Chapter 552

At the Rodriguez Family Hospital, Lawrence strode briskly toward his mother's room, but upon arrival, Winnie was nowhere in sight.

Melissa, now fully lucid and in good spirits with Sidney by her side, slightly lifted her head. "Lawrence, what brings you back?"

Lawrence cast a profound gaze upon his son before his voice, hoarse with concern, inquired, "Mother, where has Winnie gone?"

"Oh, she was here just an hour ago."

Sidney piped up, raising his little head. "Mommy said she wasn't feeling well and needed to stop by the house."

A sudden melancholy gripped Lawrence's heart. It wasn't a mere ailment; possibly, she had seen the news. She must have found out about Ishara's pregnancy. She might have been in pieces, leaving Sidney alone at the hospital, vanishing all by herself.

Lawrence's hand felt chillingly cold.

Looking at his son's unruffled expression, Sidney likely didn't know yet.

With a tight throat, Lawrence managed to choke out, "Sidney, stay here and keep Grandma company. The nurse will take care of you. I got to find Mommy."

"Okay, go!" Sidney, holding Melissa's hand, waved as his father hurried away.

Meanwhile, at the Mansion, the driver parked the Bentley as Lawrence approached the fourth villa.

Atop the stairs, the front door was firmly closed. Under the overcast sky, only the porch light emitted a faint, lonely glow.

Winnie was not at home. She hadn't come back.

After confirming there was no sign of Winnie or Olivia through the windows, Lawrence understood Winnie had lied, and likely, she was purposely avoiding him. She was gone.

An overwhelming sense of urgency, unlike anything Lawrence had ever felt, swelled within him. A hollow panic threatened to engulf him. He couldn't find her.

There wasn't even a chance to explain.

'Where could she be? Was she hurt, shrunk into herself with distress?' His heart ached, and a reddish tinge trailed to the corners of his eyes.

Lawrence stood on the steps, repeatedly dialing her number on his phone, but the call refused to connect. With each failed attempt, his heart sank deeper into despair.

Frustrated and trembling, he lit a cigarette, resigned to wait and wallow in his misery. As time passed, a creeping sense of madness enveloped him. He looked up at the mansion's second-floor window, pleading desperately, "Winnie! Are you there? Stop avoiding me! Please, just talk to me. Even if it's to scold me."

His cries echoed into the silence, but Winnie never showed.

The silence was deafening as if it were her response.

Lawrence realized he might have irreparably damaged their relationship.

Before he left, he had promised to take down Ishara to find Oscar.

But he had accomplished nothing, worse, he had blood on his hands.

Winnie would never forgive him.

"Mr. Rodriguez, Bryan's assistant and the CEO's secretary have called you dozens of times.

"You can't keep lingering here!

"The Rodriguez family's corporate stocks are fluctuating; shareholders are looking for you. You need to take charge of the situation!"

His driver came up to him, face beaded with sweat from anxiety, to remind him.

Lawrence glanced at his watch, frowning.

He couldn't afford to wait any longer.

"Stay here and keep in touch with Mr. Jeremy and let me know immediately if he gets any word on Winnie."

"Of course, Mr. Rodriguez, you'd better head back to the office now."

The driver opened the car door for him.

At four in the evening, the executive floor of the Rodriguez family's corporate headquarters.

Mars lounged on the sofa, his long legs propped up, eyes scanning the wall of monitors.

The screens showed the Rodriguez family's corporate shareholders in a state of frenzy and employees bustling non-stop.

The Public Relations department was on the verge of collapse under the barrage of media hotlines.

Reporters were desperate for a scoop on Lawrence.

The Rodriguez stock was tumbling, causing a panic among the shareholders, who pinned the blame squarely on Lawrence.

A sardonic smile played across Mars's handsome face, emanating an effortless cool. "So, he survived Africa only to come back and dig his own grave.

"Lawrence is the epitome of a hero unable to surpass the challenge of love.

"To abandon his pregnant fiancée and then turn around to announce he's marrying her cousin, Winnie. He's put himself in a checkmate.

"If Winnie refuses to marry him, what kind of a lousy reputation will he get for being a philanderer?

"If he can't pull through this one, the Rodriguez Group will be right in the palm of our hands at the Peterson Group.

"You and your step-uncle can start celebrating early."

Hellen turned off the stove, her expression tightening. "In retaliation for Winnie's car accident, he made a move against us. First, he scrapped the deal that gave the Peterson Group an eight percent profit share. That's nearly ten billion dollars in profits for the Peterson Group gone in an instant. Your step-uncle was furious. Bob coldly watched his own son target our main household. Well, this time, let Bob watch his son fall from grace in the turmoil he's created."

They lifted their glasses, toasting to their anticipated victory.

Meanwhile, in a private hotel suite, Rock had been waiting a while when Ishara made her discreet entrance, toting a bag and donning sunglasses. Her face was partially hidden by a scarf, her gaze on Rock both curious and impatient. Rock from Lymington, what brings you to me?"

They had once met at the Blanchet family's ancestral home. Ishara thought back then that Rock, as Winnie's fiancé in name, could've been a potential ally, but she wasn't too keen on the idea. Since then, their paths hadn't crossed.

In truth, Rock had been reminded by his backers, "If you want to get to Winnie, you could start with Ishara. Lawrence's going to face trouble both inside and out pretty soon, and Ishara's nothing but bad news."

And she was troubled. She was unexpectedly pregnant with Lawrence's heir. Rock's eyes, sharp and shrewd, narrowed as he spoke to Ishara, "I am indeed looking to partner with you."

"What kind of partnership do you have in mind with me?" she asked.

"Our goals align. I trust you're smart enough to understand without me going into details. You want Lawrence, and I want Winnie, correct?" Rock stated plainly.

Ishara scoffed, "But Rock, what power does a Lymington tycoon have to offer an alliance with me?"

"I don't need power. Because right now, your situation is quite concerning. You're pregnant with Lawrence's child and haven't even had time to enjoy it, but he's only announced your engagement to the media to save his mother's deal. He plans to marry Winnie, and what will you do then?"

Ishara's face darkened. With a light laugh, she replied, "So you came to me because you don't want him to marry Winnie, right?"

Rock nodded. "There's no way you'd go down without a fight and marrying Lawrence? Isn't that your ultimate goal? You must have a scheme up your sleeve to stop their wedding. I'd like to offer you a hand and likewise seek your assistance. I have a plan myself. Would you be interested in hearing it?"

After taking a sip of her warm water, Ishara set down her cup and leaned in slightly. "Go on, I'm all ears."