Chapter 145
Back at the house next door, Oscar magically produced a table full of dishes, his face beaming with a bright smile. "This is our real dinner, Emily. Merry Christmas."
My mouth dropped open in disbelief. "When did you prepare all this food? How did I not know?"
Oscar reached out and gently ruffled my hair. "I knew the food over there wouldn't be good, so I prepared this in advance. Sure enough, it came in handy, didn't it?"
He pulled me to sit down at the dining table, then grabbed a bottle of red wine from the side and filled two glasses. "This toast is to celebrate your flourishing career in all aspects, and to wish you even greater success in the new year."
I smiled at him. "Then I wish you great success in your career too."
Our glasses clinked together, and the red wine went down my throat with a faint bitterness.
Oscar placed some food on my plate. "Come on, eat more. Although I'm not as good as a professional chef, I still have confidence in my cooking."
After eating a bit more, I gave him a thumbs up. "Who says you're not as good? Your cooking is even better than a professional chef's."
Oscar grinned at me. "I can't believe you said that."
I pursed my lips and tilted my head to look at him. "I'm telling the truth. Chefs put seasoning in their food, but you're different."
"How am I different?" Oscar looked at me puzzled. "Don't I use seasoning?"
I giggled. "You put in love."
Oscar's eyes lit up. "This is the first time I've seen you so good at sweet-talking. Hurry up and eat; I have a surprise for you after dinner."
"There's more?" I looked at him with a smile. "And you say I'm good at sweet-talking? Your tricks seem endless."
"Because I love you, I'm willing to create surprises. I just love seeing you happy." He suddenly became affectionate.
His words warmed my heart like a pair of warm hands wrapping around my entire being.
This kind of love, even if ordinary, was as beautiful as a painting.
Perhaps it was Robert's seemingly improved condition that made us both feel incredibly relaxed.
After dinner, he pulled my hand and led me outside: "Stand still and close your eyes first."
"Why so mysterious? Are you going to make a bouquet of flowers appear? You could give me flowers inside the house too," I pouted playfully while also obediently closing my eyes.
After a moment, I heard a loud bang. I opened my eyes to see a huge firework shoot into the night sky, exploding into countless stars that lit up the darkness.
Oscar had already run back to my side, smiling like spring sunshine: "It is flowers, but this time it's fireworks. Do you like it?"
Fireworks shot up one after another, exploding and falling, making the sky as bright as day. I turned my head to him, smiling and nodding. "I love all bright and beautiful things. Fireworks may be brief, but they're more brilliant than anything else."
Oscar put his arm around my shoulder as we watched the fireworks bloom one after another.
Snowflakes began falling from the sky, very light and small, melting into tiny drops of water before they even hit the ground.
I didn't know how many fireworks Oscar had set off. While the sky was still blooming with them, the butler rushed out from next door. Seeing us from afar, he called out in a trembling voice, "Mr. Oscar Lopez, please come quickly. Mr. Robert Lopez... he doesn't look good."
Oscar's arm around me stiffened, then tightened.
I snapped back to reality and quickly pushed him. "Go check on him."
Oscar pulled me along as we ran into the house with the butler, who was still explaining, "I've already called for an ambulance. I thought Mr. Robert Lopez was just sleeping, but no matter how I called him, he wouldn't wake up."
When Robert sat at the dinner table with a clear mind today, we thought he had recovered. Perhaps when he insisted on leaving the hospital to come home, he had already sensed something.
As Oscar pushed open the door, I saw his hands trembling.
William stood to the side with his head down, Grace sobbing quietly beside him.
Robert lay on the bed, his face deathly pale, his head fallen from the pillow at an odd angle. His previously crooked mouth had returned to normal. If you didn't look carefully, he really did look like he was just sleeping.
Oscar moved forward step by step, his hand trembling as he reached Robert, extending a finger to check his breathing.
When he pulled his finger back in disbelief, I knew that Robert had already passed away.
"Dad—" Oscar knelt before the bed, his eyes instantly turning completely red, tears flowing from them.
This time when he said "Dad", there was real emotion in it.
My nose tingled, and tears flowed uncontrollably. This was the first time I had watched someone I knew leave like this.
He was one of the few sources of warmth I had felt in the Lopez family.
He would firmly stand by my side every time Gregory and I fought, telling me that Gregory didn't appreciate how good I was.
He would smile at me kindly, and when I was unhappy, he'd tell me not to care about other people's opinions, that my own happiness was most important.
He would tell me I was really good, that I didn't need to change for anyone, and shouldn't punish myself for other people's mistakes.
Even when he guessed I was Emma, he only felt sorry that I had suffered. He helped me hide my identity and even wanted to compensate me for what Gregory owed me by giving me part of his inheritance.
Tears fell one after another. I cried silently as I moved forward, kneeling beside Oscar in front of Robert's bed.
The butler came in and, seeing this scene, held back his grief and asked William, "Mr. William Lopez, shall we clean Mr. Robert Lopez and change him into fresh clothes?"
William walked forward with a hoarse voice, crouching beside Oscar and nodding with immense grief. "Go prepare. Let Dad leave with dignity."
After the butler left, William turned to Oscar. "I'm begging you to contact Solstice and get Gregory back here quickly. Even if he can't see his grandfather one last time, at least let him attend the funeral."
Oscar just kept his head down looking at the person before him and saying nothing.
Grace cried out, "Do you want us to kneel and beg you? Fine, I'll kneel right now. I'm begging you to get Gregory back. He must have been tricked. You can't just watch him get killed out there. Dad won't rest in peace like this."
Seeing Grace kneel directly in front of him, Oscar's expression was wooden. "How are you so sure I can find him? Or do you think I'm the one who tricked him into going there?"
Grace's voice was shrill. "Isn't that exactly what happened? You refused to lend him money and tricked him into going to Solstice for a loan. He's unfamiliar with the place—isn't he at everyone's mercy there? Oscar, I'm telling you, if anything happens to Gregory, I will never forgive you."
Oscar turned to look at her and said coldly, "If that's how you see it, then you'd better pray nothing happens to him. After all, I'm in league with them. Provoking me like this won't do him any good."
Grace's crying stopped instantly. She looked at Oscar with a complicated expression.
Oscar glanced at her sideways, his expression cold. "If you want Gregory to come back safe and sound, you'd better shut up now."