Chapter 518 Negotiations
"I read in a book that boys and girls are different. I don't want to bathe with Sidney!" Mia pouted.
Jeremy bristled, "Sidney, are you trying to lure Mia into the bath with you? What a little troublemaker you are!"
"Do you even realize how that sounds?" Sidney replied, exasperated. "Besides, she's not your daughter. Why are you so worked up about it?"
Jeremy's expression stiffened.
Olivia's face showed a range of discomfort and evasion as she sneakily glanced at Jeremy.
Lawrence decided to change the subject. "All right, that's settled then. Mia's right. Boys and girls are different. Ms. Olivia, you can stay next door. Have you guys eaten yet?"
Olivia glanced at Winnie, and a bit pointedly said, "Mr. Lawrence, we've had our meal. We had it with Mr. Jason just before he left."
"I didn't eat!" Sidney objected.
Lawrence looked only at Winnie, noticing her pale lips and lackluster complexion, signs that she hadn't had a proper meal.
He instructed Jeremy, "Get some groceries from the supermarket downstairs."
Winnie's face turned cold as Lawrence dismissed Jeremy. "Do I need to spell it out? Mr. Lawrence, you're not welcome here. Stay another second, and I'll call security."
Lawrence rolled up his elegant shirt sleeves, his eyebrows lifting slightly. "You heard him. Sidney says he hasn't eaten."
"Then, take him out!" Winnie retorted.
Despite his mother's foul mood, Sidney mustered the courage to speak his truth. "Mommy, it's been a long time since I've had a meal cooked by Daddy..."
Winnie was at a loss when her son showed distress.
She couldn't exactly split him in two, keeping one half for herself and giving the other to his father, with no further contact.
Suppressing her emotions, she compromised. "Sidney, have your father cook next door. I don't want him in my kitchen."
"Okay," he replied in a deep tone.
She didn't want to see him, nor did she want to let him in.
However, he wouldn't just conform to her wishes.
Lawrence headed to the neighboring suite and said, “You secured the golf course lot for 300 million, but the money is still in the Rodriguez family's firm account. Winnie, you'll need to go through my company's legal team to get that money. That's why I'm here today. Do you want to talk about it or not?"
Winnie glared at him, her anger boiling over.
It had slipped her mind, and now she was stewing in it.
Dealing with legalities through the Triton Company's lawyers and negotiating with the Rodriguez family could take forever.
That 300 million was no small chunk of change, and she was just about to relocate her company to Rock's jurisdiction, where expenses were piling up.
She had no choice but to compromise. "Give me the number for your legal department."
When she reached out her delicate hand, Lawrence glanced sideways at Jeremy.
He immediately turned about. "I guess I'll go grocery shopping, then!"
Olivia, worried about Winnie's state of mind and dreading Lawrence's brute force approach, intervened. "Mr. Lawrence, please, don't make this harder on Winnie."
Lawrence threw a subtle jab. "Don't you need to tidy up the next suite, Ms. Olivia?"
“I-It's clear Winnie doesn’t want to deal with you. Take a hint! You're engaged, for crying out loud, Lawrence!” Olivia boldly inserted herself between them.
"Ms. Olivia, come with me to the grocery store." Jeremy, seeing Lawrence's displeasure, quickly whisked Olivia away.
"Hey, you can't just pull me like that! What if Lawrence picks on my friend? You're in cahoots with him, Jeremy. I'm not going!"
Their back and forth was cut short as Jeremy dragged a protesting Olivia out the door.
Mia sensed the urgency and chased after her mother. Sidney rolled his eyes at his dad and impatiently grabbed Mia. "I'll help you set up your new place, Mia!"
"Really?" Mia's focus instantly shifted. "Sidney, could you take me to get a stuffed animal?"
Sidney's eyes softened as he thought of Oscar, the one who first showed him that fascinating game.
"Yeah, I'll take you to have fun!"
Sidney softly closed the door, casting a final glimpse at the luxurious room where his mom stood far from his dad.
He sighed, hoping against hope they wouldn't fight.
-
Inside, Winnie lost her patience. "The number!"
Lawrence was the epitome of composure as he approached her, his towering presence carrying a familiar and captivating scent. He gazed at her intently. "Are you really planning to move Triton into the same building as Rock?"
"That's my company's private affair."
His aura enveloped her, his eyes sharpening. "What if I don't pay back the 300 million?"
"Lawrence, don't push me too far."
Rock was right. He had managed to knock Bentley out of the race, humiliating her. Now he had the nerve to offer her the land. She didn't want his charity.
"Stop using your power to play with people's emotions," Winnie warned, her face a mask of ice.
He grasped her hand, steadying her shaking ones. His voice low and calm. "I've never played with you. I'm just not letting you fall into Rock's lap. Do you even know how he acquired that failing building project? Are you sure relocating your company there is safe from risks?"
Winnie's disdain was palpable. "If you hadn't blocked the golf course land deal, he wouldn't have had to struggle to find an alternative!"
"I've always said he's dreaming if he thinks he can make it in Trento City. As long as he has eyes for you, he's not going to get anywhere. My land is yours if you want it, but I'll never hand it over to him."
"I don't need your handouts."
Lawrence's emotions were turbulent. "So, you prefer to accept Rock's charity? Have you thought about how you'll repay that debt? Or do you plan to marry him to settle the score?"
Winnie fell silent, her brows knitting slightly. Rock hadn't mentioned how much he had paid for the property, nor did he ask for money. She guessed he wouldn't take hers. Her hesitation was exactly because she didn't want to owe Rock too much, to the extent she couldn't repay him, potentially having to marry him as a gesture of gratitude. Deep down, she didn't want that.
However, Lawrence's cutting sarcasm struck a nerve. "Whether I marry him or not seems to have been none of your business for a long time."
"If you wanted to marry him, you would have done it when we signed those divorce papers," Lawrence pointed out sharply, his piercing gaze cutting through her defenses.
Winnie's face flushed with a mix of anger and mockery. "You can't possibly think I didn't marry him because I was still hung up on you?"
"Wasn't that the case before?" he asked, his voice a haunting echo.
Winnie's cheeks turned pale.
His tone softened to one of remorse and defeat. "Sorry, Winnie. I admit I let you down... I took some wrong turns. If Ishara wasn't an issue between us anymore, and if Oscar had come back safely... we..."
"There are no 'if'! You and I are like oil and water. I want you to understand that clearly." Winnie spoke with finality, turning her gaze away to hide the tears welling up in her eyes.
His heart ran cold, the soft lines on his handsome face rigid with the chill. Maybe it wasn't the right time to bring up such a subject, to broach the taboo topic of Oscar.
He wrapped up the conversation with pursed lips. "I'm holding onto your 300 million. If you don't want to owe me, pay the remaining 300 million for that land, and you can start building on the golf course. A jewelry manufacturing plant there might be more practical than one in the busy downtown area. You really shouldn't get involved with Rock. Given what I know about him, you'll have a hard time settling that debt."
Winnie had to admit, there was some sense in his words.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
