The couple were immersed in their own thoughts. Without giving Debbie a straight answer, Carlos held on to her, who had wrapped herself tight in the down jacket again, and led her outside the door. "I've arranged our trip to Maldives," he said. "We'll go there after spending the Spring Festival in New York. Then, after the end of next semester, you'll be studying in the UK."
Digging her fingers into her ears, Debbie repeatedly nodded her head. "Okay." Since her handsome husband had always treated her well, of course she'd do what he wanted.
And it was not like she'd have to do without him. Carlos would also be there, waiting for her when the school day was done. She would be okay with it as long as he was by her side. But her best friends would be sad. Next year, they wouldn't be able to see her. She was the one who stuck up for them when they were wronged, and lifted their moods when they were unhappy. Of course, she'd miss them too.
Seeing Debbie nodding meekly along without protest, Carlos was content. Ignoring everyone, he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Hey, I've got a surprise for you."
"What surprise?" Debbie asked expectantly.
Glowing with happiness, Carlos looked into her eyes and said, "You'll have to wait till we're back home. If I tell you, how could it be a surprise?"
Debbie's curiosity was triggered. She practically bounced in her seat in excitement. The girl racked her brains trying to figure out what it might be. She even asked Carlos for clues, but the stoic man would not give up his secrets. So she had to sit, and wait. Wait the entire four-hour trip back to Y City.
All of a sudden, she shifted her gaze from her phone to the outside of the car window. Confused by the unfamiliar scenery outside, she turned to Carlos and asked, "Where are we going? Aren't we going back to the villa?"
"No…" He was busy looking over documents. He took advantage of the long ride, keeping his company running smoothly. It took dedication and drive to use your spare moments to work, but Carlos had those in spades. His phone suddenly rang, interrupting his reply.
As Carlos answered the call, Debbie kept quiet. She knew he didn't like to talk to her when he was on the phone. So she pulled out her own phone again, and scrolled through news sites.
Ten minutes later, the car started to slow down. Up in the driver's seat, Emmett reminded Debbie, "Mrs. Huo, take a look out the window. The scenery is just amazing." 'Mr. Huo really knows how to enjoy life. This manor has everything, ' Emmett marveled in his mind.
Heeding what he said, Debbie rolled down the car window and looked out. She saw the manor gate a short distance away. "So where are we now?" she asked curiously.
Carlos smiled, "Our new home."
Before he moved into the villa to live with Debbie, Carlos had stayed in this manor every time he came back to Y City. The surroundings here were quite tranquil. It was a perfect place for them to live.
'Our… home?' Debbie repeated these words to herself.
She shifted her attention back to the magnificent European style gate. There were tall, grey pillars on either side, with crystal lamps on top. She looked up—each one had to be at least ten meters.
Between the two tallest pillars was a black gate of wrought iron, and six arch doors in different sizes were adorned on both sides of it. A security room in the same color stood beside the gate. It was a gorgeous gate, with straight lines and curves existing together in symmetry. Everything was decorated in a simple but stunning style without any fussy designs.
As they drove close to the gate, it opened automatically. A few well-trained security guards in uniforms stood at the gate and welcomed them.
Debbie was mesmerized by the scene in front of her, her mouth agape. The mere sight of this splendid gate was enough to stun her. And if she thought that was amazing, she hadn't seen anything yet. But the gate was simply beautiful, and the most astonishing thing she'd seen in a long time. Maybe ever. She could hardly imagine how luxurious it would be inside the manor.
She saw that the estate was surrounded by a variety of trees, of which some were still green and dense even in winter. Behind the trees, there was a row of grey iron fences. And numerous power grids and high-definition security cameras were hidden amidst the trees.
As the car slowly drove into the manor, Carlos opened the sunroof and told Debbie, "Stand up and have a look around."
Emmett slowed down again. Debbie leaned her upper body out of the sunroof and got a full view of the grounds. Inside the car, Carlos carefully wrapped his arms around her waist to ensure her safety.
She looked around, appreciating the beautiful scenery unfolding before her. Everywhere she looked, green leaves greeted her eyes. She felt like summer had returned. Flowers started to bloom, forcing their bright colors against the calming green. A warm feeling coursed throughout her whole body. She closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh and fragrant air. The grounds were huge, too. It was not like Carlos skimped on anything. There was a beautiful garden filled with well-tended plants, bushes, and trees. A cobblestone path wound around the garden, and in the center there was a fountain. Debbie took in more sights, and spotted a lake to the side of the manor. As the car eased along the road, she took note of the huge lawn that seemed it would take a lifetime to mow encircling the manor. It had everything here.
Moments later, their car reached the main part of the manor, where a luxurious three-storey villa stood. The walls were painted white.
Around this villa, there stood a few two-floor buildings. All the buildings were pleasingly arranged around the main mansion. More than that, she had also seen a helicopter and a mysterious hot-spring introduced from the back hill. Perhaps, there were more astonishing things hidden inside this huge manor, waiting for Debbie to discover.
Finally, their car stopped on the open parking lot beside the three-storey villa. After getting out of the car, Carlos led Debbie to the right hand side.
Pointing at a smaller building which occupied a few hundred square meters, he said, "Can you see that? I had that building decorated for you."
In front of the building, there was a large swimming pool, with clear water gleaming under sunlight. Next to the swimming pool, there was a beautiful garden. Various tropical, subtropical, and temperate flowers of which Debbie didn't know the names were growing and blooming there. These different kinds of flowers could ensure the manor to be filled with fragrance through all four seasons.
A heated, bright greenhouse was built next to the garden, in order to help some kinds of plants withstand the cold.
"What? Do you mean we'll settle down here? Then is our room on the ground floor or upstairs?" Debbie asked innocently.
She was fond of this building decorated with a combination of Chinese and Western styles.
Carlos smiled tenderly. He held her hands in his and led her into the two-storey villa.
On the ground floor, Carlos pushed open one of the doors and let Debbie go in first.
"Wow!" she exclaimed the moment she entered.
It was a huge music studio! A lot of music books were neatly lined up the bookshelves on one of the acoustic walls. She could see the most advanced mixer and all the necessary voice recording equipment.
The room was filled with all kinds of Western and traditional Chinese instruments like guitars, pianos, zithers… Almost any musical instrument that you could name was here.
Covering her mouth in shock and excitement, Debbie turned around and looked at the expressionless man. "What's…this? Are you a musician too, or…"
Carlos raised his eyebrows. "Do you think I have an interest in music?"
Instantly, tears sprang to her eyes. In a sob, she asked, "How do you know I'm crazy about music?"
Seeing her reddened eyes, Carlos held her hand and dragged her out of the room, while warning, "I know you love music. But stop crying. I installed this studio for you to entertain yourself but not for you to cry. Understand?"
Debbie repeatedly nodded her head, but her effort to hold back the tears was in vain. They began streaming down her cheeks.
Carlos helplessly wiped off her tears before pushing another door. "Stop crying now, or… well, you'll find out!"
"Find out what?" Debbie asked while sobbing.
Carlos looked toward the music studio, drew closer to her and whispered playfully, "How about we have some sexy time in the music studio?"
These words worked. In an instant, Debbie turned her tears into laughter and rebuked, "You jerk!" She patted his body several times to vent her anger.
Then, she pulled a tissue and wiped off her tears. When she calmed down, Carlos led her into the second room.
This room was totally different from the music studio. A lot of colorful bottles and containers sat on the shelves.
At first, she didn't know what they were used for, but when she noticed a set of molds and equipment, she finally understood. "This is to make lipsticks?" she asked.
Carlos pinched her cheek. "Clever. Yes. This is a lipstick lab. I have hired some professional technicians to teach you how to make lipsticks."
Her emotions were stirred again. She could hardly find the words to express herself. "I… I don't need… so many lipstick…"
"I have registered a company for you—Decar Cosmetics. You can sell the lipsticks you don't need or the shades you don't like. I've arranged for some designers to work on the packaging. You can pick your favorite design later. As for the advertising and the marketing channel, Emmett can handle those."
