Take My Breath Away

Carlos didn't explain why he wasn't willing to get engaged to Stephanie. Instead, he said casually, "Dad, I've already made up my mind. I will apologize to Stephanie and her father in person."

James tried to hold back his anger and asked calmly, "Carlos, what happened between you and Stephanie?"

"Nothing happened. It's getting late. I'm heading back home now." Saying that, Carlos walked towards the entrance of the building.

Staring at his retreating back, James knew that everything would go out of his control if he didn't do something quickly. "Carlos," he called out.

Carlos stopped and turned around to look at him.

"We'll talk tomorrow morning," James said.

After a short pause, Carlos nodded. He had a bad feeling in his gut.

As he walked out of the building, Carlos discreetly scanned the area out of the corner of his eye. As expected, he noticed someone hiding in the shadows.

He snorted as he got into his car and asked Frankie to take him to Champs Bay Apartments.

When he arrived, Stephanie was already home. She was sitting before the wine cabinet and was on a phone call. Her tone was harsh as she said, "Work out a new plan and send it to me via e-mail within three days. Otherwise, the Planning Department will have to bear the responsibilities."

Seeing Carlos enter the apartment, she fixed her eyes on him with a stern expression on her face. He took off his suit and loosened his tie.

"Set aside everything else. Your priority is to work out a new plan. That's all!" Stephanie hung up and heaved a tired sigh. With the phone still in her hand, she trotted over to Carlos, who was in the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water.

She flashed a flattering smile and said in a soft voice, "Carlos, you're back. Are you tired?" No matter how tough Stephanie's work got, she never asked Carlos for his assistance. She was too proud to show him her weakness.

Carlos nodded and asked casually, "Something wrong with your company?"

"No big deal. I can fix it." The truth was that she was really annoyed because of what had happened in her company. She was definitely in a tough spot and had a lot of cleaning up to do.

Since she assured him that she could fix it on her own, Carlos didn't ask for more details. He drank the water and was about to head

, Carlos was not surprised at all.

He just wanted to hear it from his father, because he was still a little skeptical about her. But when James confirmed it, various emotions flooded Carlos.

"Carlos!" James looked him in the eye and raised his right hand to vow, "I'm not lying, Carlos. This is the truth. If I'm lying, may I be struck dead."

"Dad!" Carlos exclaimed. "I trust you."

"Ah!" James sighed. "I was afraid that you were cheated by that woman again. Carlos, you have to understand. I really can't afford to lose you again..."

'Cheated by her? Again?' Carlos had a bad feeling about this. "Why did we get divorced? Do you know the reason?"

"Of course I know!" James feigned misery and continued, "I've been hiding the truth from you for all these years because I didn't want to make you sad. But now that you're asking about it, I have to tell you everything." He sighed dramatically and continued, "Three years ago, you were in a car accident. Your assistant, Emmett, died at the scene. You protected that woman and was fatally wounded. She was unscratched. When you were struggling for your life in the hospital, she cheated on you and had another man's baby. When she found out that you might not survive, she chose to divorce you and abort the baby. She even told the media and others that you were dead. Carlos, I'm so sorry. I implored her not to divorce you and told her that you were going to be okay, but she didn't listen..."

He squeezed out a few drops of tears and let them stream down his cheeks.