Take My Breath Away

But when they were talking about the marriage of her eldest granddaughter, Miranda wanted to know everything.

Debbie told Miranda all that she knew. "Carlos was angry with Sheffield because he got her pregnant. I got it. I was pissed too. My daughter is one of the elite, but he almost killed her. How could I not be angry? And if it weren't for Matthew bringing it up with Sheffield, we would have never known Sheffield was clueless about the whole thing. Evelyn never said a word to him about it. There we were, hating a man for something he hadn't known he'd done. The reason why Carlos agreed to let Evelyn marry Calvert was the media. They'd been linked, thanks to the paparazzi. It was really Sheffield in those pics, but Calvert agreed to pretend to be the man in the pictures, as long as Evelyn could marry him. That was okay by Carlos. He hated Sheffield, anyway." Carlos was always a man of his word.

"You're kidding!" Miranda interjected.

"No lie. He made a promise to Calvert, just so he could be rid of Sheffield. He figured once Sheffield knew she was engaged, he'd back off."

Carlos didn't like Sheffield at all, to begin with. However, after getting to know him, he changed his opinion of him.

Actually, Carlos had enough status and power to make all this go away. But it would reflect badly on the family if Carlos went back on his word, because they were public figures. So were the Jis.

Plus, when Sheffield's patient died, Evelyn had asked Carlos for help and promised him that she'd get engaged to Calvert. Even now, Evelyn still believed that the reason Sheffield was able to turn the tables so quickly was that Carlos had his back.

What she didn't know was that before Carlos could do anything, Sheffield had already gotten himself out of hot water.

Father and daughter always kept their promises. So Evelyn had to get engaged to Calvert, and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

Miranda thought for a while and replied firmly, "Carlos won't let this happen."

He wouldn't let this injustice stand. He just needed time to figure out a way out of this. Miranda hoped that Sheffield wouldn't give up Evelyn and could wait for her.

And Debbie knew that Calvert was an outstanding guy, but he couldn't hold a candle to Sheffield.

When Evelyn was with Sheffield, her eyes lit up, and she was happier. Around Calvert, she was unhappy, and seemed resigned to her fate. The choice was clear. Debbie wanted to see her daughter happy again. It was a nice change from the ice princess.

"It looks like Carlos likes Sheffield more. We just have to get him to make up his mind," Debbie declared. He wasn't dumb. He knew Evelyn was seeing Sheffield on the sly and he decided to turn a blind eye to it.

Carlos did listen to Debbie, but if he kept saying no, she wouldn't keep beating a dead horse. They had been married for so long they knew how to get along with each other.

Sometimes, if Debbie complained a lot, Carlos would give in. That meant there was still hope to persuade him.

There was hope for Evelyn and Sheffield's relationship, too. If Carlos came out in favor of it, then they could date openly. Even though Carlos was cold and angry around Sheffield, he was also like that around his own son.

Just as Debbie and Miranda were talking, Carlos came downstairs. He looked at the two women eating sunflower seeds and watching the Lunar New Year's Gala on TV. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Debbie answered, "About the sunflower seeds. They're nummy."

Stifling her laughter, Miranda echoed, "Yes, Carlos, have some."

'Something's fishy here.' Carlos didn't get angry. He sat next to Debbie and said, "You know this is the same brand we always get. It's been that way for years."

What he meant was the sunflower seeds weren't any yummier now than they had been. They couldn't fool him.

Debbie didn't care whether he believed it or not. "What's Terilynn doing? It's Lunar New Year's Eve. She should go out with her friends instead of staying at home. It's high time she got a boyfriend. She should be on a date."

Debbie found out recently that Terilynn talked to Joshua. A lot. She wondered if that was true.

But she'd been so focused on Evelyn and Sheffield she'd forgotten to check on Terilynn. She resolved to pay more attention to Terilynn after Evelyn and Sheffield were an official couple again. She would make sure that Carlos would stay out of it.

"A date? She's still a kid, and a student at that. She should stay at home watching TV. Or read a book. What's wrong with that?" Carlos disagreed. In his eyes, Terilynn was only 24 years old, she should focus on her studies.

'A kid?' Debbie rolled her eyes and snapped, "Want her to wait until she's Evelyn's age, and still unmarried?"

"So what? I'm glad my daughters can stay with me for thirty years!" It would be fine with him if Terilynn never got married. He would support her all her life.

After exchanging a look with Debbie, Miranda said, "Honestly, Son, you're impossible. If Terilynn likes somebody, you can't butt in like you did to Evelyn. Evelyn has been devoted to you since she was a child. She'd do anything to make you happy. She's also the most level-headed of your kids. You should have trusted she'd do the right thing. Terilynn is different. You push her too hard, she'll run away from home. I can see that in her."

Terilynn was much more upbeat than Evelyn, and had a wild side. She also inherited her dad's keen mind. If she didn't want to be found after she ran away, even Carlos couldn't find her.

'Run away from home?' Carlos thought about what Miranda said, and agreed with her. He made a concession to her. "As long as the guy she's sweet on is not Tayson, she has my blessing."

It was not that Carlos had a problem with Tayson, but that he knew Tayson wasn't interested in her. If Terilynn was ever to get married, she had to marry a man who loved her.

"I don't think it's Tayson. He's getting married after the New Year. Terilynn knew it. She hasn't talked to him for a long time." Debbie had talked to Tayson about Terilynn. He was the one that told her.

Among the three kids of the Huo family, Matthew worried the elders the least. They wondered what kind of girl Matthew would marry.

"Huh. Well, that's for the best." Carlos believed Terilynn's relationship would be less troublesome than Evelyn's.

The kids didn't know the three elders were talking about them. Terilynn was upstairs, blissfully ignorant of what was going on a floor below her. She sent a message to Joshua. "What's your New Year wish?"

Joshua replied very quickly, "I want a girlfriend."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

Terilynn giggled. "That's an easy one. But I think Mr. Fan has to have a girl in mind to make that wish come true. I don't believe it."

"Maybe I do."

"What kind of girl do you like?"

Joshua stood in front of the window of a hotel. Behind him, his friends were eating and drinking at a table. He replied, "Someone full of life, bright, happy, someone who has a warm heart..."

And then he added a few words silently, in his heart—"Someone like you."

"What about looks? Or is that important? I know a lot of girls that would love a boyfriend. Would you like me to introduce you?"

"Well, young and hot, of course. That goes without saying. But... I prefer girls with dimples."

'Dimples?' Terilynn couldn't help but touch her face. Then she put down her phone and ran to the dresser. She smirked to herself in the mirror, and two shallow dimples appeared on her face. 'Well, that's one down, ' she thought to herself.