The Substitute Bride: Idiot Or Not?

Dumbo is missing!

Xavier had searched the bedroom, study, and bathroom, yet he still couldn't find Winnie anywhere.

It's already so late. Where can she go?

Xavier even checked the windows, worried she would jump through one.

Luckily, none of the windows seemed to have been opened.

She's just a dumbo. Some weak-willed women might choose suicide after being violated, but she is different. I don't think her brain has that kind of complicated emotional feedback. After he had thought it through, Xavier's feelings calmed slightly.

He planned to search for Winnie in her playroom downstairs.

However, right after he left his room and was about to come downstairs, he saw Josiah tugging Dumbo up the stairs.

Dumbo didn't seem willing from the expression on her face. She even pouted when she saw him.

Dumbo's obviously still angry. Despite that thought, Xavier let out a relieved sigh.

He asked Josiah, "What's the matter? Where did you find her?"

"She was with the housekeeper." Josiah shrugged. "She said she was in pain, so she went looking for the housekeeper for some 'ointy."

Xavier might think the baby talk was cute if it came out of Winnie's mouth, but all he felt was disgust and goosebumps skittering across his skin when it came from an adult man like Josiah. With a darkened look, Xavier snapped, "Talk properly. What happened?"

"She has a laceration on her ear. Maybe she got it from the tussle earlier. Don't worry about it. It isn't anything serious. It should heal nicely after a couple of days. The housekeeper already applied some ointment for her."

The moment Xavier heard about Winnie's injury, he immediately descended the steps to her side.

There was an urgency to his tone that he didn't even notice. "Let me look at it."

"No! Meanie." Winnie pouted as she hid behind Josiah. "Specky, protect me!"

Xavier frowned. Didn't she use to call him Bad Specky? Since when did she call him Specky?

Xavier didn't know why he was feeling that way. For some reason, he just felt uncomfortable about it. The gaze he gave Josiah wasn't a friendly one. "It's late. You should go back and get some rest."

Josiah pursed his lips at the request. "But I have something to tell you."

"Go back to your room and sleep, Winnie. I'll apply ointment for you tomorrow. The injury on your ear will heal soon. I'll give you a super sweet candy if you be a good girl," Josiah coaxed. Winnie yawned. "All right. I'm going to bed. Don't forget about my candy, Specky."

She stomped her foot at Xavier before climbing the stairs back to her room.

"What's wrong with you?" Josiah gave Xavier a strange look. "You seem to care for Dumbo a lot. The gaze you gave me earlier... it looked like you were jealous."

"Jealous?" Xavier laughed. "Are you kidding me? I'm jealous of you over a dumb woman?"

"Fine." Josiah shrugged. "I'll take it as you being possessive and overprotective of her. The minute I saw the surveillance cameras' footage, I wanted to beat Zyon to a pulp. I'm serious. I want to protect this poor girl too."

"Enough. Don't bring that up again." That would only remind me of how sh*tty I was when I pretended to be comatose. "Let's talk business."

"Okay. Let's talk business. Honestly, you woke up so suddenly. It's different from what we planned."

"Aren't you talking nonsense? Do you think you can hold it in with Dumbo sleeping by your side?"

"Fine. No man can hold it in. I suppose Zyon is probably heavily injured after the beating you gave. I'm afraid he won't be able to get out of bed for at least four months. Naturally, he can't leave the country either, so this is good for our plan."

"This is all you wanted to talk about? Nothing else?"

"That's all. What else do you want to hear?"

"If that's all, I'm leaving then." Xavier left without sparing Josiah another glance.

Despite walking in long strides, Winnie had fallen asleep by the time he returned to the room.

"Asleep so quickly." Xavier muttered with a smile, "Dumb people sure are free of worries."

Winnie, who was pretending to sleep, felt anger roll through her. You're the dumb*ss! Your whole family is full of dumb*ssess!

Winnie was cussing him in her mind when she felt the bed sink beside her; Xavier had gotten onto the bed.

Next, she felt something warm on her ear.

That feels like his finger touching my ear. F*ck! Winnie couldn't help but cuss again as her neck and ears were sensitive to touch. This b*stard dared to touch my ear! Is he trying to be like Zyon? If that's the case, I don't mind giving him a kick to the balls while I pretend to be sleepwalking.

However, the violation she expected didn't happen. Instead, she only heard a sigh from Xavier.

"What a delicate flower. Getting hurt so easily."

Delicate flower? That's funny. Everyone who knows me thinks of me otherwise. I didn't expect that someone would describe me as a delicate flower.

"Sleep. Tomorrow is a new beginning." After Xavier checked Winnie's injury and assured it wasn't too serious, he turned off the lights on the nightstand. Perhaps because they were in close proximity, the breath he exuded while speaking earlier had tickled Winnie's neck.

That feeling sent goosebumps breaking out on her sensitive body.

So he's going to sleep after stoking my arousal? The pie doesn't just fall out of the sky.

A mischievous grin stretched across Winnie's lips in the dark. With a turn of her body, she threw her arm and leg over his chest and leg.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Xavier's body stiffened immediately. "Dumbo, are you awake?”

The only reply he received was Winnie's even breathing.

Xavier's brow furrowed at that. His body instinctively wanted to wrap his arm around her soft body, but his rationale was telling him not to.

Even if she has an adult body, her mind is that of a child, and I'm a grown man. How can I put my hands on an innocent little girl? How am I different from that b*stard, Zyon? Even if I felt sympathy for her earlier, that was like what Josiah said. I was simply being possessive and overprotective of her.

Xavier retracted his hand in the end and screwed his eyes shut.

Winnie continued to move around to tease him but noticed Xavier didn't do anything else. Her urge to fool with him dissipated instantly, so she rolled back to her side and slept.

The next morning, Xavier left for Fairchild Corporation.

Now that I'm not comatose anymore, it's time to get back everything that belongs to me from Stuart.

Meanwhile, Winnie beelined for her playroom after she woke up.

She took out the laptop she hid in a toy suitcase, fired it up, then sent a message to her partner: Come out! I've hit the jackpot! Do you want to make a haul with me?