Silly Bride novel (Winnie and Xavier)

“No.” Winnie explained, “No one is scamming us. We were the ones who found out everything. Every detail written on that document is real, Grandpa Rufus. Did you really have a son with her?”

Rufus had no plans to keep it a secret any longer by that point.

“That’s right. A long time ago, my private plane crashed on a mountain, and I broke my leg. A family of farmers saved me. I’d already married Xavier’s grandmother and had Xavier’s father by then. In that era, communications were outdated in the mountains. It was difficult for me to contact the outside world, so I planned to thank that family once I recovered. Yet that family used despicable means to make me sleep with their daughter. I wasn’t aware their daughter had already gotten pregnant with my child after that one time. When the family came looking for me, I immediately gave them some money and sent them away. I thought that was the end of it. However, a year later, that family came looking for me with the child in tow. They wanted more money, claiming the child was my son. I was furious. Not only did they drug their daughter, but they even used a child as a bargaining chip for money. They claimed their daughter had gotten married and didn’t want the child. I took the child from them in a fit of anger and chased them away. After that, I tried searching for them, but all I got was news of their death. So many years had passed, and that family never came looking for me again. Thus I’m not sure why you’re bringing this up today.”

Rufus’ narrative was about the same as the information Winnie found, but he never mentioned the child’s identity.

“Grandpa Rufus, is the child you mentioned in your story Xavier’s second uncle, Stuart Fairchild?” Winnie asked.

“Yes!” Rufus frowned. “It’s him. He’s the illegitimate child I had out of wedlock!”

He sighed. “That’s one of the reasons why I’m biased against Stuart’s family. Greed and pettiness were engraved in their bones just like that family.”

Winnie agreed. “Yeah, they are indeed greedy.” With furrowed brows, Winnie looked at Rufus and questioned, “Can I ask you one more question, Grandpa Rufus?”

“Sure.”

“All right. If that woman reappeared in front of you after all these years, would you still be able to recognize her?”

“No.” Rufus didn’t even pause to think before answering, “It had been so long ago. I’d only seen her from afar a few times when I was recovering from my broken leg at their home. Despite the incident that happened between us after, I didn’t get a good look at her.”

how it is. Winnie’s gaze darkened. “No wonder you didn’t

with a perplexed look. “Are you saying I’ve already met Stuart’s mother?

I hope she’s not who we suspect she is. We were nearly done with our investigation, but a crucial piece of evidence

the sad look on Winnie’s face, an uneasy feeling rose within Rufus. “Winnie, tell me who you

contemplation

“How is that possible? How

thorough investigation. Granny had wanted to find her grandchild in the Fairchild family at

and me. I’d done it decades ago. I even stored a sample of his blood in the hospital. It should

on how to get some hair samples from Stuart, but now it looks

about you, Winnie? Are you coming with

Winnie nodded. “Let’s go.”

to take Stuart’s blood, but I won’t be going with you. I need some time to

and Josiah rushed to the

test would take at least three hours, so the two had

wasn’t in the mood to talk during the

could tell that something was wrong when she noticed that the phone had no data whatsoever. Every piece of information in

her number with Jacinta’s

wasn’t the one Jacinta frequently used, and the number was also not

be?” Winnie stared down at the string of unfamiliar numbers on her phone. “How careless of me! Granny had two phones that looked alike! I thought just taking her phone was enough. She tricked me! I can’t believe I let my

guard down?” Josiah saw Winnie’s strange reaction and instantly peered