Chapter 179
Chapter 179
The photo showed a young Chris, maybe around ten years old.
And just behind him was a little girl clutching the hem of his shirt and refusing to let go. She looked bright and mischievous, with chubby cheeks and delicate features, like a doll.
Winter froze.
It was her.
She didn’t remember ever taking a picture with Chris.
In the photo, she was holding a brown teddy bear. That bear had disappeared after the Scott family went bankrupt and they moved out of the Westbury villa.
So the picture must have been taken before her family fell apart.
But why did she not remember it at all?
“This…” Mrs. Xander Sr. took the photo from her and held it up by the window. She adjusted her reading glasses and studied it for a moment. “This really is an old one p>
Then she looked at the photo again. Chris had a look of clear annoyance on his face, while Winter looked playful and full of mischief. Mrs. Xander Sr. suddenly laughed.
She tapped Winter lightly on the forehead. “You little thing. How old were you then?” She thought for a moment. “That’s right. You were probably five. You were so little, and you kept clinging to Chris, saying you were going to marry him when you grew up. Who knew it would turn into such a lasting obsession for you p>
Winter stared at the photo, but not a single memory came back.
Then again, she had started remembering things later than other kids. Even though she had been five at the time, her memory from that age was still vague.
She had just stepped downstairs to leave the Xander estate when Steve blocked her in the sunroom.
He didn’t say a word at first. He just stared straight into her eyes. The eyes that used to always hold that half-smiling look now seemed sharp and predatory, like a hawk watching its prey.
“You went to see Chris last night p>
Winter didn’t believe for a second that it was just a coincidence that Steve had shown up at the Xander estate when she came back. She didn’t even need to guess. He had clearly been watching her every
move.
“You had someone following me p>
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Steve held her defiant gaze. If he hadn’t had someone watching her, how was he supposed to make sure she stayed safe? Fabian was a cold-blooded madman who killed without blinking.
He wasn’t really going to spare Winter just because she was Chris’s wife.
But Winter had no idea what Steve was really thinking. All she could think about was last night, and the way he had cornered her over the phone.
“How do you know Chris has been investigating the Scott family all these years? If he was really looking into it in secret, he would not have let something like that leak out so easily p>
Steve watched her eyes turn cold in an instant. Winter had no idea how breathtaking she looked in that moment. He swallowed once.
“Do you really think that little of me p>
“I would rather believe I underestimated you than believe you’ve been out there doing shady things and getting involved in God knows what p>
Steve narrowed his eyes.
So Fabian had been right. That night, Winter really had disguised herself as a server and slipped into the private room. She had overheard their conversation.
Fabian had said they mentioned the Xander family.
And now Winter’s suspicions had landed on him.
He let out a cold laugh. “So when Chris gets things done, he’s capable. But when I do it, suddenly I’m taking the crooked way p>
Seeing the cold look on Winter’s face, Steve’s expression darkened.
Without warning, he grabbed her by the chin and forced her face up, his eyes hard and menacing.
“Winnie, that perfect man you’ve always idolized. Do you really think there are no secrets in his past? No secrets about who he really is?
“Chris Xander is far more than you’ve ever imagined p>
A faint pain pricked at Winter’s chest. Her voice was so soft it was almost impossible to hear.
“I’ve already let him go p>
At the border compound, Fabian took the file his man handed him.
It contained a full report on Winter.
Previously, he had dismissed her as nothing more than an ordinary reporter. Taking her life would have been as simple as giving a single command. He wouldn’t have even needed to lift a finger himself.
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Florence
A passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.