggered backward. “S-Scar,

what’s the meaning of this? Is this some kind of mistake? Be careful not to pull the trigger by accident!”

The vicious-looking Scarface growled, “This isn’t a mistake. I’m telling you now that no one on this boat

is allowed to leave. You wanted to be quick, so I got you this boat. The Chanaean police don’t have the

authority to pursue us in international waters, but the Rodunstian police can very well arrest us

because this boat is registered in Rodunst.”

After a pause, he continued, “If the Chanaean police requests help from Rodunst to arrest us, we won’t

be safe in international waters. We need hostages, so these two can’t leave! You can toss them

anywhere you like once we’re out of the Rodunstian border.”

“Huh? But she’s my grandma. I can’t just toss her at sea once we’re out of Rodunst.”

“Oh, she’s family, huh? That’s great, then. You can bring your grandma over and take care of her. As

you know, Mr. Horton values filial piety. If he knows you’re such a filial grandson, he’ll definitely like you

even more.”

At that moment, Jacinta was filled with regret. How did things turn out this way? I should’ve never

helped Zyon!

Over at the dock, an ambulance had arrived, and the doctors were attending to Xavier’s and Josiah’s

wounds.

Just then, Winnie’s phone rang, and upon lifting her phone up, she realized it was a call from Jacinta.

Unfortunately, the call ended after only ringing once. When Winnie tried calling her grandmother back,

she was greeted by an automated response that told her Jacinta’s phone was out of the service area.

She then made a quick decision to call the police.

“Lieutenant Zielinski, my granny called me earlier, but it only rang once. If I enable international

roaming on her phone now, will the police be able to track her location?”

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