Chapter 169
Oscar saw Gregory looking completely confused, not thinking at all about finding the reason within himself. He gave him a cold look and reminded him again: "Or maybe you should think about how many people you've actually hurt."
Gregory frowned, reflecting deeply. He shook his head and replied, "Other than the harm I caused Emma, I haven’t hurt anyone else."
"What about ten years ago?" Oscar glanced at him casually, quietly observing the expression on his face.
Hearing this, his face suddenly became serious. The words he was about to say got stuck in his throat. Soon he composed himself and acted puzzled: "Uncle Oscar, what a strange question. How old was I ten years ago?"
Oscar gave him a chilling laugh and said, "If that’s what you believe, I have nothing else to add. You may go now."
Gregory panicked. He probably wasn't sure what Oscar knew, or how much he knew, so he didn't dare speak: "Uncle Oscar, I don't understand what you mean."
The smile at the corner of Oscar's mouth deepened, carrying deep mockery: "Right, you people in this family are probably all shameless by inheritance. Fine, since that's how it is, let me ask you something else. I heard you have a brother. How come after being back for so long, I haven't seen a single photo or even heard his name mentioned once?"
Gregory visibly recoiled. His hands, which had been hanging by his sides, unconsciously grabbed his pants and rubbed them. When he noticed I was watching him, he quickly let go and pretended to look relaxed: "My brother... my brother left us in an accident back then. My parents were deeply upset, so the family stored away all his belongings. Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?
Oscar raised an eyebrow and looked at him: "An accident? What kind of accident?"
Gregory didn't dare meet his probing eyes and looked down: "A... fire, probably accidental. I was too young then, I don't remember. Emma knows about this."
Oscar's phone buzzed. He looked down at it, and the corner of his mouth curved up again: "Your parents have been brought out by someone, but for him to release them, I'm afraid you'll have to be handed over."
Gregory's body trembled: "What... what do you mean?"
Oscar looked at him with a smile: "It means that the people over there said if you want your parents to leave safely, you have to stay. Guess what they'll choose?"
Gregory shook his head: "What kind of strange condition is this? I have to stay? Stay where? My parents won't abandon me."
Oscar let out a cold laugh: "Whether they'll care about you or not, you'll see the result soon. Let's go, I'll take you to meet someone."
The bodyguards escorted Gregory away. Oscar then turned to me softly and said, "That was Alan’s message just now.". You wait at the hotel first, I'll be back soon."
I quickly said, "I'll go with you."
Oscar refused without thinking: "It's too dangerous. He's not the same Adrian as before. Just stay at the hotel and wait for me to come back. It won't take long."
I insisted on my idea: "I just want to go and see. It's too boring staying alone at the hotel. We've brought so many people, what danger could there be? Alan might make a move against them, but against us, it shouldn't come to that."
Unable to resist my persuasion, Oscar had to compromise: "Then when we get there, just watch from the side and don't say anything."
I smiled and agreed: "I'm just going to watch. I'm really curious about how much hatred this Alan has to do things to this extent."
The location Alan arranged was nearby. Using the address he sent over the phone, we reached a courtyard situated on the far edge of the village.
At first glance, the courtyard seemed modest. The ordinary gate also looked somewhat old. Without looking carefully, no one could tell that this gate, which looked no different from other gates, was actually so thick that bullets couldn't penetrate it. Besides the ordinary lock on the surface, there was also a hidden compartment below - that was the gate's real lock.
Oscar helped me sit in the wheelchair and gave a look for someone to go knock on the door. The gate opened quickly, and two men walked out from inside. They were strongly built with fierce features. Seeing us, they just made a welcoming gesture.
I observed that upon seeing the two men, Gregory recoiled, and his eyes flared with intense hatred, as though painful memories had resurfaced.
Oscar was about to push me inside when I lightly patted his hand and looked at him with some worry: "Have you arranged everything with our people?"
Oscar nodded at me: "Don't worry, he probably won't dare do anything to me."
I was afraid he was being too careless about this, but he had spent ten years with Alan and understood each other well enough. Since Oscar dared to agree to bring me here, he naturally wasn't afraid of whatever tricks Alan might have.
From afar, I could hear a woman sobbing and a man pleading from within the house. It was William and Grace.
Gregory's eyes instantly widened: "That's my parents. Uncle Oscar, please save them quickly. They must be doing that to my mom again... they... Uncle Oscar, go stop them quickly. If this continues, my mom will die."
My brows furrowed slightly as I listened. So that's what Gregory meant in his previous hesitant words?
Alan actually had men gang-rape Grace?
She was still the woman who had cared for him for more than twenty years, the one he had called “mom” all that time. This shows how ruthless this man is.
Oscar naturally understood the implication in Gregory's words too. His eyes turned cold, and he pushed me silently toward the direction of the sound.
Gregory stepped forward and pushed the door open, closing his eyes, not daring to look inside. But I could see clearly - Grace, disheveled, was sitting on the ground crying to a man sitting in the room, while William beside her was being pressed down on his knees with obvious swelling on his face.
"Dad, Mom, Uncle Oscar has arrived—we’re safe!" Gregory rushed into the room and bent down to lift Grace from the floor.
Alan casually looked over at us and greeted us with a smile as if it were normal: "You got here pretty fast. Uncle Oscar, I heard you and Emma ran into some trouble a few days ago. Is everything resolved now? I was actually thinking about asking if I could help you with anything."
The moment Gregory heard him speak to us, his face froze. He looked uncertainly between Alan and Oscar, asking tentatively: "Uncle Oscar, you and him... you really know each other?"
Before Oscar could reply, Alan grinned playfully and said, "Uncle Oscar didn’t mention it? I’ve known him for ten years, and forty percent of his business now belongs to me."
Gregory didn't notice at all that since entering, Alan had been calling him Uncle Oscar. His face gradually filled with despair: "So... so you're the one who had him capture us? Oscar, at the end of the day, you're just an illegitimate child. It was Grandpa who didn't let you become a member of the Lopez family back then. No matter how much resentment you have, you shouldn't take revenge on us like this, right?"
I cast a scornful look at Gregory. How could there be such a stupid person who still couldn't tell who was trying to harm him and who could help him?
I laughed mockingly and looked at Alan. His intention to use Oscar was too obvious. I naturally couldn't let him succeed. I said slowly: "You haven't told them who you really are yet? Alan—"