Chapter 211
When Winnie whisked Sean away, Mervin was still in a daze.
It was rare for him to show such a blank expression, and even Bagot couldn’t help but come over to check on him.
Mervin just stared at Bagot, “Mr. Bagot, did you know that Ms. Bryant is actually the famous Master Winner?”
Bagot was taken aback, unsure how to explain that he had been in the dark at first. He only knew that the lucky sod Baily had stumbled upon a true master and had forked over a hefty sum for twenty life–saving charms.
As for this Master Winner, he’d only learned about it from Mervin.
But he had kept mum.
Seeing Bagot’s silence, Mervin took it as confirmation and a tinge of regret crossed his face.
“If I’d known you had invited Master Winner, I wouldn’t have overestimated myself and joined the program.”
No wonder Mervin master had made a point of tipping Master Bryant. He’d never given Mervin a tip.
Listening to Mervin, Bagot was perplexed.
What was going on?
His sixth guest hadn’t even shown up, and this one seemed ready to bow out. That simply
wouldn’t do.
He hurriedly pulled Mervin aside for a heart–to–heart.
Meanwhile, Winnie and Sean were en route to the airport in the vehicle arranged by the show’s team, just as Gentry zoomed past them in the opposite direction.
Noticing Sean’s gaze linger on Gentry, Winnie remembered his earlier claim that he hadn’t been the one to save Gentry in the mountains and decided to probe.
Puffing up with pride at her rare inquiry, Sean squinted and teased, “Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one? Can’t you figure it out?”
Winnie kept a straight face, “Are you going to tell me or not?”
Sean pouted but came clean, “I wasn’t lying. I really didn’t lift a finger that night. It was his guardian spirit that protected him.”
Winnie was taken aback, “He has a guardian spirit?”
12:39
So those faint sensations she’d felt before weren’t her imagination?
Just a talentless fox, not even as skilled as me,” Sean said, adding, “But then again, it’s stuck guarding a man who’s just as unremarkable, can’t even respond to it.”
A talentless fox looking out for a talentless human. Gentry had no idea it even existed.
Winnie didn’t know what to make of this mess. But she knew well that for a guardian spirit to take up residence in someone’s home, there had to be a connection, perhaps with Gentry’s ancestors, or perhaps with him personally.
Like the werewolf of Cloverfield Cottage and the villagers.
The werewolf had guarded the villagers for years, yet they were oblivious to its presence.
Perhaps the initial guardianship was born out of a pact, but with no recognition, the lonely spirits must have felt isolated, right?
Returning to Emerald Bay in the late afternoon, Winnie took Sean straight to the small rental she’d kept.
She hadn’t given up the lease and had even arranged for a cleaning service beforehand.
Though she’d promised to introduce Sean to Drake, now wasn’t the time.
Seeing the modest two–bedroom flat, Sean was slightly displeased, “I saw on my phone that they say you’re rich.”
The implication was clear. Why would someone as wealthy as she stash him in such cramped quarters?
Winnie didn’t bother to argue, “Take it or leave it. I can always send you back to the mountains.”
With a huff, Sean didn’t argue further and strode into the bedroom.
After outlining the upcoming schedule, Winnie left the rental to return to the Bryant family
estate.
As soon as she arrived, Winnie noticed several children chasing Pretty around the garden. Leading the pack was Nadine, with Pretty clearly toying with the tots, pacing herself and even stopping to let them catch up.
Someone had adorned its head with a small veil and a pretty little crown, which it seemed to adore, careful not to let it fall while running.
The scene before Winnie was almost too quaint to process. When had her little fox become such good friends with Nadine?
Stepping out of the car, Winnie’s presence instantly froze the merriment. Nadine’s expression stiffened, and then she turned her head away with a haughty huff.
Winnie raised an eyebrow and simply called out, “Pretty.”
At the sound of her owner’s voice, Pretty abandoned the children and scampered over, leaping into Winnie’s arms and nestling against her with a vivacious energy.
The children, robbed of their furry playmate, looked on forlornly, their eyes filled with envy. “I know her. She’s the girl who was on that reality show with the celebrities. The internet says she’s really impressive.”
“Really? Nadine never told me that.”
Nadine watched with puffed cheeks as Winnie’s simple gesture reclaimed the fox that had taken a top–tier steak to coax out for play.
“Give her back to me,” Nadine demanded.
Winnie couldn’t help but chuckle at the girl’s bold assertion, “Give her back? Is she yours?” “She’s in my house, so she’s mine.” Nadine retorted with her usual mix of arrogance and
conviction.
Before Winnie could respond, Nadine’s friends also approached, and only then did Winnie notice something alarming: each child bore an ominous sign of impending doom.
One might be a coincidence, but all of them? This was clearly not normal.
Pushing aside her concern, Winnie crouched down, still holding Pretty, and inquired softly, “Are you friends with Nadine?”
With her curly pigtails bouncing, a little girl nodded enthusiastically, “Yeah, after summer break we’re all heading to first grade. Are you Nadine’s big sister? You’re so pretty.”
“Thank you.” Winnie, cradling the little fox’s paw, gestured for the girl to come closer with a wave of her hand.
The girl’s face lit up with joy as she looked at the little fox.
A gaggle of other kids chattered excitedly around them, expressing their desire to play with the fox.
Nadine watched from the sidelines, fuming with jealousy.
But the house rule was clear: no tantrums in front of guests. She could only stand huffily to one side, waiting for her friends to notice her pout and come over to coax her out of it.
Meanwhile, everyone seemed to be clustered around Winnie, petting Pretty the fox while engaging in conversation with her.
In just a short time, Winnie had gathered her intel.
These kids had all been in the same preschool with Nadine and were about to make the big jump to elementary school after the summer. To celebrate this milestone, the community organized a special field trip for the day after tomorrow.
With this piece of news, Winnie began to piece together a rough idea of what was going
- on.
