Chapter 635 You Listen to My Explanation First
Because they were both glued to their phones, their shoulders were practically touching. The woman's cheeks were flushed, her exposed skin a rosy pink, and there was a hint of flirtation in her eyes. Anyone would get the wrong idea.
Winona glanced at them briefly and turned to leave without waiting for Zachary to speak.
Zachary quickly frowned and followed her. "Winona, wait up, let me explain..."
As they walked away, Maeve's stiff posture slowly relaxed. She had gripped her clutch so tightly that it was misshapen. With trembling hands, she raised her phone and snapped several photos of a certain spot in the banquet hall before heading inside.
Zachary caught up to Winona in a room on the second floor. "Winona!"
She turned around, following his pull, her face showing no anger at all. "What did she say to you?"
Zachary had already told her everything about Maeve and the orchestrated rescue the night he went to Aetheria.
He pulled her into his arms, resting his head on her shoulder, and recounted his conversation with Maeve. Winona listened, frowning, especially at the part where Maeve seemed to want to drive a wedge between her and Zachary. It was odd. What was the ultimate goal?
Could it be that Maeve or someone else was jealous of their happiness together?
Lost in thought, Winona accidentally voiced her suspicions. Zachary knew the reason but couldn't say. He held the back of her head, inhaling the familiar scent of her hair, and began to feel a bit distracted.
He tilted his head, about to kiss her, but Winona pushed him away without hesitation. "We're discussing serious matters. Be serious and stop..."
She paused, choosing a more refined way to say it. "Stop getting so close. Do you believe what she said?"
"Whether I believe it or not, we'll have to investigate to find out," Zachary said, his expression turning serious. "I'll handle this. You don't need to worry about it or get too close to her. Whether she's genuinely on my side or just pretending, she's not simple. I told you about her so you wouldn't misunderstand."
Like tonight.
If he hadn't told Winona about Maeve beforehand, she would have definitely misunderstood the scene on the balcony. Then he'd be in the same situation as Samuel, with another topic to discuss when they gathered.
Winona nodded. "Okay."
But she doubted Maeve would let her stay uninvolved.
Seeing her agree, Zachary smiled contentedly and reached out to hug her.
Winona raised her hand, pressing against his shoulder, frowning. "What's gotten into you lately? Why do you keep trying to touch me?"
Her slight strength was no match for Zachary, who quickly overcame it. "I just suddenly feel like I can't bear to be without you."
"I'm not going to grow wings and fly away," she said, pushing him. "Let go. We've been up here long enough. If we don't go back down, the guests will start wondering."
As the host of the banquet, she couldn't be absent for too long.
Zachary didn't respond.
Winona waited for half a minute, but he still didn't react.
With a third of his weight pressing on her, half of her body was numb. She couldn't help but push him. "Zachary?"
No response, but the arm around her waist tightened suddenly, almost breaking her ribs.
She let out a muffled groan of pain.
Zachary quickly loosened his grip but didn't let go. "I'm a bit tired. Just hold me for two more minutes, then we'll go down."
His voice was particularly hoarse, his words unclear. If they weren't so close, she wouldn't have understood him.
Remembering he had stayed up almost all night, Winona's heart softened. She couldn't bear to push him away, and her hand on his shoulder lost its strength.
In the quiet room, their heartbeats gradually synchronized, the strong rhythm gently vibrating against their eardrums.
Winona's hand rested on Zachary's waist, and she soon noticed something was wrong. "Zachary, are you cold? Why are you shaking?"
He seemed to be asleep, but when Winona started pushing him again, he spoke in a hoarse voice. "My leg's a bit numb. Don't move. I can't stand properly."
Winona was silent.
They stayed close for a few more minutes before finally straightening their clothes and heading downstairs.
Maeve was pacing nervously at the bottom of the stairs. When she saw them, she forced a smile that looked worse than crying. "Ms. Sullivan, what happened earlier was a misunderstanding. I had a bit too much to drink and went out for some fresh air. I happened to run into Mr. Bailey smoking."
Winona nodded. "Zachary already explained. I'm sorry, Ms. Harrington, for not taking better care of you."
Maeve's face was stiff. "I'll head home now."
Winona hadn't even reached her when she smelled the strong scent of alcohol on Maeve. Her face was very red, clearly drunk. "I'll have the driver take you."
"No need. I'll call a cab."
"It's not safe for a woman to take a cab this late, especially since it's quite a walk to find one from here."
Maeve nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Sullivan and Mr. Bailey."
The Bailey family lived quite far from her place, even without traffic, it took about fifty minutes.
When Maeve got home, her steps were unsteady. She declined the driver's offer to walk her inside and entered the house alone.
She inserted the key into the lock but suddenly paused.
Maeve sobered up quickly, pulling out her phone and using the flashlight to inspect the gap by the lock.
She always placed a hair in the door gap when she left, but now it was gone.
Someone had been in her home.
This was a basement apartment, with no security cameras or management, and the residents were a mixed bunch. No one kept valuables here, so even if there was a break-in, it might not be worth reporting.
She opened the door and scanned the room. Everything looked the same as when she left.
Maeve lifted the mattress, revealing a small compartment in the bed frame. She reached in and pulled out the contents.
It was filled with photos.
Photos of her, Zachary, Winona, and even Fiona.
Maeve flipped through the photos. None were missing, and the order was correct. She nervously looked around the room.
The basement was small, with no separate bathroom, and she could see everything at a glance. But there were so many things piled up that it felt like there were hiding spots everywhere.
She suddenly turned and shouted into a corner, "Who's there? Come out."
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