Chapter 447

Carlos couldn't help but wonder if it was a last-minute surprise that was stirred up deliberately by Angela.

An icy look crossed Winnie's face, but she calmly whispered to Carlos, "Dad, I'll explain to you later."

She lifted her head, her slender figure poised, and walked forward, holding out two gifts. "Grandfather and Grandmother, this is my first time back at the family home. I've brought a modest gift for both of you, in hopes that you'd like it."

The butler presented the two gifts.

Patricia opened hers to find a simple vintage bracelet-not particularly to her taste.

Then Eleanor said with a pleasant smile, "Winnie has such respect toward you, but she's just a little naive in her choices; You prefer fine antique pieces, like those Ishara has given."

This reminded Patricia, and she looked tenderly at Ishara. "Ishara always knows exactly what I love."

Glancing back at the vintage bracelet, her esteem for it dropped even further. She cast a chilly glance at Winnie, saying, "If you're not familiar with jewelleries, you might want to take some tips from Ishara."

Rock couldn't help but smirk to himself as he watched Winnie.

Ishara stood gently by Patricia's side and said, "Grandma, Winnie's gift may not be grand, but it's heartfelt. She just wanted to make you happy."

The implication was clear: the gift was inconsequential.

Patricia couldn't help but snort. At that very moment, a towering figure strode through the Blanchet family's front door. Lawrence, clad in a sleek black suit, walked in with a commanding presence, his tall frame and understated brows adding an air of inaccessibility that was simply impossible to ignore.

As he noticed the gathering, Lawrence's eyebrows arched up ever so slightly, and his gaze had barely swept across the room.

Ishara hurried to Lawrence's side, her excitement barely restrained as she exclaimed, "Lawrence, you're finally here! Winnie's fiancé has been here for some time. See that gentleman over there-the composed one? Angela mentioned she ran into Winnie at the airport this morning, picking up this guy. She even took a photo-"

Holding the photo up to Lawrence like a prized possession and with a shy smile, Ishara added, "Winnie is really sweet to her boyfriend."

Lawrence glanced at the picture which showed Winnie and Rock embracing at the airport.

His eyes lifted once more, sweeping over the man currently standing in the Blanchet family's living room, with Winnie demurely by his side.

In that moment, Lawrence's gaze turned icy cold.

After three years apart, Rock had re-emerged as her fiancé, brought to meet the Blanchet family elders.

He had just warned Winnie the night before at the Rodriguez family's estate to steer clear of men. He had even resolved the issue with Sean, only for her to turn around and elevate Rock to an official status.

The anger in Lawrence's heart surged, transforming last night's fear and that slight hint of intimacy into a sharpened blade of mockery in his mind-she was just using him for help last night. The audacity for her to play him for a fool and then bring Rock to meet the family as if it's all a game was utterly astounding.

The lingering darkness emanating from Lawrence's form made Ishara sneer inwardly as she called out with a blush, "Everyone, Mr. Rodriguez has arrived."

The living room fell into silence.

All eyes now turned to the doorway-to the distinguished man whose striking features now caught every gaze.

The Blanchet women gasped sharply; their initial approval of Winnie's fiancé was quickly overshadowed by the commanding presence of Mr. Rodriguez.

Even Paul found himself unable to focus on Rock's words anymore. He pushed himself up from his chair, leaning on his cane. He had heard that Lawrence was a tough cookie. It only took him three days to take out Anday, and now making the Rodriguez family tread lightly around him.

Patricia approached with a beaming smile. "Mr. Rodriguez, you're here! Ishara was just talking about you."

"Elevating our modest dinner party with your presence, Mr. Rodriguez," Eleanor said with visible pride, sneaking a glance at Winnie.

For a moment, Rock had been the center of attention, but as soon as he introduced himself, people lost interest and drifted away, leaving him and Winnie in an awkward silence.

Now, everyone from the Blanchet family was clustering around Lawrence and Ishara, eager to curry favor and make a good impression in front of Mr. Rodriguez.

Rock's fists clenched at his sides. His eyes fixed on Lawrence and Ishara, who stood close together, his surprise evident. "He's become something special to your sister...?"

Winnie empathized with his shock. Her heart had felt like it was being sliced open at the time, and even now, seeing them together still brought a sharp twinge of pain.

She hadn't expected him to show up at the Blanchet family's dinner party; she thought he'd be with Sidney at the Rodriguez household.

Spending time with his son wasn't even a priority. Ishara seemed to be of paramount importance to him, requiring daily dinner meetings.

It was laughable that just yesterday when she saw Sean's scandal on the news, she had thought that Lawrence cared about her.

A suffocating tightness gripped her chest.

"Lawrence has gone too far," Rock said, anger and hurt in his voice. "What's he doing with your sister? You were hurt so badly when you returned to Trento City, why didn't you tell me?"

The man glanced at Lawrence, then firmly placed his hand on Winnie's shoulder, pulling her close. "You shouldn't have to suffer like this. I'm going to protect you. I won't stand by and watch you push me away any longer, Winnie. Accept me."

Winnie pondered his words. She knew that having someone by her side to lean on could indeed make things feel a lot better, especially when she was tired and cold.

A bitter sting flashed in Winnie's eyes. Unfortunately, she had never felt that way about Rock.

Instinctively she wanted to shake her head, but as she caught a cold glance from Lawrence, for some reason, she kept silent.

Indeed, Lawrence had excellent hearing-exceptional, in fact. He caught Rock's declaration of love. The man gave them a cold look, observing how closely Rock held her, with Winnie leaning into his embrace.