Before ending the call, Ivan added, "I don't think I'll be good company. I'm too busy. So maybe bring a friend?"
"Okay, good idea," Debbie said.
After ending the call with Ivan, she thought about Kasie and called her right after. The girl on the other end was applying a Pure-Clay Clarify.
"You available the day after tomorrow?" Debbie asked.
"Yeah. What's up?" Kasie's voice sounded muffled as she was smoothing out the mask on her face.
"We'll be spending a few days in a seaside resort. Wanna come?"
"Sounds good. How long?"
"Why—I don't know. I'll ask and text you later."
"Okay."
The two girls chatted a little while longer before saying good night to each other. After hanging up, Debbie went straight to bed. But she didn't go right to sleep.
She suddenly thought of a question and texted Carlos. "Who is Decker, exactly?"
Debbie realized she really didn't know him.
She remembered when they lived together. She was busy with her career and didn't really know what he did all day. All she knew was that when she came home he'd be playing games on his phone. So she figured he was a mobile gamer.
After what happened tonight, she needed to step back and take a fresh look. This wasn't the same Decker she used to know.
He couldn't have changed like that overnight.
It was probably more accurate to say that she never understood her brother. Probably, the Decker she saw tonight was who he really was.
As she was immersed in her thoughts, she received a reply from Carlos. "He's your brother. Not mine."
Debbie really wanted to punch that man. 'You jerk!' she cussed angrily.
"Yes, he's my brother. But we lost contact until about 3 years ago. He didn't even want to admit we were related at first. He finally gave in, but that was when he started treating me like his personal ATM." Debbie texted Carlos again, telling him the truth.
Three minutes later, Carlos replied, "He lied to you."
"What?"
"It's not for me to say. Just…look into it."
Debbie was irritated, but she didn't dare throw a tantrum now.
So she simply replied, "Good night."
The next morning, she got up, stretched, and briefly considered making breakfast for Decker. But, when she poked her head inside his bedroom, he was gone.
Even the bloodstained bed sheet was gone. 'So was it a dream?' she thought.
She called him, but his phone was off.
Of course, Debbie had no choice. She hired someone to investigate Decker. She was really worried about him. 'What's he up to? How did he get hurt?'
When Debbie and Kasie got to the seaside resort, they found out who Ivan's friends were. Carlos, Stephanie, Wesley, Blair, Kinsley and Niles.
Seeing Debbie, Kinsley smiled and walked up to her. Then he flicked his fingers on her forehead and rebuked, "Long time no see. You forget about me?"
Massaging her forehead, Debbie snapped, "You haven't changed a bit—unfortunately."
Kasie could barely contain her excitement. She was practically jumping up and down. She looked at Kinsley and asked, "Are-are you… Are you really Kinsley Feng?"
Kinsley extended his right hand like a gentleman. "Yes, lovely one. Nice to meet you. I'm Kinsley."
Kasie dramatically wiped her hand on her clothes to make sure it was clean and took his hand. Her voice was thick with eagerness. "Deb, look. It's Kinsley. Here! I'm shaking hands with him!" Kinsley was an international superstar, the ideal type for girls across the globe.
"Yes, I see him. And stay away from this guy. He's a womanizer," Debbie said and seriously pulled her friend away from him.
Pissed off, Kinsley put his hands around Debbie's neck as if to strangle her, and retorted in a playful voice, "Telling stories about me again?"
Little did Kinsley know that his actions caught the eye of two men.
One of them coldly stole glances at them, while the other one went straight over. It was Ivan. He pulled Debbie to his side and said, "Let's go in. Lunch is ready."
The seaside resort they were at was a five-star tourist spot, with elegant, low-rise architecture, rooms lit by capiz shell-lights, numerous villas with private plunge pools, dozens of garden bungalows, dinner served on a canopied bed by the sea, and a view to die for.
Carlos and Stephanie walked ahead of the group. Wesley and Blair were behind them, but when Wesley didn't pay much attention to her, Blair took the chance to trot over to Debbie and grabbed her arm. "Debbie! Happy you're here."
"Feeling's mutual. I thought about inviting you, but then I thought Wesley might make you stay home. But surprise! You're here!" Debbie said blissfully.
Blair pouted her lips in anger. "I'm not here for fun, at least that's what he tells me. It had something to do with Carlos. Mr. Wen and Kinsley are an unexpected bonus. Xavier was here, too, but he left already."
The truth was, they arrived there in different groups. Carlos, Stephanie, Wesley, Blair and Niles were one group; they had come here on vacation. Then, after they arrived at the resort, they bumped into Ivan, Kinsley and Xavier. Since they all knew each other, they decided to spend the holiday together.
Debbie and Kasie were the last ones to arrive. Everyone else was already there. That was why Debbie was surprised to see some unexpected people there.
The table was already set, and the different courses had arrived. They had myriad sorts of seafood for lunch, such as lobsters, abalone, sea urchins, sashimi… Debbie took a deep breath, her mouth watering. She looked at the other people around the table and asked casually, "Who's paying?"
Ivan put a bottle of red wine before her while saying, "Don't worry. Carlos has the tab."
Kinsley took his chopsticks and said, "Just enjoy yourself, Debbie. Money is nothing to Mr. Huo. He's on honeymoon, so he's in a good mood. Let's just rip him off."
Debbie's facial expression changed abruptly when she heard his words.
"Wow! Honeymoon? So when are they getting married?" Niles asked, deliberately adding fuel to the fire.
Blair caught a glimpse of Debbie's face. The poor girl. Blinking her eyes, Blair asked Wesley in a sarcastic tone, "So they're on some kind of lover's retreat? You didn't tell me that."
Wesley frowned. "Carlos didn't tell me."
Pulling a dramatic face, Blair nodded, "If I knew that was going on, I would have stayed home. I don't want to be a fifth wheel."
Debbie suddenly stood up. "Oh crap. I forgot to wash my hands. Just start without me."
"It's not a honeymoon. We're just here to relax,"
Carlos' voice suddenly rang from behind her, as if he was trying to explain.
Debbie didn't stop walking. She mocked in her mind, 'How could he possibly explain anything to me?'
Stephanie's smile froze on her face when she heard Carlos' words. Embarrassed, she echoed him, "No, it's just a vacation. After we get married, we'll honeymoon in another country."
Everyone was silent. No one was interested in replying to her.
They didn't start eating until Debbie came back from the ladies' room. As if nothing happened, she sat casually between Ivan and Kasie. Ivan picked up a slice of salmon sashimi to her plate. "Here. Have some. You must be starving."
"Thanks." Debbie then bowed her head and focused on the food.
Maybe because she had already gotten used to the heartache, she managed to collect herself and changed her mood in a short time. Now, she began savoring all this seafood on the table.
