As Carlos appeared, the flashing cameras in the hall were as relentless as lightning.
Mrs. Carter staggered forward a few steps, her expression intensely emotional.
"Carlos!" Her voice trembled.
Beside her, Faye Manor’s face also lit up with delight.
Mrs. Carter stepped out a few paces and was taken aback upon hearing Carlos’s words.
Merge with Imperial Motors?
Mrs. Carter had always stayed out of Carter Automotive’s business.
Yet she knew that Emily had contributed tremendous efforts for Carter Automotive.
"Do you know what Emily has been through this month? Pregnant and still personally revising the new car’s blueprint."
Mrs. Carter reproached.
Carlos turned around, his black suit gleaming coldly under the lights.
His gaze swept over his mother, finally landing on Emily.
His eyes, once filled with warmth, were now as indifferent as a frozen lake, chilling to behold.
"Deity Owen! What is your opinion on the merger plan?"
"President Carter, is there any hidden agenda behind this plane accident?"
Reporters swarmed forward with their cameras, encircling both Emily and Carlos.
Mrs. Carter wanted to step in to break it up, but was stopped by Carlos.
Emily and Carlos were only a few steps apart, but neither closed the gap.
Emily took a deep breath, her fingers gently caressing her abdomen.
When she looked up at Carlos again, a serene curve formed at her lips.
"Welcome back, Junior President Carter. I wholeheartedly support the collaboration with Imperial Motors." Her voice was clear as a bell, "However..."
Following her gaze, William led the Tempest Capital team forward briskly.
His iron-gray three-piece suit was impeccably tailored, and his polished shoes tread silently on the carpet, exuding pressure.
"Besides cooperation, Carter Automotive will have new shareholders."
Emily’s voice was firm and resonant, "I have transferred all my personal holdings in automotive shares to Blackstone Capital, and furthermore..."
She paused, looking straight at Carlos, "Under the special rights granted to me by the late Old Master Carter, I also award the veto power to Blackstone Capital."
As Emily uttered these words, in the government building, Charles Smith’s gold-rimmed glasses crashed onto the desk.
He stood abruptly, his sleeve knocked over the coffee cup.
The brown liquid spread over the "Carter Automotive Equity Structure Diagram" like an unexpected collapse.
"This is impossible..." His Adam’s apple convulsed intensely, "When did she and Tempest..."
After the press conference, in the study of Cloud Lake Villa, dusk poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Emily sat quietly on the leather sofa, her pregnant belly rounding gently beneath her beige knit dress. Google seaʀᴄh 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽
Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the armrest of the sofa.
Carlos stood by the window, his back straight as a pine. The sunset outlined him in gold, but couldn’t penetrate the shadows in his eyes.
"Thank you for saving me."
His voice was deep and hoarse.
Emily looked up sharply, surprise flickering in her eyes.
"During the surgery..."
Carlos turned around, his Adam’s apple slightly moving, "I smelled you. And..." His slender finger lightly tapped his temple, "I heard you calling my name."
Outside the window, the last sliver of sunlight was swallowed by dusk.
Silence engulfed the study, only their breathing audible.
In the hall of Cloud Lake Villa, Maria Carter nervously played with her skirt hem.
"Mom, isn’t it good that brother is back?" she asked softly.
Mrs. Carter didn’t answer; the current silence in the study was more unsettling than any argument.
They had been inside for an hour, but no one knew what had been said.
Maria Carter couldn’t help but want to enter, but Mrs. Carter stopped her.
"Maria, don’t go." Mrs. Carter’s voice carried a faint trace of exhaustion as she finally withdrew her gaze from the family portrait, pressing her fingertips gently to her brow, "Some things, they need to clear up themselves."
At this moment, in the room, Carlos took out a divorce agreement.
"Emily," Carlos suddenly halted, turning to her, his voice calmly deep like still water, "sign it."
He handed the document over, the bold "Divorce Agreement" on the cover striking under the corridor lights.
Emily’s gaze fell upon the document, her eyelashes trembled but she didn’t reach to take it. She lifted her head, her eyes meeting Carlos’s, those eyes once filled with starlight now veiled in a thin mist: "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Carlos’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, averting his eyes, "I’ve detailed the division of property, you and the child..."
"I’ll take care of the child myself,"
Emily interrupted, her voice light as a feather, yet undeniably firm, "As for the property, I’ve already taken it."
She had claimed her portion of Carter Automotive and the Carter Clan shares.