The Ex and Her Riches

Gwendolyn did not hide her intentions. “Yes, if I didn’t do it this way, how could I have caught you?”
Charles laughed with a hint of melancholy at the edge of his lips.
“When did you start being cautious of me?”
“From the moment you pulled out the revolver and asked me to choose between shooting Maverick and Natasha, I knew
something was off with you.”
Does she actually start suspecting me since that time?
Charles looked at her, somewhat in disbelief.
She showed no emotion as she continued, “It wasn’t until the last time you were about to leave Fairlake that I accidentally saw
the person in black in the Realm Bar corridor. Coupled with the acid attack that day, I began to suspect that you had some
connection with the person who harmed me from the Harris family.”
Charles gave a wry smile and responded, “So that’s how it is.”
“Charles, you truly are the only person I’ve admired since childhood, but why do you want to hurt me too?”
He shook his head, still denying it. “I didn’t. When the Harris family announced your death, you had no idea how heartbroken I
was. It was only half a month ago that I found out you were still alive. Only by pretending to cooperate could I come to Fairlake to
see you. If you still love me, I’ll fight against them for you till the end, but... there’s an annoying dog by your side now! That day
at the bar, I was standing on the second floor. I didn’t intend to take action until Maverick came in. I knew he would protect you,
so that’s when I took action. It wasn’t about targeting you; how could I ever bear to see you hurt?”
He spoke without pause, with his eyes gazing deeply and affectionately at Gwendolyn. Despite the bruises on his face, they
could not conceal his stunningly handsome features.
However, Gwendolyn had no time to appreciate his handsomeness, so she scoffed.
“Don’t you find it ridiculous to say that? If he hadn’t shielded me, I would be the one injured right now. How can you say it wasn’t
aimed at me?”
Her gaze grew colder and colder, not wanting to waste time spouting nonsense. “Stop hiding it. I just want to know who from the
Harris family is responsible for harming me. As long as you tell me, I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Charles lowered his gaze, a touch of sadness gracing the corner of his lips.
“You might let me go, but he won’t.”
He?
Gwendolyn frowned. “Who are you talking about?”
Charles looked up at her with sorrow in his eyes and said, “Gwen, your little pet is not a good person. He has been deceiving you
with his acting skills all along. He has more secrets than I do. You must not fall for his tricks!”
“I’ve always known he has secrets. I just never bothered to dig deeper,” Gwendolyn responded nonchalantly.
Anyway, she only had a one-year agreement with Maverick. After that, they would have nothing to do with each other, and she
was not very interested in his secrets.
Charles laughed in surprise. “It seems like you don’t really care about him either! That’s great. Gwen, you should thank me, after
all, for I helped you to get rid of this clingy guy.”
Seeing her frown, Charles feigned surprise with his deep blue eyes.
“Gwen, don’t you know? Well, he’s really not being honest. Gwen, you should go back and check his injuries yourself; then, you’ll
know how much he’s hiding from you.”
Check his injuries?
Gwen furrowed her brows. Weren’t his injuries just ordinary skin wounds caused by sulfuric acid?
She found it strange, but Charles still had a faint smile on his face.
Upon closer inspection, that smile seemed a bit mischievous, and it did not seem like he was lying. Instead, it seemed that he
knew some inside information.
“Make yourself clear.”
Charles shook his head and just smiled.
Gwendolyn was a bit annoyed, but she could not bring herself to take action against him.

After all, he was the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, holding a high position in the Chanaea military. Without a
legitimate reason to act against him, she could not risk causing trouble for herself and Asher.
She withdrew her gaze and turned to leave the cabin.
As soon as the door closed, Maverick walked over.
“How was it? Did he say anything?”
Gwendolyn looked down and shook her head gently. “Forget it. We’ve already confirmed that he conspired with others to harm
me. We’ll find other ways to investigate the rest. Tell Nico and the others to destroy the evidence and not leave any traces. Send
him back quietly tomorrow.”
Maverick did not agree.
She could take her time to investigate, but he could not; his time was running out.
“Gwendolyn, if you trust me, leave this matter to me. Within two days, I’ll make him confess the truth.”
“Do you know who he is? How dare you mess with him?”
Gwendolyn stared at him intently. “The bruises on his face are from you, aren’t they? Do you really want to continue torturing him
in private? The Central Intelligence Agency and the Newton family behind him won’t let you off easily.”
He smiled with pursed lips, not taking it seriously.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it properly.”
As their gazes met, an unspoken connection formed between them.
Gwendolyn’s heart skipped a beat. His words sounded casual, yet they carried an inexplicable sense of trustworthiness.
“All right, you may give it a try.”
Thinking about Charles’ last few words before leaving, she withdrew her gaze, and her expression gradually became serious.
“Let’s go back to the villa.”
“You may head back first. I’ll take care of things here before returning.”

Gwendolyn’s face showed an undeniable seriousness. “No, you’re going back with me.”
Uh...
Maverick compromised. “Can you give me two minutes, then? I need to discuss the arrangements with Nico briefly.”
“All right.”
She agreed! She finally decided to wait for me once!
Maverick felt a wave of inexplicable joy bubbling from within.
He took off his blazer and draped it over Gwendolyn’s shoulders, wrapping her petite frame snugly. “It’s late, and it’s cold outside.
You should head back to the car first; I’ll be there shortly.”
Gwendolyn did not refuse. She nodded as she walked away.
After she was at a distance, Maverick called Nico over. His face returned to its usual stern expression.
“Within two days, pry out the things Charles is hiding. The process and methods don’t matter; even if he’s disabled, it’s fine. I’ll
explain it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I only care about the results.”
“Understood, Boss.”
Maverick looked back at the cabin, his gaze darkened. “After this is over, reward him with a bottle of sulfuric acid on his back.”
Nico responded, “Isn’t sulfuric acid too easy for him? He splashed the S404 RNA Virus on you, Boss!”
“So what? Do you want to splash S404 back at him? There are only about ten bottles, and he doesn’t deserve such a precious
thing. I’ll contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation to get him removed from his director position. We can slowly torture him in
prison later on.”
After giving it some thought, Nico also felt that it made a lot of sense.
“All right, Boss.”
“Okay, I’ll leave this to you. I’m going back now.”

Nico was just about to agree when he saw that Maverick had already left, leaving only a gust of wind behind. The latter had
started jogging toward the side of the road.
Nico clicked his tongue twice.
Indeed, love makes people foolish.
How is it that the man who was once so bloodthirsty and cold-hearted now looks somewhat adorable as he jogs back?
Gwendolyn sat in the back seat of the car, still pondering Charles’ words.
The corner of her eyes caught a glimpse of someone jogging toward her. The man quickly opened the car door and slid in,
discreetly rubbing both of his arms with his palms.
Gwendolyn noticed his subtle movements and saw that he was only wearing a thin silk shirt. She then remembered that she was
wearing his blazer.
“Are you cold?”
Maverick shook his head. “No, I’m not.”
“Why are you running so fast, then?”
“I don’t want to keep you waiting too long.”
Gwendolyn suddenly fell silent. Is he still trying to deceive me with sweet words?
As soon as he entered the car, she could feel the chill emanating from his body. His lips were turning a pale shade of purple from
the cold, yet he stubbornly refused to admit it.
She took off the blazer and impatiently tossed it to him. “Take it. I’m feeling too warm.”
Winter was just around the corner, and indeed, the temperature difference was quite significant at night.
Gwendolyn asked Justin, who was driving, to turn on the heater in the car.
With that, the car drove all the way back to Bay Villa.
She changed into her slippers and headed upstairs. Without even looking back, she said, “Follow me up.”

Maverick did not hesitate and followed her up to the third floor.
Upon entering the room, Gwendolyn first turned on the heater before sitting on the edge of the bed. With a nonchalant tone, she
commanded, “Undress yourself. Take off all your clothes.”
“Huh?”
Maverick’s ears turned slightly red in an instant.
What is she up to?