Emmett was shocked. He hadn't thought that James would hit a woman.
The look in Carlos' eyes became murderous. After calming down a little, he told Emmett, "Find Lewis and bring him to me!" He would investigate the matter himself.
And James... He hit Debbie again. This time, Carlos would make sure he paid for it!
Three days later, Lewis was dragged back from abroad. Knowing that he had gotten himself into big trouble, he had fled to France right after the incident that evening. However, Carlos had found him easily.
Before he was brought back, he had called Valerie for help. To get himself enough protection against Carlos, he had asked his parents to come to Y City as well, along with Valerie. After getting off the plane, the three of them went straight to Carlos' manor.
Carlos' company wasn't functioning well in his absence. Without his supervision, along with the news of him being wounded, the executives had gone slack and flustered. When Carlos was discharged from the hospital, he had been informed of the situation at the offices. Before going back to the manor, he went directly to the company to set things right.
When he finally arrived at the manor, his mood worsened. The bedroom was empty. He looked for Debbie's traces everywhere. He walked around staring at her pictures, touching the dressing table at which she used to sit, feeling her scent. The sadness was unbearable.
He missed her terribly. He wanted to hear her voice, but Debbie wouldn't answer his calls.
Carlos sat on the bed and started to read a file. After some time, someone knocked on the door. Carlos closed the file and said, "Come in."
Emmett walked in and said, "Mr. Huo, Mrs. Valerie Huo and Mr. and Mrs. Wade Huo are here." As soon as Emmett stepped aside, Valerie said, "Carlos, my sweet grandson, how are you? Let me have a good look at you! I was worried to death."
Valerie walked into the bedroom, wearing a green gown. She was accompanied by Megan. Her eyes were red and she looked deeply worried. Wade and Miranda were in tow.
Carlos put the file aside and leaned against the headboard. "Grandma, I'm sorry to have worried you. I'm much better now." He then greeted Wade and Miranda.
Valerie sat on the edge of the bed and held his good hand. When she spotted the file, she looked at Emmett and reprimanded, "Carlos has just had a surgery. How could you let him work so soon? Are the executives of ZL Group so useless?"
ZL Group had tons of executives, and they were all capable. Emmett stepped forward and began to apologize, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Valerie Huo—"
Before he could go on, Carlos gestured for him to stop. He turned to Valerie and consoled, "Grandma, it's not Emmett's fault. The wounds are not that serious, and I'm recovering quickly. Reading files is not gonna tire me out."
Valerie sighed and stayed silently by his side.
Wade walked up to him and said, "It does seem a little early to be getting back to work. Why not rest and wait until you're fully recovered?"
Miranda nodded in agreement. She never talked much, but at this point, she chipped in, "Your uncle Wade is right. Health is more important than anything else. You're not a child anymore. You should know how to take care of yourself."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you Uncle Wade, Aunt Miranda."
The room was quiet for a while. Then Megan said in a depressed voice, "Uncle Carlos, thank you for saving me. I'm really sorry. It was because of me that you and Uncle Wesley were wounded."
Valerie sighed again with a sad look in her eyes.
Miranda and Wade looked unhappy when they heard Megan's words. Carlos said flatly, "Don't be so hard on yourself. The matter had to be dealt with."
Megan gnawed at her lower lip. Her eyes were brimming with tears. "Thank you, Uncle Carlos. Since Aunt Debbie isn't around, I'll take care of you." she said.
'Debbie isn't around? What does that mean?' the others wondered.
Valerie's brows knitted. She looked at Carlos and demanded, "I didn't notice that until Megan brought it up. Where is your so-called wife? Why isn't she here to take care of you?"
The blame in her tone wasn't anything Carlos desired. The look in his eyes turned icy cold. He responded indifferently, "I asked her to go back to England. She had been away from school for several days to look after me. She is falling behind in her class. Now that I'm fine, I asked her to go back."
However, Valerie wasn't happy with his explanation. "Fine? Your wounds haven't healed yet. And you have to stay in bed to rest. You are not fit enough to move around. How could she leave you in this state? That heartless woman!"
Emmett couldn't stand to hear her talk about Debbie like that. He explained, "Mrs. Valerie Huo, that's not true. Mr. Huo was injured even before this incident, and Mrs. Huo had been taking care of him all that while. And she never left the hospital until Mr. Huo was brought into the VVIP ward. She stayed outside without eating or sleeping."
Valerie snorted and pounded her cane on the floor. "Don't try to make her look good. The truth is that Carlos needs her and she is away in England. What kind of wife—"
"Grandma!" Carlos interrupted her.
"That is between me and Debbie. Please stay out of it. All you need to know is that Debbie is always good to me. So, stop blaming her. There are many people here who can look after me. She doesn't have to stay by my side just to look like the good wife you want her to be. I know how much she loves me. I have made her unhappy again and again. Right now, all I want is to recover soon and fly to England to apologize to her." His voice was stern and firm. The elders in the room were astonished. They couldn't believe that the ever-proud Carlos would go all the way to another country just to apologize to a woman.
Once again, the way Carlos cared about Debbie surprised them.
"Nonsense!" Valerie couldn't allow her outstanding, distinguished grandson to grovel before a woman.
She and Carlos looked at each other, their gazes sharp and fierce. "Grandma... Grandpa used to do things to make you happy before he was hospitalized. Have you forgotten? Do you think that was nonsense too?"
Valerie was tough and stubborn, while Douglas was easy-going. He was always the one that caved in. He humored her in everything.
Valerie's lips trembled at the mention of Douglas. She flustered. "Your grandpa is weak. He has been weak all his life. But you're different. You have always been proud and strong, shining like a star. Why should you flatter that kind of woman?"
"And what kind of woman is that?" Carlos asked, fury rising in him. "She is my wife, the woman I will spend the rest of my life with." Carlos didn't want to talk to Valerie anymore. "Emmett, take my grandma to her room. She is tired."
"Yes, Mr. Huo," Emmett replied.