Chapter 147
I have a feeling that Gregory has probably confirmed my identity.
Back at Robert’s old villa, everyone turned their eyes to Gregory. Isabella's tone became somewhat urgent: "Are you saying you saw Emma in Solstice? How is she now? Tell her that we're not holding a grudge about the money she took from the company back then. As long as she comes back, that's all that matters."
Gregory glanced at me from a distance, his voice heavy: "She's already back."
Isabella quickly said: "Then where is she now? I knew she couldn't be dead. That bitch is so lucky—how could she die so easily? You must have seen her. Why didn't she come home after coming back? Does she look like she has money or not? She couldn't have spent all that money."
Gregory had no patience to listen to her. His eyes fixed directly on me as he slowly walked over, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth, eyebrows raised: "I'd also like to know—now that you're back, should we redo our unfinished wedding?"
Everyone's eyes focused on me. Grace quickly scolded: "Gregory, stop fooling around. Have you forgotten what you promised your father?"
The smile at Gregory's lips widened, his gaze still fixed on my face: "Emma, what do you say?"
Charles and Isabella looked at me in disbelief. From their expressions, I could tell that Jasper hadn't breathed a word to them.
William and Grace also looked shocked. Grace pulled at Gregory: "What are you talking about, child? You can't just make things up because you like someone. She's Emily—how could she be Emma? If she were Emma, her family would have recognized her long ago."
Gregory's face showed a smile of having found something lost: "I'm not making things up. Emily is Emma. Mom, remember the first time she came back, I mistook her for someone else? Turns out my feeling was right."
He looked at me, his expression bordering on manic: "No wonder you'd look at me with longing eyes from time to time. I knew it—Emma, I knew you still loved me. You just wanted to punish me, right? Well, you've achieved your goal. I've been punished, tormented in body and mind. Emma, I love you. Come back."
He reached out to grab my hand, but Oscar was faster, pulling me behind him, warning in his eyes: "Gregory, open your eyes wide and look carefully. She's Emily, not the Emma you could have whenever you wanted and abandon whenever you pleased."
Gregory wasn't intimidated at all, raising his voice: "Do you dare let her take a DNA test? Jasper told me himself—Emily is Emma. He already took her hair for a second test, and I have the results on my phone right now. Want to see?"
Oscar's expression remained cold, his voice not loud but commanding enough: "Whatever test results you have don't matter. What matters is that Emily is now my fiancée. Stop deluding yourself."
Gregory laughed, his expression turning frighteningly cold: "She's my wife. We're already married. How am I deluding myself?"
"She's Emily, not Emma." Oscar's attractive eyes narrowed slightly, radiating a dangerous aura.
Gregory showed no fear: "Whether she's Emma or Emily isn't for you or me to decide. The facts are proof enough."
Charles stepped forward, frowning as he looked past Oscar at my face: "You're really Emma?"
The Brown Family members had long despised me deeply. Now, suddenly hearing Gregory say I was Emma, they probably couldn't accept it right away.
Isabella shook her head repeatedly: "How is that possible? Would I not recognize my own daughter? Emma wouldn't be like this, wouldn't be like this woman... You must be mistaken. If it were true, why would Jasper tell you but hide it from us? Impossible."
I laughed lightly, my voice not loud but enough for everyone to hear. They quieted down, and all looked at me.
"Gregory, does it really matter whether I'm Emma or Emily? Isn't the most important thing that you all gave up on Emma long ago? Isn't it that you pushed her into hell? Every single one of you is that villain."
I looked at them—whether it was Charles, Isabella, or William and Grace, whether through indulgence or indifference toward Sophia, they were all accomplices.
Gregory gritted his teeth, his face somewhat twisted: "It matters!"
He stepped forward, ignoring Oscar's obstruction, staring at me: "You're Emma, which means you're my wife. We're married. All the guests at the wedding can testify. He can't be with you."
A hint of a smile suddenly appeared on Oscar's cold face. He tugged at his still-unchanged, wrinkled shirt, his expression full of mockery: "Your wedding? Did it even happen? Weren't you the one who ran away from the wedding to comfort Sophia?"
"I was afraid Sophia might do something desperate. I told Emma I'd come back..." Gregory explained again.
None of this mattered anymore because, from our conversation, the others could see that what Gregory had said earlier was true.
I was Emma.
A glimmer of joy appeared in Isabella's eyes. She stepped forward, trying to grab my hand: "Emma? You're really Emma?"
I instinctively dodged, and Oscar quickly separated her from me.
Charles's face darkened, looking rather grim—probably remembering how I had systematically destroyed the Brown Group, leaving nothing but an empty shell.
Isabella's eyes quickly reddened, her tone full of grief: "Emma, why didn't you acknowledge us when you came back? You're our daughter—that's a family bond nothing can break."
Gregory reached out to support Isabella's arm, acting deeply affectionate: "Mrs. Brown, no—I should have started calling you Mom long ago. Mom, there are just misunderstandings between Emma and us. Once we clear them up, everything will be fine. Let's just let the past be the past. We'll all be fine from now on."
I looked at him coldly, a mocking smile tugging at my lips, my voice light: "Gregory, you don't actually think everything's fine just because you made it back from Solstice, do you? Didn't those bone-chilling experiences over there wake you up? Need me to refresh your memory?"
Gregory's face suddenly turned deathly pale, as if recalling some terrible memory. He frowned, looking at me in disbelief: "You mean... it was you... it was you? How is that possible? You wouldn't—you couldn't have done that to me."
The smile at my lips deepened. I slowly walked out from behind Oscar, moved closer to him, and said in a voice only he could hear: "If it weren't for your grandfather's death, do you really think you could have come back so soon?"