Chapter 564

The tension between desire and rejection was clear. Lawrence craved a child and a life with Winnie, but she refused to open her heart again.

Between them, mistake followed mistake. Lawrence loved fiercely, holding back such pain that others couldn't begin to share.

However, Winnie couldn't see the tenderness hidden deep within his eyes; her patience had worn thin.

At this moment, Jeremy thought Lawrence looked pitiable, his heart shredded by Winnie.

Clutching the piece of paper, Lawrence's grip tightened as he slumped over the bar table, murmuring drunkenly.

Jeremy downed a few heavy drinks, his head bowed. Standing up, he made a gravelly call to Olivia, "Ms. Olivia, Winnie's marrying Rock? Is this real, or some sort of joke? Is Winnie using Rock to get a rise out of me?

"Do you know something I don't?"

"It's not about angering anyone. Winnie truly wants to leave this hellhole that is Lawrence's life. She wants to say goodbye to the past. Lawrence is sick in the head. He should see a shrink!

"While he got Ishara pregnant, he's also expecting Winnie to be? Is he out of his mind? Why should he have his cake and eat it too?

"After all that, he still has the nerve to burn his bridges and threaten Winnie into marrying him? I'd rather Winnie marries Rock," Olivia blurted in a fit of rage.

Jeremy's face turned a grim shade of blue as he struggled to keep calm. "Don't fan the flames, okay? Winnie is indeed pregnant a month ago."

"Oh please, you've been brainwashed by Lawrence too, fabricating this story of Winnie's pregnancy. After all, he's got a functioning neurological disorder. Winnie had tests at the hospital, she didn't have a miscarriage. Don't pin this mess on her.

"A jerk's friend is also a jerk," Olivia scoffed and hung up abruptly.

Stunned by the insult, Jeremy felt this woman was as fickle as the wind, now supporting Rock just because Winnie chose him. She had no spine, in desperate need of a reality check.

After putting away his phone, Jeremy called Bryan in from the doorway.

Seeing Lawrence slumped over the table, clearly intoxicated, Bryan sighed, "Mr. Rodriguez used to handle his liquor better than this."

"He's heartbroken, overwhelmed with rage and sorrow," Jeremy said, lifting his gaze. "You think his time in Africa was a picnic? Where did he ever get a good night's sleep? He barely comes back, Melissa's surgery is finally a success, then this mess with Ishara happens.

"And now Winnie's had an abortion. What are the odds?"

"Wait a second, Ishara just found out she's pregnant and Winnie lost her child?" Jeremy muttered to himself.

Bryan replied thoughtfully, "You know, now that you mention it, it does seem kind of coincidental. Ishara's only been pregnant for two weeks? I always thought girls with no experience would take like, four or five months to even realize they're pregnant. How come Ishara was so quick to go get checked? She said she found out unintentionally, but come on, who's going to buy that?"

Jeremy frowned. "Well, she did target Mr. Mars to share her bed for a night, timed her test right on cue. Wouldn't be a stretch to say she had ulterior motives?"

Bryan shook his head. "Life isn't a novel. It's not easy to get pregnant on the first try. As far as I know, Mr. Rodriguez and Ms. Winnie have been trying for the past six months before they hit the jackpot."

"Oh, you seem to know a lot," Jeremy teased Bryan, but his words only deepened the mystery in his own mind. Ishara's pregnancy was just too smooth.

Two hours later, Lawrence woke up with a splitting headache in his office. He tugged at his expensive tie and asked hoarsely, "What time is it?"

Bryan handed him an alcohol wipe. "It's eight in the evening, Mr. Rodriguez You got hammered at the bar, so Mr. Jeremy and I brought you back here. Figured you wouldn't want to head back to the Rodriguez residence, so we came to the office. Maybe take a shower first?"

Lawrence stood up from the couch, his long legs feeling somewhat awkward. He discarded his tie with a casual toss, the movement causing his Adam's apple to bob uncomfortably as he made his way into the bathroom.

After his shower, Jeremy arrived with takeout for dinner.

"Three servings. Guess it's just us bachelors tonight."

Bryan shot him a look, and Jeremy, realizing his word choice might have been inappropriate, quickly unboxed the food on the table.

Lawrence fastened his shirt, fingers brushing the cold diamond cufflinks, as he walked over to his desk. "You guys go ahead, I'm not hungry."

"Lawrence, you can't run on an empty stomach like this. The more down you feel, the more you got to eat," Bryan urged him, hungrily diving into his food.

The man leaned over his desk, his head down, short hair still damp, casting sharp, dark shadows that defined the angles of his sideburns.

He dove into work, but his pen lay motionless.

Jeremy couldn't help but sigh inwardly, observing his distracted state.

Putting down his food, Jeremy leaned on the edge of the desk, and to distract from his trapped emotion, he broke the silence, "So, how do you plan to hit back at Mars?

"Bryan said it was because of your vendetta against Hellen and the destruction you caused to the Peterson Group's lucrative ventures with the Rodriguez family, the Peterson Group sustained losses in the billions.

"Mars took action against you because of the African project.

"You nearly met your end in Africa and almost didn't make it back."

"Now that you're back, you should drive him out of the company," Bryan suggested.

A cold glint flickered in Lawrence's eyes as he quickly refocused on business, sneering, "Without your reminder, I would have forgotten to sanction him."

"Isn't it strange how much he helps your father's darling? Could there be some scandalous affair between the adopted son and Hellen?"

A devilish smirk crossed Jeremy's face as he said coldly, "Who cares what kind of shenanigans they're up to? As long as Mars stands, you'll face endless dangers here with the Rodriguez conglomerate. You dodged it this time, but you might not be so lucky next."

"I heard he's got a hold on several subsidiaries of the Rodriguez family. How do you plan to uproot him completely?"

"I have my ways," Lawrence said, calm and ruthless.

He called over Bryan. "Bryan, draft a memo for me, an assignment order for Mars to a subsidiary. We'll strip him of his actual power first. He'll surely object and challenge me at the shareholder's meeting. Tonight, organize all the details of the assassination attempt I faced in Africa and put them on the old man's desk by tomorrow."

Bryan revealed a cold smile. "Got it, Mr. Rodriguez"

Jeremy heaved a sigh of relief. Lawrence, the professional, was a machine on the job, a master at clean kills. His prowess in the corporate battleground was unmatched.

As long as Lawrence could keep his emotions in check, and stop thinking about Winnie, he wouldn't be in so much pain.

"Jeremy." Lawrence lifted his head, his gaze icy. "I've given Leo ample time."

Jeremy blinked in acknowledgment. "Got it, I'll keep tabs on his little daughter tomorrow."

The following day, after the conclusion of the shareholder's meeting, Mars's demotion orders were issued. While a minority of shareholders remained silent, the majority expressed their opposition.

However, during the call with Bob, he did not voice any objection to Mars's demotion and instead chose to maintain his silence.

The shareholders and the various branches of the Rodriguez family quickly shifted their stance, not daring to offend Bob.

In the end, the resolution penned by Lawrence passed the shareholder's vote.

This implied that Mars was likely to be relegated to a subsidiary, possibly facing a form of exile.

Meanwhile, Hellen seethed with fury in private.

'That vindictive Lawrence, on his deathbed, still dared to interfere with her son?'