Chapter 575

Lawrence walked over to the window and gazed inside, taking his time. Oscar sat motionless on the sofa at Leo's house, not moving an inch. Lawrence couldn't discern Oscar's thoughts and hesitated to approach, worried that Oscar might become more resistant upon seeing him

He longed for his son to recover quickly and return to his side. But he had no idea how long that would need.

With a heavy heart, Lawrence departed.

As the man's silhouette receded into the distance, Oscar's sharp gaze followed.

"Even if you're intent on causing a fuss, the least you could do is acknowledge your dad!" Leo walked in, his irritation evident in the glare he cast at the boy. The weight of Lawrence's expectations bore down heavily on Leo, leaving him with no choice but to convince Oscar to abandon his stubbornness.

He couldn't possibly reveal the truth to Oscar!

Leo lamented, "I think your dad is really pitiful. He came to rescue you himself, and not only did you hit him and say you hated him, you even said that Ishara was your family. Do you know how heartbroken your father would be?"

A spark flashed in Oscar's eyes. "If I don't say that, will he ever truly remember that Ishara deserves to die? The more I pretend to care about Ishara, the worse I fake my illness, the more he will hate Ishara."

Leo clicked his tongue, a shiver running down his spine. He muttered under his breath, "It's hard to say whether Ishara getting involved with you was a good thing or a bad thing."

Oscar glared at him. "You've gotten involved with me too. If you don't want to end up being a bad thing, then you'd better keep me staying here with you."

Leo seethed with frustration, facing yet another day of being controlled by this obnoxious kid. "Listen, if you keep pretending to be sick and crashing at my house, your dad's going to flip when he realizes you're not getting better. And then he'll come after me!"

"I don't want to deal with him," Oscar stubbornly replied. "He's awful. Let him worry about it."

Leo shook his head. "You're really heartless, you know? Your dad's been desperately trying to save you, searching for you these past few days. If he wasn't so concerned about your safety, he would have turned Trento City upside down by now! I've seen the care and guilt in his eyes when he looks at you, filled with love."

Oscar paused, a subtle tension rippling through his frame as he met Lawrence's gentle gaze. His lips tightened imperceptibly before he spoke, his tone measured, "I've pressing matters at hand. If I were to reconcile with Lawrence and play the part of a dutiful son, do you reckon Ishara would still fall into my snare?"

Leo understood his plan and secretly admired the kid's nerve. He wanted to tell him, to make him understand that the secrets Ishara harbored were beyond his grasp, futile to pursue. Yet, observing Oscar's unwavering determination, Leo held his tongue, a disquiet settling within him. "Do as you wish, linger as long as you please. Don't you want to know where Winnie is staying? Don't you want to sneak a peek at her?"

A faint glimmer sparked in Oscar's eyes, the desire to know tugging at him, but he resisted, mindful not to squander his painstaking efforts. Winnie might be in peril, facing unseen threats; patience was his virtue now. "Why are you talking so much? Aren't you supposed to be teaching me medicine? I'm actually in the mood to learn today."

"Ah! Hold on, I'll go get the medical books right away," Leo exclaimed, his curiosity aroused. "You possess a remarkable talent; it would be such a waste not to hone it."

Engrossed in the diversion, Leo hastened to the study.

Oscar narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Leo's zeal for medicine was palpable, yet he lacked integrity and scruples-a flaw Oscar could exploit to his advantage.

As Leo stepped into the study, a text message arrived from Ishara, sent from an unknown sender. It was encrypted, a language of secrecy. A furrow creased Leo's brow; openly antagonizing Ishara was a luxury he couldn't afford. Swiftly, he reached for another phone and dialed her number.

"Leo, how could you do this to me?" Ishara's voice crackled with anger as she confronted him.

Leo had already rehearsed his excuse, his voice trembling with feigned contrition. "Miss, I had no choice. Lawrence left me no option. He had cut off one of my daughter's fingers! I know you're carrying his child; you're safe with the Rodriguez family. Everything transpired according to plan. Even if Lawrence locates Oscar, Oscar won't budge. If Lawrence involves the authorities, Oscar won't betray you. You can rest assured."

His words managed to temper Ishara's rage slightly, and she inquired tentatively, "Has Oscar truly changed? Claire insists he's completely devoted to me. Have you tested him? He used to be so astute; is it possible he's deceiving us?"

'Of course, he was pretending!' Leo thought to himself, his mouth twitching.

He reassured Ishara, "Impossible. I've even dulled his intellect through surgery. Don't believe me? Witness it for yourself next time. He adores you like a devoted pet."

A glimmer of confidence flickered within Ishara. "Does Mr. Rodriguez wants you to cure him?"

Leo nodded. "Indeed..."

"In that case, take your time with this 'remedy', may it never come. Leo, you navigate the currents between Mr. Rodriguez and me quite adeptly, as long as you choose to. But mark my words, keep the embryo transfer a secret! If word gets out and I fall, do you believe you'll escape imprisonment for illegal transplantation? I'll ensure you go down with me."

"I would never dare; I'd rather swallow poison than utter a word of it. I'll carry it to my grave!" Leo understood her warning implicitly, and he quickly begged for mercy.

"Hmph. I hear Mr. Rodriguez has stationed Oscar under your roof, a convenient arrangement for you to monitor him."

"Yes, yes..." Leo concurred hastily, aligning himself with Ishara's directives.

After hanging up the phone, Ishara's delicate face remained fraught with tension, far from relaxed. While she could be certain that Oscar, with his dulled mind, couldn't serve as a witness to accuse her of kidnapping, the problem now lay in Lawrence discovering his whereabouts. If he told Winnie, it would reveal to her that Oscar was beyond her grasp. Her threats would then serve no purpose.

If Winnie refused to marry Rock, all her scheming would be for naught!

Gnawing at her finger, she rose from the bed.

Eleanor barged in, pushing the door wide open, her expression filled with shock. "You need to rest; the trauma you endured from Lawrence this morning could have killed the baby, Ishara. Lawrence would relish your demise at any moment."

Her heart felt like a rollercoaster, contemplating what kind of good days there could be for Ishara to stay by Lawrence's side.

"The title of Mrs. Rodriguez is too hard to earn," Eleanor murmured. "Bob could protect you once, twice, maybe three times, but will he always appear just in time?"

Ishara looked at her mother, determination etched on her features. "Fortune comes with risks, and as long as I can have this baby safely, the position of Mrs. Rodriguez will be mine. All I need is to cling to Bob Rodriguez, and I'll be safe for at least ten months. No matter how bad-tempered Lawrence can be, he wouldn't cross his father."

"But Bob is clever, he might have already doubted your character," her mother mused. "He just asked me if you were keeping Winnie's child tied to you."

Ishara hadn't expected Bob to pretend to value her while secretly believing his son. She clenched her fists, her voice trembling. "What did you tell Bob Rodriguez?"

Eleanor replied, her tone firm, "Of course, I said it had nothing to do with you! You're too weak and innocent to do such evil things. There's no evidence anyway. I blamed Winnie, saying she whispered slander into Lawrence's ear to make you look guilty. Bob really dislikes Winnie. After I repeat it a few times, he'll surely confront her privately and drive that wretched girl out of Trento City to stop bothering his son!"