The Devil's Love For The Heiress

Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Who Is Your Girlfriend?

“Were you followed?” Ethan asked Carlos. He was frowning after learning about Carlos‘ current predicament. He rose from his seat and turned his back on Carlos. Ethan looked distantly through the windows, taking it all in.

“I don‘t believe so, uncle. The French gang still believes Alexander and I are in Paris, preparing for the French Open,” Carlos answered. “And the driver who drove me is a company employee. Like all my employees, he had signed a privacy clause. He won‘t say a thing.” “I understand you, Carlos. I understand your reasons for leaving, for chasing your dreams, for going after the reason for your family‘s downfall, but it should not have been reason enough to cut us completely,” Ethan berated.

“I.” Carlos gulped. “I regretted not explaining my side. Again, I am sorry, uncle, but when it all got complicated, I was already stuck in the situation and… I wanted to be man enough to handle everything.”

Hearing his defense, Ethan sighed. He replied, “Carlos, dealing with everything doesn‘t make you the man you think we want you to be… A real man‘s power lies in his inbred values, sense of balance, intellect, ability to hold his own in any situation, and his mature handling of relationships.”

“Relationships,” Ethan repeated. “Relationships are equally important to any man… because no man is an island.”

“Nonetheless, I am proud of how you made it this far… without my help,” Ethan turned to face Carlos. “I am proud of what you have become. And I am very sure you made your father proud.”

At the mention of his father, Carlos sensed his chest becoming heavy. He nodded repeatedly and said, “And I will revive his legacy. Take it even higher.”

Carlos did not expect it, but he noticed Ethan open his arms for him. He walked closer and accepted the hug from Ethan. He said, “Thank you, uncle. Thank you for understanding.” Ethan patted Carlos‘ back. He suggested, “Go to Kate and talk to her. I can‘t promise she will be as open–minded with everything, but don‘t give up. Try your best to bring back the friendship you once shared.”

‘Friendship?‘ Carlos choked. He did not work so hard for nine long years just to settle for friendship, but that was good enough for now. He cleared his throat and answered, “Yes, uncle. May I see her now?” “Go ahead,” Ethan approved.

***

Kate heard a knock on the door. Immediately assuming it was her mother, she said, “Mom, come in. I‘m still fixing my hair.”

She was in the bathroom, combing her hair and adjusting her blouse when she heard the door to her room creaked open. After studying herself in the mirror, she walked out, saying, “Mom, what do you think of this look –”

Seeing it was Carlos and not her mother, who was standing at the door, Kate froze in her stance. Her heart raced.

Carlos was leaning on the frame of her door, his grey eyes looking straight at her. She did not miss how his adam‘s apple repeatedly bobbed as he studied her. Kate sensed her knees turning into noodles, as if her whole body weakened to his presence. Her mouth parted, but no words left her mouth.

“I think… you look nice,” Carlos implied. He cleared his throat and said. “Kate, can we talk?”.

“Talk? Don‘t you think we are nine years too late for that talk?” Kate replied. “I‘m surprised you still remember the way to this house. How did you even get past dad without a scratch?”

“So.” Carlos huffed and asked, “You don‘t want to talk? I can come back next month when you are ready to talk.”

Kate‘s mouth fell open. She thought, ‘How could he throw it back at me?‘

She was planning to play hard to get, but it looked like Kate would have to wait another month to get her answers! She frowned and countered, “I… I‘ll be too busy next month, planning the promotion of your jade watches, so I think… now is better.”

‘Arrgghhh! To think I was planning on leaving. How am I going to handle seeing Hailey every so often?‘ She said silently.

Kate saw a smile form on his athletic face, and she quickly sensed the butterflies in her stomach going wild. Carlos looked so different nine years back. To see him up close made a huge difference. Gone was that clean–shaven face that made him look innocent. The Carlos today looked captivating in every way; his gaze, his stance, his beard, the tan on his skin, and even the way he narrowed his eyes appeared to be an invitation. ‘How does one age so handsomely?‘

“Then.” Carlos offered his hand and said, “Shall we walk around the mansion as we talk?”

Kate did not know for how long she gawked at his hand. She wanted to take his hand and feel his touch, the roughness of his skin against her palm, but she held back. Kate returned her regard to him, saying, “I don‘t need you to hold me.”

They walked side by side through the hallways, down the stairs, and through the living room. Kate and Carlos made it out to the garden, only to stop at the spot where Carlos often practiced his passing shots.

Carlos smiled as he tucked his hands inside his trouser pocket. He said, “This was my favorite spot right here. The wall that bounced back my tennis balls.”

“Until dad bought you the tennis ball machine, then you started practicing more often at school,” Kate reminded.

Silence fell upon them. Carlos shifted to her and said, “Kate, your father did so much for me already. I did not want him to be obligated to provide for my tennis needs.”

“Oh, so you went to the Mckenzies instead because you did not owe them anything?” Kate sarcastically suggested. “Mmmm.” Carlos looked at Kate and revealed, “My deal with William wasn‘t necessarily for free, Kate. It came at a heavy price.”

“What do you mean?” Kate sought. Content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

“I had a ten–year contract with William. Termination fees varied in each year that passed and at every stage of the tournament where I was at,” Carlos explained. “William planned it all strategically. While I was still training, the termination clause required a hundred thousand dollars. That would have been easy at that point, except I was penniless back then and only earned a few bucks from club matches.”

“The termination fee grew larger as the years passed, and the higher I climbed up the ranks, his estimated income share also grew bigger.”

“And it wasn‘t only that, the contract required a 30% force savings from all my earnings withdrawable after eight years.” Carlos scoffed in irritation upon revealing, “I requested my forced savings to be given to me since late last year. He only delivered it after I suggested terminating my contract.” Internalizing everything, Kate asked, “Wait, but it hasn‘t been ten years?”

“I paid for the termination fee. I was planning to wait another year, but.” Carlos looked down before answering, “Something happened that ticked me off. So I paid the price and terminated the contract.”

“How– how much did you pay?” Kate asked. “It‘s not important. You don‘t need to bother yourself with my problems. Besides, William is a problem that is already dealt with,” Carlos responded.

“So that meant you aren‘t really on good terms with William?” Kate asked.

“We had a good relationship. I did not mind that William was gaining from my success. After all, he invested in me, and he was my manager. But when I noticed he was trying to manipulate me into extending my contract and purposely delaying the release of my forced savings, things changed,” Carlos revealed. “Since last year, I was simply bearing his presence and control over my career.” “Gosh, I thought the parting was… cordial,” Kate remarked. “When presented in the media, it isn‘t what it seems to be, Kate. When you are a public figure, you need to choose your actions and words wisely,” Carlos explained. Kate was frowning at Carlos‘ retelling. She remembered the girlfriend that arrived at the office. As they returned to walk around the gardens, she asked, “But what about Hailey? She‘s your girlfriend, right? How does that affect your relationship?” “She is not my girlfriend,” Carlos said outright.

Kate looked elsewhere, all while her eyes widened in surprise. Relief overwhelmed her. It was as if a needle had been plucked out of her heart. She reacted, “Oh? Really? I thought you were.”

“No, she is not and was never my girlfriend.” Carlos stopped walking. He gently grabbed Kate‘s arm and asked, “Whatever… made you think that?” ‘Whatever made me think that? I saw you kiss, but I cannot tell you that! Kate screamed in her head. She dug through her brain and finally found a better retort. Pulling her hand away, she answered, “Well, she came today to the office, right? And I heard from Catrina that the third shareholder is your girlfriend. So is she not the third shareholder?” Kate was expecting a serious answer from Carlos, and she braced herself to accept a heartbreaking truth. However, he laughed. He was at it so hard that his eyes thinned, and he clutched his stomach.

His reaction puzzled her, but even in the dark, she noticed how his eyes glistened as he chuckled. Kate thought, ‘Gosh, he looks so gorgeous when he laughs.‘ It took seconds before Carlos composed himself. He was clearly amused by Kate‘s assumptions. When he diverted his attention to her, he

clarified, “Hailey is not my girlfriend, and she does not have a share at my company.” Briefly, Kate paused, but soon, she pursued, “Then… who is your girlfriend?”