Chapter 369

He was puzzled, wondering why do they both have such stiff expressions.

Lawrence observed the mother and son, noticing how different the son's attire was from when he was in the villa. In that moment, something flashed through his mind. He and Winnie originally had two sons, but one had died. Lawrence was startled by the thought, instinctively pushed Winnie aside, and directly blocked the child inside, gazing deeply into the eyes of the "son."

"Daddy!" Oscar reacted quickly, his eye twitching with nervousness. "It's me!"

"Who are you?" Lawrence quickly spoke, deliberately not giving him a chance to react.

Winnie's heart was about to jump out of her chest. She was afraid that Oscar would blurt out his own name.

"I am Sidney," Oscar promptly replied, tightly clenching his fist inside his sleeve. "How can you not recognize your own son?"

Upon hearing the answer, Lawrence frowned. "But I left before you did. How could you have arrived here so quickly? And all alone, without even bringing a driver"

"Enough! He came all the way here to see me secretly, why are you getting angry at Sidney?" Winnie stepped forward desperately, intentionally changing the subject and responding quickly. "Sidney, I told you the password last time, did you sneak in here to surprise Mommy?"

"Yes, yes, I wanted to get here before Daddy and give Mommy a big surprise!"

"You certainly surprised me," Winnie said with a double meaning, silently cursing in her heart.

Oscar didn't dare to say more. He hadn't coordinated his story with Sidney, and he didn't know what his dad had said to Sidney before he left.

Lawrence looked at the mother and son suspiciously. The response from "Sidney" was clearly different from when they were in the villa. He had refused to see Winnie and didn't seem like he was planning to go out. Pondering, Lawrence took out his phone, preparing to make a call back to the villa's landline.

Winnie keenly noticed the number he dialed, and cold sweat formed on her forehead. In case Sidney answered the call at home, they were done for. Oscar was also anxious, glancing at his smartwatch. He couldn't confess in front of Lawrence.

"Mummy, didn't we agree to go watch a movie? Let's go!" Oscar said loudly, implying to Winnie.

"Yes!" Winnie nodded vigorously, forcefully tugging at Lawrence. "Are you coming?"

"Hmm?" Lawrence was distracted, turning to look at her, his gaze deep.

Winnie stared at his finger resting on the "dial" button. "Are you coming to watch the movie?"

"I am," Lawrence responded, slowly putting away his phone and slipping his hand into his trouser pocket. With long strides, he walked to the elevator and pressed the button, giving Winnie no chance to back out.

Winnie cursed inwardly, 'Damn it, I should have told you not to stand in front of my house.' She felt tricked. What was supposed to be a movie for just her and her son suddenly had a jerk inserted. Winnie glared at Oscar resentfully in the car.

Oscar blinked innocently, as if to say, "What could I do? I had to divert the jerk's with the movie."

Sure enough, Lawrence completely forgot to make a phone call to the villa while driving. His deep gaze looked in the rearview mirror several times, but the woman didn't spare him a sidewards glance.

The man asked his son gloomily, "Sidney, what movie did you pick?"

"Superman animated version."

Lawrence's mouth twitched suspiciously. "Didn't you hate watching cartoons since you were little?"

Winnie was taken aback. Sidney was a cool kid, perhaps he didn't like them. Although Oscar was mature, deep down he was still a child, of course, he would like animated movies.

She quickly covered it up, coldly glaring at Lawrence. "I wanted to watch it. Is there a problem?"

Lawrence turned the steering wheel with his hand, staring at Winnie's beautiful yet aloof face, his lips slightly curved. "No, it's a good animated film."

Oscar was deeply speechless. Some people really knew how to change their tune.

Winnie prepared herself for his counterattack but instead received a gentle breeze. She hadn't forgotten that this man turned superficial three years ago. His sweet words and flattering compliments were all part of an act. Her jaws clenched as she looked out of the window.

At the movie theater, Oscar suddenly remembered something. "Mummy, I picked our tickets, but Daddy didn't buy one. I checked and it's fully booked!"

"Great. Then he won't be able to watch and he can just leave," Winnie said, knowing well that Oscar and Sidney had already conspired in the car.

Lawrence excitedly stared at the popcorn combo, thinking about which flavor Winnie would like when his expression suddenly darkened. "What's wrong with you? You were the one who invited me to watch the movie just now." Lawrence couldn't let go of his pride.

"Well, now it's not up to me to invite you anymore since there are no more tickets available," Winnie shrugged helplessly. The man's gaze softened as he looked at her.

"I want cola, and a large serving of French fries!" Oscar said cheerfully. He had never been to the cinema with his mother before.

Seeing her son's excitement, Winnie's eyes softened. "I'm the same as Sidney."

Lawrence, a noble and elegant man, walked confidently toward the queue. He stood out in the crowd, looking tall and slender like a male model. Even his casual gesture of putting his hands in his pockets seemed deliberately posed.

In an instant, countless girls' gazes turned toward him, including many who already had boyfriends.

Winnie observed his striking presence, and memories from three years ago flooded back. They had once gone to the cinema together, but it was with Darcy. Back then, he was so smitten with Darcy that he abandoned Winnie, who was pregnant, at the movies per Darcy's request.

That day at the cinema was marked by heartache and tears for her. Despite her efforts to reconcile after the incident with Madam Rodriguez, he treated her poorly. Later, while eating hot dogs, he had humiliated her alongside Rock.

Carrying two combo buckets of food, Lawrence turned around and saw the woman's slightly red eyes. He quickly froze, for he hadn't lost his memory and had remembered the night at the movies three years ago. The love-hate entanglement between them, the memories, all had been engraved deep into his mind.

"Winnie..." He called out in a low voice, tinged with regret.

Winnie immediately wiped her teary eyes, her lips reddening. She turned and held Oscar's hand, ignoring Lawrence, and walked quickly into the theater. They had chosen a good spot, right in the middle. But as the movie started playing and no one else came in, Winnie finally understood when Lawrence, dignified as ever, sat directly next to her.

Her forehead twitched in annoyance. "Did you drive everyone else away?"

The man turned his head nonchalantly. "Why not? I don't like it noisy. Plus, I compensated them ten times the ticket price."

Winnie was speechless. It must feel good to be the richest man in Lymington, having the whole theater to himself for ten times the ticket price.

Lawrence handed her a bucket of popcorn, accidentally brushing against her chest when his big hand pulled back.

"What are you doing?" Winnie immediately turned her head, her face flushed with annoyance as she thought he had ill intentions.

"Sorry, it was unintentional." Lawrence also felt awkward. The sensation of his fingertips from earlier still lingered, quickly heating up his body.

"It's because you have such a great figure," he innocently explained.