Chapter 623 Reunion of Brothers
Oscar stood in his small bedroom, his gaze still gentle. He had big, black, and clear eyes. Sidney saw the longing for him inside.
"Sidney, I'm home," Oscar said with a smile as he embraced Sidney.
The two brothers, their petite frames intertwined in a hug, shared a moment of reunion. Overcome with excitement, Sidney couldn't help but shed tears.
"Oscar! There were so many times when I feared for your safety, thinking the worst... but Mom always reassured me.
She had faith that you would come back. We searched for you tirelessly. Eventually, we discovered who had taken you, but we were powerless to act. All we could do was wait for the right moment. Oscar also shed tears.
The psychological torment Mom and Sidney endured was no less than the physical harm he suffered.
Jeremy looked at these two identical yet different little guys, his eyes reddening.
'The two little brothers are finally reunited!' he thought.
Mrs. Rodriguez hastily wiped away her tears, feeling comforted. She said, Sidney, Oscar, my two precious grandsons! Lawrence saved Oscar; he finally got something right."
Jeremy knew Mrs. Rodriguez was emotional and also angry at Lawrence's current whereabouts.
He glanced at the two little ones. Oscar's wise eyes indicated he had a lot to say to Sidney, and he wanted Jeremy to leave.
Jeremy raised his eyebrows helplessly. Since the chance to bring Sidney to Leo's house was a rare occurrence, he tactfully allowed them some privacy.
"Stephanie, let's go out first and let the two little ones have their secrets."
Oscar said, "Thank you, Jeremy!"
Sidney also said, "Thank you, Jeremy, for bringing me here!"
The two little guys waved together.
Mrs. Rodriguez, feeling both sad and excited, wiped away tears and followed Jeremy downstairs.
In the room, Sidney finally released Oscar, attempting to compose himself, but his mind was swirling with numerous questions. His large eyes scanned Oscar from head to toe, filled with tears of concern.
"Oscar, are you okay? Ishara kidnapped you for over two months. Were you hurt?" Sidney inquired.
"I was. That's why when Dad rescued me, he was afraid to bring me to see you and Mom.
Oscar told a kind lie.
"What!" Sidney anxiously grabbed his arm and asked, "Where are you hurt? What did that snake of a woman Ishara do to you? Did she hit you, starve you, lock you up in a cage?"
"
Oscar, I'm overwhelmed with guilt. You've already been through so much. I keep questioning myself, why wasn't it me who was taken? Why did it have to be you?"
Sidney broke down once more. Oscar gently patted his head in a gesture of helplessness and calmly handed him a tissue to wipe his tears, offering comfort without reservation.
"Ishara did hurt me, deprive me of food, and confine me, but that's all in the past, isn't it, Sidney? Let's not dwell on the past," Oscar reassured.
"But I feel for you; I'm angry; I just want to tear that witch Ishara apart!"
Sidney pounded the bed in anger, heart-wrenching. "Oscar... When did Dad rescue you? Why didn't he tell me? He didn't tell Mom either; I can't understand what he's thinking?"
"Because he thought I was in a bad state."
After a moment of hesitation, Oscar decided to confide in Sidney. He went on to explain, "I chose to stay with Leo, who is Ishara's right-hand man and a doctor in the lab. I had my reasons for doing so.
Therefore, I lied to Dad, claiming that my brain was severely injured, resulting in memory loss and inability to recognize him.
This devastated him, and he blamed himself for his oversight. I suppose he couldn't bear the thought of Mom seeing me in such a state of confusion.
He kept me hidden, which aligned with my intentions. That is why I claimed to be injured.
Sidney widened his eyes, confused, and anxiously touched Oscar's head. "So, are you hurt or not? Oscar, is your head okay? I'm worried! I don't want you to become foolish. I don't want that!"
"Wow. Two months have passed, and now you're a crying wreck? I guess I didn't explain things well. The reality is, we owe Leo for this. Ishara's original plan was for Leo to perform surgery on my brain, altering my memory and cognition to manipulate me into becoming her puppet," Oscar explained.
Sidney's eyes turned cold and narrowed, the young boy's face shrouded in horror.
'That damn witch Ishara actually wanted to torture Oscar like this!' Sidney thought.
Oscar winced as he held his nearly bleeding fingers, reassuringly saying, "It's alright! In the end, I outsmarted Leo. He has a passion for medicine. Feeling pity for me, he couldn't bring himself to see my brilliant mind go to waste, so he secretly refrained from performing the surgery on me. In return, I agreed to apprentice under him, inherit his knowledge, and learn his forbidden techniques."
Sidney listened in astonishment, tears of joy and pride welling up as she remarked, "Oscar, I always knew your intelligence would help you overcome adversity. You're much cleverer than me; you know how to turn a crisis into an advantage. Mom always had hope in your intellect, trying to console me by saying my fragile body might not endure it. But you're different. Still, I can't shake off this guilt. Oscar, I can't fathom the torment you endured when Ishara kidnapped you to Trento City. Thank goodness you encountered kind-hearted people; this Leo seems like a decent soul! You've deceived him! We must show him our gratitude; without his intervention, you might have been left in a dire state!"
Oscar felt speechless.
No wonder, although Sidney's personality completely inherited Lawrence's cold and domineering side.
But deep down, he was naive and innocent, just like Winnie.
'Is Leo a good person?'
Oscar didn't think so. After all, Leo helped Ishara in the lab by doing outrageous things.
Just because he saved himself doesn't make him a good person.
But Oscar was deeply grateful to him.
Sidney noted that without Leo, he wouldn't feel complete.
"But Oscar, if you weren't really injured, why did you deceive Dad? You mentioned having a purpose. What was that purpose?" Sidney inquired.
Sidney wasn't foolish, and he wasn't distracted.
Oscar quickly glanced at the door, closed it tightly, then walked to the window, lowered the two window leaves, and opened a small device.
"It's a signal blocker," he whispered.
Sidney's eyes flickered as he gave a thumbs up, commenting, "You seem pretty relaxed here! You even have a signal blocker."
"I created it using sensors," Oscar stated flatly. Sidney's pride was wounded.
He touched his nose and inquired, "Can you share with me now?"
Oscar pulled him towards the edge of the bed and spoke in a hushed tone.
"Only by remaining with Leo can I approach Ishara. There is a lingering doubt in my heart that I need to resolve. Therefore, I must stay to unveil the truth!