Chapter 444

The Rodriguez Corporation was in turmoil.

Early this morning, compromising photos of Sean had circulated among the shareholders.

In Anday's office, the tension was palpable. With his face turned red as his anger surged, he stared at the notice from the board which stated that Sean was being ousted from his management position.

Beside him, Skylar was in a panic, finally confessing last night's deeds.

"Why did you prod Sean to sleep with Ms. Winnie? Why didn't you tell me?" Anday demanded.

Skylar, visibly dodging, stammered, "I-I only did what Mrs. Blanchet suggested, thinking if Sean got close to Ms. Winnie, who holds the Blanchet family shares, we could ally through marriage... and you'd stand stronger against Lawrence."

Slap!

In a fit of rage, Anday struck Skylar, seething, "Fool, you've been played by Mrs. Blanchet! Look at the scandal your son is embroiled in. No young woman in society would associate with him now, and with his reputation tarnished in Trento City-jobless, his future in shreds! Why would that gay man be with Sean?"

Sean, battered, clenched his fists and explained himself, "Dad, it was Lawrence who set me up on purpose, wanting to push me to the brink. If it were just about preventing an alliance between you and the Blanchet family, his reaction wouldn't be this extreme. I have a hunch that it's about his personal feelings for Ms. Winnie."

Anday fell deep into thought. As he looked at the falling stocks of their subsidiaries because of Sean's scandal, he roared with vengeance, "Lawrence, you better pray I don't find dirt on you. You've messed with my son today-I'll make sure you pay!"

At the top floor, in the CEO's office.

Lawrence glanced at Bryan and asked, "Any news from Anday's end?"

"Anday is fuming and vows for revenge," Bryan reported. "Mars is probably enjoying the show by now."

Lawrence's lips curved slightly. "Let Mars enjoy for now. When Anday is at his breaking point, I'll make him come to me."

"So that's your game," Jeremy squinted, "Giving Mars the illusion of conflict between you and Anday, while actually taking down Sean. Lawrence, you don't give a damn about my face. My homosexuality made the news and even Benjamin saw it!"

"Of course, your face is not mine to worry about."

Bryan watched Lawrence with an expression that screamed "steely resolve," barely suppressing a chuckle.

"You're worried over Winnie for no reason. Acting like her knight in shining armor won't change the fact that she's in the dark about all this," Jeremy pointed out, sighing.

Lawrence's lips curled into a thin smile. "She doesn't watch the news?"

"She does, but rather than being grateful, she'll probably just think you're a brute. You seem ready to take out anyone who so much as glances her way."

"Right." Lawrence's expression darkened at Jeremy's accurate strike.

"You still act like she's yours, Mr. Rodriguez. But you've lost the right to have any say over her." Jeremy couldn't help but give a pointed reminder, albeit meekly.

A storm brewed in Lawrence's eyes, mixed with a hint of obsession. "I need permission?"

Jeremy was speechless. Mr. Rodriguez's arrogance seemed insurmountable. Jeremy sighed inwardly. It seemed wise for Winnie to avoid starting a new relationship; any man who became involved with her was destined for misfortune.

"What's the status on the search for Oscar's kidnapper's van?" Lawrence abruptly changed the subject, lifting his gaze.

Jeremy's expression became serious. "It'll take a week to comb through the abandoned junkyards, and it looks like someone else is searching for that vehicle too..."

"Who?" Lawrence's eyes narrowed.

The next morning, loud knocks rattled the door of Winnie's hotel.

Dressed neatly, she opened the door to find Bryan standing there with a friendly smile.

"Good morning, Ms. Winnie," Bryan greeted her warmly. "Mr. Rodriguez mentioned that Sidney had been staying with you for three days. Since it's the weekend, he would like to take Sidney to the Rodriguez family estate to visit Madam Leah Rodriguez, the elder matriarch."

Considering that Winnie might resist, Lawrence had advised Bryan to lay out the full reasoning.

Sure enough, Winnie's defensive expression eased.

Sidney was kin to the Rodriguez bloodline, and Winnie couldn't deny the boy the chance to visit his elders. Especially when it was the venerable Leah Rodriguez. Remembering how kindly Leah had assisted her the previous night, Winnie felt inclined to pay one more kindness to the elderly woman.

Plus, she had just received a text from Rock; he was coming to Trento City unexpectedly for business and needed to consult with her about a matter involving Triton.

Winnie nodded and responded, "I'll ask Sidney about it."

"No need, Mommy," Sidney said, rubbing his eyes and standing in his pajamas with a cool detachment in the living room. He glanced at Bryan. "Tell Lawrence I'll visit, but only because Mom says it's okay. Not because I want to give him any credit, but because Mommy said it's okay."

"Okay, Sidney," Bryan said, his mouth twitching.

Ever since Sidney learned about his father's wandering heart, he'd been giving his father the cold shoulder, not taking his video calls for days, and making faces at his father whenever he did show up on the screen.

Poor Lawrence was harboring his troubles, forced to barter with Ishara despite it all.

"Son, do you really want to go?" Winnie asked, turning to look at him. She knew Sidney was a loner, not too good at making friends. She feared he wouldn't fit in with the Rodriguez family and might get picked on, unlike the stronger Oscar.

Sidney nodded. Deep down, he was harboring his own little plan. Maybe at the Rodriguez place, he could encounter his dad's mistress. Then he could really give her a piece of his mind. "Don't worry, Mom. I've learned all of Oscar's tricks, and besides, I'm the grandson of the Rodriguez family. Who would dare mess with me?"

Seeing her son so full of bravado, Winnie laughed. "Make sure you keep your smartwatch on. I'll be in touch."

"Mm-hmm."

After getting ready, Sidney, dressed in a sharp little suit, followed Bryan out of the hotel.

As soon as they got into the car, Sidney asked Bryan coldly, "Is Dad's mistress staying with the Rodriguez family? Who is she, anyway? Do you know?"

"Uh, Mr. Rodriguez isn't that close with her you know, not close enough to live together," Bryan replied, mopping his brow, careful not to tell Sidney that the said "mistress" was actually Winnie's sister.

Sidney's expression turned slightly less sour when he heard they weren't living together.

Meanwhile, Winnie headed out to pick up Rock from the airport.

Considering Triton's relocation, they were searching for a prime piece of real estate in the bustling city of Trento to build the company's new headquarters.

The thought of overseeing her own business venture filled Winnie with excitement.

Glancing at her phone as she got into the car, Winnie's path was suddenly blocked by a shadow. She looked up to find herself face to face with a towering, steely-eyed bodyguard in sunglasses. "Ms. Winnie, Mrs. Rodriguez would like to invite you for a chat at the café next door."

It was quite a stretch that someone found her outside her hotel like this.

At the bodyguard's signal, Winnie noticed a discreet Lincoln parked nearby, where she glimpsed a portion of a woman's veil. As she caught sight of a fraction of the woman's face, Winnie's expression turned pale, recognizing her immediately. Her heart skipped a beat, knowing her luck wasn't that good.

Surveying her surroundings, with the comings and goings in front of the hotel, she questioned if this was the moment to make a run for it.

"Ms. Winnie, the lady's patience is running thin. If you won't cooperate, I'll have to escort you forcibly," the bodyguard spoke up, flexing his biceps menacingly.

Winnie swallowed hard, lifted her head, and composed her face. The inevitable was upon her.

She'd have to play it by ear.

She followed the bodyguard into the cafe.

After about five minutes, Hellen slipped into the private booth, the bodyguard having thoroughly checked Winnie's purse and phone, nodding at her as a signal.

Hellen, donning sunglasses, took her seat with the poise befitting the wife of the renowned Mr. Rodriguez.

Winnie sat ramrod straight, struggling for composure.

Hellen's gaze was cold as she asked, "That night, what did you see?"