Chapter 322

Rock said, "Jeffery got away."

"What?" Winnie stood up and all the senior executives below looked at her instantly. Her face turned into a serious expression and the meeting could not go on. She made a gesture to dismiss the meeting.

In a frustrated tone, Rock swiftly returned to his office and confronted the bodyguard team leader, "How could you let him run away?"

The team leader explained, "He managed to escape during a rotation of the bodyguards. I was negligent and only assigned two guards to watch him. Considering his serious heart and lung injuries, it's unbelievable that he could flee, especially with a murder charge on his back."

Winnie was taken aback when Jeffrey unexpectedly fled. As she squinted, realization dawned on her-Jeffrey, akin to a slippery serpent, had manipulated her as a safety net. Having escaped danger posed by the Ordelia family, he aimed to abandon her.

Winnie failed to consider a crucial aspect, that was, if Jeffrey confessed and testified against the Ordelia family in court, securing her uncle's acquittal, he would inevitably face conviction for a felony or even permanent imprisonment. The situation exposed the sinister and cunning nature of people, with Jeffrey desperately trying to evade consequences and preserve his own life.

Winnie cursed inwardly as a wave of anger surged in her mind as she thought about her uncle that was still waiting in prison. Jeffery hadn't come forward to plead guilty, leaving no hope of victory for her uncle to overturn the case. He would be sentenced to death, while the Ordelia family continued to roam free.

Winnie's eyes turned red as she said in an urgent tone, "Rock, we must find him, no matter what."

"I will immediately send people to search the entire city," he replied.

Winnie nodded; her eyebrows furrowed. "If he escapes now and is spotted, he will become a fugitive. Without proper identification, leaving the country is impossible for him unless he resorts to threatening and extorting the Ordelia family."

Rock responded, "If this fool goes to find the Ordelia family, it's like a death sentence for him. The Ordelia family will definitely deal with him again before the trial."

"What I'm afraid of is that he hasn't thought it through and wants to extort money from both me and the Ordelia family, using that to escape punishment." Winnie's voice turned cold, anxiety enveloping her. Feeling powerless, she rushed out, saying, "I'm coming right now. Let's find any clues to his escape together. Hopefully, within these three days, he will come to extort money from me first."

It wasn't until 8 pm that Winnie returned to her apartment, dragging her exhausted body. Just as she opened the door to change her shoes, the nanny hurriedly ran over. "Oscar, you're finally home." But as soon as the nanny saw Winnie, her expression changed. She evaded Winnie's gaze and stammered, "Winnie, you're back"

"Where is Oscar?" Winnie looked toward the living room. She didn't see her son's obedient figure. She paused and looked at the nanny. "Is Oscar not at home?"

Hesitant to reply, the nanny wore a visible expression of anxiety on her face. Sensing that something was wrong from the nanny's demeanor, Winnie searched every room, including the master bedroom and study, but still couldn't find her son.

"I'm sorry, Winnie," the nanny began with a remorseful tone. "Oscar said he was going to a bridal center in the suburbs when he secretly slipped away during lunch. I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't wake up at all because I felt drowsy after drinking the glass of water he gave me."

She continued, her expression reflecting a mix of frustration and concern, "He's too clever, and this isn't the first time. In the past few days, he always came back early. I thought he would come back before you returned home today. But until now, there's been no news from Oscar, and he doesn't answer his smartwatch. I'm truly sorry, Winnie. I was afraid that you would blame me."

Upon hearing this, Winnie's face turned grim as she realized that it was nearly 9 pm, and her three-and-a-half-year-old child hadn't returned home. She completely panicked as she rushed into the bedroom and opened a drawer, noticing that her sleeping pills were indeed missing one pill. The discovery of her mischievous child's escapades shocked her; apparently, he had been sneaking out on his own during her busy days to meet someone in secret. However, she couldn't dwell on these thoughts for long.

Winnie immediately came out, exhausted, and instructed the nanny, "Please call the police and report Oscar as missing. I have to go out again to search for him."

The nanny quickly replied, "Certainly, Ms. Winnie. It's important that you hurry and search for him in case he has come across any potentially dangerous individuals." As Winnie turned to go out and search for her child, the nanny donned a secretive expression. The nanny was actually sent by Rock to take care of Winnie's child. Several days earlier, Rock had explicitly advised the nanny not to impose overly strict restrictions on Oscar if he wished to venture out on his own. Although the nanny couldn't comprehend the reasoning behind allowing the child to go out, she covertly followed his instructions.

Winnie searched the entire residential area but couldn't find her son. She also called his smartwatch countless times, but couldn't get through. Just as she passed by the local police station, she unintentionally overheard the police discussing. "There has been a child abduction case at the suburban wedding dress center this afternoon, and all the police force has been sent over there."

Winnie suddenly halted, her mind racing as she recalled the nanny's mention of Oscar talking about a suburban wedding center. A wave of faintness washed over her; she struggled to accept the possibility that her son might be connected to the abduction case she had just overheard the police discussing. With no time to ponder why Oscar would be at a wedding center, she swiftly dashed to the roadside and hailed a taxi straight to the suburban police station.

Olivia, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, met her in the front hall of the suburban police station. "Could it be that Lawrence is trying to take Oscar away, intentionally setting up a kidnapping to make you give up?"

On the way, Winnie had also considered this possibility. If that were the case, Oscar hadn't been abducted by a bad person but his own father. While she was pondering, they entered the surveillance room and saw Lawrence's imposing figure, standing coldly in front of the monitor. Beside him stood several nervous police officers, surrounded by several of their team leaders. The man's handsome yet icy profile featured furrowed brows, hinting at the accumulated anxiety and hostility poised to erupt at any moment.

"Mr. Rodriguez, take a look. This intersection captured a black van rushing out of the underground garage. It appears that Darcy noticed something was amiss, ran out shouting, but was then kidnapped by the thugs." The officer nervously reported, wiping off his cold sweat as he glanced at the silent man.

Lawrence stared at the surveillance footage. Indeed, he noticed that Darcy came out later and was forcibly taken away.

"Lawrence, why was my son with Darcy? Did you set up this kidnapping to completely take him away from me?" Winnie couldn't stay calm upon hearing Darcy's name and roared out. Oscar couldn't have come all the way to that suburban wedding center without reason; there must be something suspicious.

As Lawrence turned around and saw Winnie, who had suddenly arrive, a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes. Then he frowned, asking skeptically, "What are you doing here? How do you know that your son has been kidnapped?"

"Well, that is because he is my son so of course I should know! I'm asking you, did you do this?" Winnie lost control and rushed forward. "You're making trouble for no reason, Lawrence!"

"What? I never suspected that you deliberately concealed our son," Lawrence's tone was strained. It was audacious of her to cast suspicion on him, portraying him as a neglectful father. During their time in Perugia City, when Sidney had a fever, she didn't even bother to inquire about their son's well-being. Now, she feigned concern and wanted to join in on the commotion. Lawrence's heart felt tangled, as if she failed to grasp the significance of Sidney in his life.

He suppressed his breath, glanced at her coldly, and ignored her. He then turned around sharply and asked the police chief, "Have you found out who the kidnappers are?"

"We are still investigating, Mr. Rodriguez. Please give us some time."

"This concerns life and death. If I grant you time, who will grant my son the same?!" Lawrence shouted, and the whole room fell silent, with everyone holding their breath.

Winnie was also slightly shocked by his outburst. Oscar had never interacted with him, let alone receive acknowledgment, yet he cared so much about their son. She was puzzled at Lawrence's reaction.