Chapter 723

It was super late.

Winnie hung around until Carlos finally woke up and cracked his eyes open. She was bawling happy tears.

Carlos was looking rough. Mark checked him out a bunch and said his vision was all fuzzy.

Winnie knew that coming out of a deep coma messes with his body, and had to take his time.

She and Lysander were buzzing by the bedside. "Doc, can I talk to my dad?"

Mark replied, "Sure, but it'll wear him out. I checked the MRI, and his brain's still on the mend. Talking and recognizing stuff will take time."

Winnie nodded, tears streaming. No matter what, him waking up was a win.

Things would get easier now.

"Dad, you've been out for almost four months," Winnie said, holding his big hand. "A lot's gone down in that time."

Lysander chimed in, "Ms. Blanchet, remember what the doc said."

Winnie knew she couldn't dump all the family drama and Patrick Ishara mess on Carlos yet. If he got worked up, it could be bad news.

She decided to wait a few more days until Carlos could talk, recognize her, and get his strength back. Then she'd break it to him slowly. Maybe by then, he'd handle it better.

Winnie let go of his pale fingers and whispered, "Dad, rest up tonight. I'll be right here with you."

Carlos weakly half-opened his eyes for about ten minutes before going back to sleep again.

Winnie shot a text to Rock.

Winnie: [Rock, my dad woke up. I'm staying with him tonight. Can you get someone to bring my stuff over?]

Hours went by, and still no word from Rock.

'What's he up to this late?' Winnie frowned, put down her phone, and dozed off in the chair by the bed.

The next evening rolled around.

Winnie brought Oscar and Elliott's family to see Carlos.

After getting everything sorted, she was supposed to head to Rock's new place.

"Oscar, I know you don't wanna live with us. At the Dazzling Estate villa, you gotta listen to Lena and Elliott. Maybe Sidney will be back soon. Rock's place isn't far; I can visit and be back in a day."

Oscar had stuff to handle; otherwise, he'd have checked if Winnie and Rock were cool.

Since Olivia had gone after Rock that night, Oscar couldn't quite figure him out.

Actually, Oscar respected Winnie's feelings. He'd tried to set her up with Lawrence before, but that was a bust. As long as it wasn't Lawrence hurting her again, Oscar was cool with it.

"Take care of yourself. If Rock messes with you, I'll be the first to knock him out!" Oscar said with a smile, but there was a fierce look in his usually gentle eyes.

Winnie was surprised. It was rare to see Oscar so intense. She was touched and nodded, "I know Oscar means it."

"I'll give Rock a trial run," Oscar said calmly.

Winnie grabbed her stuff and left.

Oscar went back to his room and got a call on his smartwatch from Sidney. "Hey, Oscar, did Mom really move to Rock's place?"

"Yep," Oscar replied.

"Why didn't you stop her?" Sidney yelled, fuming.

Oscar took off the watch and set it on the table. After Sidney finished his rant, Oscar said calmly, "Chill out. If Rock messes with Mom, I'll handle it."

Sidney heard this and felt a bit better, but then he frowned again, "Dad must be crushed!"

"Not my problem. Regret's pointless now," Oscar replied.

"You're so cold," Sidney muttered, realizing he couldn't get Oscar to go easy on Lawrence. He hung up and rushed to the Rodriguez Group to find Lawrence.

Meanwhile, Lawrence was in Bob's office, having a meeting with his dad.

Bob pulled out some papers and explained, "This is the buyer info for Camellia Mount Estate No. 3. His name's Adam King. NexaCore Group, Adam. He's probably the chairman! Adam's a big financial backer for President Veridiania, super trusted and low-key. I asked some military buddies, and they didn't know him, but he's loaded. But he's just one of the chairmen of NexaCore Group. Rumor has it there's an even bigger shot behind the scenes. No clue who that is. Right now, we need to get close to Adam! He's tight with a lot of senators and officials. If we partner with NexaCore Group, we won't just get chips; we'll tap into a whole network of political connections. Ronnie's also trying hard to get close to Adam for a deal. Lawrence, our chances are slim."

"We used to have an in by living near him at Camellia Mount, but now it's been bought by some mystery buyer. I heard Adam's throwing a housewarming party soon. We might not even get an invite," Bob analyzed.

Lawrence frowned, "Dad, I'll find a way to get an invite."

Bob nodded, looking worried.

After Lawrence left the office, he saw Sidney with red eyes. "Sidney, what's up?"

Sidney pouted and ran over, grabbing Lawrence's pants. "Oscar said Mom moved her stuff to Rock's place tonight! Do we stick to the plan?"

He winked at Lawrence.

At Rock's villa, Winnie walked in and saw the place decked out with fresh, newlywed decor.

"This is Mr. Harrington's bedroom, Ms. Anderson," Sierra said, carrying Winnie's suitcase inside.

"Sierra, thanks." Winnie looked around the bedroom. It was spacious and simple, with a killer view. But just thinking about sharing the room with Rock made her feel super stressed.

"No problem. Mr. Harrington's business is my business," Sierra said sweetly, suddenly covering her mouth and patting her chest, hinting, "Maybe Mr. Harrington's room is too new. I'm newly pregnant and can't stand the smell. Sorry to trouble you, Ms. Anderson!"

This was the second time tonight Winnie heard her call her 'Ms. Anderson.' She frowned instinctively. It was weird; people usually called her Mrs. Harrington, but Sierra seemed to be avoiding it on purpose.