The Substitute Bride: Idiot Or Not?

"Hey!" Winnie impatiently kicked the downed Xavier. "Are you really dead, or are you faking it?"

Xavier had only let out a muffled groan when his leg broke, so one could only guess how drunk he was. Hence, there was no way he was going to react to Winnie's kick.

Again, Winnie was certain that the man had alcohol poisoning. While he was still reactionless to what she did, she quickly grabbed the Peppa Pig suitcase and ran to the master bedroom.

When Jacinta saw Winnie panicking, she panicked as well. "What happened, Winnie? Did someone discover you?"

"No. It's Xavier. He's dead drunk in the playroom. I don't think Mary and the others know that he's in the mansion right now. I've hurt him, so we have to leave right away."

"That bad? Let's hurry up and leave then."

Jacinta and Winnie then swiftly left the mansion. Jacinta went back to the Fairchild residence, and Winnie went back to Aqua Moana.

After entering her condominium and before she could even remove her makeup, she began checking the various pieces of equipment in her suitcase. Upon making sure that no one had used her laptop, she let out a sigh of relief.

Just as she was about to get a glass of water, her phone rang. It was a call from overseas.

"Hello. Wilhelm, you're still awake?" There were time differences between the two countries; Avenport was half-past eight in the evening, and Wilhelm's side was four in the morning.

"Winnie," the other man started, his speech slightly accented. "How are you in Chanaea? Did you encounter any troubles?"

"Nothing too serious. I can handle it myself. Why do you ask, Wilhelm?" It was too strange for Wilhelm Speiser to be calling her at four in the morning.

"Here's the thing: I heard that the family's badge had briefly appeared in Avenport of Chanaea, so I was wondering if you were the one who used it. I was afraid that you've encountered trouble." "Oh, it's because of that." Winnie chuckled. "Don't worry, Wilhelm. I'm fine. You, on the other hand, should rest earlier."

"Okay, I'll go to bed. Also, the whole family's hoping that you'd come back earlier."

"Got it. Good night. Convey my greetings to the rest too."

Once Winnie hung up the call, she felt her mood turn better, for many people were still quietly concerned about her.

Nevertheless, Wilhelm's call reminded her that her badge was still with Xavier.

She had to get it back as soon as possible.

As far as she knew, Xavier had two residences he frequently stayed in. One of them was Lagune Mansion, but she had scoured the place before and found that her badge was not there. Another was a condominium that was closer to Fairchild Corporation's office, but Winnie was not sure where exactly that condominium was located.

At that thought, Winnie dialed another number.

"Hello? Xavier Fairchild of the Fairchild family. He has a condominium near Fairchild Corporation's building. Please help me find out the exact address and send it to me in an hour's time."

"Say, Princess Vivian, don't you think you're having too much fun ordering me around? The last time you asked me to help you look into the three recent generations of the Fairchild family, you had the same demanding tone. Do you really think you're some kind of dominant CEO now?"Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Winnie had no shame when it came to her good friend, so she said, "Yes, or no? If it's a no from you, I'll get someone else to do it for me.”

"Fine, fine. Do as you please. Give me a little more time. I'm currently at my sister's place, so my computer isn't with me. By the way, my sister has something to say to you."

The phone was soon passed to another person. "Winnie, are you still busy with that matter of yours?"

"Lisanne," Winnie greeted the other. "Yes. I've come back mainly to deal with this."

"Winnie, Winnie. How old are you? You're young; you should be in love and enjoying your life. Don't get hung up on all those old matters."

"I have no choice. My mom had to suffer so much, and I can't stand watching those people continue to live their carefree, guiltless life."

"All right. Speaking of which, Avenport has lots of handsome fellows. There are plenty of elite individuals in the Fairchild family, too, especially Xavier Fairchild. Are you really not interested at all?" "Him?" Winnie was suddenly reminded of what happened in the playroom.

The way he had hugged her so tightly and called her Dumbo, and the way he said he regretted pushing her away and wanted her to return...

In fact, he even had tear tracks and reddened eyes. The look of remorse on his face even seemed genuine back then.

Winnie fell silent for a long while before replying, "No."

"Something's up about you, Winnie," the other woman pointed out with a chuckle. "You hesitated for so long. That isn't your style. What's the matter? Was there anything between the two of you?" "No! But, Lisanne, say, do you think it's true that a man speaks the truth after getting drunk?"

"What's the matter? Did Xavier tell you something after he drank? You can't fully believe him, but it's simple to find out whether or not it's true. Talk to him more often and fish for more information from him while he's sober. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out whether he speaks lies or truths with your observation skills. Oh, but women in love are blind. You might really fail to differentiate his truths and lies."

"That's impossible!" Winnie cried out confidently. "There's no way my brain will cease functioning in front of anyone."

"Haha! I'd like to witness the moment your brain jams. Oh, Lucas said he had found the address. Talk to him."

The phone soon returned to her good friend, and Winnie praised, "Good! You're pretty efficient."

"Pfft, it's just checking property ownership; it's no big deal. I'll send you the address now."

"Thanks!"

After ending the call, Winnie checked Lucas' message.

When she saw the familiar address, she was stunned to her core.

Ha. I can't believe it's the entire thirty-second floor of Block 18 Aqua Moana.

The Aqua Moana unit that Winnie had was 3101 of Block 18, which was right under his house.

Nevertheless, that made sneaking in even more challenging.

Winnie knew too well Aqua Moana's security system. It was not impossible for her to hack into the thirty-second floor, but she would have to make several weeks of preparations beforehand, and she needed to hire professionals to look into it first.

It was too heavy of a price, and it was a waste of a time.

Hence, she would have to find another way to get close to Xavier.

That opportunity came soon.

In a way, it was fate. After all, she was the one who broke Xavier's leg.

If he had broken his leg, he would be bedbound.

Moreover, it was nothing that warranted a stay in the intensive care unit. People with statuses like him did not usually stay in hospitals. Chances were, he would hire a caretaker to come to his place instead. Anyone with a brain in their skull would be able to figure that Josiah was going to be the one to arrange everything.

Therefore, Winnie began keeping a close eye on Josiah and soon found the chance to strike.