Take My Breath Away

After the lawyer was done explaining the law, Carlos said nonchalantly, "Ten years... Miss Gu, if you are locked up in jail for the next ten years..." He smirked evilly, leaving his words unfinished.

'Ten years in prison?' Portia could hardly take in that information

Breaking down into fresh tears, she ran up to Carlos and fell to her knees. "Mr. Huo, please. I already regret my actions. Please don't have me locked up." If she were to be locked up behind bars, she would have a criminal record and her promising future would be ruined forever. On top of that, she could hardly imagine how her life would be in prison for ten years!

Seeing such a heartbreaking scene, Hayden felt his head ache. As he held her up from the floor, he asked, "Mr. Huo, please tell me what to do so that you will let Portia go."

"Let her go?" Carlos sneered. "Do I look that benevolent to you? Or do you think I am an easygoing person? Or maybe... you think I'm a pushover."

Both Lewis and James shuddered as they listened to his cold voice. They were well aware how merciless and ruthless Carlos could be if someone crossed his line. He was never a benevolent or an easygoing person, nor could anyone ever bully him.

When Hayden didn't respond, Carlos continued, "I will give Portia two options to choose from. The first one is that she will go to England and apologize to my wife in person, then come back to fulfill her ten-year imprisonment. The second one is that she will go to England to apologize to my wife in person and then..." He paused, shifting his gaze to Lewis, as everyone held their breath. "And then, you will marry Lewis."

"What? Marry Lewis?" Everyone was taken aback. His verdict was beyond their expectations.

No one understood what Carlos' intention of marrying Portia to Lewis was.

Portia made eye contact with Lewis. Seeing the disgusting man, she shook her head and rejected in a choked voice, "Please, no! I will never marry Lewis Huo!" 'This good-for-nothing creep doesn't deserve me, ' she cursed in her mind.

On the other hand, Lewis didn't mind at all. He actually felt lucky. Marrying Portia wouldn't bring him any loss in any way.

Valerie helplessly reminded him, "Carlos, marriage is an important event in a person's life and it requires approval from the parents. How can you decide his marriage without consulting Wade and Miranda?"

Carlos raised his eyebrows at her. "Uncle Wade and Aunt Miranda have always wanted to ally with the Gu family by marriage. Correct?"

Wade and Miranda were lost for words. Before they had a grasp of Portia's true colors, they did want Lewis to get engaged to her. But now, seeing such a disgraceful and malicious woman, they could hardly bless this marriage.

As Wade was about to speak, Miranda pulled at the hem of his clothes to silence him.

Instead, it was Tabitha who spoke. "Carlos, your grandma has a point. We can't rush a marriage like this." She tried to persuade the decisive man.

Carlos said coldly, "I haven't made the final decision for them. The choice is Portia's."

Stumped by his words, Tabitha dropped into silence once again.

Hayden looked at his sister sympathetically. Lewis was notorious as a philandering scumbag in Y City. He always dated multiple women at the same time and even got them pregnant. His biggest hobby was fooling around with women. How could he let his sister marry such an asshole? He tried to bargain with Carlos once more. "Mr. Huo, I'm afraid that Portia and Lewis wouldn't hit it off. They have such different personalities. How about this? I will take my sister to England right away and apologize to Mrs. Huo, until she forgives Portia. Is that enough?"

Carlos leaned back on the sofa and suddenly had a craving for a smoke. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, but didn't light it. Instead, he placed it near his nose and breathed in the scent of the tabacco. While Debbie was attending to him at the hospital a few days ago, she had forbidden him from smoking until his wound was completely healed. As he thought of her, Carlos responded to Hayden, "Do you think I will ever give you a chance to approach my wife?"

There was pin-drop silence in the living room.

They were rendered speechless again. Carlos was really a handful and it was so hard to change his mind once he had made a decision.

He turned to Portia. "Make a choice. You have one minute. If you fail to make a decision, then you will have no choice but to go for the first option."

Portia's face contorted in anguish and misery. She bit her lower lip and battled in her mind. With no time left, she stammered, "I choose... the second option."

She would rather marry Lewis than be put behind bars for the next ten years.

"Good." Carlos looked at Wade. "Uncle Wade, Lewis marrying Portia is the biggest concession in his punishment. As for the rest, that depends on his behavior."

Wade was baffled by Carlos' quick decisions. 'Lewis marries Portia? This is not good at all...' he thought with a sigh.

Now that Portia had made her choice, Carlos shifted his attention to Lewis. He asked the lawyer again, "What is the sentence for attempted ****?"

"The crime of attempted **** will result in a three to ten-year imprisonment," the lawyer responded politely.

"Okay, Lewis—"

But before he could finish his sentence, Lewis hastily chipped in, "Carlos, I choose the second option too. I'll marry Portia."

Carlos smirked. Lewis smiled back bitterly and added, "I marry her of my own volition."

Valerie's frown grew deeper as she watched the whole farce. She had a feeling that Carlos wouldn't go easy on Lewis.

And she was right.

"When did I say that you have any choice in the matter?"

Lewis was stunned. In a daze, he asked, "What...do you mean?"

"You have no choice. You will marry Portia. Tomorrow."

"Fine!" Lewis tapped on his chest as a gesture of swearing. "I'll register my marriage with her this afternoon."

Carlos continued coldly, "After registering your marriage, you will stay at home and wait for the court summons and the next court session. Do you need me to get you a defense lawyer?"

"Yes... No...No need... Wait, what?! No! Carlos, please. I'm sorry!" Lewis was incoherent as he couldn't fully process Carlos' words at first.

James, who had been silent for so long, finally opened his mouth to speak. "Carlos, Lewis is your cousin!"

"Yes, I'm aware of it. And I'm also aware that you are my father, but I won't let you get away with this either. Be patient, Dad. Wait for your turn," Carlos said in an icy tone.

Shocked, James slammed his palm on the table and yelled, "You ungrateful asshole!"

Annoyed and exhausted by this whole mess, Valerie yelled at her son, "James, be quiet!" She moved her gaze to her grandson and softened her tone. "Carlos, please. Spare your cousin."

But Carlos wouldn't listen to anyone, not even his old grandma. He wasn't planning on letting go of anyone who had hurt Debbie. "I don't want to hear anyone plead for Lewis. For every word uttered in his favor, he will serve an extra year in prison! Think well before you speak again."

There was complete silence in the living room once again.

After a few seconds of absolute shock, Tabitha said with a sob, "You won't change your mind? Carlos, why are you so merciless towards your own family? Have you considered your uncle's and aunt's feelings? You've turned the whole Huo family upside-down. How could you come back to us in the future? How are you going to face all of us?"

Carlos' face darkened. "Mom, you're mistaken. It's Lewis who hadn't considered his parents' feelings when he did all those inexcusable things."

Miranda inhaled deeply. "Carlos, do what you have to. It's time to teach Lewis a good lesson."

Valerie pounded her cane on the floor loudly. In a fit of fury, she blurted out, "Miranda! Lewis isn't your biological son, but you brought him up. How can you be so cruel to him?"

Her words shocked everyone in the room, including Carlos. It was...a rude awakening! Lewis couldn't stay on his feet and slouched down on the floor, his eyes wide in shock. He stared at Valerie blankly.

It was already too late when Valerie realized what she had said. She shook her head in defeat and let out a long and heavy sigh.

"Grandma... What...do you mean?" Lewis asked her in disbelief.

A dash of sadness flashed through Valerie's eyes as she looked at the stunned Lewis. "Nothing. Carlos, since my words carry no weight to you, just do as you please. I'm tired. I'm going upstairs to rest."

She stood up from the sofa and walked towards the staircase with Megan's help.

After taking a few steps, she turned to the angry man on the sofa. "Punish everyone as you see fit. But leave your father alone. As an elder, it's justified for your father to teach Debbie a lesson or two. He didn't mean to hurt your wife. So, just let him go, please."