Chapter 49: He Didn’t Want Lia to Be Afraid of Him

Ophelia noticed nothing. When she got in the car, Graham said he had other things to attend to and didn’t follow her. She didn’t suspect a thing.

“What was this?” Winford asked, noticing the exquisite gift box in her arms.

His deep, flowing voice made Ophelia’s ears tingle, and she quietly rubbed them, feeling a bit embarrassed as she said, “…the gift I bought for you.”

“Gift?” Winford was taken aback, his gaze falling back on the box. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Did you go out specifically to buy a gift for me today?”

“That’s right!”

Everything was discovered by him, so Ophelia simply opened the box and took out the cufflinks. “As soon as I saw it, I felt it was perfect for you! Honey, do you like it?” She nervously and eagerly presented the item to him. This was her first time giving him a gift. In her past life, she had never thought about such things at all. Instead, he had given her many gifts; whenever he saw something precious or interesting, he would bring it home for her. However, she hadn’t cherished any of it, and now thinking back on it brought her pain and regret.

Winford looked at the cufflinks, his expression inscrutable, and he didn’t say anything. Ophelia’s smile faded, and she looked a bit disappointed. “Don’t you like it…?” She slowly withdrew her hand. The hand was suddenly grabbed.

“I liked it very much,” he said, looking at her intently. “Help me put it on.”

Ophelia looked up in surprise and found herself staring into the man’s dark eyes. For some reason, her cheeks felt a bit warm. “Okay, I helped you put it on!” She pulled his hand and rolled up the sleeves of his suit jacket, revealing the shirt sleeves underneath. His hands were large, long, and strong, with distinct knuckles. They were a size larger than hers, just like his build, so her hand could be perfectly enveloped in his palm. With the cufflinks on, she thought he looked even more handsome and charming than before.

Out of the blue, a box was suddenly handed to her. Ophelia was taken aback. “What is this?”

“Open it and take a look,” Winford said, gazing at her. A certain guess suddenly sprang to her mind, and Ophelia eagerly opened the box. A pair of stunningly beautiful earrings caught her eye. Ophelia breathed a little lighter, her eyes widening in surprise. These earrings were also primarily made of dark blue gemstones, making them a perfect match with the cufflinks she had bought!

She looked up in surprise and said, “Is this a gift for me?!”

“Do you like it?” Winford didn’t deny it, his voice low and gentle, subtly revealing a sense of affection.

“I like it!” Ophelia nodded emphatically, her eyes sparkling; she was truly happy. Suddenly, she hugged his arm, shook it gently, and shyly acted like a spoiled child, saying, “Then… could you help me put it on, hubby?” She brought the earrings closer to him, her eyes filled with anticipation. “Is it good?”

Winford was taken aback. He had never helped a woman with such a thing before, but seeing the girl’s expectant expression, he couldn’t help but feel a slight softening in his heart. His voice was a bit hoarse as he said, “…Alright.”

To make it easier for him to move, Ophelia leaned closer to him, and as she leaned in, she couldn’t help but rest her head in his arms. Noticing that he was looking down at her, her cheeks flushed, and her gaze darted away. She felt unjustified but tried to sound assertive: “…this is a bit more convenient!”

As soon as the words were spoken, she felt the man’s chest tremble, and he seemed to chuckle softly, “Yes, it’s a bit more convenient.”

Chapter 49: He Did Want Lia to Be Afraid of Him

The tone contained indulgence. Ophelia’s face turned even redder, and she simply buried herself in his arms, pretending to be dead. After all, he was her husband, so what was wrong with her wanting to be close to him? Winford did not push her away; he picked up the earrings and gently and carefully began to help her put them on.

Ophelia was surrounded by the familiar scent of the man, feeling a bit dizzy, her heart racing, and her cheeks involuntarily flushing. She quietly raised her head and saw his strong and charming jawline. Above that was a face as handsome as a god….

“Don’t move.” The man’s voice was somewhat helpless as he pressed down on her head. The obsession in Ophelia’s eyes disappeared at once, and she awkwardly hurriedly lowered her head. Ah, ah, ah, I got caught peeking! I was so embarrassed! Seeing her ears, which were red to the point of bleeding, Winford’s lips curled slightly.

Back at Sunset Vista, Ophelia got out of the car and ran, “I, I went to put away some clothes!” One afternoon, she and Lily bought quite a lot. Watching her flee in panic and completely forgetting to help him push the wheelchair, Winford was not angry at all; the smile in his eyes was quite evident.

Chapter 49: He Didn’t Want Lis to Be Afraid of Him

“Mr. Winford, did I come to help you?” Lily asked cautiously.

Winford withdrew his gaze, suppressing a smile, and spoke with a detached authority, “No need, just go in. If Lia asks, tell her I have something else to attend to and will return later.” He didn’t get out of the car, so the driver drove away from Sunset Vista again. Not far away, Elva stood there, clearly hearing the man’s words, and bit her lip hard.

Lia? What did that bitch do? She actually changed Mr. Winford’s attitude! She felt a strong sense of crisis rising in her heart. She noticed that Mr. Winford had been somewhat different towards Ophelia. No, she absolutely could not sit back and do nothing, letting Mr. Winford be taken by that woman! Mr. Winford was hers!

The restaurant. Cullen’s face was pale, drenched in cold sweat, as he was forced to kneel on the ground, his eyes filled with extreme fear as he looked ahead at the man sitting in the wheelchair. The returning Winford!

“Uncle, Uncle Winford…” His voice trembled. He had thought he had escaped a disaster, but who would have known that Winford had come back! Winford’s gaze fell on him, with not a trace of warmth in his eyes.

“Did you find out?” he asked calmly.

Graham bowed respectfully and said, “Mr. Cullen doesn’t know much, but it can be basically confirmed that the people he came into contact with were from the main family of Kingchester.”

The room was in complete silence. A year ago, Winford still held the power over the entire Pruitt family, standing as an unmovable mountain that no one could topple. The members of the Pruitt family could only live by his favor. Who could have imagined that he suddenly fell ill with an incurable disease, and at most could only live for another three years?

Some people’s minds became active. It seemed that they were not willing to wait even for three years. Winford was not surprised at all by this result; he could even guess who was behind it without needing to investigate further. His handsome face showed no signs of emotion, and his gaze returned to Cullen. The look in those eyes made Cullen tremble slightly, filled with extreme fear. He pleaded in a pitiful manner, “Uncle, Uncle Winford, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have spoken carelessly. Please, spare me this time!”

“You were wrong not just for speaking carelessly,” Winford said.

“What, what…?” Cullen raised his head anxiously and then, unexpectedly, met Winford’s frightening gaze. “You need to be clear about one thing: Lia was my wife,” he said. “I didn’t like it when someone coveted what was mine.”

The low and slow tone, indistinguishable between joy and anger, frightened Cullen so much that he trembled and almost wet his pants.

Graham: “Mr. Winford, how did you handle it?”

Winford spoke in a cold tone, casually saying, “Break his legs.”

Graham was slightly surprised. When had Mr. Winford become so generous and magnanimous? Winford lowered his gaze, gently stroking the cufflinks on his wrist, a hint of tenderness showing in his brows. He did not want to be forgiving, but he did not want his Lia to be afraid of him even more. He knew that outside, people were saying that he had a violent, ruthless, and cruel personality. It was not a rumor; it was indeed true in the past. But it was not the case anymore afterwards.

“Go back,” Winford said, glancing at the time on his watch, ignoring Cullen’s cries.