Chapter 743

Winnie shoved Lawrence away! She really wanted to kick him a few more times, but there was no chance.

She didn't dare stick around any longer; who knew what else he might try.

Biting her lip hard, she glanced around and saw no one outside the study, then quickly bolted.

Lawrence leaned against the wall, lit a cigarette, and watched her sneaky, cautious little figure.

He took a drag and chuckled softly.

She was gone, but a trace of her scent lingered, faintly echoing in Lawrence's mind.

Lawrence savored the memory of kissing her in that small space, unconsciously licking his thin lips.

This sneaky feeling made his heart race for her.

Winnie didn't dare to look for Rock right away; instead, she first found a restroom to fix her makeup because her lipstick had been smudged by Lawrence.

After fixing everything, she took a deep breath and walked out of the restroom, heading back to the banquet hall.

"Winnie! Where have you been? I called you, but you didn't answer. I've been looking for you everywhere." Rock saw her and immediately walked over, his gentle face filled with concern.

Winnie felt a pang of guilt.

She hurriedly teased her hair out, "Rock, I'm sorry. I saw you chatting with Mr. Harper and the others, so I went to the restroom. My dress was uncomfortable, so I spent a long time adjusting it."

She made up an excuse.

"Is that so?" Rock's eyes darkened, harboring disbelief in his heart.

He had also checked the restroom earlier, asking someone to go in and look, but they didn't see her inside at all.

Rock was aware that she had lied to him.

Moreover, he hadn't seen Lawrence in the banquet hall either!

Rock speculated that Lawrence and Winnie had met.

Rock slowly tightened his grip on the wine glass by his side, his face maintaining a composed smile. "I'm just glad you're alright. I had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Harper earlier. He asked about you and said he admired your achievements at such a young age. He invited us to dine together later."

Winnie didn't actually like mingling with high-standing social figures.

She was good at business management, not socializing and flattery. Especially three years ago, when Lawrence suspected she used her looks to get ahead in business, her self-esteem was deeply hurt. For many years after that, she was particularly careful to keep her distance from clients or superiors.

Now she had Triton Jewelry, and enough money.

She no longer wished to engage in relentless socializing; she yearned for a simple style of life.

However, since Rock had already mentioned it, clearly intending for her to go, she found it difficult to refuse and could only nod in agreement.

At the business event, Winnie was coaxed into drinking a lot by those big shots.

Rock blocked some for her, then took her aside to rest, warmly pouring her a cup of tea, "Winnie, I didn't expect Mr. Harper and the others were such heavy drinkers. I'll handle the rest; you just relax."

Winnie looked at him with a headache.

At this moment, Rock seemed very pleased with himself. He was elegant, effortlessly navigating the social landscape.

Winnie slightly recalled Lawrence's words.

When Rock gently ruffled her hair, she suddenly blurted in a low voice, "Rock, your real reason for coming here tonight was to connect with Mr. Harper, wasn't it? Because he's a potential Vice Presidential candidate?"

Rock's hands froze momentarily. He wanted to know where she had heard that.

But a few seconds later, he pulled himself together, a hint of helplessness tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Winnie, I did come to the banquet because I was worried about you. But meeting Mr. Harper was a pleasant surprise, so I thought I'd make a connection. You don't know, the Harrington Group's audit, tax, and foreign trade companies all need some inside information. I've been held back by not having connections with these officials. This time, getting to know some congressmen and ministers is an opportunity for me. I hope you understand."

"Yeah, I get it." Winnie gave him a faint smile but added, "Next time, you can tell me directly. I won't mind, but I do mind if you lie to me, Rock. You should understand that I want you to be more honest with me."

"Okay, it's my fault. Don't be mad." Rock smiled ingratiatingly, but as he turned away, his elegant face immediately became grim.

Winnie's words felt like a slap in the face for his excuse last night.

Rock believed his actions tonight had not been obvious. He suspected that Winnie had met with Lawrence, and it was Lawrence who had incited her suspicions.

After Rock left, he didn't go back to schmooze with the dignitaries. Instead, he found a secluded corner to meet with Mars.

Mars, biting a cigarette butt, also looked gloomy. "Mr. Harrington, I was just looking for you to help me come up with an idea. I must deal with Lawrence harshly tonight, preferably kill him."

Rock thought this was exactly what he wanted.

He pretended to raise an eyebrow and smile, "Mr. Martin, why do you suddenly hate him so much?"

"Sudden?" Mars sneered, "He shouldn't have been at this banquet in the first place. It would have been fine if he hadn't seen Adam. If Phoebe had taken the opportunity to kick him out earlier, that would have been fine too. But Bentley suddenly helped him! Bentley is Samuel's nephew, and he's hard to deal with. And Ronnie claimed Adam seemed to be inquiring about Lawrence. Why is he asking the Peterson Family about him? Did he hear something and is testing our grudge with Lawrence? In any case, keeping Lawrence around will only mess up with the Peterson Family's plans."

Rock understood that Mars was worried that Adam's opinion of Lawrence might change.

He held his wine glass, squinting his eyes and smiling slowly, "Mr. Martin, with Lawrence's current status, isn't it easy for you to get rid of him? Even if something happens, the Rodriguez Family probably can't do anything about it."

Mars stared at him, cautiously saying, "Killing him here won't work. This is The King Manor, and it's a sensitive time for cooperation. I can't offend Adam."

"What if no one knows? Lawrence still needs to be taught a lesson." Rock twirled his wine glass and smiled. Mars leaned into his ear, whispering viciously, "Do you have an idea?"

At ten o'clock at night.

The banquet at The King Manor was gradually winding down.

Rock left with Winnie, and just two miles out of the bend, Winnie suddenly received a call from Bentley.

"Winnie, are you still at The King Manor, or have you already left?" Bentley's voice was calm, but Winnie detected a hint of something unusual.

Winnie answered, puzzled, "I've already left. What's wrong? Is something happening at the manor?"

"You sound okay, which is good." Bentley exhaled deeply, "Yes, something happened at The King Manor. You wouldn't believe it, but a two-story glass greenhouse next to the villa suddenly exploded!"

Winnie's heart skipped a beat, "How could it explode? Was anyone inside?"