Chapter 140 Mr. Harrison, the Heart Stopped
Emma ran outside, ignoring Nicholas's calls behind her.
After wandering around for half the day, she returned to the villa around seven in the evening.
As dusk fell, a familiar little garden came into view.
Various colored lilies swayed in the night breeze, tiny twinkling lights scattered among them like stars, with two enormous fan-shaped archways standing on either side.
This scene looked too much like Dreamy Garden.
Emma's gaze froze instantly, a bone-deep chill running through her.
She didn't spare it another glance, striding directly toward the entrance.
Just as she reached the door, the clear conversation between Nicholas and Charlie drifted out from inside.
"Mr. Harrison, this cake you made is... well, pretty ugly. I'm afraid it might affect Mrs. Harrison's appetite. Maybe we should have the pastry chef make a new one?"
Charlie's voice carried a note of careful concern.
Nicholas seemed to be busy with something, his voice steady, "This comes from my heart, no matter whether it's pretty or not."
He held a chocolate pen, carefully drawing on the cake.
Charlie sighed and tried again, "Mr. Harrison, remember when you deployed seven private jets to transport chocolate and made a city's worth of donuts for Mrs. Harrison in Rockford Town? And you folded paper airplanes all night by hand? She didn't forgive you then either. I think we need to change our strategy."
Hearing this, Emma's heart trembled uncontrollably.
So that three-story-high donut display in Rockford Town—that was his doing.
And those paper airplanes dancing across the sky—that was him too.
Nicholas finally looked up, glancing at Charlie with barely concealed exhaustion in his tone, "Strategy? Do you have a better way to make her happy?"
Charlie perked up immediately, "How about we just come clean! They say confession is good for the soul. Just tell her that Mr. West was you all along."
"You pretended to be Mr. West because you didn't want her falling for him, so you deliberately arranged for Wesley to ask her to dinner, staging that whole scene. Who knew that bastard would actually develop real intentions toward Mrs. Harrison! That beating you gave him was well deserved!"
Nicholas let out a cold laugh, tinged with self-mockery, "This time I outsmarted myself. Actually, she already knew Mr. West was me."
"What?" Charlie's jaw nearly dropped, "When did she figure it out?"
Nicholas lowered his gaze, considering, his voice low, "Right when she suddenly started teasing me, saying she wanted to marry Mr. West."
He had only fully understood today.
With her proud nature, how could she casually say she wanted to marry a stranger?
She had discovered him long ago.
Charlie persisted with his suggestions, "Then why don't you explain everything to Mrs. Harrison! Tell her that because you needed to use the Mr. West identity, Wesley took advantage and forced Ms. West on you."
"If Mrs. Harrison hadn't already entered Luminous City, making you anxious to ensure her safety, you never would have agreed to his shameless demands!"
Outside the door, Emma felt stunned by this sudden information.
So on her very first day in Luminous City, he was already there.
He had paved the way and cleared so many potential dangers for her.
The churning anger in her chest gradually subsided, and the tightness began to ease.
Nicholas cut off Charlie's words, his voice resolute, "None of that matters now. Enough. Put the cake in the freezer."
Charlie wanted to say more, "Mr. Harrison, why don't we also tell Mrs. Harrison..."
"Will you ever stop!" Nicholas finally exploded, his voice shooting up, "Such a chatterbox! If enemies captured you and tortured information out of you, wouldn't all of Harrison Group's secrets be leaked? Get out!"
Charlie shrank back from the outburst, not daring to say another word.
He quickly grabbed the ugly cake and slunk away to the freezer.
Emma chose not to enter the house.
She quietly retreated, walking to the table in the garden that mimicked Dreamy Garden's layout, and sat down silently.
The night breeze carried the sweet fragrance of lilies.
So Nicholas had done so many things for her that she never knew about.
But why did knowing all this make her feel even sadder?
Her chest felt wrapped in something tight and suffocating.
Soon, Charlie emerged from the house, his eyes lighting up when he spotted Emma, and he ran over.
"Mrs. Harrison, you're back! Wonderful! Your dress is waiting in your room. Please go change—we're having a birthday party soon!" His voice bubbled with excitement.
Emma frowned, puzzled, "Whose birthday?"
Charlie beamed, "Mr. Harrison's idea is to make up for your missed birthday. And he's moving his birthday up to today too—celebrating both together! Double celebration!"
Emma gave him a flat look.
"Ridiculous."
She really wasn't in the mood for his enthusiasm.
Charlie remained undaunted, carrying over a pot of green lilies.
"Mrs. Harrison, look at this!" Charlie held it up like a treasure, "Mr. Harrison went to great lengths to find The Wizard of Oz! Beautiful, isn't it? This is the only one in all of Luminous City!"
Emma's eyes did brighten momentarily.
It truly was beautiful—green lilies, exotic and elegant. She'd never seen anything like it.
But the next second, that flicker of light quickly faded as she returned to her usual coldness.
She looked around at the carefully arranged lily garden, "Did you arrange all this?"
Charlie immediately puffed out his chest with pride, "Of course! This is designed exactly like Dreamy Garden. How is it, Mrs. Harrison? Beautiful, right? Very atmospheric?"
Emma's mouth twitched, her eyes ice-cold.
"Charlie, don't you realize that Dreamy Garden represents nothing but humiliation to me?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was crystal clear.
"That was Nicholas's century of happiness planted for Zoe! Moving it here now—who exactly are you trying to disgust?"
Charlie's smile froze instantly, his heart sinking.
"Who told you that?"
A familiar, low male voice suddenly spoke from behind Emma.
Emma spun around to find Nicholas standing there, his tall, lean silhouette outlined by the night, his eyes dark and unreadable.
She met his gaze, her tone frosty as winter, "The person involved said it himself. How could it be false?"
Nicholas's tall frame trembled slightly, as if suddenly understanding something.
"So when you burned down Dreamy Garden, it was because of this?" His voice carried disbelief.
Emma faced him directly, unflinching, "So what if it was?"
Charlie scratched his head frantically nearby—this was a complete misunderstanding!
Nicholas stared at her, silent for several seconds, then suddenly laughed softly.
In a casual, conversational tone, he said lightly, "So you were jealous then."
Emma quickly turned away, stubbornly denying, "I was not!"
But Nicholas wouldn't let her escape. He stepped forward, his long arm reaching out to wrap precisely around her waist.
His unique crisp scent mixed with the night breeze's coolness washed over her, causing a moment of disorientation.
"You really don't know?" His voice dropped low, carrying an entrancing magnetism, his warm breath brushing her ear and sending fine shivers through her.
"Silly girl." He sighed out these words with infinite tenderness and helplessness, "That place always belonged to you."
His voice was deep and gentle, like feathers lightly brushing her heartstrings.
"The first time I saw you walking from the flower bushes, you picked a white lily, lowered your head to smell it, then looked up and smiled at me."
"From that moment, I wanted to bring you the most beautiful lilies in the world."
"That's why Dreamy Garden came to be—our secret garden."
Emma looked up in shock, gazing into his eyes deep as the ocean.
Her heart felt like a lake struck by stones, unable to calm, sending endless ripples across its surface.
She never imagined Dreamy Garden was hers!
Nicholas lowered his head, his forehead gently touching hers, his gaze deep and focused as if he wanted to draw her in completely.
"Emma, you can't burn down Dreamy Garden."
"Because it has already taken root and flourished in my heart, growing deep and intertwined."
His loving gaze enveloped her, leaving no escape, nearly drowning her in that dense, overwhelming tenderness.
How could this be? Emma felt her mind spinning, her heart beating so fast it might leap from her throat.
Panicking, she pushed him away and strode into the main house.
Nicholas watched her retreating figure with a gentle smile. So she cared that much about Dreamy Garden.
Suddenly, dizziness struck. He coughed up a mouthful of dark blood, staining the green lily red.
Charlie rushed forward to support him, "Mr. Harrison, what's wrong? Should we go to the hospital?"
"Clean this up... don't frighten her."
This afternoon he had already fainted once. When he woke up, he'd had the sudden inspiration to throw her a birthday party to make her happy. That's why he had Charlie arrange all this.
After speaking, he collapsed!
Charlie frantically called the bodyguards to help carry him to the small building in back, which had emergency medical equipment and doctors on standby.
Mr. Harrison had specifically ordered that Mrs. Harrison must not learn about the poisoning before James arrived.
Soon after, Emma emerged wearing a beautiful dress, floating like a dancing sprite in the night breeze.
But both Nicholas and Charlie were nowhere to be seen. Only the chef was continuously bringing out sumptuous dishes, filling the air with delicious aromas.
After waiting about half an hour, Charlie came running over frantically, carrying a very ordinary-looking cake with a single small candle.
"Where's Nicholas? Playing hide and seek?"
Emma's eyes swept the surroundings—not a shadow in sight.
Charlie took a deep breath, managing his expression, "Mrs. Harrison, please make a wish first. Mr. Harrison had some urgent business and stepped out. He might be back later."
She was somewhat displeased but obediently closed her eyes to make her wish.
The night wind suddenly blew out the candle, sending up a wisp of smoke that scattered in the breeze.
"Mrs. Harrison, please try this—Mr. Harrison made this cake himself!"
Charlie handed her a small fork. Emma looked at the rather ugly drawing of a little girl on top, and black chocolate writing that read, My Dear Emma.
She was speechless. Apparently, Mr. Harrison had no artistic talent.
But she still gently forked a small piece and put it in her mouth. It melted instantly, sweet and fruity flavors flooding her taste buds.
"Mm, not bad!" She nodded with satisfaction, unable to hide her pleasant surprise, and took several more bites.
Charlie quickly turned away, his eyes reddening.
Suddenly, Charlie's phone rang. He stepped away to answer, "Charlie, Mr. Harrison's heart has stopped. He's in emergency resuscitation—get over here quickly!"
His phone suddenly slipped from his hands, crashing to the ground and cracking the screen...