Gregory left after only three days, citing a sudden emergency and swiftly purchasing a plane ticket that same evening.
Winifred stood by the ground floor window, watching as Gregory got into the car and drove away. As the car disappeared into the distance, the curve of her lips gradually flattened, and she crushed the carnations by her side with force.
“Leland, do you think he loves me?”
Who was she referring to? Without a doubt, it was Gregory, but Leland had yet to figure out Winifred’s thoughts.
“He should love you, right…?”
“Should love?” Winifred turned around. “It seems like you don’t know either. It’s fine, with time, you’ll see. I don’t need him to love me. As long as there’s someone who loves me… just you.”
Winifred said Leland would know if her father really loved her in time.
As time passed, it became evident that Gregory did not love Winifred as much as he appeared to. If he truly loved her, he wouldn’t be secretly entertaining numerous lovers and allowing one of them to come to her school, tarnishing her reputation.
Leland had been with the Dawson family for eight years; he was now eighteen. During this period, Winifred had molded him into her favorite mold – tall and elegant, with exquisite features. The most striking were his eyes and eyebrows, deep and captivating, especially the mole beneath his left eyebrow in perfect placement.
Winifred had noticed Leland’s good looks from the moment she first saw him. When they first met, he was like a little trash sitting by the garbage cans, but now, eight years later, gone were the thin and pale days, replaced by well-nourished skin and a taller stature.
At eighteen, he already stood at over 180 cm, towering over Winifred by 15 cm. Despite this, he was still growing.
Perhaps due to his past, having witnessed his mother’s death and committed a grave act at such a young age, he now carried a certain coldness about him. Sometimes, a hint of murderous intent could be sensed in his eyes, making him seem unapproachable from head to toe.
…
With Leland’s companionship, Winifred also matured and became even more attractive, drawing attention wherever she went.
Once Leland joined the Dawson family, Winifred arranged for him to attend school, as agreed.
Leland not only excelled physically but also mentally. After a long break from school, he quickly caught up upon his return and even skipped a grade to be in the same class as Winifred.
The two were always together, especially since the Dawson family had invested in constructing a new building at the school. With Winifred’s excellent academic performance, always ranking first in her year, teachers admired her and dared not provoke her, ensuring that she and Leland were seated together in the classroom.
Despite outperforming Winifred academically, Leland learned to control his grades. He couldn’t excel or fall too far behind, as Winifred had once told him:
“Leland, I want you to always be behind me.”
To protect her from behind, to be a presence she could see when she turned around, to be a stepping stone behind her.
If Winifred ranked first, then Leland would come in second.
First place and second place in the class – they traveled to and from school together, ate together, sat together, studied together. A single glance from Winifred would tell Leland what she wanted to do.
As long as he could see Winifred, he would be nearby.
As Winifred was a goddess-like figure, attracting attention wherever she went, many were captivated by Leland’s charm. At the tender age of seventeen or eighteen, girls were shy and unwilling to confess their admiration, content to admire Leland from afar and appreciate his handsome face.
Given their constant presence together, some began to speculate about the nature of their relationship.
One time, a classmate jokingly teased Winifred, asking, “Why are you always with Leland? Are you two in love or something?”
Winifred couldn’t help but chuckle, her smile appearing sweet but laden with mockery. “No.”
Leland, worthy of her attention? A servant and a dog she had picked up.
Winifred never disclosed to anyone that Leland was her servant or what he meant to her.
After some consideration, Winifred stated, “He is my little wolf.”
Those who overheard thought she was showing off her affection.
“You’re still claiming he’s not your boyfriend. Little wolf, you sound so sweet saying that.”
Winifred nodded with a smile. “A dog at heart, still a dog.”
A wolf cub raised into a little wolf by Winifred, possessing the fierceness of a wolf and the loyalty of a dog, always by her side to protect her.
Winifred was aloof, and her cold demeanor scattered those around her.
During the recent monthly exams, Winifred remained in first place, with Leland in second.
In the hallway, Leland glanced at the rank list, seeing his and Winifred’s names side by side. It was as if, at that moment, he was closest to her.
With the college entrance exams approaching, both he and Winifred had scores sufficient for any university.
Although Winifred usually made decisions decisively, she found herself hesitant when it came to choosing a university.
During study sessions after school, where students assisted teachers with grading papers, Winifred was accustomed to doing as she pleased and would always leave immediately after the final bell.
On their way home, Winifred suddenly said to Leland, “I want to paint tonight.”
Leland visibly tensed, then softly replied after a moment, “Okay.”
When Winifred painted, it was always of Leland. When she was in a good mood, she painted only his face; when she was feeling down, she had him strip his shirt off for her to paint.
Once, for no reason, Winifred made Leland undress and stand outside, posing as a model for her for two hours – it was during winter.
Leland stood quietly for an hour, outwardly composed. But when Winifred threw down her brush, he nearly collapsed, feverish from the cold. He ended up spending the entire day in bed.
Winifred always found ways to torment him. She would put on a facade of gentleness and care towards others but unleashed her cruelty on Leland, making him learn how to love her.
As they traveled in silence, Winifred contemplated what to paint that evening.
Among all the paintings she had created, her favorite depicted Leland standing bare-chested in a snowy landscape, clutching a large bouquet of roses despite being wounded by the thorns. He held onto the roses tightly, as though seeking warmth.
Lost in her thoughts, Winifred realized they had arrived at the Dawson family estate. From afar, she spotted a woman standing at the entrance, discreetly concealing a slightly protruding belly.