This luxury car was one of only three in the world, and even the former Dawson family couldn’t afford one.
Could Winifred be in this car?
There were clearly other people inside. Besides this luxury car, another followed behind. Four bodyguards stepped out and stood by the door.
After a while, the door opened. Garrison saw who got out, and his pupils contracted in shock.
It was Leland. What was he doing here?
Garrison knew Leland all too well. A year ago, he had noticed how deep Leland’s thoughts ran and had even warned Winifred, but she hadn’t taken it seriously at the time.
Later, Winifred insisted on coming abroad with him and made him keep it a secret. Garrison thought she was just having a disagreement with her family.
Unexpectedly, shortly after they arrived abroad, the Dawson family underwent a drastic change. Gregory died, and soon after, a new entity called Burns Group emerged and acquired Dawson Group overnight. The Dawson Group disappeared in an instant.
Burns Group developed rapidly, reaching the pinnacle of Peachshire Town within a year, unmatched by anyone. The person behind this feat was Leland.
Garrison couldn’t believe that Gregory’s death had nothing to do with Leland.
After Gregory died, Winifred seemed indifferent as if she had anticipated it all along.
Garrison couldn’t help but wonder if Winifred had sensed Leland’s ambition early on and had come to Midlands to escape him.
Now that Leland suddenly appeared before him, Garrison was not only shocked but also felt a deep sense of fear. He was actually afraid of this man.
Leland’s achievements were something Garrison could never reach. This man was unfathomable; Garrison couldn’t guess what he was thinking. If he had to describe Leland in one word, it would be “monster.”
What shocked Garrison even more came next. As soon as Leland got out of the car, he spotted Garrison. He raised an eyebrow and smiled a meaningful, aggressive smile.
Leland straightened his wrinkled shirt and then stood by the car door, bending slightly as if speaking to someone inside.
Who was inside? Garrison’s pupils trembled as he recalled Mrs. Reeves’ words and thought about the recent finances of the Reeves family. An unbelievable idea formed in his mind and wouldn’t go away.
Leland waited outside for a while before growing impatient and directly pulling Winifred out of the car.
Winifred’s face turned red from struggling.
Seeing her flushed face, Leland couldn’t help but laugh.
“What are you laughing at?”
Leland replied, “Laughing at how you only respond to force.” He paused, his dark eyes becoming deeper. He said something suggestive: “I also like being forceful with you, especially in bed.”
Winifred’s face turned even redder with anger. She had never met such a shameless man. She wished she could use a bottle of toilet cleaner to wash away all the filth in Leland’s brain.
From Garrison’s perspective, it looked like Leland was holding Winifred intimately. His hand clenched tightly at his side until his fingers hurt from the pressure, but he didn’t notice; his eyes were fixed on Leland.
Leland naturally felt that intense gaze but didn’t mind; he even enjoyed it.
This was just the beginning…
Leland pressed Winifred against the car door without touching her inappropriately. He leaned close to her ear and said, “Your white knight is watching us. Let’s go say hello.”
Winifred felt his deep malice. Could she resist? Could she really resist?
If she could have resisted, she wouldn’t have ended up in bed with him last night. If resistance worked, she wouldn’t have been dragged into the car today. Now that they were at the Reeves family’s doorstep, any resistance was meaningless. The only thing left to do was face the pain head-on.
However, facing disappointment and accepting despair were even more painful than facing pain itself.
Leland knew she was unwilling; throughout the journey, he could feel Winifred’s rejection. If not for the locked doors and windows, he was sure Winifred would have jumped out of the car.
But now… Leland didn’t mind “pushing” her a bit further. Rather than forcing her outright, he preferred that Winifred submit willingly.
“If you don’t go in now, I’ll kiss you right here.”
At the mention of “kiss,” Winifred’s lips hurt. Throughout the journey, Leland had kissed her repeatedly without regard for the driver in front; the entire backseat was filled with ambiguous sounds. It was her first time experiencing motion sickness from such an ordeal.
Her lips were burning painfully now; without touching or looking at them, she knew they were red.
Leland did it on purpose-to make her appear before the Reeves family as someone who had been “claimed,” stripping away her dignity bit by bit before Garrison until nothing remained but her exposed heart.
Winifred pushed him away slightly; her eyes weren’t red from being kissed senselessly in the car but now brimmed with tears as if they would fall any second.
Her eyes showed humiliation and compromise. She knew clearly that encountering Leland meant an end to her peaceful days; there was no going back. She could only follow Leland step by step forward-no matter how thorny the path or how much bloodied her feet became-she had to grit her teeth and move on.
In difficult times, one either becomes stronger or falls into decadence; she chose the former. One day, she would deal with Leland; she would slowly kill him just like she had done things before-using others’ hands or poisoning without batting an eye at her father’s death-she feared none of these…
The so-called “self-imposed prison” meant confining oneself to solitary torment; Winifred would never accept that fate alone-she would drag Leland down with her even if it meant suffering together.
Leland didn’t know what Winifred was thinking; just as he leaned in for another kiss, Winifred suddenly smiled-a smile that didn’t reach her eyes-and blocked his warm lips with a finger before turning towards Garrison standing at the door along with Mrs. Reeves and Mr. Reeves beside him.
This time Leland genuinely laughed-he touched his lips lightly then followed Winifred closely pulling her into his arms again
Winifred didn’t resist-instead leaning compliantly against him walking towards Reeves’ residence
Leland wasn’t targeting just Garrison alone-it was an announcement to everyone-that Winifred belonged solely to him.