All of a sudden, she clutched her abdomen and let out a soft groan. Xavier noticed what happened and quickly asked in concern, “What’s the matter?”
“My stomach hurts a little. You guys go ahead. I’ll deal with nature’s call, Veronica replied with. a sheepish smile before ducking into the forest. “Women are so much trouble.”
Liam shook his head. ‘Come. Let’s go down first.” “I’ll wait for her here.” Xavier was still worried about her. “Sure. Let’s go, Nelson.” Liam waved Nelson over.
“Alright,” Nelson agreed as he limped along behind Liam and followed the latter down. Once Veronica was sure they couldn’t see her anymore, she began making her way toward Mount Gazette. However, she abruptly came to a halt.
“Wait a minute.” Her brows furrowed in thought. Initially, she and Matthew planned on waiting for each other by the lake between Mount Manos and Mount Gazette.
The five of them had traveled at an extremely slow pace today, so they had to have fallen behind Matthew. Who is he teamed up with?Without a doubt, it has to be Eleanor.
Out of Tanya’s five children, Veronica had only met Dominik, Eleanor, and Liam. She’d never seen the other two before and didn’t know anything about them. Dominik had a steady personality. Both he and Liam posed no threats to the position of the head of the clan.
Even though Tanya’s other two children were girls, Veronica heard that they were fairly average in every way, so they wouldn’t be prime candidates to inherit the position either. Therefore, all four of them wouldn’t be in any danger. Thus, the only one who would’ve gotten injured was… “Eleanor?”
If Matthew’s in the same group as Eleanor, he’d have to protect her. If anything happens to her, both he and I would be the prime suspects and in danger of getting executed.
Thus, no matter what happened, Matthew would’ve done his best to protect Eleanor. So… who was the injured one taken away on a helicopter? Veronica’s chest constricted as her eyes flew over to the direction where she’d seen the helicopter. She was terror-stricken.
It was most likely Eleanor who got injured and needed the helicopter. Matthew is definitely on the same team as Eleanor. He wouldn’t stand idly by and watch her get hurt without helping, but since the helicopter came over, it means that her life is in danger. In that case, Matthew…
Veronica stumbled and nearly fell. At the same time, she detected unusual movement behind her. She whipped around and pressed the dagger in her hand against the person’s neck. “Don’t- Xavier?”
Veronica was about to order the person not to move when she realized it was Xavier. “Something’s on your mind.” Xavier was grim-faced as he surveyed her with a complicated look in his eyes. “Do you not trust me?”
He knew Veronica had been lying when she said she had a stomach ache, so he followed her. Then, he found her frozen in the same spot for quite some time as if she were a statue. After that, she stumbled and nearly fell, which made him concerned.
“You can go back now.” Veronica put the dagger back into its sheath. “If I’m right, the helicopter earlier has taken. Eleanor and Matthew away. Eleanor has known about Matthew’s identity all along, and she likes him a lot,” she openly stated. Xavier’s brows furrowed as his eyes flickered in thought. “Eleanor likes him?”
“Yeah, she does.” Veronica took a deep breath before sighing. “One of them has to be critically wounded, or maybe even both. You’re not the only one who doesn’t have to continue. I need to turn back as well.”
The four-day journey into the mountain was cut short after only just one day. Everything was happening faster than Veronica. expected. Xavier scratched his head in frustration.
Initially, he’d wanted to strike once he ran into Matthew here, but fate didn’t open that door for him! “I’m leaving. You should find Antheena and take her back.”
Veronica walked off right away. Xavier hesitated as he watched her trekking back in the direction where they’d come from. Antheena had followed them into the mountain, and if he didn’t find her and protect her, she could very well be in danger, too.
During his darkest days, it was Antheena’s arrival that brought light into his world. His conscience wouldn’t allow him to leave her in the mountain without any regard for her safety. “Take care, Roni!”
After weighing the options, Xavier decided to look for Antheena. Veronica quite liked hearing him use the nickname Roni with her, just like the way he used to. She stopped and turned around to flash him al smile. “I hope the two of you will return safely as well.”
Their gazes met. They were standing several yards apart. One had a smile that took a lot of effort to maintain, while the other’s brows were tightly knitted. Both had their fair share of concern.
A gentle breeze made Veronica’s hair rustle against her forehead. The motion only served to draw attention to her snowy white skin and bold, elegant features. It was hard for people to tear their eyes away from her.
Xavier felt his heartstrings being tugged. An intense feeling of affection rose in his chest, but it only served to make his struggle even. harder. “Make sure you stay safe.”
After hesitating a little while longer, he turned around and walked away first. The two strode off in different directions, and both disappeared into different parts of the forest.
Meanwhile, Liam kept gabbling away about his experience with fishing and the different methods there were. At length, he realized that he wasn’t getting a response. “I’m talking to you, Nelson. Why aren’t you…”
