“Of course!” Winnie hesitated for a moment before greeting the man like how she had addressed him in the past. “Grandpa Rufus, of course, I remember your voice.”
“Great!” As soon as he heard the words “Grandpa Rufus,” he beamed with delight. “You should call me like how you used to previously. That makes my heart warm.”
Pausing for a moment, he continued, “The grudge you have against Hamish and his wife, along with the ownership issue of Garland Group, has been quite a stir these days. I have seen it on the news. At first, I found it hard to believe until Xavier told me that you are indeed smart. The reason why you put on an act is that you have been left with no other choice. You silly girl! Why didn’t you tell me about your trouble? You are my granddaughter-in-law—the future mistress of the Fairchild family. Xavier and I will go all out to help you.”
Winnie couldn’t help frowning upon hearing the words “granddaughter-in-law and the future mistress of the Fairchild family” from Rufus.
“Grandpa Rufus, thank you for your kindness. But you are also aware that the marriage between Xavier and I is just an odd coincidence, so it shouldn’t be taken seriously. Furthermore, I have already discussed this with him. When there is a chance, we will break things off completely.”
“Really? Have you already discussed it? But he has never mentioned anything to me?” Rufus replied with a smile.
After a pause, he added, “If I’m not mistaken, you used to get along well with him, right? Why don’t you try to spend more time with him? Anyway, I feel that the two of you look good together.”
Winnie grinned resignedly.
“Grandpa Rufus, I get what you’re saying. You feel that I’m Xavier’s life benefactor because he came round not long after I married him back then. However, after going through so many things, I believe you have already known that he was faking being in a coma. In other words, I’m not his life benefactor.”
“Oh, you silly…” Rufus was stumped for words for a moment. He continued, “Why are you not as cute as before? Did you think that I wanted to matchmake Xavier and you because of that? Of course not!”
He paused a while and continued, “Do you know how worried Xavier was when you went missing? Even though you disguised yourself as a mentally-ill person, Xavier was concerned about you. Do you know how rare true love is nowadays? I just don’t want you two to miss each other in your best years. Didn’t you cling to Xavier when you pretended to have a mental illness in the past? The two of you used to be so close together, but now you two want to go separate ways. I’m afraid that you will regret it someday down the road.”
“That’s not it, Grandpa Rufus.” Winnie continued to explain, “Actually, Xavier has long known that I disguised myself as a mentally-ill person. After that, we tried to spend time together, but in the end, it was not as wonderful as I had imagined. Thus, we decided to break off the engagement.”
Winnie was afraid that Rufus would continue to convince her, so she changed the topic and uttered, “By the way, Grandpa Rufus, how is Zyon now? You don’t have to pretend around him anymore, right?”
At the mention of Zyon, Rufus’ voice grew deeper.
“That unworthy grandson! Xavier has obtained evidence of him hiring someone to kill another person, including the witness of the accident that happened to Xavier one year back. I have found out all the wicked crimes he has committed before. There’s no way I will continue to keep such a person. If we don’t take action against him, there will be no end of trouble. Oh, by the way! From what I’ve learned, all of these plans were made by Xavier and you. Hasn’t he told you anything about it yet?”
“No, I have been busy recently, and we haven’t contacted each other for quite a few days. Grandpa Rufus, although Zyon’s crimes have been exposed, I think you have to be careful since he hasn’t been arrested yet.”
Don’t worry! I know what to do. By the way, I have received an invitation. Did you ask someone to send it to me?” Rufus asked.
“Yes! I’m sorry, Grandpa Rufus. Technically, I should have sent the invitation myself, but I have been busy uniting the businesses these days. That’s the invitation to Garland Group’s fiftieth-anniversary celebration. You can just ignore it as you have to prioritize your health and rest at home.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Rufus responded with a smile, “Although it’s Garland Group’s fiftieth anniversary, it’s your first year managing the group. I have to attend and support you no matter what.”
“Thank you so much, Grandpa Rufus!”
“We’re a family. That’s nothing. You don’t have to be so courteous to me. All right, then. You should get back to work. I won’t disturb you any further.”
“Grandpa Rufus, are you kidding me? I’m just chasing my tail. How can I compare with you? I’ll personally welcome you at the banquet hall on that day.”
“All right, then.”
Following that, they ended the call.
Right after he hung up the phone, Rufus’ face darkened.
He shot a glare at his eldest grandson, looking utterly disappointed.
“I wondered how in the world did you court Winnie. Why does she want to separate from you? I even helped you handle the whole procedure and get a marriage certificate, but I can’t believe you are so incompetent.”
Xavier, who was sitting on the couch, pinched between his brows.
“Grandpa, Winnie has a real temper and strong opinions about things. She’s not a woman I can control easily.”
Upon hearing that, Rufus hit Xavier’s shoulder with his cane.
“What do you mean by that? How could you say such a thing? Do you really regard yourself as a domineering CEO in the drama? Judging from the way you speak, there’s no way you can get a wife.”
Rufus paused and continued, “During the feudal times back then, all men in the country were chauvinists. Even so, I never spoke in that way to your grandmother. I was always gentle to your grandmother when I was with her. I would fulfill every request she had. Because of that, your grandmother was loyal to me. Even though I made a big mistake back then, she felt reluctant to leave me. The way you handle your relationship infuriates me. I would be surprised if she refused to divorce you.”
Xavier stuttered, “G-Grandpa, are you really my grandpa? Why aren’t you putting in a good word for me?”
“What’s good about you that is worth mentioning?”
Xavier shamelessly replied, “Well, for example, you can ask for an extra invitation.”
“Oh! With your name written on it?” Rufus continued to mock, “I can’t bring myself to say it. You can just go with me on that day. After all, you are the CEO of Fairchild Corporation. People from Garland Group won’t lock you out. Enough with the trash talk! Get out of here! What a loser! You can’t even appease a woman.”
Xavier was rendered speechless.
It was not that he failed to appease her. On the contrary, he had not even begun yet.
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