Chapter 49
Winnie had been liaising with Horace to arrange a ride, so when he showed up, it was no surprise to her.
Springer, on the other hand, was completely out of the loop. At the sight of Horace, he reacted. like a mouse that had just spotted a cat, instinctively ducking behind Winnie for cover.
“It wasn’t my fault this time, I swear!” As Springer pleaded, he tugged anxiously at Winnie’s sleeve. “Winnie! Could you please explain it to Horace for me?”
Horace, observing Springer’s antics, arched an eyebrow but said nothing. Winnie indeed vouched for him, “Yeah, it’s not on him.”
Horace thought to himself. If it’s not Springer’s mess, then whose was it? His gaze then fell on Amber lying on the ground nearby.
So was Amber the real troublemaker?
But with seven people down and out before him, Horace didn’t feel inclined to press the matter further as long as everyone was okay.
Soon the ambulance arrived and whisked away the seven rooftop victims, along with Nina from downstairs, to the hospital.
Upon hearing about Amber’s misfortune, Hobson and Cutler hurriedly made their way to the hospital. After learning the details of the incident and seeing Amber unconscious while Springer was unharmed, they couldn’t help but unleash a barrage of questions on Springer.
“What the hell happened? Why didn’t you take better care of Amber?”
“Amber always looked out for you. If you had any conscience at all, you wouldn’t have let anything happen to her. How are you going to explain this to grandma when she gets back?”
Springer, who had been through a harrowing experience, turned red with frustration under their unexpected interrogation.
“What do you guys know?” He retorted. “How do you know I didn’t protect her? Why don’t you ask her what was going on at the time…”
Springer was just a kid, and the barrage of accusations left him feeling both angry and wronged. He didn’t say anything more and just turned on his heel and stormed off, his pride wounded.
Hobson and Cutler figured Springer was just avoiding responsibility for his actions and decided to leave him be.
Meanwhile, Winnie was unaware of the drama unfolding in the hospital room. She had been visiting the other patients, clearing away the lingering bad vibes from them. As she returned, she saw Springer storming out of the room, his face puffed up with anger, disappearing into the stairwell.
Inside the stairwell, Springer cleaned his tears with his hand. He wasn’t the type to cry over a tew harsh words. It was the unfairness of it all that got to him.
He had been cautious even when he agreed to the foolish challenge in the building. When those strange threads appeared out of nowhere, ensnaring people before they could react, his first instinct was to grab Amber and run. He had even thrown himself in front of her to block the threads from reaching her.
But in the end… the moment he felt the threads wrap around his legs, Amber had wriggled free from his grasp and fled.
Instead, it was Nina who had tried to help Springer and both had become entangled,
How had he managed to escape those threads?
Springer remembered the sensation of a sudden heat under his feet, followed by the snapping of the threads that bound him, allowing him to carry Nina, wrapped like a cocoon, to safety…
With no time to think in the heat of the moment, now that he had a moment to reflect, Springer swiftly removed his shoes to check. He found a layer of black ash on the insole, clearly a sign of something that had been burned. In the corner, there was a small piece of Charm.
At the sight of the Charm, Springer immediately thought of Winnie and seemed to understand.
His eyes reddened once again. He had been saved by Winnie from the very start.
She had warned him, but he didn’t listen, insisting on going out with Amber. And yet, she wasn’t angry. Instead, she had secretly slipped a Charm into his shoe to protect him.
With that realization, Springer’s tears flowed more freely, but now they were tears of gratitude and regret.
He had been so hostile towards Winnie before and had even conspired with Hobson to drive her away from home, and yet she still cared enough to help him…
As he sobbed, the sound of a door opening startled him, and he quickly wiped away his tears. Turning around, he saw Winnie.
She caught him off guard, his eyes wide and still wet with tears. The Bryant family was known for their good looks. Springer, a handsome young lad, now had tears glistening on his lashes. adding a vulnerable charm to his appearance.
Winnie raised an eyebrow at the sight.
Springer flushed with a mix of embarrassment and shame. “What are you doing here?” The question came out more sharply than he intended, and he quickly softened his tone, “I don’t mean you shouldn’t be here… If you need some space, I’ll get out of your way.”
Having witnessed Winnie’s capabilities, Springer had nothing but respect for her. But considering his past behavior, he figured she wouldn’t want anything to do with him, and his pleading tongue before now seemed stuck in his throat.
Chapter 49
“I’m here for you,” Winnie sald, extending her hand. “You need to give back the Amulet I lent you. for protection.”
Her demeanor was cool as if they hadn’t faced adversity together.
Tears threatened to surface in Springer’s eyes again, but he Instinctively clutched the Amulet around his neck, forgetting his earlier feelings of injustice and regret, looking at her pleadingly.
“Can’t you let me keep this Amulet?”
Afraid she would refuse, he quickly tried to make amends, “I was out of line before, Winnie. I promise I’ll never go against you again. Whatever you ask, I’ll do it…”
As far as his previous attitude towards Winnle was concerned, to save Springer was already for the sake of the family, and Winnie would not count less with him.
La
Winnie looked him dead in the eye, asking. “You really want it, huh?”
Springer nodded vigorously, his eyes wide with eagerness. “Yes, I want it!”
Winnie extended her hand toward him again, her voice flat and businesslike, “The Amulet’s going to run you two hundred grand. Add in your fee for this little adventure, plus four Thunder Charms at four hundred grand, we’re looking at a cool six hundred grand. I take card or PayPal.”
Considering the way he’d treated her earlier, saving his hide was already a big favor, considering they were practically family. Winnie wasn’t about to let him off the hook for a single cent.
Springer knew he’d been a jerk and didn’t protest the cost. But at the mention of money, het suddenly got am idea, “Uh, can I add your contact first?”
Winnie simply pulled but her phone and added him as a contact.
Springer’s face lit up, and he didn’t dare delay. He quickly transferred the six hundred grand. Winnie accepted the transfer without a second thought, her eyes curving with satisfaction. She was pleased with the deposit and couldn’t help but think that the Bryant family was rolling in dough. Kids didn’t even flinch at dropping six hundred grand.
They returned to the hospital room where Amber was already awake. There was a brief moment of awkwardness when she saw Springer, but she quickly recovered, stretching her hand out to him with a smile that was both relieved and concerned.
“Springer, I was so worried when I woke up and you weren’t here. You
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