'A Certificate of Title? Why did Carlos give me this?' Debbie pondered.
She opened the certificate. It said she was the owner of some property on the seventh floor of Building 2 of Champs Bay Apartments. That was where she lived. So it meant that she owned her apartment now.
When did Carlos buy it? Why didn't he say anything? Didn't she have to be there when the title to the apartment was transferred to her?
But no one had said a thing to her. Carlos had done it so quietly. He was as crafty as he was powerful.
But why did he buy the apartment for her? What did it mean?
She had to know, it was really eating her. So she called him up and asked, "Why did you buy my apartment, old man?"
Carlos smiled and donned his wireless Bluetooth earbuds. "I bought an apartment for my daughter's mom. When my daughter grows up, she'll have a place to stay if she visits her mom. That's all."
"I don't need—"
"It's not for you. It's for my kid," Carlos interrupted firmly.
"But I can afford an apartment now," Debbie insisted.
"You? I said it's not for you. Think how much you'll save on rent. Buy yourself some food or clothes. But you don't have enough to support my daughter. Leave that to me." Carlos knew how much money she had, because the card she was using was issued by a bank owned by ZL Group.
"Huh? Don't be such a snob. I have several million. That's more than enough. Even people who have only tens of thousands can support a kid. Why can't I?" Debbie retorted defensively.
"Do you have the funds to buy your current apartment?"
"Um... no. But there're plenty of high-end buildings. I'll find another one."
Carlos felt resigned. "I'm only going to say this once. The apartment is for my daughter, not for you. You can't say no. Good night."
"Hey. Don't hang up on me. I'm not done yet. Hey Carlos!"
But he had already hung up. She was still irritated. She hung up and threw the phone on the couch.
Debbie looked around the apartment. It must have cost Carlos tens of millions. And he had spent that without even blinking.
In the CEO's office at ZL Group
Frankie pushed open the door to Carlos' office and reported, "Sir, Mrs. Miranda Huo is here."
'Aunt Miranda?' Carlos was surprised. "Let her in," he said with a nod.
Wasting no time, Miranda walked in, wearing a purple suit. "Carlos, tell me about... Evelyn," she demanded as soon as she saw Carlos.
Raising his brows, Carlos stared at Miranda as he rose from his chair. "You two get on well. She didn't tell you?"
Miranda was stumped. Debbie had never mentioned she had a child. "Who's the father?" she urged after a deep breath.
Just then, Frankie came in with two cups of steaming, aromatic coffee. Carlos took the tray from him, put the cups on the table, and said to her, "Please. Take a seat."
Miranda tucked some loose hair behind her ear and sighed. "I can't. I need to know." When she discovered Evelyn's existence, she was so excited she had booked a flight immediately, heading back to Y City.
Carlos decided to let her be difficult. He took out his phone and scrolled through the images until he found a particular photo. Then he handed his phone to her. "This explains everything."
It was a photo of the DNA test results.
Miranda's usually cold face now reflected joy. It looked out of place. Even Carlos had seldom seen this expression. Anyone else might be shocked. She mumbled, "I knew it. You two had a kid."
"Yes. She's ours," Carlos admitted.
Miranda handed the phone back to him. With a serious look, she went on, "I always hoped you two would give me grandkids. I would like to take her to New York so I can be close to her. Or you can transfer me here. You're the boss. Think you can make that happen?"
"You have an important job. I can't just transfer you. Besides, you already have a grandkid."
"I have someone in mind to replace me. Don't worry." She put her bag on the sofa and sat down. After sipping some coffee, she said in a low voice, "And yes, I do have another grandkid, but Evelyn's my first granddaughter. More importantly, she's yours. I want to make things up to you."
Though she was Carlos' birth mom, she didn't raise him. He'd spent thirty years calling someone else mother.
When she thought about this, Miranda looked at him lovingly, no longer the tough and capable businesswoman but a caring mother.
He got her. He could feel her love. This was the natural bond between mother and son.
Carlos hadn't given her an answer. "Since you already have a successor in mind, I'm fine with a transfer here. As for taking care of Evelyn, you need to clear that with Debbie."
Hearing this, Miranda gave a faint, weird smile. "So, it's not up to you, huh?"
Carlos was good at taking control of things, but when it came to Debbie, he let her make her own decisions. He let Debbie be her own woman.
Carlos smiled wryly, "I fell in love with her before the accident, and I fell in love with her again. Do you think I want to piss her off?"
Miranda pretended ignorance. "Okay. And?" she asked.
The look in Carlos' eyes became incredulous when he looked at Miranda. "You know she's married, right?" He even suspected that Miranda pushed Debbie to marry another guy.
Miranda lowered her head to take a sip of the coffee, trying to cover her nervousness. When she regained her composure, she said, "Oh I knew. So what are you going to do? Are you really going to marry Stephanie?" She frowned after asking that last question. "I warned you about her. She's not the woman for you."
"Don't worry. Besides, if you want me to marry the woman who's right for me, you'll help me win Debbie back."
"Huh! She must mean a lot, if you're asking for my help." Miranda smiled. "Don't worry. I'll help you two get back together, but I'm not doing it because of you."
Carlos was stunned speechless. 'Is she really my mom? Why isn't she on my side?'
"Relax. Anything more on Megan?" Miranda asked, looking interested.
Talking about her gave Carlos a headache. "The police are still working on it. They found her diary, but it didn't help much."
Miranda didn't feel bad over Megan's death. "It broke your grandma's heart when she died. She seemed to age overnight. Now she won't leave the Buddhist shrine."
"I'll visit her when I have time in the next few days," Carlos announced. It had been too long since he set foot in New York. It was time for him to visit his grandma...and Tabitha.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The office was so quiet. Finally, Miranda's phone buzzed. She read the message and then asked, "You must have found out a lot about James. What are you going to do with him?"