Carlos handed his coat and luggage to the housemaid. When he saw his son look more and more like him, he replied expressionlessly, "What do I think? I think you're trying to get your old man to pony up the cash for that all-in-one desk. Tell you what: come up with reasons why you need one. Maybe write an essay. If I like what you have to tell me, I'll buy it for you. How's that?"
Obediently, Matthew went upstairs to write the essay.
Just then, Terilynn opened the door to the villa and rushed in, excitedly saying, "Dad, you're finally back! Can you give me one of your bank cards? I want a new camera. I only need to move my fingers to take photos with that beauty. It's the latest and greatest, and only costs a few hundred large. I only need a million. Please, Daddy?" She batted her eyelashes at him and gazed at him lovingly.
"No problem," Carlos agreed without hesitation.
Matthew stopped in his tracks and waited for Carlos to continue. What his father said next broke his heart.
With a smile, Carlos handed a bank card to Terilynn and said, "There's five million on that. Go and buy it! If you want anything else, just ask."
Standing on tiptoe, Terilynn excitedly hugged Carlos and kissed his cheek a few times. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best dad in the world!" It would be better if Carlos would let Tayson marry her. Then, her life would be so perfect.
But she didn't dare ask him that.
"Humph!" Matthew snorted as he turned around and went upstairs.
He was used to it, but it didn't mean he had to like it.
He'd be nineteen years old and have his degree in two months. After graduation, he'd spend three years studying in the U.S.
After he got back, he'd take control of ZL Group, so that Carlos, his father, would have to ask him for money every day!
When he went upstairs, he saw Debbie looking for something. When she saw him, she said, "Hi, Matthew. Seen my beads?"
Matthew had no idea what she was talking about. He shook his head and answered, "No."
"Eh? That's weird. I wonder where they went. By the way, why are you standing at the door, Matthew?" Debbie looked at her son in confusion.
When Carlos walked up the stairs, Matthew cast a casual glance at his father and said calmly, "Mom, I want a part of the family property." Carlos had said that he only earned money for the ladies in the family.
Carlos was much calmer than him. "No, I'm sorry, Matthew. I can't allow that."
Debbie was a little confused. "Why do you want to split the property all of a sudden, Matthew? You know it'll just tick your dad off."
"Mom, why don't you divorce him and find another guy? Since he won't give me any property, I'll sell everything I have. With that money, you can find another husband, okay?"
Debbie rolled her eyes and snapped, "Why would I do that?" 'Did they get into it again?' she wondered.
Carlos raised his leg and was about to kick Matthew.
Matthew knew exactly how his father would react. When Carlos kicked him, Matthew sidestepped and swept away the kick with his forearm. "Why do you want to do this, anyway? I'm still healthy enough to manage our land. Plan to sell it so you can squander the money? I'll get Dixon in contact with the university you'll be attending in the U.S. so that you can go there a month early."
Debbie immediately stopped him from picking up his phone. "Hey, you promised me you wouldn't be so hard on Matthew, right? So what's your excuse this time?"
"You heard what he just said." Carlos was fuming with rage.
After she comforted Carlos, Debbie lowered her head to wink at her son. "Matthew, you're such a sweet boy. Look, when your dad had some free time, he immediately came back to check on you. Please don't…"
Carlos snorted and said, "Yes, I came back mainly to check on… your mom."
There was an awkward silence.
Debbie punched Carlos' arm and snapped, "Don't you know how to talk nicely to your son? Why do you have to piss him off? You only treat your daughters nicely. Isn't he your child, too?"
Carlos wouldn't dare say Matthew wasn't his son. "He has a gene mutation. I don't like him," he said.
Debbie smiled resignedly. 'He just can't admit he cares for his son, too. Every time when Matthew was in danger, Carlos would be the first to react.'
Just then, Carlos' phone rang. It was from Tayson.
His heart sank. He knew Tayson would only call him when it was about Evelyn. Carlos took the call and asked, "So what's going on with her?"
Carlos' words made Matthew, who was walking to his bedroom, stop. Debbie's smile froze on her face. The mother and son looked at Carlos worriedly.
Carlos heaved a sigh of relief after hearing what Tayson said. "Understood. I'll put someone on it. Just sit tight."
As soon as he hung up, Debbie asked anxiously, "What's up? Did something happen to Evelyn?" She remembered that she had developed a deep depression when she believed Carlos had died. Evelyn had mild depression too, and Debbie was afraid that she might do something stupid.
Carlos comforted his wife, "Don't worry. Evelyn tried to play the heroine on that trip. She got herself in trouble trying to help a student. I'll call someone to deal with it."
"Evelyn played the heroine? What happened?" Debbie was surprised to hear that. Like Miranda and Carlos, Evelyn had always been cold and indifferent, never caring about anything she wasn't supposed to.
Maybe Carlos knew what was on her mind, he repeated the words Tayson had said to him. "Evelyn is aloof and indifferent, but she's kind. She wants to help others. What's more, this is serious stuff. She must have been involved somehow. Otherwise, she wouldn't have stepped in."
Debbie nodded and asked worriedly, "I really don't know if I should have let her go on that trip. What kind of trouble is she in?"
"None. Trust me! I just need to make a call!"
"Sure." Debbie believed him.
When Carlos called one of his men and reassured Debbie everything was fine, Matthew went back to his room to write the essay.
An hour had passed after Evelyn was done. Actually within half an hour, everything was settled. It was just that the college student who had helped the old woman with her backpack had been saying thanks to Carlos' daughter again and again. He insisted on asking her who she was and how to contact her in the future.
In the end, the boy stopped crying after Tayson gave him his number.
When she got back to the guesthouse, she looked at the door opposite to hers. She knew it was Sheffield's room.
After a short pause, Evelyn returned to her bedroom. She felt a little guilty.
Evelyn didn't go out and took her supper in her room. The next morning, she went to a tea plantation to pick tea leaves.
Where Evelyn was vacationing was famous for a certain kind of oolong tea. It was vastly different from the Tieguanyin tea, both in appearance and taste.
Last night, it rained heavily. The air in the tea plantation was fresher. As soon as Evelyn picked up a basket, a group of people came to pick tea leaves as well.
She didn't notice until someone called out, "Isn't that your friend, Dr. Tang?"
Hearing that, Evelyn turned her head. It was Sheffield, tying his shoe laces. He raised his head and looked at her. With excitement in his eyes, he quickly tied his shoes and ran over. "Wow, what a coincidence!" he said.
