Chapter 15
Winnie hurried down the stairs, barely touching the last step as a flash of white darted to her feet and swiftly climbed up her leg, nestling cozity into her arms.
The butler and bodyguards, chasing after the fox, halted at the sight.
Meanwhile, other members of the Bryant family also saw the fox snuggled in Winnie’s embrace. “Winnie, don’t tell me you brought this fox here!” Leonie was the first to respond, her face a mix of surprise and concern. “It’s a fox we’re talking about, and we’ve got kids around. What if someone gets bitten?”
“It was her, I told her no pets in the house last night, but she wouldn’t listen!” Springer, drawn by the commotion, wasted no time in adding fuel to the fire.
“It’s my fox, and it won’t hurt anyone unprovoked,” Winnie stated confidently, cradling the little creature closer to her chest.
“Foxes are wild and unpredictable. You say it won’t bite, but can you guarantee that?” Another voice sounded, belonging to Hobson, a cousin of Winnie’s age. His gaze was frosty, clearly not thrilled about Winnie’s return.
Springer nodded eagerly in agreement. “Exactly!”
Perhaps sensing Springer’s repeated antagonism, the little fox lifted its head from Winnie’s. embrace and bared its teeth at Springer with a menacing growl.
Springer stepped back instantly, pointing at the fox and yelping. “Look at it! Just look!”
Then, a frightened child’s voice piped up. “Mommy, I’m scared! Please make it go away! Make it go away!”
That was the youngest daughter of the second branch of the family, six–and–a–half–year–old Nadine Bryant, clinging fearfully to Leonie’s leg.
Horace entered the house to this chaotic scene of Winnie standing at the bottom of the staircase with the fox in her arms, surrounded by family members as if she were on trial.
His lips curled into a customary, cold smile, and he stepped forward to announce. “The fox is my responsibility. Winnie has my permission. If anyone has an issue, take it up with me.”
Shock rippled through the Bryant cousins at the revelation that Horace had approved.
Amber approached, her tone soft and conciliatory. “Horace, we’re not targeting Winnie, but the fox’s arrival was sudden, and you know Grandma…” She trailed off, but the implication was clear to everyone.
Louisa Bryant didn’t care for pets with fur, and the family had abided by her preferences. With her health being delicate, no one dared to cross her. She was away at a mountain retreat, and the family worried how she might react to a new fox in the house upon her return.
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16:38
Chapter 15
Amber reminded Horace that he couldn’t stand up for Winnie in everything.
Horace’s sharp eyes swept over Amber and then returned to a smile. “I’ll speak with Grandma about it.” he said. His tone left no room for argument, and he turned to instruct the staff following him, “Set up the pet house in the east garden and add a shelter.”
Only then did the others notice the workers trailing Horace with materials that suggested the fox’s house was already under construction.
Horace had assured Winnie the night before, but she hadn’t expected him to have everything ready for the fox first thing in the morning.
Holding Pretty, she tightened her grip, abandoning any thoughts of returning Pretty to her rented apartment.
With Horace as her shield, there was no way she would hold back.
With Horace’s intervention, Springer and the others held their tongues on Winnie’s keeping the fox, biding their time until Louisa’s return to see how Horace would protect Winnie then.
Unaware of their thoughts, Winnie carried Pretty upstairs and changed into a fresh outfit. After breakfast, she meticulously groomed the fox’s fur until every strand shone. Only then, she was satisfied, picked up her pet, and headed out.
Late rising had delayed her, and it was already half–past ten when she left the house, contemplating that Drake was probably at the office by then. However, considering last night’s disturbance, she decided to apologize first.
To her surprise, Drake was home.
Dressed impeccably in a suit, from head to toe, he seemed ready to head out to work, yet there he was, casually seated, the gold halo emanating from him, as dazzling as ever.
Blinking to adjust her eyes to the brilliance, Winnie approached with the fox in her arms.
“Mr. Patterson, I wasn’t expecting you to be home.”
Drake regarded her blinking eyes, a depth gathering in his pupils, his expression cold and unreadable. His lips parted slightly. “You said you’d come by early.”
Winnie paused, realizing with amusement and disbelief that he might have stayed home waiting for her because of her promised apology. Was the business magnate, whose time was worth millions by the minute, truly so unoccupied?
She had focused on the visit, unaware that for Drake, the emphasis was on her promise of “early.”
One of Drake’s characters was keeping his word. She said she would come by early, so he waited. However, he hadn’t expected ‘early‘ to mean half past ten.
“About last night, I’m sorry for any trouble my fox caused. There’s a lucky charm I made myself as a gesture of apology.”
16:38
Chapter 15
Winnie handed him a pouch containing the charm, with symbols for good fortune on the back.
Considering Drake’s gold aura was like a beacon warding off evil, any more powerful and protective charm wouldn’t be necessary for him, so she chose this one.
Since the charm was crafted from spiritually charged wood, its effects were pure and potent. It was her way of laying the groundwork for a relationship with the affluent Mr. Patterson, and she hoped for a chance to bask in his gold aura.
Drake accepted the pouch but didn’t immediately open it. He gestured for his butler to take care of it, effectively accepting Winnie’s apology.
Seeing this. Winnie couldn’t help but remind him, “For the lucky charm to work, you should carry it with you.”
Drake’s hand hesitated as he handed it to the butler, then with a dismissive wave, he stuffed the small velvet pouch into his suit jacket pocket.
It was only then that a satisfied smile graced Winnie’s lips.
Seeing the apology ritual come to a close, Drake lingered no more and rose to leave.
Cradling her pet fox in her arms, Winnie quickly followed up.
As they walked side by side, Winnie stealthily reached out and scooped around Drake’s gold aura. In a second, she had snatched two golden sparks into her palm.
Her bright eyes widened slightly in surprise. She managed to snag some!
“What are you doing?” Drake’s voice was cold, having noticed her sneaky maneuver.
Caught in the act, Winnie maintained her composure and casually made an excuse. “Mr. Patterson, could you possibly give me a lift? I was just about to head out.”
Drake’s suspicious gaze shifted across her face, and suddenly, he thought of the lucky charm she had given him.
“Serving as an apology and a request for a ride, the lucky charm is quite the convenient token.” he mused inwardly. But his expression remained unfazed as he reluctantly nodded his agreement.
Still holding the fox, Winnie climbed into the car with him.
Noticing Drake’s gaze falling on the furry creature in her arms again, as if scrutinizing it, she quickly explained, “I bathed it after bringing it home last night. It’s clean.”
Drake pursed his lips, then asked, “Where to?”
Winnie’s gaze darted as she replied, “The Sanchez family.”
She was off to make some extra cash.
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