The Substitute Bride: Idiot Or Not?

Winnie's heart skipped a beat.

Her acting had been flawless, considering no one in the family had noticed anything odd about her. Is a laptop really going to ruin my plans?

There was a brief silence before she marched toward Xavier angrily. "Hmph! How can you take away my toys, Handsome?"

"Toys?" Xavier was getting irritated, but he wasn't sure why. "What kind of toy is this?"

Her mouth opened, but she didn't have the words she wanted to say. This expression of his... He looks as though he got angry after being played for a fool. Hasn't he been pretending to be in a coma when I married into this family? We're both lying. None of us is better than the other. The only difference is that I've been lying to him for far longer.

That line of thinking made her feel justified to face him properly.

Thus, she withdrew the innocent look in her eyes.

Just as she was going to lift her arms and act like her authentic self, she realized Xavier wasn't talking about the laptop hiding in her luggage. He was talking about the two photos in his hand.

Holy cr*p! I almost revealed everything because of two mere photos! That revelation made her feel as though she was about to crack open.

Thankfully, her reaction speed was fast. Without delay, she pretended to be stupid again and snatched the photos away before protecting them in her embrace. "These are my two other Handsomes. You can't take them from me."Original from NôvelDrama.Org.

Xavier's scowl intensified, especially when he saw how much Winnie treasured those two pictures. "Don't you only have one Handsome, me? Why are there two more?"

With a pout, Winnie stuffed the photos into her collar. "These two... are from Granny's place. Indeed, I have two more. You're not the only one."

In an instant, he felt as though he had been cheated on. It didn't help that she put those two pictures in front of her chest.

Part of Xavier's jealousy came from the fact that he hadn't gotten the chance to admire that chest with his hands yet. "Give me the pictures."

Winnie shook her head. "No. You're being scary. I'm too scared to do it."

While she spoke, she strolled to a corner, luring him far away from the luggage.

As expected, Xavier followed behind her. When he saw the fear in her eyes directed at him, he didn't feel good.

In fact, he was very annoyed because he really wanted to tear the pictures to pieces. "You said they're your Handsomes too. Are they the same as me?"

His legs were long, so it only took him less than a handful of steps to force her to the wall.

Winnie stared at the big man in front of her fearfully and innocently as she nodded. "Mhm. It's the same. Your eyes are so scary right now, Handsome. Don't look at me like that."

Her grip on the photos tightened.

While she was pretending to be very pitiful and afraid of the man in front of her, she loved seeing how anxious she made him. This isn't close enough. He should get a little closer, bend down, and use his hot, sexy voice to talk next to my ear. He seems to like it when I stare at him with an innocent look. Hmm, I should squeeze out a few tears.

Moments later, tears welled in her eyes. "What are you doing, Handsome?"

The temperature of the amorous atmosphere in the corner was rising.

Her weak voice made Xavier's heart flutter as he gulped subconsciously.

"What am I doing?" He raised his hand, effortlessly pinning her fair and slender wrists on the wall above her head. "Don't you know what I am doing? Are you not aware your hand is injured right now? Your hand still has bandages wrapped around it, yet you keep abusing your hand! Do you want to lose your hand for two pictures?"

His voice sounded almost like he was growling.

"N-No..." Winnie blinked, looking as though she was about to cry. Yet, in her heart, she loved how angry and lustful he appeared. "You're still trying to move?"

"I-I was wrong..."

"Then I want you to tell me something." Xavier lowered his head, basically touching her cheek, and spoke hoarsely. "Are those two men really the same as me in your heart? Did you sleep with them before? Did you let them pin you to a wall? Have you touched their monsters as well, hmm?"

Winnie was dumbfounded for a moment before she realized what he was referring to when he said "monsters." She almost couldn't resist laughing when she heard that, but she did.

She sniffed and teased the man in front of her while still acting pitiful. "N-No. Granny didn't allow it, but she was okay if I held their hands. It's because I see both of them as my brothers." "Brothers?" It was as though he thought of something as his eyebrows furrowed.

"Mhm!" She nodded. "Brothers! You're my brother too, Handsome."

Then she raised her face and kissed his chin.

However, Xavier appeared as though he was burned by the word "brother" as he let Winnie go and took two steps backward. "Do you know what's a brother and what's a husband?" "No." She shook her head, confused.

The look in his eyes became even more hidden and complicated as he stared. "But I do."

Am I crazy? Did I actually fall for her? Not only that, I was jealous of her because of how she's calling the people in those two pictures! I can't believe I used to want to ravage the body of a mentally challenged woman! He was having difficulty coming to terms with his thoughts.

After driving for two hours from the company to the mansion, he stayed in the mansion for only ten minutes before leaving.

Winnie wasn't stupid. She intentionally used the word "brother" to provoke him because she knew it would prompt him to think about human decency.

It was her desperate attempt to deal with the pictures and her equipment.

However, she did enjoy provoking him and messing with him.

As for the pictures, Winnie made all the stuff she said earlier up.

They weren't at all her brothers in the countryside where her grandmother was staying. Instead, they were young men of the Fairchild family.

After Winnie got confirmation that Zyon wasn't the person her grandmother was looking for, she changed her targets. She found those two in the pictures to be the most likely candidates for whom she should search.

Since they were born into a Fairchild branch family, they probably didn't and wouldn't have the chance to meet with the direct heir of the main family, like Xavier. It was why Xavier didn't recognize them. Those two photos were left behind by her carelessness.

At that moment, the pictures had been shredded and thrown into the toilet bowl to be flushed away.

As for Xavier, well, he had gone somewhere else while still feeling exasperated.