Chapter 571

A ruthless, icy laugh escaped Lawrence. "You might have to choose between your future and your daughter. I hear something. Once we engage, grab Oscar and bring him to me during the chaos. And don't fear for your life; as long as my son is safe, you and your daughter will live."

Leo, trembling with sudden chills, realized he was in the presence of a devil.

The next second, before he could react, Lawrence and his bodyguards were dashing deep into the bushes on the hillside.

A whiff of smoke reached Leo; someone had just lit up within the shrubbery. As a smoker himself, he knew there was someone hiding in the bushes.

Leo wasn't sure where these people intended to take Oscar, but the path would undoubtedly lead through this thicket.

With glasses that rendered the world a blur and the slim crescent of moonlight blocked by the treetops, his visual aids were useless. He could only follow the flattened grass, a makeshift trail left behind by Lawrence's charge.

As he finally caught up, Leo heard the gruff sounds of a scuffle. He stopped dead, wisely keeping his distance, desperately trying not to give himself away. His thoughts were torn between saving his daughter and, in this moment, a burgeoning desire to save Oscar, too.

Listening as the fight escalated, Leo made a strategic detour.

He circled around to the back, hoping to envelop the scene from behind. If everyone was distracted by Lawrence, he might be able to whisk Oscar away.

Before long, Leo's wish was granted, for out of the darkness, a child's voice called to him, "Leo?"

Leo pushed through the brush, climbing toward the source of the sound with a hint of excitement. "How did you know it was me?"

Oscar raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. "You reek of three days without a shower. It's easy to pick up in the crisp mountain air."

Leo's face turned a sour shade of green, clenching the kid's arm and hoisting him up.

"Why are you here?" Oscar asked sharply. "Is there some kind of trouble? Where are you taking me?"

"You little rascal, didn't I hint you should slip away when those Ishara goons were transferring you? That way, you'd be free from this hellhole and able to find your family with ease. But it doesn't matter now, your dear old dad has threatened me with my daughter's life."

Leo spoke with a venomous tone, itching to give Oscar a thrashing as payback.

But Oscar wasn't scared of him.

Hearing that his father was looking for him, Oscar froze on Leo's shoulder.

He lapsed into a profound silence, his small breaths laboriously suppressed.

"Aren't you excited, thrilled? You're about to see your dad!" Leo never intended to take Oscar's life. He and Ishara were at odds on that matter.

If Oscar could leave, although Leo would miss his talents, it would be a relief.

Otherwise, caught between good and evil, he was hard-pressed.

They moved about fifteen meters toward a cluster of bushes.

Suddenly, Oscar flicked a lighter above Leo's head.

Leo almost jumped out of his skin in shock. "You'll be the death of me, kid! Your dad told me to sneak you across; I can't be spotted. Do you want to get me killed?"

However, it was already too late.

Oscar's action swiftly drew the gaze of Lawrence and Ishara's bodyguards.

The lighter's small flame was tiny, yet across the distance, Lawrence inexplicably made out the little figure on Leo's shoulder.

He had not yet met him face to face, couldn't even see his child's features clearly, but his heart thundered to a stop.

The nightstick in Lawrence's hand dropped as he muttered under his breath with turbulent emotion, "Oscar, is that you?"

He ran like a madman toward them.

"Get the kid out of here!" The group from the opposite side rushed toward Oscar too. They were in charge of transporting the child, and if anything went wrong, they'd have to answer to the miss.

"Oscar, run over here with Leo, quick! I have come to get you, son. I'm your dad, you know me, you've seen me." Lawrence's throaty roar was frantic and incoherent.

Oscar was smart as a whip, perceptive and quick on his feet. Sidney would often joke that Oscar was a hundred times sharper than him, with a mind as nimble as a monkey's.

He must have understood what was going on; he should have made a run for it.

But Oscar didn't.

Instead of fleeing with Leo, he jumped off Leo's shoulders and stood still. Without Leo's protection, his bright eyes looked at Lawrence with a strange unfamiliarity. In the near pitch darkness, the lighter illuminated the indifference in Oscar's eyes, and beneath that indifference, a dangerous unease that struck a nerve in Lawrence

"Don't come any closer!" Oscar snapped sharply at him.

A look of bewilderment crossed Lawrence's face.

"Who are you?" Oscar eyed Lawrence with suspicion and protectiveness for the unknown, his anxiety palpable as he clung to Leo. "Leo, who is this man? The lady told me I'm an orphan, that I have no father. Is this man trying to trick me?"

Lawrence's heart skipped a beat, and his strides faltered, suddenly drained of strength.

He didn't stop moving; he even wanted to believe he had heard wrong.

'Oscar would never say something like this.'

From Winnie's descriptions and Sidney's daily praises of Oscar, Lawrence knew that his son was exceedingly intelligent.

But now, from his son's eyes to his complexion, that face exuded an air of unfamiliarity to Lawrence

He had pretended to be Sidney before, engaging with him, calling him daddy, briefly interacting with him.

He couldn't possibly fail to recognize his own son.

Lawrence stopped in front of him, his tall frame attempting to move closer.

Oscar immediately stepped back, hiding behind Leo, who was utterly clueless.

'What was Oscar trying to pull?'

Oscar started to scream in terror, glaring at Lawrence with revulsion. "There's a bad man trying to get me, and you all are useless! Why aren't you protecting me? Didn't the lady say she was going to move me to a new home? Come on, you guys! Bill, Ggt this man away from me; I want to leave now. Take me to my new home!"

Lawrence's pupils plummeted into an icy abyss, grasping his hand. "Oscar! I'm your daddy. You have a mommy, and you have a family. Your mommy's name is Winnie! If you're going home, it's to a home with Winnie and Sidney. Don't you remember? Come with me, I'm here to save you, son."

"Who are you? I don't need saving; I'm doing just fine! I don't have a mommy; I only know the lady and Leo. Leo, I don't want to go with this man!"

Leo's mind was in disarray.

A chill settled in the pit of Lawrence's stomach as he realized something was off with Oscar.

Oscar's jumbled words threw Lawrence off balance. His erratic speech defied expectations, leaving Lawrence uncertain whether Oscar was ally or adversary.

His anticipation was doused with cold water, excitement morphing into anxiety. His eyes grew cold as he stepped forward and grabbed Oscar, trying to pull him away.

Unexpectedly, Oscar turned vicious, sinking his teeth into Lawrence's neck.