Debbie's sudden refusal made Gregory's heart ache, but he was reluctant to give up. "Debbie, this expo is being held by the ZL Group, and many international celebrities will be attending. Invitations are hard to come by. Emmett, Kasie, and Jared will be there as well. You'll be going abroad soon, right? Why not take this opportunity to have some fun?" After a pause, he added while feigning indifference, "If you really don't want to go, it's fine. I'll go with Colleen and her boyfriend. I hope they don't give me the cold shoulder for ruining their date."
Debbie was confused. "I thought you didn't like these kinds of activities. Why are you mad keen to go this time?"
"Oh, here's the thing. I collect watches. And this is a world-wide expo. There will be many limited-edition watches. I really need to see them in person."
Debbie began to wonder, 'It's held by ZL Group. Carlos just asked me to go to an expo with him. Is it the same?' "Will Carlos be there?" she asked.
After some hesitation, Gregory murmured, "He will be there, but…" He didn't know if he should tell her the truth. He didn't want to drive a wedge between the couple.
Debbie's heart skipped a beat when he said "but," and she asked, "But what?"
"Nothing. Didn't he tell you about the expo?" he asked curiously. The whole world would have its attention turned to the expo, and Carlos should be taking his wife to it. Yet…
"He told me, but I refused to go with him," she said honestly. Now, for some reason, she regretted having turned Carlos down.
Since Debbie had already declined Carlos' offer, Gregory didn't think she would accept his invitation. "Well, since you want to stay home, I better leave you be. Bye, Debbie."
"Wait!" Debbie stopped him. "Gregory, did Carlos do something to you after he had seen us together at that restaurant?" On one hand, she was afraid that her petty husband would've done something to hurt Gregory. On the other hand, she sort of knew that he wouldn't because Gregory was Colleen's brother
"No, he didn't. Carlos is always nice to me," he replied. The truth was, when the new semester began, most of the teachers began to pay more attention to him.
They left him with more homework, and made him the class monitor and commissary in charge of literature and art. He was much busier than before.
They had said that they were doing this for his own good, but he didn't like it at all.
"Great!" Debbie heaved a long sigh of relief. "By the way, you said 'but.' But what? What did you want to tell me?"
Gregory hesitated for a while before answering honestly, "I heard from someone that Carlos was attending the expo with… Portia Gu."
Debbie couldn't believe her ears. 'What?! Portia Gu? That woman again? She is everywhere!'
She gulped and asked, "Why Portia Gu?" She hated that woman.
"Sorry Debbie, but I don't know why either. I'm curious too. After all, Carlos had shut her out from the entertainment circle before. And now he is attending the expo with her. It is really confusing."
Portia was a college student, and was not related to Carlos in any way. But he had taken her out as his date a couple of times recently.
Gregory wondered, 'Is it because Portia is pretty?
But Debbie is more beautiful than her.'
Debbie frowned at his words. 'Carlos had shut her out before? Why didn't he tell me about this? Why did he do it? Was it for me?'
"Gregory, I'll go with you," she said all of a sudden. She wanted to keep an eye on Portia in case she seduced her husband.
She had already rejected Carlos, and the latter had decided to attend it with Portia. So she had to go to the expo with Gregory.
After hanging up, Debbie went to the walk-in closet to pick out her dress. She left her phone in the bedroom.
In the meantime, Carlos kept calling her. He had earlier switched her phone to mute mode while she was asleep. She was only able to answer Gregory's call because she happened to be playing on her phone at the time. Carlos called her several times, but she wasn't aware of it.
At ZL Group
Carlos stood by the French window, his phone in his hand. Zelda stood before his desk, holding her breath.
After a long time, Zelda swallowed hard and broke the silence. "Mr. Huo, Miss Gu has been waiting for you for thirty-five minutes now," she said nervously.
Since Debbie wasn't answering his call, Carlos had no other choice. "Fine, I'll go with her."
Zelda nodded and was about to leave when he added, "Let my wife know."
She couldn't believe her ears, so she had to confirm. "Let Mrs. Huo know that you are attending the expo with Miss Gu, sir?" She really couldn't believe that the intelligent CEO would be so childish sometimes.
Well, Emmett and Tristan had already gotten used to their boss's abnormal behaviors when it came to his wife. However, it was Zelda's first time dealing with this.
"Hmm." Carlos put his phone on the desk and walked towards the lounge.
He knew what was on Zelda's mind, but didn't bother to explain. 'I have a possessive wife, and I have to play along, ' he thought. He didn't realize that he was the same as well.
Last time, when he had gone to the fashion show with Portia, Debbie saw it on TV and smashed it into pieces.
He didn't want to piss her off this time, so he tried calling her many times. But she didn't answer.
Zelda would have to tell her on his behalf. 'If Debbie calls me after learning about this, I'll pick her up and declare something important to the public using this opportunity.
If she acts as if nothing happened… No. That won't happen. I know her well, ' he thought with a smirk.
At the New District Exhibition Center
Most of the rich and powerful people in Y City had gathered at the venue. The place was flowing with all kinds of people.
The jewelry and watch exposition was being held by ZL Group. The company had been preparing for this event for months. Vintage jewelry and limited-edition watches produced by the ZL Group were to be displayed at this event.
The two spokesmen at the exposition were popular international stars.
Hundreds of security guards were responsible for the security of the venue. The parking lot was occupied by luxurious cars. Some people had to park their cars about two kilometers away from the venue because of the immense crowd.
Prominent figures from various industries were pouring in—officers, businessmen, and celebrities. Men were in their best suits, and women in beautiful dresses.
When Debbie and Gregory arrived at the venue, they had to park their car a kilometer away and walk to the building.
Debbie had chosen a pair of five-centimeter stilettos to match her evening dress, which rubbed her heels all the while she walked.
Many who didn't have invitations stood outside the building. They were mostly fans of celebrities, and had come a long way to support their idols.
Gregory showed the guards their invitations, and led Debbie inside. The place was decorated extravagantly. The jewelry and watches were separated from each other by individual glass cases. There were thousands of people in the building already.
