Delicately holding two glasses of wine, Curtis walked towards his buddies. "I've managed to bring only one extra glass," he said while taking a sip from the glass in his right hand. Then he placed the second glass on the desk before them and added, "Whoever grabs this first will have it. The rest of you can fetch your own."
They all took it as a joke. Since when did they have to compete for a glass of wine?
But even before he loosened his grip, Damon grabbed the glass, went to the couch and said casually, "Well, seems I'm the lucky one." Then in the same casual manner, he sat next to Megan and offered her the glass. "Little angel, you can have this," he said with a sideways glance at Curtis.
"Hey, are you trying to impress her with the wine that I've just brought for you? Shame on you!" Curtis reprimanded.
"Thank you, Uncle Damon, but I don't feel like drinking." Megan declined his offer politely. She sat with her fingers interlocked under her chin, seeming very preoccupied.
"You were fine just a moment ago. What happened?" Damon asked curiously.
Casting a pitiful glance at Carlos, who was still smoking, Megan complained, "Aunt Debbie doesn't seem to like me. She even had a fight with Uncle Carlos over me. I feel so sad…"
Carlos flicked the ashes from his cigarette and said indifferently, "It has nothing to do with you."
Poor at reading moods, Damon consoled Megan, "It's okay. Pepper Nian is an odd woman. As far as I know, she has only a few friends. Besides, our Megan is so adorable. I can't see how anyone could not like you. Don't think about it too much." He stroked her hair gently.
But the comments rubbed two of his friends the wrong way. Carlos looked at him with burning eyes and asked, "Who is the odd woman? I dare you to repeat it."
Gruffly, Curtis snatched the glass of wine from Damon's hand, poured the wine into his own glass, and snapped, "Boy, you have the nerve to speak ill of Debbie before Carlos! Try that one more time, and I swear, he'll beat the crap out of you!"
Instantly, Damon regretted his mistake. Why would he cross Carlos? To make up for his error, he went to the wine cabinet and brought the other glasses of wine that Curtis had poured for them. "I'm sorry, Carlos. You know how clumsy I sometimes get in expressing myself. Guys, let's forget that dry joke and drink."
They clinked glasses and settled down to some chitchat.
Turning to Curtis, Carlos asked, "I've already gone through all the formalities for Debbie to study abroad. How about you?"
But Curtis, somewhat not in favor of the idea, made an incredulous face and asked, "You want her to go there alone?"
Stubbing out the cigarette, Carlos shook his head. "No."
Although he was mad at Debbie for her refusal to have his baby and her insistence on taking birth control pills, he didn't want to have her study abroad alone.
While the men were chatting, Megan went to the bathroom, inserted an anonymous SIM card into her phone, and dialed a number.
When she came back to Carlos' office, the men were almost off, heading to the Orchid Private Club together.
Wesley was the first to notice something was not right with Megan. "You look pale. What's wrong?" he asked.
Megan was startled to see everyone staring at her with curious eyes. Flustered, she looked away and covered her face with both palms. "Nothing. I'm perfectly okay…"
Since she looked calmer and more composed when she dropped her hands, no one around bothered to press further. Briefly, Carlos consulted with his secretary about some work related issues, and then they all left the ZL Group's offices together.
They had hardly left the building when the employees began to gossip about them. "I envy Miss Lan so much. Lucky girl! She's surrounded by some of the finest eligible bachelors all the time."
"Now, she's in the company of not one, not two, but four high-class men, everyone eager to please her. How lucky of her!"
"Our very own Mr. Huo must dote on her the most. Did you hear the rumor that Miss Lan was the other woman between Mr. and Mrs. Huo?"
"Maybe Mr. Huo is nicer to Miss Lan than to Mrs. Huo. Miss Lan must have saved the world in her previous life. What else could explain her never ending streak of luck? "
At Orchid Private Club
After supper, Wesley answered a phone call and bade his friends adieu, unable to stay with them any longer.
Being a military officer sometimes denied him time for his taste for the fine things of life.
The members of his crew settled down to whine, amid chitchat. But Damon didn't stay long either. About two or three glasses later, he too excused himself. "Hey, guys, will you excuse me? I need to go back home and keep my wife company. See you tomorrow."
That left only Curtis, Megan and Carlos in the private booth.
In a bad mood, Carlos was inclined to seek solace in drink. After he and Curtis finished a bottle of fine Chinese spirits, the latter got a call from Colleen. As he stood to leave, Curtis had a hunch that Carlos might want to stay at the booth a little longer, so he reminded Megan to watch on him. "In case he gets two extra glasses after I'm gone, please don't let him drive. I know Emmett will be on standby, so you can call him to drive the two of you any time," he advised and walked out of the club as well.
"Uncle Carlos, why are you not happy? Is it something that you could get over by talking? Should you feel the need to kindly talk to me, I'll be more than willing to listen." Megan propped her hand against her chin and looked worriedly at him.
Staring at his glass, Carlos asked, "How did you know she took birth control pills? Tell me the truth."
Although he was not staring at Megan, sternness was obvious in his voice.
Her heart skipped a beat at the question. "I-I saw it… with my own eyes. Uncle Carlos, you don't believe me, do you?" she stammered.
At the beginning, Carlos didn't believe Megan's words. But after he had taken Debbie to the hospital, he could only accept the bitter truth that his wife had been taking birth control pills.
After a long pause, he spoke. "Your aunt Debbie is short-tempered. Please be more tolerant towards her."
Megan couldn't believe her ears. She looked Carlos in the eye, wondering whether he was already too drunk to reason. 'I'm only 18, yet Debbie is 21. Does he expect me to be the one to tone down and accommodate an older woman's whims? This can't be more sarcastic!'
"If… this can make Aunt Debbie happy… I'll do it. Uncle Carlos, I can do anything for you as long as you're happy." Tears welled up in her ears as she spoke.
To change the subject, Carlos stroked her head lovingly and asked, "Have you decided what to major in when you go to university?"
The question piqued Megan's interest. "Of course I'll go for Economics and Management, like Aunt Debbie. Hopefully, after graduation, you'll find me a slot for work in your company. It would be exciting to be part of your team at work," she enthused, smiling from ear to ear.
Mulling over her excitement, Carlos cast her a meaningful glance. "Okay. An Economics and Management School in the United States is pretty good. You can—"
Before he could finish, she interrupted him. "Uncle Carlos, thanks for the generous offer. But I'd prefer going to the Economics and Management School right here in Y City. I don't want to study abroad. That would be like sending me away from you. I don't know how I could live far from here," Megan pleaded earnestly as she grabbed Carlos' sleeve and looked at him with innocent doe eyes.
But Carlos simply drew his sleeve out of her delicate hands and poured himself another glass of wine. "We'll see," he said, sounding distant. Taking large gulps, he downed the glass without another word. He was watching, trying to see what she'd say next.
"Uncle Carlos, you've had too much already. Let's go back home," Megan suggested, looking at Carlos, who was leaning against the couch now, his eyes shut as if in deep contemplation.
When he opened his eyes, he took the phone out from his pocket and handed it over to Megan. "Call Tristan and ask him to drive me home."
"Sure."
Megan input the password, but to her surprise, it was wrong. Jealousy flooded her as she knew it must have had something to do with Debbie. She took a deep breath and said, "Uncle Carlos, I have no password."
With his eyes closed once again, he told her the numbers without even bothering to look at her.
On call, Megan seemed to have poor connection in the private booth. Tristan couldn't hear what she was saying.
