Chapter 540

Tears reddened the corners of Winnie's eyes, slowly dampening his heart. With a choking voice, she confessed, "I threw away your breakfast that morning.

"I thought I had made myself clear.

"Unless you have news about Oscar, that's the only reason you should come see me."

"There are moments when we can't get along like friends.

"Lawrence, you're suffocating me."

She whipped around to pull Sidney inside before he could exchange words with Lawrence, and with a sharp snap, the front door closed.

Lawrence was left standing outside.

Eyes reddening, Sidney tried to explain, "Mommy, I couldn't find you and called Daddy to say you were missing this afternoon.

"You hate how he tries to control you, so he pulls Uncle Jeremy's security detail.

"He even stopped sending food.

"All because he was worried that you'd be upset.

"Can you please not be mad at him for what he did tonight?"

Winnie gazed at her son, remaining silent for a few moments. "I'm not angry with him. I just want him to ease up on being so controlling. I can take care of myself. I'm feeling really tired. Let's go upstairs."

Lawrence stood under the porch light, brows furrowed, hearing her soft and feeble voice through the door.

The light cast his tall figure in an icy, statue-like silhouette, his shadow stretching long and empty.

Maybe he had pushed her too hard to the point she said he made her feel suffocated.

Retreating, Lawrence cracked a bitter smile. Hearing how tired she was, he abandoned the idea of forcing her to the hospital.

Once her mood settled, in a couple of days, he'd have Jeremy find a way to coax her into getting checked out at the hospital.

His heart was in turmoil, nagged by a persistent unease.

Lost in his troubled thoughts, the sudden ring of his cell phone jolted him.

Hand sliding into his trouser pocket, the rustle of his fine suit breaking the silence, he stepped off the porch and walked to his car to take the call.

It was Bryan, his tone unusually urgent. "Mr. Rodriguez, we've got a serious problem."

Lawrence paused, slipping into his car and steadying his breath as if he anticipated the news.

"Go on," he said.

"The big project Mars had in Country B has been hit by a massive accident. A railroad explosion. Country B's government has already announced an investigation into companies that financed their railroad projects, and the Rodriguez family enterprise is at the top of the list!

This could be a setup by Mars.

"But the Country B authorities won't go after Mar. They'll only scrutinize the current CEO of the Rodriguez family enterprise.

"You need to head over to Country B now, calm the stakeholders, and handle this mess.

"I've booked you on tonight's flight."

Clutching the steering wheel, Lawrence's deep gaze fixed on the villa before him.

He couldn't pinpoint which room Winnie was in, and he knew this trip wouldn't be a short two- or three-day affair.

Winnie's stomach inflammation weighed heavily on his mind today, and he couldn't shake his concern.

However, he knew he had no choice. The burdens on a man's shoulders often extend far beyond his beloved partner.

"I'm heading to the airport now."

After hanging up, Lawrence immediately called Jeremy to delegate the tasks at hand.

It was seven in the evening in a café near the hospital,

Dr. Collins walked in, heading straight for a corner where a woman disguised with a baseball hat and mask was sitting.

He sat down beside her, cautiously looked around, and began to converse in hushed tones.

"Leo and Ishara won't suspect I'm your ally. You now know all they've done to Winnie," she said with a smug smile hidden beneath her mask.

In the end, the woman handed Dr. Collins a generous bank card and asked in a hushed tone, "Is the job I asked for done?"

Dr. Collins subtly nodded his head.

Darcy stood up and left the café, her spirits high.

Ishara's machinations against Winnie were intricate, but what Ishara couldn't possibly predict was that Dr. Collins, now working in the ER, had once been a student at Ordelia Group's pharmaceutical division.

Although the Ordelia family had fallen, acquiring a doctor's allegiance was still a trivial matter.

Back in Trento City, Darcy lived like a rat crossing the street, always cautious not to be discovered by Lawrence.

It was Ishara's doing that had her end up in Lymington with a kidney gone, at the hands of Lawrence.

The fierce battle between Ishara and Winnie was intense; who knew, perhaps in the end, Darcy would be the one to benefit.

Darcy's smile vanished.

After soothing Sidney to sleep and taking her medication, Winnie's gut spasms eased.

She then received a message from Olivia.

Olivia: [Do not worry about it. It must have been the lunch. Nelson and I had quite an uncomfortable experience in the airplane restroom. Winnie, whenever you find a moment, I suggest expressing your dissatisfaction with the hotel banquet hall. I believe sticking to the food Lawrence sent over would have been a better choice. Did you experience any discomfort from it as well? How are you feeling?"]

Olivia and Nelson had gotten sick, too, a clear sign it was food-related.

Winnie: [I'm stable now.]

She didn't want to worry Olivia, and after sending her reply, she closed her eyes.

Soon after, Winnie felt something trickle out. She rose from bed and made her way to the bathroom, there was a faint pink tinge.

A dull ache started in her lower back, reminiscent of menstrual cramps.

But the timing needed to be right.

Earlier, Lawrence had gotten under her skin again, and her emotions were a whirlwind of unrest.

Exhausted, Winnie closed her eyes, deciding first to check the extent of the bleeding.

The following day, Jeremy relayed the news of Lawrence's business trip to Country B.

"Country B? Isn't that a conflict zone in Africa? Why would Daddy go there?"

Sidney was visibly worried about his father, unlike the calm Winnie, and had even researched the current situation in Country B.

Winnie paused briefly, her hands persistently busy with household tasks.

Jeremy, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, glanced at her and sighed intentionally, "Looks like Mars is trying to trip up your Dad. There was a railway explosion linked to the local politics. He wants your Dad to be another casualty in Africa. Sidney, despite our Rodriguez family corporation being a domestic powerhouse and your Dad being the renowned Mr. Rodriguez, he's sitting on a volcano. The danger behind the scenes, the figurative gunfire and bullets. It's already begun."

Sidney fidgeted. "How long is Daddy going to be in that country?"

Jeremy's expression darkened. "Uncertain, it all depends on whether he can turn the tides."

Winnie's eyes were downcast, not engaging in the conversation between her son and Jeremy.

She pulled out her phone and glanced at the calendar, the month was already halfway over.

The crucial transplant surgery for Melissa was just a fortnight away.

Surely, Lawrence wouldn't miss it.

'Could he return before the surgery, given his mother's critical condition?'