We all stared at the man who pretended to be the good ol' Santa. But behind that costume was a corrupted man who felt no shred of remorse towards us. Not one drop of guilt for what he did to us. And he showed up just like that as though nothing happened!

"George Philip Frostbite...the nerve of you to come back here." Alex, who was supposed to be the timid and jovial sibling of all, rose from his seat and glared at Dad. Dad? Should I even call him that?

"What brings you here? Do you think you can strut back into our lives after what you just did? You ruined not just my secret but exposed Crystal to the crowd too! Do you realize how it affected us? 'Dad'?" I added sarcastically.

He pulled the fake wig and hat off his face and looked at us with a benighted gaze. I could tell it wasn't out of genuine kindness.

"You guys, is that how you greet your old Dad back into his own mansion?" Suddenly, the sense of inferiority washed all over us as I grunted.

"Are you trying to say you're above us? Still 'providing for the family'? Is this what it's about? Then fine, we get it. You did what you did and we just have to live with it." I chose my words wisely. Because if I didn't, we siblings could lose our lifestyle as Frostbites. George Philip had full rights to abandon us from his shit show of a family drama and bring us all to the streets.

George Philip sighed dramatically. It made my ears pierced with the sound.

"You wouldn't understand the plot even if I told you, haha!" He iterated without even a shred of dignity.

"Where are you getting at, George Philip?" Dane finally spoke up. His raspy voice sent chills down my spine. But what made my skin crawl with goosebumps was the darkening eyes of George Philip.

"First of all...don't let me discipline you into calling me Dad. I am still your father, the one who gave you everything you have right now. You are obligated to stay under me or with me. But never against or above me." He stated with venom dripping cunningly. I could almost visualize a dark cloud around him.

"Second of all...I bring bad news despite the Christmas atmosphere urging me not to. But...you children have the right to know." He got us by our curiosity. What was so important that he had to come down to our siblings' mansion and deliver the news by himself? He'd always claim he was too busy to even see our faces.

"Bad news? Did the Company's shares go low again?" Nick asked in a mocking tone. The old man sighed and invited himself in. He sat beside Winter, who didn't even dare glance his way. Annoyance was etched onto her face, crystal clear.

"Your grandfather was hospitalized. He's...in critical condition."

And the nuclear bomb was dropped. I was anticipating bad news, but this is just heartbreak.

"Location," Dane growled out.

"Our family hospital, of course." George Philip, for the first time, wasn't looking up at the sky. He was looking down at his lap, letting his fingers dwindle and fidget with each other.

"We're going there. Now." Nick claimed, calling our drivers and getting things ready. We all agreed in a heartbeat. In the same comfortable clothes we had on, we all stepped outside and left George Philip by himself at the mansion.

As soon as we got there, to St. Benevolence Central Hospital, Dane and Nick dashed off at the speed of light. Winter tried keeping up with Dane with her long, athletic legs. But she stayed back and walked with us.

"G-Gerald Frostbite. We are his grandchildren." The receptionist looked at Dane and blushed.

"R-Room 304." That's all she had to say for both of them to dash off. We kept our eyes on them and followed them to the third floor. Dane controlled himself and didn't make the mistake of bursting into the room. To our dismay, he had just come back from the operation theatre.

"Hey! Who are you guys!? Security!"

"Don't worry, we are his grandchildren—" Dane tried explaining to the nurse but she wasn't having it.

"Yeah, right, and I'm the patient's aunt. You could be strangers. I—"

"Sister? What's the commotion?" A doctor walked in behind us.

"Doctor, they barged in—"

"It's alright. They're his grandchildren. I'll take it from here. Please." The doctor communicated and politely guided the nurse out.

"What's going on doctor?"

"Myocardial infarction. Heart attack, but it has way many complications given his age and...history of diseases." I closed my eyes, unable to process the information. The only loving man whom we could call family was deteriorating right in front of us. It hurts.

"I'm sorry, but he's by himself now. Good that you all have gathered here, we cannot predict how long he can pull through beyond this point. I'm sorry guys." Doctor Abraham patted Nick and Alex and walked away.

"...Couldn't he do anything better to save him?" Alex asked in his grief.

"He's the top cardiologist of the state, Alex. It's his verdict." Dane had lost hope and we could all see it in his eyes. They've become dull beyond recognition.

"Guys, miracles happen. They are bound to happen. Let's not be gloomy and spend time with grandpa in his last moments. That's what he'd want. I'm sure of it." I said, brimming with hope and positivity.

"Fine. We will stay here until he opens his eyes." Nick said and we all agreed to stay. We didn't care about Christmas and the presents anymore. How could we? When our most prized possession was failing and trying to leave us estranged in this cruel world?

In the evening, I volunteered to get some soft drinks for refreshments when I bumped into the last person I wanted to bump into. I rolled my eyes, tried to walk past him...

But he grabbed my arm and pulled me to the corner of the cafeteria!