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“I can’t believe it. How is it they matched you with Ivan Conners?” Alexander asked, shaking his head at the dining table. “It’s still the quarter-finals. Ivan is most likely to be your competitor in the finals!” Carlos shook his head. He answered, “I swear, I don’t know what the tennis association is thinking.” He paused, frowning at the idea of going against the world’s fifth-best tennis player. Since Erik took a break, Carlos’ potential final opponent would have been Ivan. “Something is not right.” "Better ask around." Nearly a week had passed into the US Open, and both Alexander and Carlos went through the qualifying rounds. Tomorrow would be the quarterfinals. “I definitely will,” Carlos confirmed. “Though, I would not mind going against you into the finals,” Alexander suggested, and both he and Carlos laughed it out. “With what the tennis association did, that will probably happen. You are going to beat Lambert, and I am going to beat Ivan!” Carlos claimed his win. “Then,
BREAKING NEWS: “Ivan Conners won by default after Carlos Ronaldo, The Devil, suffered an injury during the quarterfinals of the US Open. The fans of The Devil were shocked by Ivan’s performance, let alone his arrogance on court today. After several attempts of strapping The Devil’s ankles, Carlos could no longer hide the pain during the third set. His team bitterly called it quits for him.” In the TV report, there was a footage of Carlos aching in anguish. His face could not hold various frowns as the medical team tried to redo the brace on his ankle. “Despite the findings, Carlos still wanted to engage in the match, but his practice partner, Alexander Jenkins, and The Devil’s security team decided for him.” “Fans of the Devil were heartbroken, and many suggested how Ivan may be under the influence. The tennis association promised to put Ivan under investigation.” ***“Alex! Alex!” Kate screamed, seeing Alexander outside the private hospital room where Carlos was admitted. After
“We will consider your suggestion, Nolan,” Carlos answered. He intended to ask about the doctor that Nolan recommended before arriving at a decision. Also, he saw Kate's hesitation. He could tell that, like him, Kate had a strange feeling about Nolan's sudden offer. “Kate?” Nolan turned to Kate as if asking for her approval. Kate awkwardly smiled and replied, “It’s just that Carlos’ doctor already knows him, his medical history, but if you say this other doctor is the best, then we will reevaluate.” With a sigh, Nolan urged, “You should, and I came all the way here to convince him to take your case. It will be good for Carlos.” “Anyway, I better get going. Since I am already here, I am meeting the hospital director in a few minutes, too. I might even convince the hospital not to charge for the operation. Hope you will take my advice,” he added. Kate just smiled and offered, “I’ll walk you out.” After asking Lemuel to stay with Carlos, Kate strode with Nolan to the lifts. It wa
“There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The US Open title this year goes to Alexander Jenkins! What a surprising season it is. The country was heartbroken when Carlos was injured, but Alexander Jenkins took home the cup!” A sports commentator announced before the cameras shifted to Alexander, raising his trophy cup, nearly teary-eyed as his astonishing win. In an interview, Alexander claimed, “This win is for my friend, Carlos, The Devil. This was supposed to be his win, but it was taken from him. And it was exactly because of Carlos that I was more determined to win this year's US Open championships.” “Mister Jenkins, when do we expect The Devil to return to playing on the court?” The reporter asked. “It’s hard to say, but we know Carlos. His ultimate goal was to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a year. This year, he won three out of four. He was this close. If not the next season, he would surely be back to claim it the year after.” Alexander looked at the camera and own
“We have phone records suggesting that Nolan colluded with Tyler and Monet. Their conversations covered you and your company, also Miss Wright. I believe you know -” “Yes,” Carlos acknowledged on the phone. He was speaking to officer Baker. “They were our high school classmates, and they were, in fact, giving us problems before I left for the US Open.” Carlos sucked in a breath, realizing how his recent troubles were caused by Nolan altogether. He suggested, “All the more, there should be no pardon or settlement for his actions. I’ll tell my lawyers to pursue the legal case. I'll take care of Monet and Tyler." “Thank you for the update, detective Baker, and thank you for being on top of this despite Washington being outside your jurisdiction. I knew I could always count on you,” Carlos said. “I had approval from the higher-ups to lead the arrest. Besides, Washington is not that far,” detective Baker responded before the two ended their call. A day after arriving in Braeton, Carl
So you are saying it may not cause infertility?” Carlos asked. Last night, when he wondered if Kate was pregnant, he learned Kate had her period when he left for the US Open. The couple decided to visit a doctor the very next day, despite The Devil being in a wheelchair. They picked up how Kate had a hormonal imbalance, causing small cysts to grow inside her ovaries, which may have affected her ovulation. “Many women have this problem, especially when they are tired and stressed,” the doctor suggested. “Normally, couples try to get pregnant within one year before deciding on getting fertility help.” “The hormonal imbalance can be treated with hormones or with proper diet and rest,” she added. “Of course, the male is also a factor here. I understand you are an athlete, Mister Ronaldo, but how is your stress level? Are you resting enough? Do you want to have your sperm count checked? That could have also affected your chances of conceiving a child. Have you both considered taking a
“What are you doing here? I said I wouldn’t cause any more trouble for you,” Monet asked, seeing Carlos at her door, together with police officers and his usual bodyguards. “You promised not to cause trouble anymore, but you did not own up to everything,” Carlos answered. Even while he was still strolling with crutches, he made it a point to see Monet. “What - what do you mean?” Monet asked, her voice trembling as she replied. She earnestly hoped no one had learned about her involvement with Nolan. It had been weeks since Nolan's arrest was aired on TV. Thus, Monet hoped no one made the connection between her and the pharma CEO. “It was you who ordered Venice to poison Catrina, and thus, take responsibility for it!” Carlos revealed. “While you were good at hiding your tracks, sadly, Nolan was too confident. He had all of your conversations saved on his phone. You colluded with him to bring me down?” Monet, "!!!" “If you had told me then, I would not have been injured! You are a
A week passed since Carlos scheduled his Exhibition Match. Since then, he had been training his left foot to walk longer distances. While he was pushing himself, he had to take a break in the middle of the week as his ankle returned to swell. The doctors told Carlos that it was expected since he was practicing walking without his orthopedic boot. The boot had several supports that kept his foot in place. Thus, walking without it was another adjustment. The Devil was dismayed. He seriously wanted to return to tennis soon, but he understood he had to take it slow. Still, he was on and off his boot, but at least… he could already… bend down on one knee. Of course, Kate did not know that. He kept it from her because... it was meant to be a surprise. “Ready to leave?” Carlos asked, looking back at Kate. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kate sought. “Can’t you just have this match when you can walk properly?” “Eh, no. It has to be today,” Carlos said. Only he and Alexander knew