Megan and Emmett held out their hands to hold Valerie's arms. "Wait!" she said to them. She used to think she knew Carlos, but right now, she wasn't so sure. He was more aggressive and more arrogant than she was. She couldn't change his mind, but she could change the subject. "I have something else I want to talk about," she said in a softer tone.
Carlos didn't say anything. He didn't see the point. He had figured out what it was, and it turned out that he was right.
Valerie took a deep breath and continued in a concerned voice, "You know, Lewis is your cousin. You two are blood. You even sprang to get him back here from France. You shouldn't be fighting over a woman." She paused, waiting for a reply.
Carlos sneered. He rubbed his forehead and looked at Wade and Miranda. "What do you guys think?"
Surprised by his sudden question, the couple fumbled to come up with an answer. They came up short.
They knew what Lewis did. After a moment, Wade wanted to say something, but Miranda stopped him by pulling his sleeve. Then she told Carlos, "Lewis is spoiled. That's why he can't keep himself out of trouble. If you need to nail him to the wall, just do it. Just remember he's our kid. We won't get involved in this, but cut him some slack every once in awhile."
The room was quiet again. Miranda's attitude surprised everyone, including Carlos.
Valerie stood up from the bed abruptly and started scolding Miranda, who was stone-faced, "I don't believe you! Lewis is your kid. Stand up for him, and don't let Carlos be rough on him. What kind of parents are you?"
Last time in New York, Carlos had beaten Lewis so badly the lecherous man had ended up in the hospital for a couple weeks. Carlos had also fired him and thrown him out of ZL Group.
Now, Lewis had pissed off Carlos once again. If no one got involved, Lewis might end up much worse
The expression on Carlos' face was so cold it looked as if it had frosted over. He finally said to Valerie, "What kind of monster do you take me for? Why are you taking Lewis' side?"
"Carlos!" Valerie raised her voice, pointing at him. "You and Lewis are both my grandkids, but I've never treated you the same. I do play favorites, and I think you know which of you is which. I just want you to go easy on Lewis. Is that too much to ask?"
The grandmother had always treated Carlos differently, mainly because he was exceptional, but there was another reason—she felt bad about Carlos.
Emmett was puzzled. Lewis' parents were standing right there. How could Valerie confess that she was biased in favor of Carlos right to their faces? Wasn't she afraid they might get angry?
Emmett turned his head to study Wade's and Miranda's faces, only to find that they were calm as still water. He still didn't get it, and wasn't sure he wanted to.
After a bit, Wade walked over to Valerie and consoled her. "Mom, don't be upset. Carlos knows what he's doing. He's also well aware Lewis is his cousin. He won't go too far. Let's go back to your room, all right?"
Valerie stared at Carlos, who stoically refused to say anything. After a moment's silence, she muttered, "Fine, I'll grab a nap, but I want to be up when Lewis gets here. I'll be keeping my eye on Carlos."
She left the room with Wade and Megan supporting her, as she was unsteady on her feet. Emmett tagged along to see if he could be of any help.
And Miranda was left alone with Carlos.
Seeing his pale face, she walked to his bedside and asked, "Hungry? What do you want? I'll fix it for you."
She wasn't as distant as usual. She even looked gentle. Miranda certainly wasn't herself.
Carlos found she acted quite odd lately.
He tried to relax and responded, "Thank you, Aunt Miranda. I already ate. You must be tired after the trip. Why not get some shut-eye?"
Miranda didn't object. Before she turned to leave, she seemed to remember something. "Debbie left because she was angry, right? Was it because you risked your life for Megan?"
She hit the nail on the head.
Carlos didn't confirm or deny it.
Miranda smiled, "She was jealous. And you scared her. You went on a dangerous mission when you were still wounded. And just as she feared, you came back in an ambulance. But she still stayed with you till you were out of danger. It proves only one thing—she loves you. A lot. If I were her, I would have left too. You do need to apologize."
Anyone in their right mind could see how wrong it was to marry Megan or Stephanie.
Even if Carlos hadn't married Debbie, it wouldn't work.
First of all, Megan was always scheming, and arranging things so she always came out smelling like a rose. Her parents had saved Carlos' life. So what? There were other ways to repay them than marrying her.
As for Stephanie, she was a lot like Carlos; condescending, aggressive, bossy and decisive. With two people like that together, love would be like a battlefield. They would fight all the time over who would get the last word. It would be a marriage made in hell, and it wouldn't last.
Debbie was stubborn and unyielding, but unlike Stephanie, she was still shy and simple. She wasn't vicious like Megan. Nor was she a hypocrite.
When she was with Carlos, she could soften Carlos' heart, and she'd sacrifice to make him happy.
That was the ideal relationship. The best you could hope for. Those two would live a long, happy life.
Miranda helped him clear things up, and his headache finally subsided. "I get it. Thanks, Aunt Miranda."
"Good." As if that were enough emotion for tonight, Miranda's expression melted back to indifference. She turned and left.
Lewis rolled up in front of the manor an hour later. Too afraid of Carlos, he tried to stay in the car. It took two robust bodyguards to haul him out, trying to pry his hands off various parts of the vehicle so they could get him inside.
Carlos went downstairs and met him in the living room.
At the same time, James and Tabitha came back inside. Valerie, Wade, and Miranda all gathered in the living room when they heard the clamor.
Both Carlos and Lewis were pale. Carlos from pain and Lewis from fright.
When the elders took their seats, Lewis was pleading, hands out in front of him. "It's not what it looked like, Carlos, um... er... it wasn't my idea. It was Portia. She asked me to sleep with Debbie."
Carlos' face darkened. 'Portia?'
Emmett was also confused. "But Kasie was in the room," he said. 'How did that happen?' he wondered in his mind.