Chapter 451

The family dinner concluded, and the guests dispersed.

Lawrence received a call from the Rodriguez family and his expression darkened ever so slightly. He walked briskly out of the Blanchet family's living room, signaling his driver to prepare for an imminent departure.

His gaze, composed and penetrating, locked onto two figures outlined against the moonlit backdrop, positioned beside a sleek BMW, preparing to depart. Winnie was draped in a men's blazer-with Rock's hand resting on her shoulder, his own form adorned solely in an elegant dress shirt.

"It's chilly tonight. Keep the jacket on, Winnie. I'll drive," Rock said, his peripheral vision catching sight of Lawrence. He smoothly continued, "Maybe head to my hotel afterward?"

Winnie was on the verge of proposing to postpone any business discussions until the following day, feeling drained after confronting the Blanchets all evening. However, the sound of approaching footsteps, cold and purposeful, and then a hand seizing her wrist interrupted her.

The tip of his cigarette, held between his fingers, grazed against her sleeve, scattering ashes.

She looked up, her face growing colder at the sight of the man she did not wish to encounter.

Lawrence stood tall, his presence and expression colder and more intimidating than her own, his voice sharp with authority, "Your son is still with the Rodriguez family. Where do you think you're going?"

The unquenched fury in Lawrence's chest surged violently.

In the restroom earlier, his warning apparently fell on deaf ears as she draped herself in the all-too-irritating jacket from Rock.

Winnie tugged at her wrist, not blind to the chilling glint in the man's eye, but she wasn't cornered in a restroom now. She could step back into her safe zone without having to swallow her pride. Her gaze was cool and detached. "Lawrence, I have no desire to communicate with you."

"Did you get that, Mr. Rodriguez?" Rock said, releasing Winnie's wrist with a defiant lift of his eyebrows as he faced off with Lawrence.

"There's been trouble at the Rodriguez family home. What's your plan?" Lawrence abruptly pointed out, his lips were a tight line, frigid as ice.

"What?" Winnie's face drained of color. "What happened to him?"

"Get in my car," the man ordered, devoid of warmth.

Concern for her son gnawing at her, Winnie could only comply. His Bentley was parked across the street. She gently pulled away from Rock. "Rock, go ahead in my car. I need to find Sidney."

Rock's brow furrowed with worry, but he let go. "Winnie, we'll talk tomorrow."

"Okay."

Winnie walked under the moonlight toward Lawrence's vehicle.

As Lawrence listened to their exchange, a vein throbbed on his forehead, his face stone-cold. He stayed right there.

As he flicked away his cigarette butt, his glare fixed on Rock, whom he couldn't bear to see. The ember of the cigarette reflected in Lawrence's eyes, a harsh and impulsive red as he ominously lowered his voice, mocking Rock. "Did you notice her chapped lips? What do you suppose she and I were up to in that restroom?"

Rock's fist clenched tight. He couldn't have failed to notice.

Lawrence laughed wickedly; his gaze cruelly oppressive. "Even if I don't want her anymore, I could have her anytime I wish. And you? You're a nobody. I'll never let her be yours!"

"Show her some respect!" Rock's pride was struck hard, and he swung his fist uncontrollably.

It was a powerful blow, but Lawrence caught it with ease, force meeting force.

A hidden, burning anger flashed in Rock's otherwise refined eyes. Lawrence's words were a deep wound to any man's pride.

But Lawrence wasn't done. His voice dripped with scorn. "Now that she's become the heiress of the Blanchet family, do you love her even more? Don't think I can't see through your ambition. Your love for her is tainted. How dare you consider yourself worthy?"

It was as if he saw right through Rock's eagerness to ingratiate himself with the Blanchet family that evening, landing a figurative punch to Rock's face.

With biting mockery, he retorted, "Your love is pure? Lawrence, no one has hurt her more deeply than you. You lost her for three years, but it was I who took care of her. We'll see who has the last laugh."

Lawrence's eyes were icy with disdain. "You'd do well to stay out of Trento City."

He turned on his heel and left.

Rock didn't want to cause a scene in front of the Blanchet residence, but the raw humiliation dished out by Lawrence, combined with Winnie's cracked lips, fueled a wildfire of hatred in his heart.

Tonight, entering the Blanchet's domain seemed like an invitation to his own degradation.

Feeling powerless twisted his mindset. He squinted as he turned off the recording function on his phone, his hand curling into a fist. He vowed to repay Lawrence tenfold for the shame he had inflicted upon him at the Blanchets'. And he intended to fulfill that vow.

Rock watched the Bentley speed away, then slipped into his own car. His eyes glinted with menacing intent as he quickly dialed a number. "Look into the Rodriguez family for me."

Lawrence had just returned to the Rodriguez family, and Rock was certain that he had vulnerabilities.

In the Blanchet's backyard, Eleanor grasped Ishara's arm. "Ishara, why didn't you seize the chance tonight to ask to join the Blanchets? ST may be modest, but with that conniving girl getting in, how can we be at ease? She holds 10% of the shares. If she starts thriving in ST, your father will eventually move her to headquarters."

"Of course, I'll join ST," Ishara replied, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly with a hint of a smile. "The Rodriguez family have major stakes in ST, which means Mr. Rodriguez holds the power, didn't you hear?"

Eleanor looked puzzled.

In a hushed tone, Ishara added, "I'll enter under the auspices of Mr. Rodriguez's name. That'll show Winnie... Then I'll have Anday make some moves.  How could I possibly let Winnie enjoy her days in ST?"

Eleanor's expression softened and praised, "I knew my daughter was sharp. We can't let her get the better of the Blanchet family. She's already cornered me to the point where I can't speak up in front of your father! It's time we dealt with this Winnie; we can't let her grow her roots in Trento City. I'll consult with your uncle as well."

A sinister look flickered In Eleanor's eyes. Ishara listened quietly, offering no comment.

After a while, Claire approached. Ishara, glancing toward the Blanchet's living room, inquired, "Where's Mr. Rodriguez?"

As Claire was about to delve into the matter, she mentioned in passing, "Mr. Rodriguez hurried out earlier, as if the Rodriguez family had some urgent business for him. But I noticed Winnie getting into his car. It looked like they headed off to the Rodriguez family together."

Ishara, clearing her throat with a hint of reproach, questioned, "Why am I only hearing about this now?"

With a sense of urgency, she hastened her steps, "Get the car ready, I'm heading to the Rodriguez estate as well."

She had been eager to make her presence known at the Rodriguez estate, looking to forge closer ties with the elders from the Rodriguez family. She would not allow Winnie to steal the spotlight.

Inside the gliding Bentley, a frosty silence divided the backseat.

Winnie sat huddled against the door, while Lawrence, glimpsing her aloof reflection in the window, felt a surge of irritation. The melancholic woods of Camellia Mount blurred by, streetlights flickering past her face, casting an ethereal glow that made her porcelain complexion seem to radiate.

Lawrence was haunted by the unfinished confrontation in the restroom, his gaze fixating on the split at the corner of her lips-those lips pressed together in silent protest. A parching thirst clenched his throat, guilt mingling with the regret for his roughness.

The quiet in the car amplified his inner turmoil. Grasping for words, his husky, cool voice finally broke the silence, "Does it hurt?"

His dark eyes were fixated on her mouth.

Winnie shivered subtly, her cold stare shifting out the window, then toward the driver before asking, "Can we go any faster?"

The driver, feeling wronged, had been moderating their speed based on Mr. Rodriguez's temperament.

"Do you detest being with me that much?" Lawrence asked, his face was a mask of coldness.

"What happened to Sidney?" Winnie managed her irritation, her gaze fixed ahead. "If he's in trouble, why won't you let me see him sooner?"

"You won't be able to see him either. Your identity as his mother shouldn't be revealed at the Rodriguez estate. Wait outside the grounds, I'll bring him out to you."

Lawrence's words were icy, his concern transparent; there was a chance that Mars could stir up trouble using Winnie and Sidney's identities, be it with Mrs. Rodriguez or among the Rodriguez family.

He was publicly in an arranged union with Ishara, and with the Rodriguez estate being a hub of prying eyes, he didn't want to risk Sidney being caught in a web of public scandal.

Yet, Winnie's heart chilled further, her laughter tinged with bitterness. "I am his mother. Even that has to be concealed? What are you afraid of, tarnishing the Lawrence reputation, or that your precious Ishara might be heartbroken if she found out?"