Chapter 489

Ishara could feel his gaze, icy and compelling. In the presence of such a man, she couldn't help but feel intimidated.

But she was determined to make him regret his actions and to remind him who now had the upper hand.

"Lawrence, it wasn't intentional," she remarked in a trembling voice, as if about to cry. I came here to relax because I felt so sick last night. I figured that once you got here, we could discuss it.

"What's there to talk about? It turned out you refused to save my mother," Lawrence's tone was frosty.

"It's not like that," Ishara replied softly, lifting her eyes with an air of grievance. "You left me alone last night, and I felt so heartbroken and scared to go to the hospital by myself. Now that you're here, I feel better."

The implied threat and blame in her words were now unmistakable.

"Do you want an apology?" he asked, his laughter cold.

Ishara shivered, her lips pursed thoughtfully, "I want a boyfriend, Lawrence, someone who treats me well. Not this constant neglect and distance. You've never even held me when I was sick. This isn't our initial agreement; you promised to be a perfect boyfriend."

Lawrence's frown deepened, followed by a mocking laugh, "You think this deal isn't worth it anymore?"

His words cut sharply to the bone.

Ishara could not feel a flicker of affection from him. Indeed, she had guessed it right; he would lay down his life for Winnie, but when it comes to his love-he was stingy even by a fraction for her!

In that case... there seemed no point in continuing her act of fragility, pleasing and submission to him.

If she couldn't move his heart, not to mention engage in a physical and genuine relationship with him, when would she ever marry him? When would she secure her place as Mrs. Rodriguez?

With pitiful eyes, Ishara implored, "Lawrence, ask yourself, have you ever truly cared for me? The sacrifice I made for your mother-it cost me blood and marrow, my very life."

"But didn't you once said that you volunteered to help my mother? Does your kindness fluctuate so easily? Or did I just not know you well enough before, Ishara?"

His words were laced with subtext, and his demeanor became even colder.

"When you were on the plane, you slyly answered my call and deleted the record. When did you learn about my past with Winnie?"

Lawrence suddenly recalled that Winnie had mentioned Ishara knew him, and it wasn't merely a coincidence.

Perhaps, she had long known his identity as Lawrence.

Yet at the time, Lawrence, swayed by Ishara's offer and insistence to break off his relationship with Winnie, had dismissed Winnie's assertions of Ishara's greed for fame and fortune.

Moreover, she claimed to have a terminal illness with only two years to live.

However, as he got to know her, especially during the ST competition, he saw her unveiled ambition.

He endured it all, hoping that his mother would receive the blood transfusion.

But his tolerance did not keep her in line!

In fact, he began to see her true colors.

As Lawrence awaited her response, he ventured his own guess, "The day you took me back to the Blanchet's, did you lie about not knowing Winnie? During the competition, were you intentionally targeting her to win?"

Seeing that Lawrence made no attempt to hide his accusation, she felt utterly exposed. However, she wouldn't admit the truth.

Tears fell, "Lawrence, why would you think that of me? I overheard details of your relationship with Winnie from my mother, just these past few days. I wasn't targeting Winnie. I just felt deceived because you'd said you didn't love her. Last night she called you and... I didn't want you to talk to her, so I hung up the phone without saying anything..."

Lawrence gave no expression to her reply.

His gaze was icy; he hadn't even checked if the call had gone through, but Winnie had told him last night that he had said he wouldn't come to her rescue.

Whose words had delivered that message?

Ishara had definitely been harsh with Winnie, spinning lies and playing hypocrisy like a pro.

Lawrence's gaze was sharp and piercing. "Now that you know about my past with Winnie, it's your call. Do you want to save my mom or not?"

Ishara had trapped him, attempting to use the circumstances to influence his decision. But just then, he'd turned the tables on her.

She knew fully well that she had to go through with the blood donation. But without this bargaining chip, how could she ever hope to control this man?

"Lawrence, I'm willing to save your mom, but I want something in return. I need to be the only one you care about, with Winnie out of your life for good."

Lawrence was not someone who took threats well, and his temper was nearly boiling over. But he thought of his mother waiting for the blood transfusion.

He stifled his anger and urged with furrowed brows, "If you're willing, then let's go now. We'll talk about everything else after the transfusion."

Ishara didn't want to push things to a breaking point.

She cleared her throat and nodded, "Wait outside, Lawrence. I need to change my clothes."

The man exuded an aura of menace as Bryan wheeled him out.

Ishara took a deep breath, and Claire also seemed visibly shaken, "Trying to bring Lawrence to his knees is a monumental task."

"It is, but I have the ultimate leverage - his mother's life. No matter how proud he is, he's got no choice!" Ishara squinted her eyes and clenched her fist tightly.

Just then, her phone abruptly rang. It was Eleanor.

Ishara swiftly went to the bathroom to answer, "Mom, the men who kidnapped Winnie"

"I was just about to tell you, there's a big trouble! I returned to the Blanchet residence, and Dad had just returned from visiting Winnie at the hospital. He was in good spirits, saying that Winnie managed to see the faces of the three thugs and helped the police with their sketches. They're putting all efforts into capturing them. If they arrest those goons, they'll know who the mastermind is. Your uncle hired some muscle through a contact in the military, a guy named Joseph!"

Ishara's expression shifted slightly.

"Stay calm, and don't handle it yourself. Let your uncle take care of it. Offer Joseph some cash to eliminate those thugs, and the cops will have no one to catch."

Eleanor broke into a cold sweat, "Okay..."

She hung up and paced the bedroom before calling her brother Thomas. "The thugs have been identified; you need to pay..."

"Where am I going to get the money? Business hasn't been good lately, and I'm strapped," Thomas complained.

Eleanor was furious, "Did you blow it all gambling in Vegas again?!"

At the Blanchet family estate, the plot only thickened.

Carlos sat on the living room couch, his icy gaze fixed on the master bedroom upstairs.

Ever since he returned with Sidney, and Eleanor came home that afternoon, Carlos had deliberately mentioned Winnie's plan. Eleanor had remained in her bedroom, not coming out again.

His expression grew colder as he had his assistant monitor Eleanor's bank card activity and, more covertly, steal her call logs.

At six in the evening, news came from the bank.

Eleanor had transferred three million dollars to her brother Thomas's wife. Carlos frowned. The business dealings of the Walker family over the years hadn't been great; they were mostly propped up by the Blanchet family.

It was no secret that Eleanor had been funneling money to her own family behind the scenes.

He was yet to be certain... He turned and instructed the housekeeper to keep an eye on Sidney, then left the villa. Carlos ordered his assistant to retrieve Eleanor's call logs and discovered that afternoon, she had calls with both Ishara and Thomas.

The transfer happened after her call with Thomas.

Carlos instructed his assistant, "Find out what Thomas has been up to lately, and who he has been hanging around with."