Chapter 681

"Cool, I'll stick around," Winnie promised. After a moment, she furrowed her brow and said, "Sidney, Rock's gonna be living here from now on. If anything like that happens again, call me, okay?"

Sidney's lips, which had been tightly pressed together, suddenly relaxed. 'Sweet, Winnie doesn't like being close to Rock!' he thought.

He seemed to have his answer but played it off, asking innocently, "Mommy, you don't like Rock kissing you, do you?"

"This is grown-up stuff, kiddo. You wouldn't get it." Winnie kept bathing him but sighed inwardly. 'I don't want to use Sidney, but I need some time. Maybe it's just too soon. I was in love with Lawrence, and I'm not ready to accept Rock yet. Maybe I'm just too old-fashioned,' she thought absentmindedly.

After the bath, she carried Sidney upstairs and went back to the kids' room, not seeing Oscar.

She panicked a bit and asked, "Where's Oscar?"

"Oscar? He's in the study, messing with the computer. Looks like he's got something to do," Sidney answered.

Winnie remembered Oscar was handling some stuff for Melissa, probably payments. He was always so mature.

"I'll go find Oscar. You..." Winnie said, hanging up the bathrobe. She turned around and saw Sidney holding her phone with a weird look on his face.

"Sidney, why are you holding my phone? If you wanna play games, there's a tablet. I'll get it for you."

"Mommy, it's Daddy calling," Sidney stammered, scratching his head. "And I accidentally answered it."

Winnie paused for a second.

She snatched her phone from Sidney, furrowed her brow, and walked to the balcony. After closing the door, there was no sound from the other end of the line.

The October night breeze was cool, blowing her hair around her face, nearly making it hard for her to breath.

For a moment, she thought the call had been disconnected.

She looked down and saw the call was still ongoing, but Lawrence was silent.

Winnie didn't know what to say. Bentley had told her Lawrence was injured at the police station.

She spoke a bit coldly, "Lawrence, you looking for Sidney? I heard you got hurt. If that's the case, the kids will stay with me. You agreed last time I'd take care of them."

Lawrence didn't believe Winnie didn't know the call was for her.

He could only follow her lead and awkwardly continue, "It's nothing. I just wanted to hear their voices. Are they doing okay?"

"Yeah, they're great. Sidney and Oscar are having a blast every day," Winnie answered, guessing he might be in the hospital, likely under police watch.

He probably didn't know about Melissa's actions either.

Winnie said, feeling a bit wistful, "If you don't have anything else..."

"I don't hear Oscar's voice," Lawrence said hoarsely.

"He's in the study, messing with the computer," she said.

Lawrence was silent for a moment, then his deep voice suddenly darkened, "I won't fight you for the kids anymore. Don't worry, just take good care of them. From now on, I'll be content just watching you and them from a distance. After all, I won't be getting married or having more kids in my lifetime. Sidney and Oscar are my only sons. I used to have a lot of money saved for them. Now, I'm almost broke. I won't be a burden to them."

Lawrence's heart felt heavy. Whether he could recover was still uncertain.

In his current state, he was down and out. As a man who once stood tall, he would never become a burden to his two sons.

Winnie was stunned by his low words.

She knew Lawrence; he was arrogant and cold to the core.

'How can he say such defeatist things? It is unbelievable. What does he mean by that? He said before on the island that he would only marry me, but I know those were just sweet words. Now he's saying he won't get married or have kids, like he's giving up on everything. Even if the Rodriguez Group is failing, it shouldn't make him so disheartened. When has he ever admitted defeat? He doesn't seem like the ruthless and arrogant Lawrence I know,' she thought.

"Why are you saying so much? It sounds like you're leaving a will," Winnie said, shocked.

"You'd be happy if I disappeared, wouldn't you?" Lawrence bitterly mocked himself.

Winnie frowned, wanting to ask questions but afraid he would misunderstand her concern. She chose to remain cold and silent, "Once your case for Jeremy's murder is resolved, you can still visit the kids occasionally."

"Winnie," Lawrence suddenly called her softly.

Winnie's ears twitched, feeling uncomfortable with his low, husky voice. His voice was so tender and heartbreaking that she didn't know how to respond.

"Do you have anything else?" she asked.

"Be careful of Rock," Lawrence warned her coldly. "Rock is not as simple as you think!"

Winnie thought he was going to say something else, but it turned out he was still slandering Rock.

Her beautiful face instantly darkened as she asked, "What do you mean? I don't know Rock isn't simple? If he were simple, he wouldn't have achieved his current status in Trento City. You trampled on him and kicked him out of Trento City. Now that he's successful, you're jealous? Lawrence, if you're going to badmouth Rock, then shut up."

Those words were like sharp needles, piercing Lawrence's heart.

He wanted to grab her waist and threaten her not to say such things! He wanted to throw her onto the bed, make her addicted.

But now, he was no longer capable of giving her happiness.

If a woman no longer had a natural submission to a man, he couldn't hold onto her.

Lawrence said darkly, "I'm not badmouthing him. I'm just worried Rock holds a grudge against you and might want revenge."

"Aren't you just trying to sow discord?" Winnie was angry, mainly because he had done this before.

She said with disgust, "Do you think a few words from you will make me leave him? Lawrence, because of you, I owe him for life. And he saved me without despising me. How could he possibly hate me? It's you who has a vile purpose. Let me tell you, even if I divorce him, I won't choose you!"

Lawrence stubbornly continued, "You don't understand. I'll send you a video about our wedding night on the island. I recorded it and sent it to Rock."

"What?" Winnie's mind went blank. She couldn't believe it and asked, feeling utterly embarrassed, "What did you record?"

"You'll know when you see it," Lawrence said softly. "Any man would mind that kind of video. If Rock shows pain, jealousy, and anger towards you after you return, that's normal. But if he doesn't mention it and instead acts tolerant and magnanimous, saying he loves you, then you should be careful. A man who can endure such a video has a twisted and terrifying heart."