During a break on set, Carl received a phone call from Jerry. “Carl, do you have time? We want to meet up and talk tonight.” Jerry got straight to the point.
“Sure! I’ll be there on time,” Carl replied eagerly. Although he couldn’t find Nana, he was happy to hear that her parents had returned from out of town and agreed to meet up with him.
At six o’clock that evening, Carl turned down his night shoot and headed straight for the restaurant. He hoped he might see Nana along the way.
However, when Carl arrived at the restaurant looking disheveled, he found only Nana’s parents sitting in a private room.
After exchanging greetings with each other briefly, Carl sat down and asked anxiously, “Why isn’t Nana here? I’ve been worried about her these past few days.”
Jerry remained calm but coldly dismissive as he spoke, “My daughter is at home right now. She doesn’t want to see you for the time being so please don’t disturb her.”
Although Jerry’s words dashed his hopes of seeing Nana that night, at least now Carl knew she was back home safe.
“Okay, then I won’t go over for now, so as not to upset her…” Carl nodded awkwardly in agreement.
For the past three days, he had searched the entire city until he was urgently called to the set by the crew this morning.
Fortunately, Carl was self-aware, so Jerry and Tracy didn’t say much.
Things had come to this point, and the elderly couple didn’t want their daughter to suffer any further.
“Carl, we don’t expect you to take responsibility for Nana, but should you explain those news articles?” Jerry said with a stern face, trying his best to suppress his anger.
At the moment, Carl and Grace’s affair was making waves, and the entire internet was going crazy with rumors that they had secretly gotten married.
That was why Jerry had asked Carl to meet him, wanting to discuss and resolve the aftermath.
Tracy, with a furrowed brow, chimed in, “We want to know if you’ve already publicly acknowledged your relationship with that woman.”
“I haven’t!”
Carl’s tone was firm, and his initial reaction was to deny it outright.
Countless calls had come in these past few days, and multiple media outlets were camping out, waiting to interview him.
It gave him a headache, and he felt powerless to refute the questions posed by the two.
“The news wasn’t released by me. In fact, Grace and I aren’t even in a romantic relationship, let alone secretly married.”
Carl explained with a helpless expression, vehemently denying all the rumors but unable to provide further proof.
After hearing this, Jerry let out a cold laugh and retorted, “Since you’re denying everything, the fact that she’s pregnant can’t be false, right?”
Carl had no words in response.
He had searched for two days and found no evidence of Grace fabricating the pregnancy.
“I…”
Carl looked troubled, hesitating as he replied, “Regardless, I will give Nana and both of you an explanation.”
Upon hearing his weak response, Tracy became even more disappointed.
“Forget it! We can’t wait for your explanation.”
Tracy felt that Carl was just trying to placate them and, before leaving, threw down a parting remark, “In two months, Nana will give birth, and the child will be ours. You won’t have any relationship with them!”
Afterward, the elderly couple left angrily, leaving Carl alone in the private room.
As the door closed, Carl sighed helplessly.
He was well aware that Grace had made the pregnancy public to force Nana out.
It was indeed despicable, but Mrs. Waters was secretly supporting Grace, leaving Carl with no way to handle the situation.
Leaving the restaurant, Carl put on sunglasses to avoid being recognized in the bustling streets.
He pondered about negotiating with Grace if he wanted to win Nana back. Only by clarifying their relationship could they discuss the future of their child.
Carl didn’t mind compensating her with money, but he was worried that Grace wanted more than just money.
On the way back home, he kept deep in thought, fearing a private meeting with Grace would accidentally be captured by reporters.
With a heart full of turmoil, Carl walked through the front door, his gloomy expression unable to hide the weight on his mind.
However, as soon as he pushed the door open, he heard Mrs. Waters chatting on the sofa, and sitting across from her was Grace.
In an instant, Carl froze. He never expected Grace to be sitting in his own home.
“Mom, how did she come here?”
Carl furrowed his brow, showing no signs of welcoming her.
Mrs. Waters, finally seeing her son return, hurriedly approached with a smile, “Carl, why did you come home so late? I brought Grace here to stay this afternoon.”
Upon hearing this, Carl was immediately stunned.
“What did you say? She’s going to stay here?”
He couldn’t believe it, even though he knew his mother liked Grace, he didn’t expect her to be so overbearing.
“Yes, what’s the problem with Grace moving in?” Seeing Carl’s shocked expression, Mrs. Waters pulled her son directly to the sofa.
Grace pretended to be well-behaved and sensible as she greeted Carl with a gentle voice, “Carl, have you finished shooting today? Is the set busy?”
Her concerned words received no response from Carl; instead, he completely ignored her.
At this moment, Carl’s focus was entirely on his mother. He stared coldly at Mrs. Waters and asked harshly, “Who agreed to let her stay in our house? Didn’t you discuss this with me?”
Having anticipated that he would most likely oppose, Mrs. Waters had already prepared a response.
She turned around and sat on the sofa, crossing her legs, and declared righteously, “Now that Grace is pregnant, our family can’t shirk responsibility. So, I think you should get married as soon as possible and live a good life together.”
Upon hearing Mrs. Waters’ words, Carl was initially angry, but he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“What’s this? Have you arranged my marriage for me?”
Carl couldn’t accept his mother’s arbitrary decision, and he still didn’t sit down, wanting to make his position clear.
“Mom, I’m an adult, and no one can interfere in my marriage!”
Carl spoke firmly, making another declaration, “The person I love is Nana, and I will only marry the girl I like!”
Mrs. Waters had never liked Nana for a long time, and upon hearing that Carl hadn’t given up on her, she immediately exploded in anger.
“Has that vixen enchanted your soul? What’s so good about Nana? How does she compare to Grace?”
Mrs. Waters was indignant and immediately confronted her son, “In any case, our family’s daughter-in-law is only recognized as Grace. Even if you’re bewitched, I won’t let Nana step into this house again!”
Faced with his mother’s threats, Carl couldn’t care less.
“Well then, why don’t you just kick me out of the house? You can live your life with the bride you’ve chosen for me!”
Carl took a firm stance and refused to back down.
“You… you ungrateful child!”
Realizing that she couldn’t persuade Carl, Mrs. Waters became furious.
She stood up abruptly, clutching her chest, and shouted, “Do you want to drive me to death before you’re satisfied?”
As the mother and son argued, the tension in the living room escalated.
Seeing Mrs. Waters gasping for breath in anger, Grace pretended to be understanding and quickly stepped forward to calm her emotions.
“Mrs. Waters, please calm down. Carl isn’t being unfilial to you. Please don’t overthink!”
While saying this, Grace raised her eyebrows and winked at Carl, feeling triumphant inside.
She didn’t care about the confrontation between the mother and son. As long as she could successfully marry into the Waters family, she was willing to pay any price.
Carl clenched his teeth, realizing that he couldn’t communicate with his mother. Frustrated, he went upstairs.
After a moment, Carl took a cold shower to clear his mind. He returned to his bedside, picked up his phone, intending to call Nana and express his feelings.
However, before he could dial the number, he suddenly heard a knock on the door.
Carl got up and opened the door, only to see Grace standing there.
“Do you have something to tell me?”