Chapter 514

Three days later, Winnie had set up everything in Carlos's hospital room, hired a nurse and personally interviewed several bodyguards for shifts.

Her acute gastritis was now under control and the pain had subsided. The doctor said there were no other health issues and Winnie felt the same.

She was discharged from the hospital. That morning, Jeremy rushed to the hospital to drive her back to the hotel.

Rock had arrived even earlier.

Jeremy entered Winnie's ward room only to see that Rock was packing Winnie's luggage. Jeremy's eyes narrowed as he walked in. Winnie smiled at him but it was a polite smile.

He was at a loss for words. Thanks to Mr. Rodriguez's interference, Winnie was no longer interested in dealing with him either.

"Ms. Winnie, are you all packed? I'm here to take you back to the hotel," Jeremy said with a cigarette dangling from his lips, giving Rock a mocking look for his attentiveness.

Winnie glanced at Jeremy and declined, "Mr. DeRoss, no need to bother."

"Bother? It was Mr. Rodriguez who insisted I come."

Rock turned, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Well, that's probably all the more reason for Winnie to decline Mr. DeRoss's offer."

Without a word, Winnie confirmed as much with her silence. Jeremy was beholden to Lawrence and the last thing she wanted was any connection to that man.

Winnie approached Rock, clutching her purse. "Mr. DeRoss, it's really not necessary." She casually walked out of the hospital room, indifferent to his offer of assistance. Rock made a half-hearted gesture to support her delicate waist.

A wave of irritation surged within Jeremy followed by a series of sighs. "Winnie Anderson!" He called out her full name, determined to catch up with her. "I need a word with you. You wouldn't deny me that courtesy, would you?"

Rock's eyes narrowed slightly. "Winnie, Mr. DeRoss is just trying to put in a good word for Lawrence."

Winnie knew but Jeremy had been kind to her and she could feel his sincerity. She turned slightly. "Rock, would you mind waiting for me in the car?"

Jeremy came over again and observed Rock's sour demeanor. "You're putting on quite the polite act for Winnie, aren't you?"

Rock's jaw tensed.

Winnie moved to a corner of the hallway. "Mr. DeRoss, if this is about Lawrence, please just save it."

The light reflected briefly off Jeremy's glasses. "I'm here to discuss something you're probably already aware of. It's impossible not to notice that Mr. Rodriguez's engagement to Ishara is just a strategic move, right? His sole objective is to extract clues from her to safely rescue Oscar. He doesn't want a complete disaster and that's because we're dealing with your child here.

"What's the real story, you're wondering? Let me tell you, we've looked into Ishara and she's not slipping up. That's why Mr. Rodriguez resorted to this plan which is to bait Ishara and wait for her to fall into the trap. His hesitance to move on Ishara now is also because he needs something from her."

Bone marrow. Winnie understood but it didn't signify she concurred with his imprudent sacrifice of marriage. A man like him had been stubborn, accustomed to doing things his own way. He had his own strategies and machinations.

She didn't forgive his so-called dilemma. She didn't comply with this charade, allowing him to keep deliberately hurting her. She didn't allow it.

Seeing her being silent, Jeremy grew anxious. "I think you could sympathize with him. He's wrecked with guilt over Oscar and wants to give you back your son, whole and unharmed. He wants Melissa to recover too. It's only been a month. Winnie, why can't you try to understand how he feels?"

"Who's going to understand how I feel?" Winnie asked icily.

She let out a wry chuckle. "He makes decisions without consulting anyone. Let him taste the consequences alone. Besides, his engagement to Ishara, they're a perfect match, aren't they? I never seen him being unhappy."

She added, "He rescued Oscar and his mother. I'll decide for myself. We're not connected. I won't naively cling to hope in him any longer." She was tired of the recurrent heartbreak and his games.

Jeremy stepped back and nodded in understanding. "I know it's hard for you to stand by him now."

"Then let's not make this harder than it needs to be, Mr. DeRoss."

As Winnie turned to leave, she thought of Melissa's spinal condition. She wanted to share her suspicion with Jeremy but with Lawrence entangled with Ishara, she hesitated. If she had spoken of her suspicion that Ishara poisoned someone, it would have put Melissa at risk.

All Winnie could convey to Jeremy was a cautionary message. "Melissa's spinal necrosis is more complex than it seems. I'm puzzled as to why Dr. Moore has excluded me from the case. The only explanation I can fathom is that Dr. Moore suspects I played a role in causing Melissa's condition. Please, whenever you can, remind Lawrence that Melissa was injected in her spine on the night she was abducted. I am not the one responsible."

Winnie walked away. Jeremy, puzzled, muttered, "What does she mean?"

As an outsider to Melissa's health issues, he didn't grasp the truth. The only thing he had heard from Lawrence was that the pills from Winnie has caused Melissa's leukemia.

Jeremy furrowed his brow, and just as his curiosity peaked, his phone buzzed with a message from his informant. Swiftly altering his direction, he made his way back to the Rodriguez family corporation.

Lawrence had just concluded a meeting. Tensions with the Mars family had left the Rodriguez Corporation on edge. The covert agreements between Mars and the Peterson Group, along with Lawrence's decisive measures had widespread adverse effects, resembling a powder keg ready to explode.

Rubbing his temples, Lawrence's expression darkened when he saw Jeremy enter. "Didn't you escort her home?"

"What home does she have in Trento City?" Jeremy sauntered in, jokingly suggesting, "Maybe you should buy Winnie a house."

Lawrence's face remained impassive. "I would, gladly, if she'd accept it."

"If all goes well, in ten months you'll be welcoming another son," Jeremy said with an smile.

Lawrence's stern gaze softened, a light quirk in his brow. "This time, I'm hoping for a daughter." But the mention of kids brought his son Oscar to mind, washing away his fond reverie.

Jeremy knew what he was thinking. "As long as you keep providing benefits to Ishara and keep her close, Oscar will be safe for now."

Lawrence remained silent because that was the very reason he had agreed to the engagement.

"It's a shame Winnie doesn't understand why you're doing this. I talked to her. She thinks you've betrayed her and your son," Jeremy said.

"I know she hates me, enough to make even you uncomfortable. Who was it that discharged her from the hospital?"

Jeremy, momentarily silenced by Lawrence's chiseled features, choked on his words. Lawrence having guessed it already, his mood turning dark. "Rock. Bryan, look into why he's still hanging around Trento City. He's been pushed out from the golf course deal. If he's got nothing to do, let's give him something."

Recognizing the fierce look in Lawrence's eyes, Bryan nodded and left to take care of business.

Jeremy looked at the man on the leather chair who exuded a cold authority. "Rock appears to have secured a powerful supporter. He obtained that incomplete building in Central Plaza and intends to transform it into the new Harrington Group. He may not be your equal but you should exercise caution around him, now that he's Winnie's primary support. However, don't fret because I have contacted Olivia. With her coming to Trento City to be with Winnie, Rock will have fewer opportunities."

"Thanks," Lawrence said, lighting a cigarette with a statuesque posture and glanced at his phone. Winnie would, of course, not contact him voluntarily.

His brows knit together as he sent a text to Sidney and then said to Jeremy, "I'm worried about Winnie's medical knowledge. She might self-medicate improperly."

Jeremy's heart skipped a beat. Winnie was unaware of her own pregnancy. This indeed was a problem.