Chapter 492

Carlos stroked her hair, "Although we haven't been reunited for long, I know you truly care for your father."

"And you care for me just the same, Dad." Winnie smiled.

" Alright, I need to head back to see the lawyer," Carlos said before leaving.

Jeremy lingered outside for a moment before walking in, his cheeks flushed and eyes twinkling behind his glasses. "Looks like your dad's dead set on getting that divorce, huh? But, is it gonna be smooth sailing? What about the Blanchets, you know, the grandparents?"

"I doubt it," Winnie said, recalling the formidable Patricia. When she returned to the Xie family for the first time, Patricia, as the grandmother, showed her no kindness.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Melanie nodded in agreement, "Uncle Carlos's a real family man. If Grandma does not support it, with Ishara's charm, she's certainly going to object strongly. Moreover, Lawrence. and Ishara are an item now. Grandma'll play favorites, knowing the Rodriguez clan won't choose a single mom over a daughter-in-law, she'll prioritize Ishara's happiness over everything else!"

Winnie felt a sting in her heart, at a loss for words. Melanie's point was clear; Eleanor and her daughter, with Lawrence's support, made a strong team as long as his romance with Ishara was alive. Noticing her silence, Jeremy cleared his throat and said pointedly, "Got word that Mr. Rodriguez is in an emergency unit, receiving treatment over at Lymington Hospital. He pushed himself too hard, and the wound from his surgery's split open."

Winnie pursed her lips together, offering no reply.

Sidney's eyes teared up, overflowing with concern for daddy. He remembered he had important news to share, grabbing his little backpack, he stood up, "Mommy! I've got something to tell you, and Daddy too!"

"What is it, sweetheart?" she asked.

Sidney glanced at Melanie.

Melanie quickly got the hint and left the room.

Graced with Sidney's trust, Jeremy stayed, a trusted uncle in the boy's eyes.

Sidney unzipped his backpack and pulled out his gathered 'intelligence.' He laid it out for his mom, "This fabric, we've overlooked it all along. It's actually a piece torn from Oscar's handkerchief! Look at this, Mommy, I took this from Ishara's bedroom!" he said, presenting another handkerchief.

Winnie observed her son lay out a fresh handkerchief next to the magnified photo of the shred on her phone. "See, the stitches are the same, which just about confirms that the piece on the phone came from Ishara's handkerchief! Plus, I found the same floral pattern at the Blanchet family's closed-off cottage."

"Sidney..." Winnie was stunned by everything her son had managed to do.

She relayed to Sidney, "Your Aunt Olivia mentioned these flowers are a rare and incredibly expensive toxic species, only found up north. I checked the price, they go for ten grand a piece..."

"The Blanchet family could afford it, they even planted some at their vacation home. Maybe Ishara was the one who planted them? She must have really adored these flowers to embroider one on her handkerchief. Although, I couldn't find another handkerchief with the this pattern. But, my guess is that it was Ishara who kidnapped Oscar!" Sidney roared in fury, his eyes bloodshot.

Winnie's breathing became erratic as her nerves started to jangle uncontrollably. She had speculated before that it might be connected to Ishara, but now it was confirmed-the piece of fabric was part of a handkerchief, and Ishara was frequently seen with one. Her mind was reeling.

Jeremy's face was grave as he approached them and asked, "Have you secretly found evidence linking Oscar's disappearance to Ishara?"

"I found two pieces of evidence at the Blanchet's residence that point directly to Ishara!" Winnie replied before she turned to him and continued, "You and Lawrence found the kidnapper's van that morning-what else have you uncovered since?"

"There's someone else looking for that van, too. I suspect they're trying to destroy evidence. Mr. Rodriguez and I tracked it down, but one of our guys got blown up by a tanker truck. Mr. Rodriguez asked me to follow up on the information we had on the victim, who had financial dealings with a middle-aged man. After a lot of digging, I found out this guy's last name is Hill, and he used to be a mercenary. Now, if you've directly linked this to Ishara, then this middle-aged man..."

"Hold on, Hill?" Winnie interrupted, feeling a twinge of recognition, rapidly rifling through her memories until it clicked, "Melanie once told me Ishara has two people doing her dirty work-one named Claire, and one named Peter. She mentioned that all the shady dealings were handled by this Peter behind the scenes."

"If this Peter is the middle-aged man I've been looking into..." A shiver crawled up Jeremy's spine.

Sidney understood as well. The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fit together, revealing a dangerous picture.

His face turned ashen, his breath shallow, he turned to his mother and said, "I scoped out the Blanchet's mansion yesterday. I went around the back and discovered there's a basement. The hill behind their house is quite large. What if Ishara brought Oscar to Trento City and is hiding him in that basement?"

"Mom, I remember my heart pounding the first time I got close to that mansion. The most dangerous place could be the safest. Oscar might really be there!"

Sidney was so overwhelmed that he burst into tears.

Winnie's chest seized with a sudden, sharp pain. If her precious child had indeed been stashed away there by Ishara, so close to her once...

She couldn't forgive herself for only realizing it now.

"We need to go to the Blanchets' and save Oscar! He's been locked away for almost a month now!"

Winnie held her son back, "We need to think this through! We need to tell your grandfather, Carlos, show him this evidence, and expose Ishara. Only then will we have grounds to search the mansion."

Jeremy nodded, "Tomorrow it is. Ishara's still in Lymington. It's best to confront her there and seal her fate!"

Winnie's heart stirred with emotion.

First, they might finally rescue Oscar, and, second, they had been looking for concrete evidence to unmask Ishara and it seems they had finally found enough.

Eleanor had hurt them repeatedly and Ishara always left no trace, but this time she took it to another level by kidnapping Oscar, which was different.

The embroidered handkerchief, and the flowers planted in the villa might just be the smoking gun!

"Mom, we have to tell Dad everything, right? Get him to come back! He needs to know how dark and terrible Ishara is! She kidnapped Oscar! How dare she!" Sidney was fuming with rage, his eyes filled with hope as he looked at her.

Winnie's eyes flickered with a moment's complexity. The odd relationship between Lawrence and Ishara, she needed to unravel it. She also wanted to understand the illness of Melissa.

If Oscar was indeed kidnapped by Ishara, Lawrence had to be informed.

Regardless of whether they were on the same side, for Oscar's sake, they had to unite against a hidden adversary like Ishara.

Rescuing Oscar was paramount.

Winnie nodded and feigned casualness, "Ask him how he's doing? If he's still alive, you can bring him back and tell him everything!"

Jeremy was relieved; despite Winnie's tough talk, she clearly wanted to know about Mr. Rodriguez's well-being.

She still cared about Mr. Rodriguez's life or death, and that was a good sign.

Winnie has always been a sharp woman. When she learned that Mr. Livingston had his difficulties, she was bound to investigate.

Sidney immediately took out his phone to contact Bryan.

Glancing at the time, Winnie narrowed her eyes and smirked sarcastically. "Looks like the trouble with Eleanor might just rush Ishara back to Trenton City ahead of schedule."

Jeremy had a sudden epiphany. "Maybe as soon as tomorrow."

Inwardly, Winnie was anxious, silently praying, "Oscar, just one more day, honey. Hang in there; I know you're suffering."