Chapter 148
Gregory, already as white as a ghost, stumbled back two steps after hearing what I said. The look he shot me was full of alarm.
"Coward!" I glanced at him with disdain, pulling Oscar along as I tried to leave.
Everyone in this place made my skin crawl. I just wanted to get as far away from them as possible.
Oscar reached out, shoved Gregory out of the way, and slipped an arm around my waist to lead me out.
"Wait a minute." Charles frowned and stopped us.
The anger on his face grew bit by bit, and his gaze toward me shifted from hatred to disgust: "Since you're Emma, I won't hold the Brown's Group takeover against you. We're all family. The family still has some debts, and even mortgaging all our assets isn't enough. If you solve this problem and come back to the Brown Family, you'll still be our daughter."
He spoke to me in a condescending tone.
Who made him so bold as to think I was desperate to get back into the Brown Family?
I let out a cold laugh, not even bothering to look at him: "Daydreaming in broad daylight? If you have this kind of time, you'd better think about how to get your son out of Solstice. Gregory has experience—ask him more, maybe your son can still come back alive."
Charles's face turned livid: "What do you mean by that?"
I didn't even look at him: "Figure it out yourself."
He didn't think much of it and continued trying to persuade me with a frown: "Emma, you're our daughter. It's one thing that you didn't come home first when you returned, but you also schemed to bankrupt your own company and left us homeless. Aren't you afraid of what people will say?"
After a pause, he took a breath and said: "Let's let the past be the past. What needs to be let go should be let go. We know you've been wronged. When you come back, we'll have Sophia apologize to you properly. You and Oscar... can get married too. We'll just have him make up with a gift."
I actually laughed out loud, though my eyes showed desperate sorrow: "Your plan sounds great, but too bad—I'm not Emma. I'm afraid your plan won't work out."
Charles looked at me with a dark expression: "Still won't admit who you are? What exactly do you want? I already said we'd have Sophia apologize to you when you come back. What more do you want? Do your mom and I both need to apologize to you?"
I looked at him with contempt: "Being your daughter is truly pathetic. I don't need your apologies. We have no relationship. You stick with your precious daughter. I hope you can live out the rest of your lives in peace."
With that, I took Oscar and left without looking back.
The more I looked at those people, the more let down I felt by them.
Oscar squeezed my hand slightly. When we got home, he gave me a warm embrace: "Emily, don't be sad. You still have me."
I buried myself in his arms, breathing in his familiar scent, and shook my head dully, saying quietly, "I'm not sad, I just feel a bit tired. Those people probably won't leave us alone from now on."
Oscar softly ran his hand through my hair, his chin gently brushing the top of my head, slowly soothing my anxious heart.
His voice was soft: "It's okay. No matter what happens, I'm here. If you don't want to deal with them, leave it to me. I'm not afraid of trouble."
I nodded, still tucked tightly in his arms, drinking in his scent like I couldn't get enough.
After my emotions gradually settled, I lifted my head from his embrace. His usually clean-shaven chin now had stubble, and the exhaustion on his face couldn't be hidden even by the warmest smile.
"Oscar, don't be too sad either. The dead can't come back to life. At least you didn't do anything to hurt him while he was still alive." I hugged his waist and looked up to comfort him.
We were like two people huddled together for warmth, soothing each other's wounded hearts.
Oscar smiled and shook his head at me, with a look that showed both sadness or relief: "I'm not sad, it's just—the person I hated most is suddenly gone. Instead of feeling relieved, it's like a piece of my heart went missing with him."
I looked at him and said: "I understand that feeling."
Oscar let out a long breath and smiled with relief: "Maybe you're right. I didn't do worse things in front of him. Actually, the person he wronged more was my mom, but I guess he'll have to apologize to her himself in heaven now."
After adjusting his emotions, Oscar asked: "Do you regret letting Gregory come back like this? If he hadn't come back, we probably wouldn't have these troubles. The Brown Family members will probably keep showing up in front of you from now on."
I looked at him and smiled: "I told them to release him, but didn't you also give them a hint? Let's just say it's for Mr. Robert Lopez's sake. I can let him come back, but I can also make him live like a rat in the sewers even with his freedom."
Oscar understood what I meant: "Then I'll tell them that as soon as the end of the month comes, they should start demanding payment immediately."
I smiled: "Don't just go after Gregory. Don't forget about Jasper's debts either. He's dead, but don't his parents still have to pay back the debts?"
The Brown Family members came faster than we expected.
We had barely been home for half an hour when the doorbell rang. I checked the camera, and there was Isabella standing outside.
"If you don't want to see her, don't show yourself. I'll help you chase her away." Oscar closed the camera feed and was about to go out.
I pulled him back and smiled: "No need. Hurtful words always hurt more when they come from someone who knows you better. Don't worry about it. She came to find me, so let her in."
The door opened, and as soon as Isabella walked in, she quickly scanned the entire interior of the villa before turning her gaze to me. A touch of sadness appeared on her smiling face, and she stepped forward, trying to take my hand.
I quickly dodged and asked distantly, "Did you come to see me about something?"
Isabella quickly adjusted her attitude, wiping her slightly red eyes with her hand: "Emma, can we have a good talk? Let's all put aside our conflicts and talk openly."
"Talk about what?" I walked over and sat down, showing a disdainful smile. "Talk about how much more money you can ask Oscar for to cover your losses?"
Isabella's already red eyes immediately filled with tears: "Emma, how can you think of us that way? After you left, I was worried sick. We looked for you for a long time, went to the police station many times, but there was no news of you. When you told us before that Sophia sold you to Solstice, I had a huge fight with Sophia. Emma, it's so good that you're back."
I couldn't stand her pretense: "So what? What did you come here to do?"
Isabella looked like the picture of maternal love: "Of course, I came to take you home."
I almost laughed at her words: "Take me home? You still have a home?"