Eddie jolted awake.
"Mom?"
The room was dark and empty. Eddie got out of bed, searching for Angela but couldn't find her. He went downstairs and spotted Angela's hairpin on the floor by the entrance, picking it up with a sinking feeling.
Something's wrong. Angela's been taken!
The Murphy Mansion, Study Room.
It was raining outside.
Carlos stood by the window, his short hair tousled by the wind, but it didn't take away from his striking looks.
A cute little boy, holding a teddy bear and dressed in a tiny suit, stared blankly at Carlos's back.
The boy looked a lot like Carlos, innocent and adorable.
Carlos walked over and gently took the boy's hand.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
Sidney Murphy tilted his head, blinking with a vacant look.
At seven years old, Sidney still couldn't speak.
Rumors spread that the brilliant Carlos had a mentally challenged son.
Three years ago, his subordinate brought Sidney back from the orphanage. Through a paternity test, it was confirmed that this child was indeed his.
The subordinate mentioned that this child might be naturally intellectually challenged, unable to speak, frail and sickly, abandoned at birth and sent to the orphanage.
Based on the timeline, Carlos concluded that the woman who gave birth to him was Angela. He believed she had deceived him, secretly gotten pregnant, and abandoned the child due to his mental disability, taking responsibility for giving birth but not for raising him. When Sidney was brought to the Murphy family, he was skin and bones, having suffered greatly.
Carlos wanted to kill that woman.
Footsteps echoed outside the door.
"Boss, she's here."
Carlos turned and walked down the long hallway, stopping at a door.
Inside, a woman's angry voice could be heard.
"Who are you people? Where am I?"
"Ms. Parker, please calm down."
"Don't touch me!"
The sound of breaking porcelain followed.
Carlos pushed the door open forcefully.
Inside, Angela stood with her back against the wall, glaring at him. But when she saw who it was, she froze.
Carlos!
He stood in the doorway, tall and imposing in his dark suit.
His chiseled features hadn't changed in seven years, and his cold eyes held a timeless sternness.
This incredibly handsome man exuded an aura of long-held authority.
"Why is it you?" Angela looked around. "Where am I?"
Carlos didn't want to waste time with her and bluntly asked, "You got pregnant with my child, gave birth, and then abandoned it. You deserve to die!"
Angela was nervous but played dumb.
"What child?" Her heart raced.
If Carlos mentioned a child, did he find out about Eddie?
After all, as the heir of a billionaire family, The Murphy Group has a very strong ability to gather information, and over these years, she has hidden Eddie very carefully.
She couldn't be sure if Carlos had discovered the truth.
Carlos gestured to Mike Clark.
"Show her."
Mike approached and showed Angela a medical report.
Angela glanced at it, and there, highlighted in red, was a line that stated: "History of pregnancy."
She hadn't expected a job application medical report to include such a detail.
It proved she had given birth.
Carlos said, "Angela, still want to deny it?"
Angela bit her lip. She couldn't admit it.
Carlos, in a sudden rage, said, "You have one minute to explain to me!"
Angela denied, "I haven't had a child."
Carlos's eyes narrowed.
"Still playing dumb?"
Angela retorted, "Carlos, I said I haven't had a child. You dragged me here asking for a kid. Plenty of women would love to have your child! Why ask me?"
Carlos had no patience for arguing. In a cold tone, he said, "Everyone out."
The room emptied, and the door closed behind him.
Carlos's gaze fell on her once more, his chilling presence overwhelming, even from several feet away, making it hard to breathe.
Angela retreated half a step, wary, pressing against the wall.
As Carlos interrogated her, his gaze swept over her. "Were you in labor or was it a C-section?"
Angela nervously gasped, "I don't understand what you're saying."
Carlos suddenly walked towards her. "Whether you've had a child or not, we'll find out by trying it out."
At 6'3", Carlos was intimidating. With each step he took, she moved towards the edge of the bed, with no way out. She ended up sitting on the bed.
In a flash, Carlos was by the bed, grabbing her chin coldly, and demanding, "This is your last chance. Explain about the child, and I'll let you go."