All his words were choked back by her ambiguous remarks. This woman was even sharper than he had imagined.
"You..."
Angela said, "It's great to have power and influence, isn’t it? You can make mistakes, hurt people, and never have to show any remorse."
Carlos asked, "So, what do you want?"
In response to his unpleasant demeanor, Angela planted her hand on her hip and shot him a cool, disdainful glare.
Carlos, aware of his brewing anger, made a conscious effort to rein it in, forcefully suppressing his temper as he lapsed into a contemplative silence.
Arrogance seemed ingrained in his very essence, a quality Angela had astutely recognized. Carlos had a propensity to be exceedingly hard on himself, a trait that had manifested from a young age.
Rarely committing errors, and even when he did, the concept of an "apology" held no sway over him.
In his view, apologies were futile and redundant, leading him to consistently resist the act of bowing his head in contrition.
Observing Carlos's evident reluctance to express himself, Sidney nudged his chest with forceful pokes, her tightly knitted brows serving as a silent but insistent prompt. The charged atmosphere resonated with an unspoken struggle between pride and the potential need for reconciliation.
Carlos felt agitated.
He stood up, habitually fiddling with the diamond cufflinks on his sleeves, and reluctantly said to Angela, "Ms. Parker, for the misunderstanding which caused you harm, I express my deepest regret."
His tone was especially perfunctory, and the proud man averted his gaze as he spoke. Angela bit her lip and suddenly got out of bed, approached him, and glared up at him.
He was very tall!
She barely reached his chest, her body bearing injuries, yet possessing an untouchable defiance. Carlos looked down at her; she was dressed in pajamas, her feet bare and delicate, adorably standing on the floor quite strikingly.
"Carlos." Angela suddenly called his name.
And then—
A "slap" sounded.
Angela slapped him across the face.
She had just awakened and didn't have much strength in her hand, but the man was caught off guard, his face turning to the side, a clear mark of five fingers soon appearing on his narrow cheek.
The slap was crisp and resonant.
Eddie woke up with a start, raising his head only to witness such an uncanny scene. Backlit, Carlos slowly turned his head, his cold, ominous eyes brimming with brewing anger.
Yet Angela smiled, "Mr. Murphy, for my earlier rudeness, I offer my deepest apologies."
Since his childhood, no one had ever struck his face, especially as it was now a symbol of the Murphy family's power.
Sidney too was dumbfounded, even forgetting to blink.
Carlos, realizing what had happened, grabbed her wrist and pulled her in front of him, "Are you provoking me?"
Angela responded, "I'm just following your approach to apologizing!"
Carlos said, "I bowed my head because of Sidney, do you honestly think it was my mistake?"
Angela's eyes widened with disbelief, finding the man utterly unreasonable, "So the mistake was mine?"
Carlos grasped Angela's chin, "My son is only seven. He does not discern right from wrong, nor can he judge good from evil. I have every reason to suspect your intentions of kidnapping my son for ransom."
"You're insane!" Angela thought the man might suffer from delusions, "You are Carlos; who would dare extort you? Moreover, you accuse me of kidnapping your son—do you have any evidence?"
Carlos released her.
"You're accusing me without any proof?" Angela declared, "I'm going to sue you for slander!"
"Sue me?" Carlos sneered as if hearing a joke, "You're going to sue me? Angela, save your energy. Don’t bother trying to take me to court; I worry you'll be unable to pay the attorney fees."
Sidney quickly took Angela's side, protectively glaring at Carlos.
Eddie also approached to push Carlos away, "Let go of my mommy!"
Angela said, "Eddie, let's go."
She broke free from Carlos's grip, taking Eddie's hand to leave. Sidney, seeing her leaving, became anxious and hugged her legs tightly. Angela couldn't move and looked down at Sidney.
Carlos spoke, "Let's put aside our grievances. Sidney stayed with you all night without eating anything."
He could see that Sidney truly liked Angela and wanted to keep her there. Despite his lack of feelings for this ex-wife, if Angela left and Sidney threw a tantrum or fasting protest, he would be hard pressed to resolve it.
When Angela heard that Sidney had stayed with her all night, her heart softened, but remembering his terrible attitude, she looked back at Carlos with renewed disgust.
Carlos said, "I promised your son I would take responsibility until you recover. I'll get you the best doctors and, moreover, I can offer compensation..."
"I don't want compensation," Angela interjected. "All I ask is for you to offer a sincere apology."
Carlos was inflamed on the inside; he had never apologized to anyone, finding this human woman incredibly arrogant.
Angela turned around, "Mr. Murphy, can you apologize? Bow deeply at a ninety degree angle, sincerely."
Carlos was shocked that someone dared make such a demand.
A ninety degree bow.
"And 'sorry'", Angela added.
Carlos's expression darkened further.
Sidney looked expectantly at him; at last, he spoke, "Apology."
"..."
"Just an apology, is it that hard?" Angela challenged. "Or is it that the distinguished CEO of the Magic Strategy Group is too noble to apologize?"
Carlos, suppressing the turmoil in his chest, slowly bent over, the words grating in his throat.
Finally...
"I'm sorry," he managed, reaching his limit.
Upon receiving this information, Angela discerned that this proud man had stretched his limits as much as he was willing to.
However, she was well aware that this concession was solely for Sidney, the one he genuinely held dear. Angela recognized that beneath Carlos's veneer of arrogance and reluctance, there existed a softer side, reserved for the young boy who held a special place in his heart.
Carlos then said, "Go back to bed and rest; I'll have a doctor re-examine you."
Angela replied, "There's no need."
Who knows what else this man would want to check while the doctor examined her?
She was filled with nothing but wariness towards him. Sidney, however, gently tugged at her hand, leading her back to the bed.
The Murphy Mansion was staffed with several family physicians on call around the clock. Shortly, a few female doctors entered.
Seeing Carlos still standing by the bed, Angela asked, "Could you leave, please?"
Carlos's face changed slightly, and he stepped out of the room, telling Eddie and Sidney at the door, "You two should go as well."
Eddie looked puzzled, "Why?"
A doctor gently said, "Young sirs, could you step outside and wait? You can come back in after the check-up."
Sidney obediently left the room, and Eddie followed suit.
The door closed.
Sidney looked at Carlos, the pair exchanging looks. Sidney saw the fresh red handprint on Carlos's face and pursed his lips, offering a sympathetic gaze.
Normally, he should be outraged that his father was slapped by another woman, he should feel sympathy, but now he felt no such emotions. Instead, he pondered seriously about how sore Angela's hand must be after slapping his dad's face so hard.