Chapter 33

A knock sounded at the door, and Taylor brought in some warm food. "Mr. Rodriguez instructed me to prepare something light for you. Ms. Melissa Clark has already eaten, so you don't need to leave anything for her."

'When did he give that instruction?' Winnie wondered to herself. They had been arguing all the way here.

Winnie took the food from Taylor. Lawrence stayed in the bathroom for quite a while, and she didn't know what he was doing. When he eventually came out, Winnie went in to wash her hands. At that moment, she saw half of a jade ring left on the sink. It looked like it had been broken in half.

Due to her jewelry design background, Winnie instinctively picked it up and recalled something. That particular year, the man she had rescued appeared to have given her a half ring as a token of gratitude. Nevertheless, Winnie hadn't paid much attention to it then. After her unsuccessful bid, she returned to the Anderson family. Within two days, the ring had vanished. It was just a chance encounter, and Winnie hadn't been concerned about him fulfilling his promise to repay her.

'Whose half ring is this?' she wondered. Winnie then looked up and ran into Lawrence who was coming back into the bathroom.

Lawrence saw the thing in her hand and immediately reached out and took it from her. "Thank you," he said.

Winnie watched as he carefully put it back into his pocket which showed how important it was. "Is it something very important?" she asked.

"Yes."

"If it is so important, who gave it to you?" Winnie's gaze deepened, and she couldn't help but ask further, "Mr. Rodriguez, did your girlfriend give this to you?"

Lawrence glanced over and teasingly said, "What are you trying to find out?"

Winnie immediately pursed her cherry lips and pretended to ask casually, "Before our marriage agreement, perhaps you had a girlfriend?"

Leaning his hand against his chiseled jaw, he playfully remarked, "Who was the one just moments ago talking about the importance of setting boundaries? Now, you're curious about my personal matters?"

Winnie's face turned red with annoyance. "I never wanted to know anyway. Forget it."

Lawrence walked back to the door and lightly curled his lips.

Exiting the room, the assistant at the door, holding a book, inquired softly, "Mr. Rodriguez, shall we proceed to give Mrs. Rodriguez the gift you bought on your business trip?"

The man casually replied, "She clearly doesn't know how to be grateful, just throw it in the trash."

The assistant, understanding the situation, walked in and threw it into the trash bin next to Winnie's feet.

While she was eating her porridge, Winnie glanced down and discovered a comprehensive compilation of global jewelry. She was immensely surprised and promptly picked it up. This was an authentic copy from London, unattainable through purchase. The jewelry insights within were curated by the world-renowned master, L.C.. He was an exceedingly mysterious and legendary prodigy who commenced his journey as a young boy. He was Winnie's idol, but unfortunately, he was too low-key and hardly produced any works.

Winnie held the book in her arms.

She wondered if this was the gift that Lawrence had bought for her on his business trip. He seemed to know about her preparation for designing. Winnie thought that perhaps she must have said too much while eating noodles that day.

She surveyed the array of dishes on the table as she pondered about the nature of this man. Whether he was virtuous or deceitful, or simply highly adept in dealing with women, remained unclear. His recent response might indicate he had a girlfriend. Winnie struggled to comprehend him. Recognizing the enigmatic man's potential danger as he could easily entrap someone, she realized the necessity of establishing boundaries. She needed to be cautious and create a protective barrier.

In the hallway outside the hospital room, Benjamin saw the man walking toward him. There was a cigarette between his fingers, his serious features as expressionless as ever.

Benjamin asked curiously, "Mr. Rodriguez, what were you doing with Winnie? Were you planning to kiss her in the hospital room just now?" The man glanced at him indifferently and couldn't be bothered to respond.

At that moment, his assistant, Taylor, approached and handed over a document. "Mr. Rodriguez, the investigation into the incident where you were plotted against hasn't made any progress yet. Does Ms. Winnie have any suspicions or not?"

"Continue investigating."

Jeremy's eyes twitched beneath his glasses as he said, "Benjamin, Mr. Rodriguez is still observing Winnie. Being in his kind of position makes him naturally suspicious, and his mother's safety is of utmost importance. But even with his lack of trust, he can't resist teasing her loneliness. In any case, he's not far from falling in love."

Flicking his cigarette butt, the man turned to fix a deep and inscrutable cold gaze on Jeremy. Then, he stretched out his long legs and delivered a forceful kick. Jeremy chuckled in response.

The next day, Melissa stayed in the hospital to completely recover, while Winnie went for her first official prenatal check-up. The fetus had reached the five-week mark, already a month in the blink of an eye. While regularly monitoring her blood pressure at the villa, seeing that tiny, seahorse-like figure on the ultrasound stirred unfamiliar and complex emotions in Winnie.

She needed to contemplate the future of this child. She pondered whether she truly intended to keep it, considering the possibility of giving birth a year later, only for Lawrence to sever all ties. She wondered if she would have the strength to let go of the child and return to a state of unfamiliarity.

With these complex questions, Winnie pondered her future ahead, feeling lost. As for this pregnancy, she could only take it one step at a time. Undoubtedly, the baby was currently the key to soothe Melissa's health. Winnie smiled at the thought of her little seahorse, all day long. Remaining by her bedside, she opened her computer to sketch, becoming so engrossed and busy with her work that she lost track of time until nightfall.

A tall figure walked in. His jacket suit draped elegantly over his arm. He turned on a lamp, and the petite woman didn't move a muscle. Only when Winnie sensed a strong and warm presence behind her did she turn around, inadvertently grazing his appealing thin lips with her pointed forehead, causing her skin to start heating up.

She cleared her throat and said, "The most important judge for the provincial jewelry competition is from Imperial. However, I can't seem to figure out my competitors' preferences, and the sketches are important to me." She had to defeat Ava on every front. This competition was the key to defeating the Anderson family and for her to reclaim Triton.

The man raised an alluring eyebrow and said, "So, you're trying to gain favor with the CEO of Imperial Jewelry?" Winnie was taken aback by his direct question.

"There is no specific theme for the preliminary round, so what elements have you prepared?" the man asked.

Winnie was surprised that he seemed to know a thing or two about the jewelry industry. She fluttered her lashes and questioned, "Are you here to guide me now? Do you know about jewelry design?"

The man smiled coldly and glanced at her computer. "These themes are too basic. In domestic jewelry competitions, the judges are prestigious experts. Many of them specialize in antiques. Why don't you consider combining ancient and modern jewelry as the theme?"

Winnie looked at his long legs leaning against the desk and suddenly had a realization. "That's perfect, the retro style is very popular now. This would be groundbreaking in the field of jewelry." She couldn't help but brighten up.

The man smirked. Winnie quickly brainstormed and then suddenly looked up, studying the man's eyes. "Mr. Rodriguez, you are so impressive! How did you become so knowledgeable in the field of jewelry design? Your insights are so unique."

The man leaned in beside her, a playful glint in his eyes. "I know a little bit about everything and have won against you in many aspects."

"Look at you, tooting your own horn. " Winnie pouted.

"Don't believe me? Test me with something else." Looking at the man's frivolous gaze, she thought, he exuded an air of nobility, filled with the profound complexity of someone in a position of power, qualities that an ordinary man would not possess. Staring at his mask, Winnie suddenly felt the urge to uncover it, curious about the face beneath and who he really was.