Chapter 535 Premeditation
"Ms. Ishara, are you thinking of transferring the embryo from Winnie's womb into yours?" Leo asked as he glanced at Ishara's abdomen.
His thoughts raced.
The logical conclusion seemed to be that the child Winnie was carrying belonged to Lawrence.
Otherwise, there was no reason for Ishara to harbor such malicious intention toward her half-sister, Winnie.
However, Leo couldn't shake the memory of Lawrence's brutality, which he had witnessed firsthand at lunch today.
His heart shuddered subconsciously; setting aside the ethical implications, the technique of harvesting a live fetus was incredibly risky.
Leo shook his head, troubled. "Ms. Ishara, that kind of transfer is not easy to do."
"I know, that's why I came to you.
"Leo, don't try to evade responsibility. I know all about the controversial techniques you've been exploring with IVF," Ishara replied firmly, her gaze unwavering.
She had cornered him, leaving him no excuse. The secret research he had been doing for years had been supported and controlled by Ishara.
Their findings had been applied to some dark areas, reaping huge profits.
Leo was obsessed with medical taboos, and Ishara was the only benefactor willing to fund his research.
Facing him, Ishara continued, "Right now, we need to find out whether Winnie is indeed pregnant and how far long she is.
"This is urgent. Once the embryo implants in her womb, it becomes much harder to transfer, doesn't it?"
Leo nodded and expressed his concerns, "Ms. Winnie is not a fool. Knowing that she's pregnant, how could she not take precautions? She wouldn't let anyone take her embryo."
Ishara was silent, then narrowed her eyes. "What if she doesn't know?"
‘Lawrence's behavior that night was incredibly secretive.
‘Could it be that Winnie is unaware of her pregnancy? Was Lawrence's secrecy because he feared that Winnie might abort the child on her own?
‘Why couldn't she take it? This was, after all, the genuine progeny of Lawrence, and once in her womb, it would be perceived as the fruit of her passionate night with Lawrence!
‘This child would be her trump card for securing her place in the Rodriguez family.’
The thoughts in Ishara's mind grew increasingly wild and feverish, her delicate face flushing pink.
She was determined, her thoughts sinister. "The priority is to find out if Winnie really is pregnant.
"The day my father had an accident, Winnie fainted at the public hospital. That's probably when Mr. Lawrence found out about her pregnancy.
"I managed to pull her medical records; they noted she has acute gastritis.
"It won't be tough to get her back into the hospital.
"I'll sort everything out. When the time comes, have someone run a check-up on her and use that chance to probe if she's aware of her pregnancy.
"If she doesn't know, then you're clear to make your move. I'll get my health back in shape in these next few days,” Ishara said, rising from her seat.
Leo felt his head was about to explode. Such an absurd plan.
He shook his head. "Ms. Ishara, I've never done something like this before; I don't know if it'll work. What if the embryo transfer fails? That's just senselessly sacrificing a potential life. Plus, it's Lawrence's child. Lawrence knows about Winnie's pregnancy. If he finds out about my involvement afterward, I'm done for."
"Leo," Ishara cut him off, her pale face not showing any pleasure, a chilly threat lurking in her eyes. "Do you know what your flaw is? Sympathy for others. That kind of sentiment doesn't lead to major success or big money."
Leo hesitated. "But I'm truly scared of Lawrence. He is ruthless."
Ishara's gaze narrowed with surprise. "You didn't mention before that you were afraid of Lawrence. Why the sudden fear? Has he been questioning you in private, contacted you perhaps?"
Leo's muscles tensed as he recalled Lawrence's menacing warnings, pressing him to betray Ishara and disclose Oscar's whereabouts.
Of course, he couldn't afford to let Ishara in on this knowledge.
"No, Lawrence hasn't approached me. I saw him at the Blanchet family estate that night and just felt wary of him, that's all," Leo lied.
Ishara watched his shifting expressions, skeptical, with suspicions trickling through her mind. She softened her voice and smiled. "If Mr. Lawrence did approach you, I'm sure you'd be smart enough to handle him, right? You've done the first surgery on Oscar, haven't you?"
Leo's complexion was off, his head lowered as he muttered, "Yes. The kid lost some cognitive abilities and memory and is now recuperating."
"Then he's not far from being useless." Ishara was pleased. "You've already operated on Lawrence's child. Think about it, if he finds out, do you think he'll let you off the hook? Leo, there's no turning back for you now, and the leverage I've had over you for years isn't minor. Lawrence might make your life miserable, but I can have you locked up for life."
Leo's face turned ashen. He dared not betray Ishara. Though young, her schemes were too nasty.
Ishara turned with a smile. "You fear Lawrence, worrying that he'll target you in the future. Shouldn't you secure yourself an escape route? Transfer Winnie's embryo to me. Holding this leverage, do you really think Lawrence would dare to make a fatal move against you?"
Leo paused. Lawrence had his eyes on his family. He needed to keep some leverage for himself.
Ishara coaxed gently, "Moreover, once the child is in my womb, I'll be carrying it for ten months. I'll need this child and undoubtedly treat it as my own. You're just performing a surgery, so don't burden yourself with guilt."
Leo hadn't lost his humanity. Upon hearing Ishara's assurance of caring for the embryo, Leo hesitated. After all, it was merely a matter of transferring the embryo to a different carrier, ensuring it would still be brought into the world.
Leo remained silent. Ishara knew he had no room to refuse.
"Go to work at the hospital as usual and wait for my message," Ishara said, then discreetly left the Leo residence.
As soon as she got into the car, Claire handed her a cup of hot water. Ishara took a sip, her voice chillingly low. "Lawrence might suspect Leo, and he's already approached him."
"What?" Claire frowned. "You mean Lawrence suspects that Leo is connected to Oscar?"
"Yes. The way Leo came to me today; his entire demeanor was off. He's very afraid of Lawrence. it seemed like Lawrence might have threatened him with something severe."
"Could Leo betray you?" Claire asked, worried.
"He wouldn't dare! I possess ample evidence of his illicit research activities to ruin him. I hinted at this to him. While Lawrence may jeopardize his career, I could end his life. I cannot allow Leo to retain control over Oscar any longer. Fortunately, the child has already undergone the necessary procedure and is now mentally incapacitated. Once he's regained his strength, Claire, instruct the lab's security to relocate him promptly. Mr. Lawrence won't gain anything from Leo!"
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