Chapter 452 In Search of Oscar
Her sarcasm had a knack for igniting his anger—
Reflecting on her evening with Rock, Lawrence scoffed, "Yeah, I fear that if Ishara learns you're Sidney's mother, it'll break her heart. So, keep it to yourself."
Winnie's fists clenched tightly at her sides. Her heart ached with the sharp sting of betrayal.
She struggled to control her emotions but couldn't suppress her feeling of injustice. Her eyes welled up with tears as she exclaimed, "Lawrence, you'd do anything for her! I won't help you cover up the truth, and I won't let my child suffer even a little for Ishara's sake. Today, it was you, too focused on your girlfriend, neglecting Sidney. If anything happens to him because of the incident at the Rodriguez place, I won't forgive you! Oscar is already... Oscar..." Her voice choked with emotion, and she couldn't finish her sentence.
A sharp pain clutched Lawrence’s heart, and he rued his harshness, looking at her remorsefully. What he'd said in anger had elicited a far greater reaction than expected, as Oscar's disappearance had become her sore spot, and now her son's situation was causing her immense anxiety.
"Winnie," he said, unsettled, his towering figure moving to her side, his bushy eyebrows furrowed as he pulled her into his arms without a word, "Don’t cry. I didn’t mean earlier..."
Winnie was oblivious to the fact that he had been trying to provoke her on purpose.
His long fingers forcefully pinched her cheeks, his dark, cold eyes fixed on her tears, burning him as if they were his own. He hastily reached for a tissue.
"You know that by revealing you’re Sidney's mom at the Rodriguez family function is bad for Sidney. Mars, Bryan, you experienced what happened that night. You know what you should do." Lawrence wiped her tears, never directly addressing the hurtful comment he had provoked her with.
He wanted nothing more than to hold her close. "Sidney's fine; it was his first time meeting my grandmother, Leah, who treasures him dearly."
Upon hearing this, Winnie relaxed slightly. She rejected his hand as it reached to touch her face and wipe away her tears. Her tearful body recoiled from his lap, her demeanor cold and distant, refusing to be consoled.
Lawrence's hand with the tissue hung in mid-air, a flicker of loneliness passing through, his expression hardening. "Do you really need to be this distant with me?"
"What else can I do when, for Ishara’s sake, our past doesn't matter, not even Sidney’s identity?" she continued to taunt him.
His throat felt cold, a hint of bitterness sliding down as he tossed the tissue aside. Then he glanced at the fallen suit jacket on her body…
Winnie only felt a gust of wind as Rock's suit jacket was abruptly thrown away by him. Wrapped in the heavy wool of his coat, a masculine aroma that seemed to mix indifference and allure enveloped her. Winnie breathed in deeply, her senses suddenly transporting her back to that disheveled restroom where he almost...
Her cheeks flushed with anger as she abandoned her attempts to shrug off the coat in a childish tug-of-war. With a sharp turn of her head, she shot him a fierce glare.
"Don't glare at me like that. You're still going to wear it," he said indifferently, leaning back in his car seat.
Winnie lowered her gaze, her thoughts drifting to Oscar, their missing piece. Her heart twisted with worry as she asked, "Have you been looking for Oscar?"
Lawrence felt a twinge of discomfort at her tone. "Of course, I have been. Do you believe me?"
Whether she believed him or not was beside the point now. What mattered was progress. "Any leads?" she inquired, trying to suppress the anxiety in her voice.
"Jeremy is investigating a suspicious car that entered Trento City," he stated with a forced calmness, his genuine concern revealed only by the urgency with which his team worked tirelessly. His failure in this matter pierced her heart like a dagger and was one of the many reasons for her resentment toward him.
Cracking open the window for some air, Lawrence's voice softened in an attempt to comfort her, "He'll be all right."
"My boy's smart and wise," Winnie said, her teeth clenched. But Oscar had asthma, and after being missing for two weeks, the fear that his condition could worsen, that he might be confined somewhere without his medication, tormented her day and night. She tried, however, to cling to hope.
Their son was the emotional link they still shared. In companionable silence, Lawrence sat beside her as they arrived at the Rodriguez family estate.
Winnie relented, "Bring Sidney to me, and if he's hurt, move quickly."
"Whoever hurts him will answer to me," Lawrence muttered, his lips pressed into a thin line. Clad only in a dress shirt that accentuated his imposing stature, he stepped through the grand entrance with an authoritative air.
Before long, after Lawrence had vanished inside, Ishara's car pulled up to the estate.
The Rodriguez family's security opened the gate with deferential politeness. Ishara drove past the Bentley, catching a glimpse of Winnie's face through the car window—eyes red and swollen with unshed tears. A glimmer of amusement crossed Ishara's eyes.
Whatever encounter that despicable person had in the restroom, especially given tonight's fallout over Rock, she must have had a conflict with Lawrence.
And now here she was, stranded outside the Rodriguez mansion's gate.
Feeling a touch more content, Ishara offered with a smile. "So, Winnie, Lawrence wouldn't let you in? He's treating you so coldly. I’m just about to visit the dowager; need a hand getting in?"
Winnie stepped out of the car, giving Ishara a fleeting glance before noticing she was accompanied only by a single servant. She sneered, "Are you not tired of this charade, little sister—flaunting and feigning modesty at once? Just today, you prompted Angela to spring an engagement on me, all to get under Lawrence's skin. You've achieved your goal, haven't you?"
Ishara's face froze, caught off guard by the accusation. It was clear that Winnie's suspicions of her ran deeper than she had anticipated. Ishara feigned innocence and responded, "Winnie, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Who are you performing for when there's no audience? Can your frail body even handle it?" Winnie said sarcastically, her eyes coldly fixed on Ishara's pallid face. This was their first private confrontation since Winnie's return to the Blanchet family. If Ishara was going to play games, Winnie was ready to expose her.
"Ishara, I know what you want. It's nothing less than the Blanchet legacy and the affluent Lawrence. Your ambition certainly does not match your delicate appearance. My return has been an inconvenience to you, hasn't it? Well, I apologize for nothing. I return fire with fire. You may have taken my man, but the Blanchet family will not fall into your hands so easily." Winnie's eyes narrowed sharply, intent on unsettling Ishara.
Ishara's gaze finally turned cold, an emotion flashing briefly before she put on a pitiful smile. "You misunderstand me too deeply, Winnie. I don't 'steal' anything. If a man's affections shift, it means he has simply found someone who moves his heart. Lawrence and I are in love. Haven't you seen that?"
Winnie's hands clenched behind her back, ready to strike this master manipulator. "Then you'd better make it to the altar, or it's all for nothing." Her voice was edged with a frosty laugh.
Ishara bit her lip gently, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Stepping onto the grounds of the Rodriguez estate, Claire looked back at the fearless Winnie with a frown. "That wretch has uncovered our plans! Is she declaring war by confronting you so openly?"
A cold smile flitted across Ishara's lips. "Does she really think she can win? She has no clue why Mr. Lawrence is with me. Just based on that, I can break her heart. Besides, I have everything she holds dear in my hands."
Claire, of course, knew exactly what "everything" meant—particularly for a mother.
Ishara held her cards close, not worried in the slightest.
After asking the Rodriguez family's servants, Ishara learned Mr. Lawrence was with the old lady, and she made her way toward them.
-
Inside the mansion.
Lawrence walked in to find Leah holding Sidney anxiously. The little guy had a bit of blood coming from his ear, and the family's private doctor was tending to him.
The little spitfire stood beside her mother, Amy, fuming with unmistakable ferocity. "Grandma," the little girl shrieked, "That bully hit me first! Why are you cuddling him instead of me?"
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