Chapter 570

In the dead of night, Lawrence's tall figure appeared in the living room of Leo's house.

Backlit, his handsome profile stood out amid the disarray, his face cold and ghost-like.

His fingers, tucked in his suit pocket, cracked slowly.

Leo, holding a box with his daughter's severed finger, suddenly stopped crying.

Jeremy tilted his head, signaling his men to step back. He glanced at Lawrence then approached Leo, a deceptive smile in his deep, enchanting eyes. "Lawrence always keeps his word. He's been generous enough to give you half a month.

But, Leo, you ignored Lawrence's request. You need to understand, it's you who have harmed your own flesh and blood, not Lawrence"

"Lawrence, you murderer!" Leo screamed. His daughter's bloody finger had left him in a state of collapse for over twenty-four hours.

"My little Yueyue was about to board the plane, about to leave the country, she's only six years old. How could you be so cruel as to chop off a little girl's finger?"

"And what about Leo, who sided with Ishara? What did you do to my son Oscar? When you were helping a tyrant do harm, did you ever think about retribution?"

Lawrence half-turned, glancing at his expensive wristwatch, his patience long gone. "You have ten minutes to tell me where Oscar is.

"One minute, one of your daughter's fingers.

"No, wait, she's already down to nine."

"You're going to pay for this!" Leo roared, losing control.

Fear of Ishara holding evidence of his shady research paled compared to his fear of Lawrence, a man who seemed to have lost all humanity.

For the past two weeks, he'd been desperately working on relocating his family, securing a foreign passport for his daughter.

They were moments away from a getaway, the plane already waiting beyond the domestic borders.

But Lawrence's silent operatives had hijacked the plane and taken his daughter.

After twenty-four excruciating hours, Leo had no choice but to concede defeat. He urgently met with Ishara and lied that the ward at the general hospital holding Oscar was compromised, now under Lawrence's watchful eye.

They needed to move Oscar immediately.

Ishara had been considering this move, and now she planned to cut Leo out of the picture entirely.

He would no longer guard Oscar, and he wouldn't be informed of Oscar's new hiding place.

"Minute two..." Lawrence's voice, hellish and foreboding, snapped Leo back to reality.

"I'll tell you! Oscar has been moved from the general hospital tonight."

Lawrence's Adam's apple bobbed in disbelief. "You're telling me Oscar was at the general hospital?"

"Where you least expected, huh?" Leo scoffed, his eyes red, locked onto Lawrence's. "With your manpower and reach in Trento City, how could you imagine Ishara would be bold enough to hide your son in an ordinary hospital?

"The last place you'd look is right in plain sight, isn't it?"

Lawrence's gaze turned steely.

He had ordered Jeremy to comb through Trento City in the preceding days, but Leo was right.

Without a trace of Oscar entering Trento City, he could not track him down.

Jeremy's searches were focused on secluded hideouts, including properties linked to Ishara.

A hospital where Lawrence thought Ishara wouldn't dare, and so did Winnie.

"Where is he being taken now?" Lawrence demanded in a low voice, his dress shoe pressing down on Leo's hand.

A surgeon's fingers, more precious than gold, more valuable than life itself.

Leo called out, shaking his head. "I don't know. Ishara locked me out of the loop this time! But before Oscar left, I slipped a tracker in his pocket."

"Hand it over!" Lawrence snapped and began to pat him down roughly.

Quickly, the search yielded Leo's cellphone from the inner pocket of his jacket.

With a firm grip, Lawrence pulled Leo to his feet, calling out to Jeremy, "Get the chopper ready."

"Lawrence," Leo cautioned, "I advise against spooking the kidnappers... It might provoke them into harming Oscar en route. Ishara's bodyguards are not your average Joes."

Lawrence's eyes fixed on the moving icon on the screen of Leo's phone.

"Come with me," he said, grabbing Leo roughly.

Leo resisted with all his might. "I'm not ready to completely betray Ms. Ishara, I can't show my face. Lawrence, you can save your son out in the open!"

Lawrence ignored him, dragging Leo from his home like a piece of trash and throwing him into the car.

The door slammed shut, and with Jeremy behind the wheel, the SUV tore through the night like a beast breaking free from a trap.

Lawrence breathed heavily, his long legs pressing against the car's carpet.

He loosened his tie, his heart pounding.

Oscar, the son he had never seen was suffering.

With a clenched jaw and silent lips, he gazed out the window; the darkness outside was tinged with ominous shades.

After about two hours, the vehicle took a detour around the suburbs of Trento City and headed into the mountains.

Leo, glancing sideways at the cellphone in Lawrence's hand, suggested, "If you don't want to startle them, pick a strategic spot for an ambush. The mountainside up ahead hollows out like a nest on the map. It's almost three in the morning, and that's when Oscar usually gets restless; he'll wake up. Once he starts crying, it's going to be tough for his captors."

Lawrence caught on to the implication and the critical detail in Leo's statement. "You seem to know Oscar's biological clock pretty well. Isn't it because you're a doctor at the local hospital? You've been watching over him, haven't you?"

Leo evaded, "There are several experts around Oscar. I only see him when Ms. Ishara orders. He and I are not that close."

Lawrence didn't buy the deflection, his breathing tightened as he closed his eyes deeply. "Is he okay? Has he been hit, abused, or punished?"

Leo dared not answer, fearing any response might trigger Lawrence's vengeance.

"You'll see for yourself if you manage to save him later," Leo offered tentatively.

Before Ishara had carelessly tossed Oscar at his feet, the kid must have taken some hits; the small frame showed signs of abuse. And, as if on cue, Oscar was in the throes of an asthma attack just as he landed near Leo.

Without Leo's intervention, the poor kid would've likely suffocated right then and there.

Pity was not an immediate emotion Leo felt for Oscar. It took the kid's shrewd smarts and resourcefulness to finally appeal to Leo's compassionate side.

The moon hung cold in the sky.

At the base of the hill, a cluster of four or five cars pulled over. After surveying the terrain, Lawrence squinted and instructed Jeremy, "Split into four groups and encircle the hill. Notify me immediately if you spot Oscar. And remember, no gunfire at any time."

"Got it!" Jeremy nodded, then inquired, "Which group is Leo tagging along with?"

"Mine."

With a firm grip, Lawrence hoisted Leo up the mountain as if he were lifting a little chick. His breath scraped the cold air, crowding Leo's senses. "Tell me, how many are escorting Oscar?"

"Looks like a ten-man job! Lawrence, I'd rather not go up with you. I shouldn't show my face around the cohorts; Ms. Ishara will know I've betrayed her!"