Chapter 554
The vast red hall was open and spacious, designed much like a church. Along both sides, towering bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling. Between them were bay windows on all four sides, each corner adorned with carefully carved antiques.
At the far end of the room stood Henry, his head tilted up as he admired a wall covered with oil paintings of
various sizes.
After speaking, Delilah did not wait for a response. She gestured to Khloe, then led everyone out.
The door creaked shut, and the echo lingered in the air.
“Come here.”
Henry turned slightly and beckoned to Khloe with an easy motion.
She hesitated for a moment, then walked toward him.
His hair was completely white, yet thick and lustrous, and his spirit was vigorous. He wore a dark blue, traditional-style long robe with a matching vest. On his hand were a top-grade emerald bracelet and thumb ring. He looked simple, yet unmistakably noble.
As Khloe studied his features, she seemed to see Niel.
Oscar had once told her that between him and Niel, Niel resembled Henry most. She had seen Niel’s
photographs, and the contours of the old man’s face were almost carved from the same mold.
But when Henry smiled, she was reminded of Michael. His nose bridge and brow were sharply defined, yet his overall features were gentle. When he smiled, he carried a natural scholarly warmth.
“Grandpa, I finally get to meet you.”
Khloe had prepared a whole set of opening lines-some proper and respectful as a junior, others slightly sentimental as a granddaughter. Yet the moment she saw him, a natural sense of closeness welled up. Everything felt so easy, as if there were no need for many words at all.
Henry smiled and placed his aged, heavy hand on her slender shoulder.
“Yes. We finally meet.”
He studied her for several seconds. As if struck by a thought, he suddenly fell silent.
Just as Khloe was reminded of Niel, seeing her also made him think of Niel. Niel had been his favorite son. Not because he was exceptionally outstanding, but because compared to Oscar, Niel had once been the most considerate and filial, the child who had moved him the most.
“Come, look at these paintings.”
Henry gestured toward the wall filled with artwork. These had been taken out in advance after he learned Khloe was coming.
Nearly all of them were family paintings. They depicted a little boy in childhood, adolescence, and middle age… As well as scenes of the boy traveling, dining, and playing with his parents as a family of three.
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In one painting, however, there was not just one boy. Beside him stood another boy, half a head taller. It was a family of four.
Clearly, the smaller boy was Niel, and the other was Oscar.
“When Niel was little, he didn’t like taking photos, but he liked having people draw him-portrait paintings. Later, I often invited famous artists to come and record our lives like this… though when Niel was young, I was also very busy.”
Halfway through, the old man smiled, his voice tinged with regret.
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