Chapter 405

Ray carried her and placed her on the bed then nodded. "It was difficult to find her background, but I managed to do it. This girl is Ishara, the daughter of the Blanchet family in Trento City."

As soon as he finished speaking, Darcy froze in shock, her mind going blank. As she pieced together her thoughts and speculations, she remembered her mother mentioning that Bob was arranging a new marriage for Mr. Rodriguez. Ishara, the actual mastermind behind the kidnapping, was chosen for this union. And now Ishara was actively getting close to Mr. Rodriguez.

A cold hatred flashed in Darcy's eyes. She understood it all too well. She had been played by Ishara, used as a pawn. This young girl, so young yet so ruthless, quietly plotting and striking down both her and Winnie, and even Irene. Then, she appeared when the timing was right.

Darcy gritted her teeth unwillingly, but the satisfaction of knowing Winnie had also been manipulated made her feel better.

"Lawrence doesn't even know what's going on, how could he be involved with Ishara?" Ray couldn't understand and looked at Darcy. "Darcy, did you ask me to investigate this girl because you want to win back Mr. Rodriguez?"

Actually, Darcy desired that deep down, but she pretended to weakly shake her head and replied, "Mr. Rodriguez has treated me this way, causing my heart to grow cold. I've changed because of it, but you, Ray, remain the one who still cares for me and reminds me of those who truly value me. I'm simply curious about this girl and also feel sympathy for Winnie. I heard they had a falling out. It seemed like she was finally starting to move on."

Ray sighed as he looked at her. "Darcy, don't be too soft. Winnie allowed Lawrence to take away your kidney, and you still have the time to pity her? Take care of yourself."

Darcy innocently replied, "I've always been weak. Not as resilient as Laura. Whoever does me wrong, I quickly forgive and forget."

Thinking of Laura, a disconcerted expression flashed across Ray's face. Lately, he had been busy taking care of Darcy in the hospital. Although Darcy had made some mistakes, Lawrence's accusations seemed one-sided to him. Ray couldn't fully believe them, especially considering Darcy had saved him when she was just a little girl. He couldn't fathom at how evil Winnie was.

But when he thought about Laura, her ongoing silent treatment was starting to irritate him.

After calming Ray down, Darcy immediately called Mrs. Ordelia and vented her frustration about the mastermind who was behind everything, exclaiming, "This Ishara is no ordinary person! Winnie's son was definitely kidnapped by her. Well, Winnie deserves it. I wonder how Ishara managed to get close to Mr. Rodriguez without any flaws. Mother, please thoroughly investigate this Ishara in Trento City."

Mrs. Ordelia couldn't believe the revelation her daughter had just told her. "Ishara from the Blanchet family has a good reputation in Trento City. It's hard to believe that she is the mastermind behind the kidnapping. It is said that she was frail and sickly, never leaving the house, living a simple life far from worldly struggles. Who could have imagined that she actually schemed against both you and Winnie? No wonder, recently I found out that Paul plans to acknowledge an illegitimate daughter and bring her home. Can you guess who that daughter is?"

"Winnie," Darcy said, filled with envy.

"Yes, it's her! This despicable woman has a surprisingly strong background. Paul values her greatly and has prepared a considerable amount of shares to gift her. He even went to Lymington today to meet her. The entire city of Trento is talking about it, saying that if the illegitimate daughter returns, it would be a threat to Mrs. Blanchet and Ishara. But you don't know, Mrs. Blanchet is a vicious woman."

"Speaking of gossip," Mrs. Ordelia laughed coldly and added, "When your father embezzled the Granger family, it was around the time Irene and Carlos broke up, and Mrs. Blanchet rose to power. Do you think the bankruptcy of the Granger family's medical services didn't have anything to do with Mrs. Blanchet's efforts? The Ordelia family benefited from it without saying anything. Even Irene's eventual death from poisoning was not the doing of the Ordelia family, but rather connected to Mrs. Blanchet."

Darcy listened, stunned by these secrets of the aristocratic families. The water was much deeper than she imagined. She found it interesting that Winnie's birth mother was actually killed by Mrs. Blanchet. Even if this Winnie, this despicable woman, returns to the Blanchet family, her days won't be all that "good."

Darcy smirked in secret.

Two days later.

Lawrence selected the new CEO of Island Electronics Group and several acting executive officers, efficiently managing the company inside and out.

After a ten-hour handover meeting, Lawrence returned home, looking serious. When he entered the house, he saw Bryan packing Sidney's belongings into a suitcase.

After finishing a cigarette, Lawrence turned to face his cold and stoic son standing on the stairs.

"Tomorrow, Dad is going to Trento City. Right now, I'll take you to your mommy's house."

"Are you going back to Grandpa's house? Are you going to take over the Rodriguez family's business?" Sidney nonchalantly asked, knowing a lot.

Lawrence wasn't surprised by his son's mature tone; Sidney had always been intelligent, just like Oscar. The man's dark eyes narrowed slightly as he replied, "That's only one aspect of it. Dad is going to find Oscar and take care of some other things."

"We must find Oscar! How long will you be gone? Should I stay in Lymington the whole time?"

Lawrence didn't answer the first question directly, his tone veiled. "You and Grandma haven't budged for the past half a month. Oscar's missing, so Dad entrusted you to Mommy temporarily to spare her the heartache."

"You obviously love Mommy." Sidney pouted and sighed. "Everyone could see it, but that woman couldn't. Or maybe she really doesn't care."

Upon hearing his son's words, Lawrence forced a bitter smile, his expression as cold as ice as he carried his son into the car.

Soon, the father and son arrived at the apartment but Winnie wasn't home. Lawrence then went next door and asked Lena for the keys.

It was already ten o'clock when Winnie came out of Triton, walking unsteadily, with a hint of alcohol on her.

Today she returned to work, no longer shutting herself in the room because of Oscar's incident. Being busy indeed felt much better.

In the evening, after everyone finished working overtime, Mr. Nelson kindly suggested having a drink in the company to comfort her. Recent events had been too much for Winnie, and once she started drinking, she couldn't stop. She ended up completely drunk. Later, Mr. Nelson dropped her off downstairs at the apartment building and then left.

Winnie went upstairs alone, opened the door, and the apartment was quiet. The woman unbuttoned her blouse and took off her tight skirt. With her long slender legs, she lightly kicked off her high heels, revealing pink toenails as she walked around the room.

It was getting hot in early summer, and Winnie frowned, pulling her soft blouse out of her hem and walking to the kitchen to drink a glass of water.

The smell of alcohol in the air was so strong that it made the man sitting imposingly on the sofa furrow his brow. Winnie paid him no mind, completely absorbed in her own world. Lawrence cast a brief glance toward the bedroom, where Sidney was already asleep. With a cigarette in his mouth, the man stood up, crossed the room and softly closed the door.

He lit the cigarette and squinted his eyes, turning his head. His gaze suddenly froze. The woman began to undress from the kitchen.

She swayed as if she was uncomfortable, humming in her mouth, her eyebrows furrowing tightly. Her blouse slipped down, revealing her slender waist accentuated by the deep wine-red fabric, igniting a desire within him so intense that he felt utterly consumed by the urge to lose himself in her completely.

Lawrence's gaze moved upwards, following the rising and falling of her chest and lace, and suddenly turned dark.

"Toilet..." Winnie murmured as she couldn't find the toilet.

The man quickly glanced at the glass window without curtains, his eyebrows furrowing with a sense of icy determination. He reached out and grabbed her, leading her to the bathroom.

"It's here," he said in a tense and low voice.

Winnie nodded silently, and her eyelashes trembled slowly. She began to unzip her tight skirt.

Lawrence wanted to avert his gaze but it was too late. He asked himself again, 'Why should I look away?' Perhaps this would be the last time he would see her like this. He sneered; his gaze completely darkened.

"You..." Winnie leaned against the wall, turned around, and suddenly narrowed her icy gaze. "Lawrence? Why are you here?"

Lawrence froze, surprised by her sobriety. Despite her inebriated state, she still recognized him.

With a slight dimness in the corner of his eye, he answered seriously, "I'm just here to drop off our son."

"...Am I dreaming? To see you... Ghost, I still dream about you, you jerk," Winnie murmured suddenly, tilting her head.

His gaze froze for a moment, then he narrowed his deep eyes and couldn't help but walk toward her.

The sudden masculine aura and towering shadow pressed Winnie into a narrow space. She looked up, desperately trying to see clearly...

Suddenly, her wrists were held by his large hands, pressed against the wall. Lawrence lowered his head and kissed her little mouth passionately.