Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Steve studied her face, his lips curling into a smirk. “Why do you look so unhappy p>
“Your family’s factory just burned down. Should I be happy?” she shot back.
He shrugged. “It’s just one small, insignificant asset under the Xander Corporation. If it burned, it burned p>
Winter’s eyes flickered.
As a journalist, she was trained to be meticulous with words and instantly caught the flaw in what he said.
If it was truly such an insignificant asset, why would both the CEO and the Vice President of the conglomerate show up in person?
But she had no interest in digging deeper.
Maybe he was just showing off in front of her.
She stopped engaging with him. She pulled a black mask from her pocket and put it on, then walked toward the factory ruins with her colleagues.
Steve watched her retreating figure and gave a faint smile. He took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, then lit
one.
“When she interviews you later, cooperate,” he said casually, lifting the hand that held the cigarette in Winter’s direction as a signal to the factory manager.
The man froze for a moment, then nodded quickly. “Yes, Mr. Steve p>
Chris was the head of the Xander Corporation, and everyone addressed him as Mr. Xander. Calling Steve “Mr. Xander” as well would be confusing, and he hated being addressed as Vice President Xander. Over time, people had settled on calling him Mr. Steve.
Pale smoke drifted into the air. Steve’s gaze fixed steadily on Winter’s face, his eyes narrowing slightly with an unreadable look.
There was something different about her when she was working.
She possessed a unique charisma that made it impossible to look away. On the day of the explosion, he had seen her on the news. Even with the gas mask obscuring her features, she had stood out.
Amidst the towering flames and the choking smog, she had shone like a radiant pearl in the rubble. How could anyone not be drawn to a woman like that?
Steve seemed to think of something and lowered his head with a quiet laugh. His eyes shifted to the burn mark on the back of his hand, now scabbed over. His expression slowly darkened.
After Winter finished her interviews, she was surprised to see that Steve was still there.
“Winnie, it’s lunchtime. Let me buy you a meal p>
She packed away her microphone and didn’t even look at him. “I’m busy p>
“You don’t even have time to eat? I’ll file a complaint with your station,” Steve said, stepping in front of her.
Winter slung her bag over her shoulder and replied coolly, “Go ahead p>
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“Winnie.” Steve grabbed the strap of her bag to stop her. He looked down at her with a faint smile. “I noticed you didn’t correct me when I called you that today p>
She paused slightly.
She hadn’t expected him to notice something so small.
She was about to divorce Chris anyway. What Steve chose to call her no longer mattered. It wasn’t worth the effort to correct him.
However, since the divorce wasn’t finalized yet, she didn’t want to say more than necessary.
She pulled the strap free. “Would correcting you make any difference? A leopard can’t change its spots p>
“Winnie, you don’t have to be so harsh,” he said lightly.
“If you stayed out of my way, I wouldn’t have to be,” she shot back.
When they were young, Steve used to bully her often. He had never done anything that truly harmed her, but he would pull her braids, hide her shoes, or shove snow down the collar of her coat in the middle of winter.
Later, as they grew older, something seemed to shift in him. Out of nowhere, he started claiming he liked her.
Steve still wore that teasing expression. In a half–joking tone, he asked, “I heard the guards outside Jacob’s hospital room were pulled. Want me to take care of him for you p>
Winter felt her blood surge in her chest.
Chris’s men had been guarding Jacob’s hospital room the entire time. If they were gone now, did that mean Jacob had recovered enough to be discharged?
The memory of being dragged into an alley and beaten sent a chill crawling up her spine.
But she had already decided to accept a foreign correspondent assignment in Eveland. She had less than two months before departure. The last thing she needed right now was trouble that could affect her clearance.
“Who you want dead has nothing to do with me,” she said.
She turned and climbed into the news van, slamming the door shut.
It was already lunchtime, so she and her colleagues headed back to the station cafeteria.
She had just stepped down from the van and was helping carry equipment when a deafening roar tore through the air.
A red sports car tore past her, barely missing her.
It circled around her once. The window rolled down, revealing a reckless, smirking face.
His head was wrapped in bandages. A cold smile tugged at his lips. His eyes were dark and vicious, as if he wanted to tear her apart.
Winter’s fingers clenched tightly.
Jacob.
The engine revved again. The car shot past her and roared onto the street.
Her colleague gasped. “Is he crazy? Winter, are you okay p>
Chapter 40
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She shook her head. “I’m fine p>
That afternoon, with no urgent assignments, Winter went to the hospital.
For several nights in a row, she hadn’t been able to fall asleep until well past midnight. She still had work to do. If this continued, her body would not hold up.
So she asked the doctor to prescribe some sleeping pills.
She parked outside the outpatient building. After picking up the medication, she unlocked her car. Just then, the roar of engines echoed down the street.
Wild laughter blasted from passing vehicles. One supercar after another sped past her, deliberately swerving close before veering away.
The last car slowed down noticeably.
Jacob’s face appeared at the window. A dark smile curved his lips.
He mouthed three words slowly and silently.
“I’ll kill you.
The next second, the car shot forward like an arrow and surged to the front of the convoy.
Winter’s hand went cold around her car keys.
Wherever she went, Jacob appeared. Was he stalking her?
No. That wasn’t
Jacob was rotten to the core. He had plenty of ways to torment someone, and this was just another one of them. He was playing with her like a cat with a mouse. He kept showing up again and again, wearing her down. He wanted to make her afraid and drive her crazy.
Late that night, her phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.
The notifications kept coming, making it impossible to sleep.
She turned on the bedside lamp and, with heavy eyes, picked up her phone.
Her department group chat and several journalist groups were exploding with messages. Each one showed ninety- nine plus unread notifications.
She opened the thread.
Her fingers froze.
Jacob was dead.
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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.