Chapter 495 Return
Time was running out. Lucas quickly flagged down a cab to the Lakeside Haven airport.
He figured Emma would be flying back to Sunterra with Michael today. He wasn't sure, but there was a chance he was right. If he was, he could bring Emma back.
Neither he, nor Charles, nor George wanted Emma to leave.
It was his first time at the airport alone, and he wasn't familiar with the place. The towering buildings made Lucas feel a bit dizzy as he looked up.
Where should he start looking for Emma?
Just then, a man in black slowly approached Lucas.
"Hey kid, you looking for your mom? I can help you find her."
"Who are you?"
"I'm with the airport staff."
"Your badge number's off. It's fake!"
Lucas pointed at the man, his hoodie strings swinging with the motion. His smartwatch was flashing red, recording everything.
"Don't be silly." The man reached for Lucas' backpack. "Your mom's waiting in the VIP lounge."
Lucas took two steps back, his heel landing precisely on a "panic alarm" tile.
He remembered what the Airborne Police Officer had said during last week's event: "If you encounter a bad person, look for the tiles with yellow stripes."
Three seconds later, the sound of a patrol car's siren grew closer. As the man in black fled in a car, Lucas snapped a photo of the license plate and sent it to the police.
"Trying to kidnap me? If I wasn't in such a hurry to find my mom, I'd show you what I'm made of!" Lucas' childish voice was full of bravado, but he was genuinely angry.
He was really anxious and didn't have time to waste.
The airport hall looked like a crystal palace. Lucas looked up at the electronic screens displaying flight information, the red numbers constantly changing.
He tried to check the flight numbers like an adult but realized he had no idea which flight Emma was on.
"Mom! Mom!" His young voice was drowned out by the noisy announcements.
Lucas ran between check-in counters, accidentally bumping into a woman in high heels.
"Watch where you're going, you little brat!" Her suitcase rolled over his foot.
At the security checkpoint, he was pushed to the side by the crowd, setting off the metal detector.
"Don't touch that!" A security guard pulled him away, frowning.
Lucas' hand was red from the friction, but he didn't make a sound because Emma had told him that men should be brave.
The evening light streamed through the glass walls, casting a long shadow of Lucas.
He curled up on a seat at Gate 23, hungry, thirsty, and exhausted, but he hadn't seen any sign of Emma.
Had Emma really left?
Would he never see her again?
The final boarding call for the flight to Sunterra was being announced. Lucas buried his face in his knees, his tears soaking the dinosaur print on his pants.
"Lucas?"
A familiar voice floated over like a dream.
Lucas looked up sharply to see Emma standing just a few steps away, dragging her suitcase.
Lucas ran to her, and Emma saw his dirty face, torn pants, and the scrapes on his hands.
As she knelt down and opened her arms, Lucas smelled the faint jasmine scent on her, the best smell in the world.
"Mom, I finally found you." Lucas' voice trembled.
"I'm sorry, Lucas." Emma didn't know why Lucas was here or why he was looking for her. She only knew that seeing Lucas cry made her heart ache.
She just wanted to apologize. It was her failure as a mother that made Lucas so sad.
Lucas clutched Emma's hand tightly, tears welling up in his eyes. "Mom, don't go. Great-grandpa is sick. The doctor said he doesn't have much time left."
His small hand trembled with effort, and one of the straps on his dinosaur backpack was broken, hanging precariously from his shoulder.
Emma was stunned.
She looked down at Lucas' flushed face and thought of Charles, lying weakly in his hospital bed.
Was Charles really that sick?
Just then, Seraphine, with a bow in her hair, peeked out from behind Emma and asked in a sweet, childlike voice, "Mommy, why isn't Lucas coming with us on the plane?"
Seraphine was wearing a pink princess dress and holding a worn-out teddy bear that Lucas had given her. She looked at Emma and Lucas with wide, expectant eyes.
The final boarding call for the flight to Sunterra echoed through the airport.
Emma's fingers trembled. She knelt down and looked into the eyes of both children. "Seraphine, I need to go with Lucas to see his great-grandpa. Can you go with your daddy on the plane?"
Seraphine's lips quivered, and tears began to fall. "No! I want to stay with Lucas!" She threw her arms around Lucas, burying her face in his clothes.
Lucas gently patted Seraphine's back and looked up at Emma with pleading eyes.
"Alright, we won't go." Emma picked up Seraphine with one arm and held Lucas' hand with the other. "We'll all go see Grandpa together."
Seraphine immediately smiled through her tears and kissed Emma on the cheek. "Yay! I get to play with Lucas!" She kicked her little feet excitedly, her bow askew.
In the hospital corridor, the smell of disinfectant was sharp and cold. Emma stood at the door of the hospital room, her fingers trembling, unable to push the door open.
Lucas looked up at her and gently tugged on her sleeve. "Mom, great-grandpa is waiting for you inside."
Emma took a deep breath and finally pushed the door open.
Charles looked even more frail than she had imagined. His breathing was so weak it was barely noticeable under the oxygen mask.
But when his eyes landed on Emma, a faint light flickered in his cloudy gaze.
"Emma, you're here." His voice was hoarse, as if coming from a great distance.
Emma's tears flowed uncontrollably. She rushed forward and held Charles's thin hand. "Grandpa, I'm back."
Charles managed a weak smile and gently patted her hand. "Don't cry. Everyone gets old and faces this day."
"Don't say that." Emma shook her head, choking on her tears.
"Emma." Charles' voice was soft but clear. "Stay with me for my final journey, will you?"
Emma nodded vigorously, her tears falling onto the white sheets. "I won't go anywhere. I'll stay here with you."
Outside the room, George leaned against the wall, listening quietly.
When he heard Emma agree to stay, his heart skipped a beat, and a smile tugged at his lips—she was back.
But the next moment, he smirked at himself.
She hadn't come back for him; she came back for Charles.
After a moment's hesitation, he pushed the door open and walked in.
"Emma," he called softly.
Emma didn't turn around, not even sparing him a glance. "Get out," she said coldly.
George's throat tightened, and he finally said in a low voice, "Thank you for coming back. Grandpa missed you."
Emma remained silent, her back as cold as ice.
George let out a bitter laugh and turned to leave.
Around the corner, Michael watched everything with cold eyes, his knuckles white from clenching his fists.
"George, how can you still act so devoted?" He glared at George's retreating figure, his eyes burning with anger.
He pulled out his phone and dialed a number, his voice icy. "Arrange something. Teach George a lesson he won't forget."
The person on the other end hesitated. "Mr. Russell, with Charles critically ill, is this really the right time?"
Michael sneered. "Precisely because of that, he needs to know that some people are forever out of his reach."
He hung up the phone and took one last look at the hospital room before turning away, his silhouette as cold as a blade.
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