Chapter 763 Lola, This Is My Girlfriend!
Johnny was the closest.
He watched as his dear Patrick passed away right in front of him, his face peaceful. It took Johnny a long moment to blink and realize that Patrick was truly gone.
The Patrick who had always favored Lola the most was dead.
Maybe he was reuniting with his beloved wife.
A tear slipped from the corner of Johnny's eye, and he quickly wiped it away. People said tears shouldn't fall on the deceased. Even though Johnny didn't believe in spirits, he was still cautious at this moment.
The Hawkins family stood in silent mourning. Frederick began to gently wipe Patrick's body with a warm towel and disconnected the medical equipment. The atmosphere was heavy.
Johnny was in a daze. He gripped the armrests of his wheelchair and forced himself to stand, his left leg throbbing with pain.
But the pain of losing a loved one surpassed the physical pain. Johnny's trembling fingers grasped Patrick's hand, which had once been warm but was now cold as ice.
The Hawkins family had been wealthy for generations, and the passing of the head of the family couldn't be handled carelessly.
The memorial service was held at The Hawkins Mansion, and many people came to pay their respects, from Syeattel's elite to employees of the Hawkins Group, totaling over a thousand people. Frederick and his wife were overwhelmed with grief, so Lola and Kingsley took care of most of the arrangements. They had both lost weight over the past few days.
At one in the morning, Kingsley returned to his bedroom upstairs. He had just lain down on the couch to rest when Amara came in with a late-night snack, a plate of pasta.
Amara sat beside him, gently holding his hand. "Eat some pasta and get some rest."
Kingsley closed his eyes again.
He was utterly exhausted after the past few days. He intertwined his fingers with Amara's and murmured, "It's so late, you didn't have to make anything. I'm not hungry."
Amara knew he couldn't eat.
She leaned closer to Kingsley, her voice soft. "Eat a little. There's still a lot to do tomorrow. Lola and the kids need you. Kingsley?"
Kingsley rested for a moment, then patted her hand.
He sat up, took the fork from Amara, and smiled faintly. "Alright, I'll eat. I'll listen to you."
Amara smiled back.
Though she felt for Kingsley and wanted to spend time with him, she was also a daughter-in-law of the Hawkins family and had responsibilities inside and out. So she went downstairs to deliver late-night snacks to everyone.
Late at night, in the memorial space on the first floor.
Johnny, with his leg in pain, sat quietly in his wheelchair, gazing one last time.
Lola came down from upstairs.
Johnny looked up and met her eyes, both filled with sorrow. There was no time to think about their relationship or their future.
After a long moment, Lola's fingers twitched slightly, gently brushing the stair railing.
She slowly walked over to him, intending to adjust the blanket on his knees, but as soon as her hand touched his left leg, Johnny reflexively grabbed her hand.
Lola winced from his grip.
"Johnny."
Johnny suddenly snapped out of it. He looked up at Lola, saw the tears at the corners of her eyes, and murmured, "Sorry!"
He let go of her.
Lola took a step back and softly said, "It's late. You should go to your room and sleep."
Johnny refused. "I want to stay here."
Lola didn't think much of it. "Your leg hurts, doesn't it? You should rest early."
She hadn't finished speaking when Johnny interrupted her harshly.
"Because my leg hurts, I don't have the right to stay here? Because my leg hurts, you see me as a useless person?"
His anger came out of nowhere, and he regretted it immediately.
Lola was the person he had promised Patrick he would take care of for a lifetime, yet he had just yelled at her.
He panted and apologized, "I'm sorry, Lola."
Lola didn't mind much. They really had no relationship anymore, so speaking without consideration was natural. No one needed to be coddled.
Lola smiled faintly. "It's nothing. If you want to stay, I'll have the maid bring you some pasta."
Johnny hoarsely agreed.
He wanted to say something to ease the tension, but Lola had already walked to the other side to add some wood to the fireplace. The firelight cast a soft red glow on her face.
They were only ten feet apart, but it felt like an insurmountable chasm with him in the wheelchair.
Johnny clenched his fingers into a fist.
After a while, the maid brought the pasta and called softly, "Mr. Flores! Mr. Flores..."
Lola looked up and saw his gloomy expression.
Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.
The next day, the funeral was over.
The Hawkins family members went about their own business. Lola and Johnny hadn't seen each other for days. Maybe it was her imagination, but even their contact regarding the children had lessened. He would talk to the kids, but he used the house phone.
Lola couldn't say if it was good or bad.
She remembered him telling her he had a girlfriend. But why did he look so gloomy when he said it?
Lola couldn't figure it out and decided not to think about it.
She never expected to run into Johnny at a formal business event with his girlfriend.
Johnny held a wine glass, leaning against the back of a couch, not in a wheelchair.
Lola thought, "His gout must be better!"
Beside him was a very elegant woman in her thirties, beautiful and well-proportioned.
Lola recognized her as Tracy Jenkins, a radio host from Syeattel.
At that moment, Tracy was clinging to Johnny, her arm linked with his, looking very intimate.
Lola watched quietly for a few seconds.
She thought, "We're divorced. It's best to avoid each other."
So she just nodded slightly and walked around them, but Johnny saw her and called out, "Lola."
Lola's body stiffened.
After a moment, she turned with a pleasant smile and asked, "Mr. Flores, do you need something?"
Johnny looked at her with a deep gaze.
After a while, he took the hand of the woman beside him, almost interlocking their fingers. Lola looked down calmly.
What was Johnny doing?
Showing off his new relationship in front of her?
Johnny stared into Lola's eyes and asked softly, "What happened with that Dwight?"
Lola couldn't help but laugh. "What answer do you want to hear?"
Johnny's blue eyes remained fixed on her.
After a while, he smiled faintly. "What answer could I want? I just wanted to introduce sister-in-law to you."
He spoke calmly as if nothing had ever happened between him and Lola.
Tracy felt a bit uncomfortable.
But Johnny acted as if nothing was wrong, introducing Tracy to Lola. "Lola Hawkins, my sister."
Since the benefactor said she was a sister, Tracy had to accept it as such.
She extended her hand gracefully. "Hello, I'm Tracy Jenkins, Johnny's girlfriend."
Lola looked at the delicate hand.
Then she looked at Johnny, trying to find an answer on his face.
Was he really going to do this?
Was he really going to sever the last bit of their connection?
His face was calm and indifferent as if he was determined to clear things up in front of his new girlfriend, Tracy.
Lola thought, if Johnny could move on, why should she hold on to the past?
If he wanted to get married and clear things up, that's fine.
Lola smiled slightly and shook Tracy's hand. "Congratulations! From now on, I'll call you Mrs. Flores."
Tracy felt uneasy.
Johnny, however, wrapped his arm around her waist and chatted with Lola about family matters. Lola didn't really hear what he said. When she turned to leave, she felt her heart shatter.
She had never imagined that after all the pain he had caused her, there would come a day when he would ask her to call his girlfriend Mrs. Flores.
It made Lola feel that the good times they once had, her feelings, were all misplaced.
She had never thought Johnny would treat her this way.
Her heart was broken, but she stood tall and walked out of Johnny's sight, out of his life. She had never imagined it would end like this.
Lola didn't want to dwell on it.
Behind her, Johnny watched Lola's retreating figure.
They had grown up together, and he knew what she was thinking. She was wondering how he could be so heartless, thinking that everything they had was a mistake!
Even when she was out of sight, he remained standing.
Without him knowing, he had crushed the wine glass in his hand, the red liquid staining his hand.
It was hard to tell if it was wine or blood.
Tracy quickly supported him, out of duty and personal feelings, "Johnny, let me bandage you."
She wasn't stupid.
Even though Johnny had only asked her to act, she could see that he had no one else around. Even with his leg problem, he was rich and handsome. She had struggled for over ten years in Syeattel and could only afford a cheap apartment. If she could marry Johnny, she would enter high society.
As she supported Johnny, she intentionally pressed her soft body against him, trying to seduce him.
But Johnny pushed her away with such force that she almost fell.
Johnny looked down at her, his voice cold. "Remember your place."
Tracy felt humiliated. After a moment, she softened her voice. "At least let me help you to the car."
Johnny said no.
His leg had improved a bit in the past few days and he could walk on his own, though not very steadily. Besides Lola, he didn't care much about others' opinions. He had already hurt the person he loved the most, so what else was there to care about?
So he limped out of the banquet hall under many watchful eyes.
He had no wheelchair, no Felicity by his side, just himself... Johnny.
Tracy stood there, feeling embarrassed.
After a while, she received a call from Johnny, asking her to go to the parking lot.
Tracy quickly followed.
In the parking lot, Lola was about to drive away.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Johnny and Tracy coming out. He was walking unsteadily. His girlfriend Tracy was tightly holding his arm, supporting him.
Was his gout acting up again?
Lola watched quietly, thinking that even a word of concern was unnecessary between them.
Johnny just wanted to avoid suspicion.
He must really like Tracy. She was beautiful and elegant.
Lola calmly started her car without saying a word. This was how it should be between them, able to let go. But her eyes still grew slightly wet.
Johnny stood there.
He knew it was over between him and Lola. He had no more chances.
But now he could take care of the kids with his crippled legs. He didn't need to worry about Lola finding out the truth. He would say it was just a moment of impulse and he regretted it afterward.
He didn't love her anymore.
He had fallen for someone else.
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