It hadn't been that long since Portia last saw Debbie. But this wasn't the Debbie she knew. Debbie used to be humble and self-effacing, with low self-esteem. Now she was parading around with her nose in the air, all puffed up with pride as if she were the queen.
'Dammit Debbie! Your husband's just a secretary. Don't get cocky. It's not like he's Carlos Huo! We'll see who comes out on top!' she thought resentfully.
On Debbie's way back to the party, two other women stopped her in her tracks. They sized her up and down, and then one of them said curtly, "Someone wants to see you."
'I wonder who they're talking about, ' thought Debbie.
"Who?" she asked. Neither of the two women looked even remotely familiar. She'd know if she'd met them before. So it made her even more curious who wanted to talk to her, and why.
The woman in a black dress snapped, "Don't ask. Just follow us."
'This is crazy!' Debbie was irritated. It was supposed to be simple, and maybe fun. She went to the party on Carlos' behalf, but ended up coming across all kinds of weird things and hostile women. Mental note: Don't do this again. And now, why did she have to deal with some ridiculous mystery boss? She didn't. She was thinking that maybe now would be a good time to bug out of here. She had made an appearance, presented her gift, and now she just wanted to be left alone.
"Sorry, I'm busy." She passed them without giving them a second glance. Who were they? And why were they following someone else's orders? And more importantly, why were they trying to get her involved?
The woman in black shouted to her back, "Hey, you! Miss Mi wants to see you! Get your butt over here now, unless you want that butt kicked out of Y City! Just so you know, Miss Mi is Mr. Huo's woman. I wouldn't turn her down if I were you."
'Really! We'll just see about that!' Debbie thought.
The two looked at Debbie gloatingly, anticipating that she would turn around and follow them timidly to see Olga. After all, these two were at her beck and call, so why shouldn't Debbie be the same? She wasn't any better than them.
Nonetheless, to their disappointment, Debbie only paused for a second and then continued walking away.
The party was chock-full of things to do. The snacks Carlos ordered for her were delicious. She was stuffed, but when she returned to the party, she couldn't help walking towards the desserts again. She was compelled by the sweet taste of the treats, and her mouth watered in anticipation.
After getting herself a full plate of food, Debbie found herself a table in the corner, ready to dig in. But before she could take a bite, a familiar figure sat next to her. He looked around and asked cautiously, "Your husband didn't come with you?"
Debbie took a bite of iced mango pudding and rolled her eyes at him. "Why are you sneaking around like that?"
Clad in a plaid charcoal suit and wine leather shoes, Jared stared at her, his eyes wide like plates. "You're asking me? Your husband is way too possessive. That guy's gonna kill me sooner or later, just for hanging out with you."
Giving Debbie no chance to respond, he grabbed her arm and said, "Tomboy, promise me that you'll never cheat on your husband." Debbie almost choked on her food
"Cuz if you did, I think he'd go after the poor guy's entire family."
Debbie wrenched her arm free from his grip, swallowed the food in her mouth and spat, "Cut the crap."
Seriousness was never part of Jared's personality. The next second, he whispered to Debbie in a conspiratorial tone, "I saw Hayden just now. He's a bigwig in Y City now. He draws girls and rich guys to him like a master fisherman."
As if tired from talking too much, Jared paused long enough to grab a Fairy Bean Cake from Debbie's plate and toss it into his mouth. "Why do girls like sweet things so much? How long has it been since you last saw Hayden? Did you happen to catch him after he came back from abroad?" he asked.
"No," Debbie replied. Carlos was the only thing on her mind now. She was totally smitten with him. Other men couldn't even draw her eye anymore.
As they chatted, Jared waved at a girl. Then he looked at Debbie and said, "Hey, dude. I'd like you to meet my girlfriend."
"Sure." Debbie was intrigued. After all, he woke her up with the news, when he posted it in group chat.
The girl walked towards them. When Debbie saw her, she choked on her black tea. Same old Jared. The girl was his typical type—big breasted, thick waisted and with a huge butt.
Looking in her twenties, she wore a seductive black dress and a pair of high heels that seemed to be at least eight cm high. Her long red curls tumbled to her waist.
Jared hooked his finger towards the girl and the latter instantly ran coquettishly into his arms. "Darling, I've been looking all over for you," she said.
Sitting there, Debbie couldn't help but put her hands on her arms, trying to pry the sprouting goosebumps off. When she thought that was hard to watch, the two started to make out. Debbie slid over to be farther away from them, pretending not to know them. This was embarrassing and gross.
"Tomboy, this is my girlfriend DeeDee. DeeDee, this is my buddy Debbie Nian." Jared introduced them to each other briefly.
Debbie smiled faintly, kind of speechless at his taste. He seemed to have a thing for size. Big boobs, big butt, but never a care for what was attached to. This gal looked like she'd cleared the dessert table a couple of times. Even so, Debbie put the glass of water in her hand on the table and waved at the newcomer. "Hi, DeeDee, nice to meet you," she said.
DeeDee sized her up and down. Noticing the pricey outfit Debbie was wearing, she forced a smile and simply said, "Hi." Then she threw herself at Jared and acted like a spoiled little girl. "I want to go shopping. Go with me," she said while shaking his arm and wriggling her body. It wasn't a pretty sight, but it was what it was. This was how she got her way, because certain men liked the fact they acted bratty. That was considered cute by some. Jared was like that.
"Wait a minute. I need to talk to Tomboy."
Hearing this, DeeDee looked at Debbie sullenly and complained, "Wait a minute! It all makes sense now. You bought her those clothes, didn't you?" DeeDee had noticed Debbie as she walked over. 'What rock did this ho pop out from? Stealing everyone's thunder like this.
No wonder Olga hates her so much. She acts all innocent when she's just a cheap-ass ho, ' she cursed inside.
Debbie looked at DeeDee in shock, wondering where the resentment came from. She patted Jared on the shoulder resignedly and said, "I'll see you tomorrow. We can talk after class. Go. Have fun."
Her opinion of the woman got lower.
Jared didn't respond to Debbie. Instead, he impatiently pushed the woman in his arms away and scolded, "Didn't I tell you to wait? Besides! Are you blind? I can't afford anything she's wearing!"
Debbie burst into laughter. Jared always hated to lose face.
She hadn't expected him to talk about himself like that in front of his girlfriend. 'He must be really mad, ' she mused.
"I'm sorry," Debbie apologized, realizing how inappropriate it was to laugh at that moment. She nudged Jared and reminded him quietly, "Your girlfriend is ticked off. Go make her happy."
Hearing this, Jared stood up and left with his girlfriend.
It was finally quiet. Debbie polished off the rest of the desserts on her plate and started playing with her phone. After reading the updates in Moments on WeChat, she started to bang out a message to Carlos. "I want to…" She intended to say, "I want to go home. It's so boring. Emmett's been busy with work all night."
But before she could finish writing the message, a familiar voice called, "Tomboy."
"Eh? Back so soon? I thought you were out with your girlfriend," Debbie asked curiously.
Jared sat next to her and replied, "We broke up." He sounded upset.
"Um…What happened?" Debbie put her phone down.
They'd only just left. It couldn't have been more than three minutes. They broke up within three minutes? The thing was, they had only been together for a couple of days. Talk about your whirlwind romance.
