Chapter 141
Seeing Robert awake, Grace hurried over and looked at him excitedly. "Dad, please wake up and think clearly. Tell us what's going on with the will?"
Robert's cloudy eyes were unfocused. He kept repeating what he'd been saying. "I want to go home. Take me home. My mom is waiting for me at home."
William stepped forward with a forced smile on his face. "Dad, you need to stay in the hospital and get better. We'll go home once you're well."
Robert looked at him and shook his head. "Who are you? How can you just call anyone dad? I'm not your dad. Emma, Emma, come here. Get him out of here. Take me home, please."
Robert's gaze landed precisely on my face.
I had to step forward. "Mr. Lopez, you can only go home once you're better. Focus on recovering first. We're all here to take care of you, so don't be afraid."
Robert smiled at me with his mouth looking crooked. "Okay, I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid when you're here."
Grace was sitting right by the bed, and Robert's complete disregard made her break down a little. She frowned and called out in a trembling voice. "Dad, how can you be so confused? Look clearly at who's been taking care of you day and night. Look more carefully—we're your son and daughter-in-law."
Robert showed a panicked expression, dodging Grace and looking at me as if asking for help. "Emma, she's so mean. Help me get her away."
I unceremoniously reached out and pulled Grace aside. "He's a patient. His mind isn't clear right now. Why are you arguing with him?"
Grace's anger flared up, and her eyes became fierce. "What right do you have to speak? You're not even a member of the Lopez family yet, and you dare to confront me?"
I looked at her casually, moving my body to block her from Robert's view. "You're so anxious because my name is on the will, right? You should reflect on why I, an outsider, am included, while you, who've been part of the Lopez family for thirty years, are excluded."
"Shut up!" She swung her hand at me.
I quickly grabbed her wrist. "Look clearly—I'm not afraid of you. Keep pushing, and you'll end up just like the Brown Family."
Seeing my cold eyes, fear appeared on Grace's face. Even after I pushed her away and she stumbled back into William's arms, she didn't dare say another word.
William's face was dark, and his eyes looked sinister when he looked at Oscar and I. "Oscar, you're just going to let her talk to us like this?"
Oscar smiled indifferently. "William, what did Grace just say and do? Weren't you also just listening and watching? You didn't stop Grace when she provoked her first, so I don't think Emily did anything wrong by fighting back."
William seemed to laugh in anger, putting on a pained expression. "Fine, fine. Dad's still here, and yet one so-called will is already making us brothers turn against each other?"
The panic on Robert's face hadn't faded. He probably didn't understand why we suddenly started arguing, and he cowered, not daring to speak.
Oscar stood his ground. "So-called will? I really don't care about that. Even though you're my brother, you should know our relationship isn't good. Don't try to pressure me with family ties."
William looked livid as he stared at Oscar, not knowing what to say for a moment.
He quickly changed the subject, looking at Robert who was playing with the tubes attached to his body, his voice sounding pained. "Dad, please get better soon. The company is a mess, and now we're all fighting. Is this what you want to see? This family can't function without you."
Oscar and I exchanged glances. It seemed that since moral blackmail didn't work, he was still trying to use family ties—unfortunately, those ties didn't carry much weight with Oscar.
Toward Oscar, he probably felt both hatred and fear.
He hated that Oscar was taking part of his inheritance, and hated that Robert actually cared more about Oscar than he did about him.
He was also afraid—Oscar wasn't starting from nothing. He came back from Solstice with projects worth over a billion dollars and had connections with the government.
The reason The Novagen Group held on for another six months was, frankly, because Oscar's presence made everyone believe It had backing and wouldn't go bankrupt easily.
"Now's not the time to argue. Dad's already sick. We should figure out how to help him get better quickly." William's voice softened.
"Let's put the will aside for now. The doctor said Dad's condition isn't great. He keeps wanting to go home, but only in the hospital can doctors check on him immediately if something goes wrong. You saw it yourself—let's discuss what to do," William added with a deep breath, lowering his stance.
Going home seemed to trigger something in Robert. He shouted in slurred speech. "I want to go home! Take me home."
William quickly stepped forward, frowning as he tried to comfort him. "Dad, the doctor said you need to stay in the hospital to recover."
Robert actually started crying like a child, looking straight at Oscar. "Will you take me home, please?"
I couldn't help but speak up. "The doctor only said the hospital is convenient for care. There's a family doctor at home. If Mr. Lopez really wants to go home, what's the difference between staying at the hospital and staying at home?"
I shouldn't have been the one to say this, but seeing the weak old man lying in the hospital bed, I tried to ease the tension. "Christmas is coming soon. Spending Christmas at home might help him recover faster."
Grace immediately objected. "If my dad goes home and something happens, who's going to take responsibility?"
I looked at Oscar. His face showed signs of hesitation too. Yes, if something really happened, no one could bear the responsibility.
Robert looked at me hopefully. "Emma, I don't want to be here. I'm scared. I don't want to die here."
At that moment, I even felt like he had regained his senses—he didn't want to die in the hospital.
"Please?" He stared at me eagerly.
"Okay." I smiled and nodded at him. "If you want to go home, we'll take you home."
After saying this, I looked at Oscar. I thought he could understand what Robert meant too.
Oscar nodded silently. "If Dad wants to go home, let's process the discharge. If something really happens, I'll take responsibility."
William looked at Oscar in disbelief. "Did you hear what you just said?"
Oscar nodded confidently. "If staying in the hospital is just so doctors can monitor his condition at any time, then at home the family doctor and nurses can still meet that need. Since Dad doesn't want to be in the hospital, let's take him home."
William didn't say anything more. Perhaps seeing his father lying in the hospital bed without his usual authority, able to cry and fuss freely, also made him feel a pang of sadness.