Chapter 496

Carlos hesitated, then turned to Winnie and muttered under his breath, "Look, let's set aside the basement and the flowers for a moment. Ishara claims she's clueless, and indeed, the child isn't in this villa. Could you be mistaken?"

He didn't want to believe Ishara is capable of such maliciousness. Kidnapping Winnie's child, that is a terrible thing to do!

Winnie realized she was at a downside.

Without Oscar, she couldn't catch the culprit red-handed.

To Carlos, the handkerchief and basement design might seem like desperate grasps.

Ishara vehemently denied everything: the handkerchief wasn't custom-made for her, she didn't plant those flowers, and the basement was beyond her knowledge.

She could deny all accusations with ease. After all, proving such things took time, and some couldn't be proved at all!

Winnie glared at Ishara. "Dad, I'm not mistaken. The person who kidnapped my child will face divine retribution sooner or later! This villa is too strange. Seal it off. Don't let anyone touch anything inside! Dad, you can go in and see for yourself, see how my sister has meticulously altered it. Then, perhaps, you'll see her differently."

Winnie's piercing gaze slashed through Ishara like a blade. Without finding Oscar, she didn't linger.

Taking Sidney by the hand, she left the villa.

They emerged from the Blanchet family's grand entrance, just as Lawrence caught the tail end of Jeremy's report.

Lawrence's chiseled features tensed up, his breaths shallow, eyes dark and icy, his long fingers clenched.

His gaze lingered on the Blanchet family's villa.

He saw Winnie walk out with Sidney, but Oscar was nowhere in sight.

His eyelids drooped, and his brows furrowed in concern.

"No sign of Oscar in that house?!" Jeremy was surprised.

With the car window down, Winnie caught sight of Lawrence, their eyes meeting.

He appeared frail with a pale complexion.

She averted her gaze.

Jeremy leaned out of the car, "What happened?"

Winnie softly shook her head at Jeremy, her brows showing fatigue and cold resolve. She then led Sidney into her car.

A few minutes after Winnie drove off, Lawrence's car made a U-turn and descended the hill, following behind Winnie.

In the master bedroom of the Blanchet family's grand mansion, Eleanor peered out from a sliver of parted curtains before hurrying to Ishara's vanity, her voice laced with panic. "Ishara! Claire just told me that Lawrence. has pulled up outside the Blanchet residence, but he hasn't come in. I saw Winnie walking out a moment ago. She didn't speak to him, but he lingered for a bit and then drove off as if he was following her. Jeremy was in the car with him; he's probably going to spill everything to Lawrence. You better think fast. We can't have Lawrence suspecting you had something to do with Oscar's disappearance!"

Ishara's face darkened as she threw her handkerchief to the floor. "This damned handkerchief has caused nothing but trouble. I barely convinced Dad about that storage shed. There's no way we can keep today's events from Lawrence. now."

After a moment of thought, she looked up fiercely. "Back in Lymington, Lawrence and I had a fallout. Mother, there's no need to act kindly or weak towards him anymore. Regardless of what Lawrence thinks, Winnie didn't find Oscar here. I've also learned that Melissa's surgery has been moved up by a month. I now have more leverage. Maybe it's time to lay our cards on the table and renegotiate our terms with him..."

Her eyes narrowed as a cold smile replaced her vulnerability, revealing her true calculating nature. Eleanor smirked, "If playing the damsel in distress won't move him, perhaps it's time for a different strategy."

After leaving her daughter's room, Eleanor descended the staircase and slipped into a guest room, where Patrick sat in his wheelchair, gazing at her. She walked over and sat on his knees, her gaze cold and seductive." Ishara and I are both losing ground. Despite opposition from my mother-in-law, Carlos is likely to kick me out soon. We might need to speed up our plan..."

Patrick caressed her hair, uttering a simple, "Hmm."

Sitting in the car, Winnie allowed her mind to settle. Why would Ishara kidnap Oscar? Did she seize him to drive a wedge between me and Lawrence. back in Lymington? What was her motive doing that?

Then Winnie figured it out-she did it to sabotage Winnie's relationship with Lawrence. And she succeeded!

It was all a trap meticulously set by Ishara, each step carefully planned... A cold sweat beaded on Winnie's forehead.

When she returned to the hotel, she took care of a weary and heartbroken Sidney.

The doorbell rang, jolting her from her thoughts. Winnie walked over and opened the door.

Standing there were Jeremy and Lawrence, with Jeremy propping up the man beside him. "Miss Anderson, Mr. Rodriguez has experted pressure on Thomas. The goon who kidnapped you-we caught him," Jeremy said, then gestured to Lawrence. "You two should talk."

After guiding Lawrence inside, Jeremy quickly left.

Lawrence struggled to remain upright, and despite her reluctance, Winnie had no choice but to support him. "Where's your wheelchair?" she asked.

"I didn't want to use it to come see you," Lawrence replied, his voice hoarse.

Winnie settled him onto the couch, her expression icy.

Giving her a penetrating look, he said, "You can use the evidence we've gathered to threaten Eleanor and negotiate with your father for access to Blanchet headquarters."

Winnie was taken aback; she hadn't expected him to bring this up. She thought he'd side with Ishara...

Did he remember the competition-how she was manipulated to lose and miss her chance with the Blanchet family? Her lips pressed firmly together as she gazed at his handsome features. Why wasn't he mentioning Oscar? Had Jeremy not told him?

She wanted to speak up, to accuse Ishara of taking Oscar, but... would he believe her? She felt a lump in her throat and was unsure if he would trust the evidence she and Sidney held.

The scent of blood lingered in the air.

Her sharp eyes noticed a dark stain spreading across his shirt on his chest.

His profile was tense and drawn.

"It is important that you go to the hospital!" Winnie said coldly.

"There's something I need to ask you," Lawrence replied, looking at her impassive face, his eyelids drooping slightly. "Jeremy said you didn't look much into the car accident. He thinks you might know who messed with your car. Tell me, who was it?"

The smell of blood grew stronger.

Ultimately, she turned away and retrieved a medical kit and a dry needling pack from another room.

Lawrence softly relaxed his gaze as he watched her, painfully unbuttoning his shirt. The gauze beneath was spotted with blood.

Winnie frowned, and as she drew close, she felt the heat radiating from him.

Only then did she realize he was still feverish-a high fever at that.

"You should be back in the hospital," she insisted.

"Aren't you patching me up because you couldn't stand to watch?" he quipped, a deep corner lifting on his lips as he watched her expression, a mix of tenderness and detachment.

"After all," he continued, "it was me trying to keep you alive that got me injured."

Winnie wouldn't turn against the one who had helped her.

"Who messed with your car?" he probed again.

Winnie didn't hide anything, "I think it was Helen."

"Helen?" The only person Lawrence could think of was Mars, but Helen? "What kind of beef does she have with you? You two don't even know each other."

"I caught her in a scandalous act."

It was a complex issue, and Winnie had no intention of delving into it right now. To change the subject, she asked as she noticed his wound, "How is Melissa holding up?"

Lawrence stiffened at the question, a reaction that made Winnie pause and scrutinize him sharply.

He averted his gaze, "It's the same as before; organ failure takes time to treat."

"Is it really organ failure? She doesn't have any other illness, does she?"

He suddenly looked up at her.

Winnie inhaled sharply and asked bluntly, "Lawrence, is there a reason you're with Ishara? Does it have something to do with your mother's illness?"