Chapter 122

"She's at the hospital, who could have kidnapped her?" Lawrence demanded.

"I suspect it's Darcy," Olivia confidently stated.

Lawrence hesitated, clearly not believing her words. "Are you talking nonsense? Did Winnie tell you this?"

"It's true. Winnie was kidnapped on the way to Lymington Prison. Mr. Rodriguez, if you don't believe me, check if Darcy is still at the company." Olivia continued to urge.

Doubting Olivia's words, Lawrence sent Bryan to find Darcy.

Bryan came back with a report. "Darcy did leave the company 20 minutes ago, saying she was going to buy coffee." Lawrence's brow furrowed deeply at the report, a hint of coldness apparent.

Olivia exclaimed, "Mr. Rodriguez, please come with me to save Winnie! I'm right outside your company, I will pick you up."

The tall man walked out of the company. "Bryan, gather some people." He ordered.

Winnie's safety was of the utmost importance.

Lawrence got into Olivia's car, and she drove off with the GPS tracker flashing Winnie's location on the screen.

Meanwhile, in a farmhouse on the outskirts of the town, Winnie had been taken as Olivia had said, and was now thrown into a corner by two men. The men swiftly searched her and took her computer and a few documents before leaving.

Darcy appeared at the back of the house, waiting for the evidence. She turned on the computer and indeed found the recordings of Ava and Sophia, as well as surveillance footage of Ava talking to her in the hospital!

Among those documents were the records of her transactions with Ava and the initial draft she gave to Winnie, a picture of Winnie that she had given to the worker's family, and Winnie apparently still had it.

Darcy had to personally destroy them to be at ease. After burning everything, Darcy quickly prepared to leave.

Just as she walked out, a car suddenly stopped by the roadside, with Lawrence and Olivia stepping out, and immediately briskly walking towards her.

Darcy was caught off guard and couldn't hide!

Lawrence stared at Darcy, his face frosty, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes. "You kidnapped Winnie?"

Olivia immediately called for people to go into the farmhouse and bring Winnie out.

Winnie untied herself, straightened her clothes, and walked outside.

Darcy's face underwent a drastic change within a few seconds. She was too clever not to catch that something was a miss and stared at Winnie and Olivia, suddenly understanding something!

This was a trap! She had fallen for it! Winnie's intention wasn't to gather evidence but to capture her!

"Why did you kidnap Winnie, Darcy!" Lawrence confirmed what he saw and grew even angrier.

Even the usually composed Darcy struggled to defend herself. She hastily claimed innocence, "I didn't, Mr. Rodriguez. I just wanted something from Mrs. Rodriguez..." Darcy stuttered out.

"What do you want? Is it this?" Winnie walked back from Olivia's car, holding a laptop, with a cold smirk on her face. "I have the evidence of what you did to me, Darcy. So, you kidnapped me in a hurry to destroy it in case I showed it to Lawrence?"

She opened the laptop and placed it directly in front of Lawrence, causing Darcy's expression to change drastically.

Winnie had backed up the evidence! It was indeed a trap.

Sure enough, after Lawrence finished reviewing all the evidence, he glanced at Darcy's involvement in Winnie's kidnapping situation.

Winnie looked up at him and said, "I just wanted to prove that Darcy intended to harm me and our child right from the beginning! The incident at the police station, it wasn't Ava's idea, it was hers! Lawrence, several recent events were all Darcy's attempts to harm me, including the worker seeking revenge. She gave my photo to the worker's family. If you want to make sure, have someone check her or her assistant's computer for any traces of downloaded photos!"

"No need to say anymore!" came his abrupt reply.

Lawrence had a clear understanding and disappointment flashed through his eyes as he looked at Darcy.

He had always believed that Darcy would never dare to harm those around him. He had expressed his disinterest in her many times over the years, thinking that she had accepted it. Based on their years of acquaintance, he didn't think she was that conniving.

She had helped his company on multiple occasions, and the trust he had in her professionally extended to his personal life as well.

Moreover, Darcy had admitted to being only his sister and agreed to let him find her a good boyfriend.

In this situation, he hadn't thought much about it. Darcy had been the one mediating between them, often showing him that she cared about Winnie and the child in her womb. He had noticed, and his feelings towards this woman had changed from indifference to appreciation.

Lawrence stared at Darcy. "You've disappointed me."

"Mr. Rodriguez, I'm being falsely accused! All this evidence is fake!" Darcy defended herself.

"And is the fact that you kidnapped Winnie to destroy evidence also fake?" Lawrence's anger was ice-cold. He turned to Bryan and ordered,

"Spread the word, Darcy is suspended from her Vice President responsibilities, and an immediate investigation should be conducted! Darcy, think carefully about how you're going to explain your actions to the Ordelia family when you return to Trento City."

"Mr. Rodriguez! Winnie set up this whole situation today, can't you see that? Don't you know my character by now? I have been so good to you and the company over the years. How could I ever want to harm your child? Are you going to believe Winnie's lies so easily? Don't take away my position, Mr. Rodriguez, I have done so much for you..." Darcy pleaded desperately.

Lawrence remained cold and unyielding. "Bryan, have the bodyguard escort her back to her residence and keep a close eye on her!" Darcy clenched her fists, at his orders?

As Darcy was being put into the car, she stared at Winnie intently, as if saying that she hadn't lost yet. Winnie calmly met her cold gaze. This woman, so sinister and cunning, given another chance, she would stop at nothing to harm Winnie and her child.

This counterattack was necessary, and she executed it well. Winnie consoled herself with this thought. She took a deep breath, and turned away lost in her thoughts.

After Darcy got into the car, a message from the company system immediately appeared on her phone: 'Darcy has been suspended from her position and is under investigation.'

These few words caused a heated discussion within the Imperial Group. Countless employees and subordinates joined in the discussion and were now gossiping about her.

In one moment, she was Mr. Rodriguez's closest confidant and a respected Vice President, and in the next she was a point of ridicule, Mr. Rodriguez's cold and heartless actions pained her.

It was all because of Winnie, this despicable woman, who shook her position in the company and made her lose Mr. Rodriguez's trust.

Darcy hated Winnie in her heart. Since Winnie had forced her, she didn't mind dropping a bomb on Winnie in return. She adjusted her breathing, let out a cold smile, shifted her gaze to the phone's contacts, once she located Ray's name, she smiled.

Inside the car, there was complete silence and a heavy atmosphere. Winnie also remained silent, lost in her thoughts. It wasn't until the car returned to the villa that the man looked at her for a long time.

Finally, his large hand enveloped Winnie's delicate body. The lights in the car dimmed, and his eyes seemed bottomless. He held her hand twice before saying in a low and cold voice, "I believed in the wrong person, and I'm sorry." He continued.

"But you put yourself in danger, and I can't approve of that!"

"If I didn't do this, you wouldn't have noticed Darcy's hostility towards me," Winnie helplessly said.

She understood how to plead and be obedient; she pursued reconciliation and fought back against Darcy's intentions.

Speaking in a subdued tone, she said with a tone of grievance, "You've known her for many years. You thought you understood her well and treated her like a sister. She might appear good on the surface and be capable at work, but behind the scenes, she framed me. It's normal that you couldn't see it. You promised to find a way to get rid of her, and I was touched. But when she threatened my safety, I couldn't bear her anymore."

Lawrence rubbed his temples. His relationship with Darcy was not as simple as Winnie imagined.

His voice turned icy, "If she has ill intentions towards your stomach, then I can't forgive her."

Winnie raised her head and looked at him with clear eyes. A question couldn't help but escape her lips, "Why is she so deeply infatuated with you that she can't even tolerate our child? You said she was your sister, is that true?"

Lawrence tensed slightly and turned his head, his gaze meeting her sharp eyes. This was the third time she had asked him, but once a lie started, countless more lies were needed to sustain it.

Frowning, he said, "What exactly are you suspecting? No matter what she thinks of me, I have no thoughts for her. You know that is enough."

Winnie suppressed the doubts in her heart. Just this morning, she witnessed the child's prenatal check-up with him for the first time, and she chose to believe this man. Little did she know, her blind trust would soon be shattered.