Chapter 145
Only then did Winter realize why she hadn’t seen anyone from the Davis family all day.
And of the two families those men had mentioned, the Davises and the Zellers, the two people she knew best just happened to be the most prominent sons of each family.
The three families had always managed to keep the peace. The Davises, especially, had long maintained a close partnership with the Xanders.
But now no one from the Davis family had shown up to this event. In fact, they had become business rivals of the Xanders.
Could it be Zac?
Winter frowned slightly.
A large stage had been set up in the courtyard of the senior care center for the ribbon–cutting ceremony, and the host was speaking onstage.
Winter pushed the thought aside. Out of habit, she put on her mask, stood in front of the camera with the stage behind her, lifted her microphone, and began her report.
Then, to her surprise, she spotted an elderly woman not far away being helped into a seat.
Mrs. Xander Sr. was here too.
Earlier, Winter had been worried that Mrs. Xander Sr. would be upset after finding out about the divorce. But if she was willing to come out today, things were clearly better than Winter had feared.
Winter quietly let out a breath of relief and decided to go see her after the report was over.
Behind her, the host invited the president of the Xander Corporation to the stage.
Chris’s low, cool voice carried across from the stage.
Winter turned slightly and raised the microphone. “As you can see, the person speaking right now is Chris Xander, president of Xander Corporation p>
Maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe it was not. As she turned and lifted her free hand toward the stage, Chris looked in her direction at that exact moment, and her coworker’s camera caught it perfectly.
Winter’s expression did not change.
Chris kept his speech brief and direct. When he finished, he stepped down from the stage with steady
strides.
Before going up, he had taken off his black overcoat. In a sharply tailored black suit and gold–rimmed glasses, he looked cold, polished, and untouchable. Tall and straight–backed, he was the kind of man who drew every eye without even trying.
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Winter did not have to guess what would happen once the segment aired. Chris’s fangirls would be losing their minds all over again.
She had originally been standing well away from him, but after stepping off the stage, Chris walked in her direction instead. Winter tightened her grip on the microphone and watched as he passed by, bringing a faint chill with him, before heading over to Mrs. Xander Sr.
“What are you doing out here today?” Chris rested one hand on the back of her chair and bent to straighten the scarf around her neck.
Wearing a polished dress suit, Mrs. Xander Sr. slapped his hand away. “Enough with the act. Are you signing it or not p>
He still refused to sign the divorce papers.
Chris’s expression stayed cool. “It’s a happy occasion, Grandma. Must you bring up something I don’t want to hear p>
Mrs. Xander Sr. was just about to say more when a sharp crack suddenly split the air.
A gunshot rang out from somewhere near the event grounds.
Screams erupted all around them, and the ceremony instantly dissolved into chaos.
Chris’s expression turned cold and sharp. His eyes swept through the chaos, searching for Winter, as he ordered, “Protect Mrs. Xander Sr p>
The Xander family’s well–trained bodyguards moved at once, clearing people out and trying to restore
order.
But gunshots were now coming from every direction, and black SUVS were appearing one after another. Winter and her coworkers were separated by the crowd as people ran in all directions.
She stumbled, her heel catching hard against the leg of a chair.
Then, in the next instant, an arm wrapped around her waist and steadied her.
She spun around in alarm and, through the blur of sunlight and chaos, found herself staring straight into a pair of dark, icy eyes.
Chris’s cool fingers were clamped tightly around her wrist. His profile was tight with tension, his expression colder than ever, and with every breath he took, his grip only tightened.
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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.