Part 74

74

“Uncle, Vano's mother didn't die in a regular accident. She collaborated with the former driver who used to work for you. They sabotaged the car, causing the brakes to fail, which led to the accident.

Regarding all the manipulation done by Celine's father, I'm not entirely sure about the details, but what I do know is that Celine's father intentionally chased after Vano's mother, making it impossible for her to avoid the accident. It's no wonder, given that the car's brakes were no longer functioning."

"Do you have any evidence?" Carlos asked. Amber quickly nodded and reached into her bag, handing a mobile phone to Carlos.

"I recorded their conversation this morning when Celine said she would marry Vano today. It can be used as evidence to prosecute Celine's father. And just so you know, this marriage was intentionally arranged so that he could gain control over Vano and his company. He believes that Vano is deeply in love with Celine, so automatically, his son would do anything for his future wife."

Carlos nodded, understanding Amber's account. He signaled to one of his cousins to contact the police so that this matter could be resolved through legal channels. If Carlos were to take matters into his own hands, it would likely lead to casualties. Fortunately, he was currently accompanying Chelsea on her journey to recovery. Without her in his life, Carlos might not have had anyone to hold him back from committing reckless acts.

"Cancelled. This marriage will not proceed because I refuse to accept a son-in-law who murdered my wife," Carlos said in a low voice, but his gaze was so sharp it felt as though he was peeling Celine's father alive. The middle-aged man laughed.

"What a naive nephew, willing to disrupt his own cousin's happiness. Do you really think Vano will want to marry an old maid like you after revealing our family's secrets?'' he challenged Amber, daring her not to act rashly again.

Earlier that morning, he had tried to restrain Amber and even physically abused her to the point of leaving bruises, but it hadn't deterred her from revealing the family's dark secrets.

"I don't expect any return from Vano. I only feel sorry for him and want to expose all the lies you've created. Remember, the person you erased ten years ago was a human being, a mother who left her very young son in need of complete love and care. Unfortunately, you were all blind and heartless, committing murder without mercy." Regardless of whether she was considered part of the family or not, Amber felt that she and her parents had fought alone. They hadn't used the inheritance left behind by her late grandfather.

"But I don't want this marriage to be cancelled. I have nothing to do with Vano's mother's death, and I can swear I knew nothing about all this."

"Celine," she began to cry, pleading with Carlos not to believe Amber's words.

There was no way Carlos could be as gentle and considerate with Celine after learning all the family secrets that lay hidden. He truly despised her family and would never want to have any connection with them again. When the police arrived to arrest Celine's father, Carlos paid no attention to her pleas for forgiveness or her requests not to involve her in the past family matters. He didn't want his relationship with Vano to be ruined because of her parents' problems. Celine also swore that she had no intentions whatsoever with her marriage.

Everyone had been taken into custody, including Celine, Amber, and Celine's family, all of whom were believed to be involved in the premeditated murder. Now, only Carlos and Vano remained, along with the confused officiant who didn't know who to marry anymore since Celine and her family had been taken to the police station to resolve their past issues.

Initially, Carlos was going to be questioned as well, but Vano intervened, promising to follow to the police station in a few minutes. Carlos wasn't sure what Vano was planning.

"If there's no one left for me to marry, I might as well return to the office because there are still some tasks I need to complete there," said the officiant before excusing himself.

Carlos wanted to nod, but Vano spoke up.

"I will get married, sir. Please wait a little longer; I'll need to speak with my future wife first."

"Are you planning to marry Amber as a token of gratitude for revealing the secrets of your mother's past?" Carlos asked, making sure he understood Vano's intention to keep the officiant in the room and away from Chelsea's recovery room.

Vano shook his head. "No, Dad. I can't marry Amber or Celine as long as they have any blood ties. I will never marry into either of their families."

"Then who are you going to marry?" Carlos inquired, now concerned that Vano might be getting frustrated with the failed wedding plans.

Although Vano appeared indifferent and started to disregard Celine, he was certain that he deeply loved his girlfriend.

Vano folded his hands in front of him, looking towards the entrance, waiting for someone to appear at the doorway. He also glanced at the clock on his wrist, awaiting the doctor's arrival to check on Chelsea. As the voices of women conversing grew closer to the room, Vano's lips curled into a mischievous smile. He pointed towards the entrance.

"I want to marry any girl who walks through that door. The condition is that she must be a single doctor or nurse. Here, I want to see Carlos Wijaya's power to grant my wish, proposing to the girl I have in mind."

"You must be kidding," Carlos chuckled slightly upon hearing Vano's words.

"I'm not kidding; I just want to escape my problems and avoid canceling the wedding reception scheduled for next week. It's better to marry a girl I don't know than endure a painful relationship with someone who took my mother's life. I'd rather start loving a stranger than—"

"Alright, if that's what you want, Daddy will propose to her for you." Carlos pointed to a girl walking behind the middle-aged woman, a doctor who had been caring for Chelsea since her arrival at the hospital.

"Doctor, may I ask for the nurse's name?" Carlos inquired as the doctor, intending to examine Chelsea, began her work.

"She's Nurse Alexa, a medical intern here."

"Beautiful name, matching her appearance, very graceful and gentle. Although she's still very young, okay then, Alexa, I am Carlos Wijaya, and I'd like to propose to you to become my son Vano Wijaya's wife." Carlos gestured towards Vano, who remained seated beside the officiant. "I'll do anything if you're willing to marry my son. I'll ruin your life if you refuse to marry him."

Carlos's words instantly widened Alexa's eyes in half-frightened shock, hearing a proposal that sounded more like a threat.

The middle-aged woman beside Alexa laughed upon hearing Carlos's words. "Sir, please don't joke like this; my nurse is scared now. If she gets scared, it might affect her performance in treating your wife."

"I'm not joking or anything of the sort. I'm genuinely here to propose to Alexa for my son Vano. So, Alexa, what do you say? Will you accept my proposal?"

Alexa quickly shook her head. She remained hidden behind the middle-aged woman's back.

"No, Sir. I haven't thought about it that far. I have three younger siblings whose education I need to support. My family isn't as well-off as yours, and my parents won't allow me to marry until I've paid off all the debts they incurred to fund my education."

"You don't have to worry about that. I will pay off all your debts and redeem your family's mortgaged land. Just say yes and marry my son. Contact your father to come here, and all the issues will be resolved. But if you refuse a Vano Wijaya and Carlos Wijaya, I can assure you that you won't pass your campus assignments."

"B-but, Sir."

"Don't resist, my dear. Come with me, and let's get married!" Vano responded from his seat, waving his hand to beckon Alexa closer. It was an utterly unexpected situation for Alexa.

She had already arrived late at the hospital, and now she was being proposed to in such an unusual manner. She couldn't fathom what she might have done in her past to find herself in such a peculiar predicament.

Carlos had given his blessing for Vano to marry Alexa, so he refrained from interfering further with what his son intended to do. He provided support and gently encouraged Alexa to consider marrying Vano, but he didn't want to meddle further, as he was determined to stay by Chelsea's side.

Carlos was waiting for his wife to awaken, wanting to be the first person Chelsea saw when she regained consciousness. It was his heartfelt wish.

And now that wish was coming true as he felt Chelsea's fingers start to move, responding to his hand's grasp.

Carlos, who had been staring at Chelsea's pale face, was filled with hope that her movements indicated her awakening.

"My love, wake up. I miss you so much. Please, come back to me," Carlos said, gently holding Chelsea's hand, which was beginning to show signs of life. Slowly, Chelsea's eyes started to open, blinking several times to adjust to the brightness, as she had been asleep for a long time.

Chelsea also felt an intense pain in her head from the impact on the asphalt. But it wasn't just that; her whole body ached and throbbed. Her memory quickly recalled the horrifying event where she had dared to leap out of the speeding car. Her eyes widened, heated, and welled up with tears.

"My love..." Carlos called out once more, gently stroking Chelsea's cheek. His grip on her hand remained unwavering. He was waiting for the first words that would come out of her mouth.

Carlos was prepared to tell Chelsea that their child was no longer with them. He didn't know how she would react, but he would do his best to comfort her, even though he was devastated by the immense loss himself.

But Carlos sought solace in the fact that Chelsea was still with him. He hadn't lost the love of his life completely, unlike before when his wife had left him forever, leaving him alone in this world to mourn the overwhelming emptiness and pain.

"Our child? Our precious one, where is he?" Chelsea asked softly, her gaze fixed on Carlos.

He tugged at the corners of his lips. "Thank goodness you've opened your eyes. I've missed you so much, my love. Why did you sleep for so long? I felt like shaking you awake just to see your smile again."

"Dad, where is he? Is he still here?" Chelsea asked, refusing to acknowledge Carlos's words because she knew he was diverting her attention from her question. Carlos swallowed hard. He wanted to lie, but how long could he keep doing that?

Chelsea needed to know what had happened to her and their child. Reluctantly, Carlos pressed a long kiss to her forehead. "He's at peace in heaven. He said he'd wait for both of us there. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you both properly, my love. I was careless, and that's why we lost him."

Chelsea's tears flowed freely as she mourned her foolishness for believing Margaret's claims that Carlos had left with some men. She should have remembered how cunning and dangerous her mother was. She should have known that Carlos was a kind and harmless man without any enemies. Unfortunately, she had believed the lies, leading to the loss of their unborn child due to her own naivety.

"I'm a foolish, brainless mother. How could I..." 

Carlos silenced Chelsea with a gentle kiss, his hands cupping her cheeks.

"My love, never speak of yourself that way. This is not your fault alone; I'm equally responsible here. I was careless and didn't read the situation properly. I had no idea my wife was in danger, even though I was there. Don't blame yourself, my love. We both share the blame for seeking a cause for all of this."