The Ex and Her Riches

Chapter 855 A Gwendolyn Without Cedrick 

Charles was stunned.

In the end, Winona waved her hand before him and asked in confusion, “Sir? Sir? Are you listening to what I’m saying?”

At that, Charles snapped back to reality. He took the medicine from her and gulped it down without hesitation.

He was well aware that if she had been sent by Leonardo, she would have killed him long ag instead of taking care of him until now.

After drinking the medicinal brew, a bit of brown liquid lingered at the corner of his mouth. Winona quickly took out her handkerchief to wipe away the stain.

She soon realized her behavior might have been inappropriate. She quickly explained, “Sir, this handkerchief is clean, it’s not a rag.”

Seeing her flushed cheeks, Charles weakly curled his lips into a teasing smile. “If I were to say your actions just now have charmed me, would you take responsibility?”

“Sir… I…”

Winona’s cheeks grew even redder, and she became more flustered.

Charles quickly clarified, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything else. Thank you for saving me. My name is Charles. What’s yours?

“W-Winona.”

Her cheeks remained as red as apples, and she grew more cautious in her movements.

In this state, she looked rather adorable.

At that moment, Charles found himself captivated by the girl before him, who bore a striking resemblance to Gwendolyn. His thoughts kept drifting.

Despite the unbearable pain from his gunshot wound, Charles mustered the strength to lift the quilt and discovered he was only in his underwear.

He was rendered speechless, his handsome brows furrowing with sudden embarrassment.

“Excuse me, could you please find me some clothes? I’d like to get out of bed and move around”

“Of course, but I don’t have many men’s clothes at home. My parents passed away while they were at sea some time ago, and there aren’t many of their clothes left.”

Winona murmured to herself as she searched. Charles realized that she had only her grandmother to rely on in life.

Life had clearly been challenging for Winona.

“Take a look at these clothes and see if they fit. Don’t worry, they’re clean,” Winona said as she handed Charles a set of dark-colored clothes. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she left the room.

The attire seemed a bit outdated.

When he emerged from the room, he found a bowl of freshly cooked oatmeal waiting for him on the stove.

Winona offered it to him, saying, “Your body needs nourishment. I’ll go catch some fish tomorrow to help you replenish.”

The simple bowl of plain oatmeal smelled incredibly inviting to Charles, and he finished it in just a few mouthfuls.

He took in the room’s decor, noting that despite the house’s age, it was impeccably clean, a testament to the homeowner’s dedication to cleanliness.

Seeing him examining the house, Winona lowered her head and said, “My grandmother and I rely on each other, and we don’t have much extra income. Having a house like this to live in is already quite good. You must be from a big city, aren’t you?”

Envy tinged her words as she spoke about her simple life.

Charles smiled warmly, his eyes involuntarily focusing on her face each time.

It was as though he saw a different person in her.

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, black smoke rose from the chimney, and a faint medicinal aroma wafted from the firewood room.

Winona, dressed in a light green long dress, emitted a gentle and calming aura.

Despite living in a fishing village, she managed to keep herself neat and tidy

She diligently prepared the traditional medicine in a small pot, carefully uning it to be ready in a quarter of an hour With great care, she carried the medicinal soup and approached the room where Charles was resting

Charles, gradually awakening to the sound of approaching footsteps, stirred from hist slumber.

His long eyelashes fluttered slightly as he opened his precious phoenix eyes. In his daze, he saw a familiar figure approaching his bedside.

“Gwen… Gwen…”

Dressed in her light green attire, she seemed like Gwendolyn came to life before his eyes. Her graceful curves resembled a beautiful flower in full bloom.

He was entranced by her radiant charm, lost in thought, seemingly forgetting his surroundings, his identity, with only Gwendolyn before him.

It was a Gwendolyn without Cedrick by her side.

“Are you awake now? Come on, take your medicine. The ones I’ve been giving you these past few days were meant to detoxify your body. Today’s dose will be the last, just to reinforce the effects.”

The unfamiliar voice immediately brought Charles back from his chaotic reverie.

It was only then that he realized he mistook Winona for Gwendolyn once again.

Recently, Charles’ dreams were frequently filled with memories of his decade-long companionship with Gwendolyn, likely due to spending so much time with Winona.

“Thank you, and I apologize for my earlier rudeness.” Charles quickly stood up, regaining his gentlemanly demeanor as he picked up the medicinal soup and downed it in one gulp.

“It’s okay, no harm done,” Winona replied with a faint smile.

“Thank you. I’m fully recovered now, all thanks to you. If there’s ever anything the fishing village needs my help with in the future, I’ll do my best to assist.”

After spending these past few days together, Winona had become more comfortable around Charles. She no longer held back or refused his kindness. “It just so happens that we could use more help on the farm at home. If you don’t mind hard work, would you like to join us?”

The southernmost point of Chanaea had a hot climate year-round, making it the perfect place for rice farming.

Charles immediately agreed since it was rare for her to ask him to help. “Sure, I’d be happy to help” Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

He couldn’t help but want to spend more time around Winona She bore a striking resemblance to Gwendolyn, and he didn’t want to miss any opportunity to interact with her.

The two of them set off with their farming tools in hand. However, as Charles followed Winona to the field and saw the vast expanse that needed to be plowed, he fell into deep. thought.

“Do I have to work on all of this?”

Winona chuckled lightly, already getting to work with a hoe in hand. She pointed toward a shaded spot in the distance.

“You’ve just recovered, so wait for me there. We’ll finish this patch of land, and then we’ll head home.”

Charles furrowed his brows, quickly picked up the hoe, and joined her in the labor.

The scorching sun beat relentlessly on every inch of their skin. Sweat trickled down Charles’ forehead, and before long, he felt a powerful sting in his hands.

Farm work wasn’t something he often engaged in, so blisters formed quickly.

Despite being a girl, Winona worked efficiently. Charles was already lagging behind.

Seeing him pause, she suggested, “Charles, if you’re tired, you should go home. It’s scorching out here.”

Charles shook his head.

As a grown man, Charles was determined to push through the labor.

The two of them worked tirelessly in the field, and as time flew by, the land was almost. completely plowed.

Winona approached him with a glass of refreshing watermelon juice, fanning him with her hand. “Let’s take a break and call it a day.”

Hearing her suggestion, Charles set down his tools, accepted the watermelon juice, and drank it in a single gulp.

The refreshing taste provided much-needed relief from the scorching heat.

Winona then took a clean handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, her eyes softening as she did so.