Decker and Debbie were shocked into stunned silence when Carlos said Decker was not a good guy.
After kissing Debbie goodbye and cast a warning glance at Decker, Carlos got into his car and drove off.
The siblings walked into the elevator together. Instead of acting in a devil-may-care way, Decker walked a little slower, frowning, lost in thought.
When the elevator reached the seventh floor, the doors slid open, and they saw a woman waiting there. She wore a hat, a mask and sunglasses.
"Debbie, Decker…"
she called out, her voice trembling.
Debbie had no idea who it was until she heard the voice. That was when her face changed dramatically.
'I know I've heard that voice before, ' Decker thought. 'Wait! I remember now! She floated me a ton of cash!' He turned to look at his sister, who was obviously not in a good mood now, and asked, "You know her?"
Debbie didn't answer.
Ramona took off her hat, mask and sunglasses, revealing a pretty face. However, Debbie saw more winkles on her face.
She looked a lot like Decker, as a matter of fact.
Debbie looked like her father, while Decker got his mother's looks.
Decker's eyes went wide when he saw her unmasked. That face was unmistakable. He'd seen her on TV a lot. She was the famous singer, Ramona Lu.
She was also their mother.
Decker's face darkened. Without saying a word, he turned around and entered the elevator.
"Decker!" Ramona panicked and followed after him.
Decker, however, pushed her out of the elevator without mercy. He used so much force that she fell onto the floor outside the elevator car. He pressed the button, leaving her there.
The doors closed and the elevator descended.
Staring at the woman on the floor, Debbie clenched her fists and asked coldly, "What do you want?"
Ramona supported herself against the wall and struggled to her feet, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Happy birthday. I have a gift for you."
She was surprised to see Decker here, and she was thrilled she could even catch a glimpse of her son.
In an icy voice, Debbie said, "Keep it, and get out."
After saying that, she walked towards the door to her apartment and opened it.
Before she was about to close the door, Ramona stopped her and pleaded, "I'm just trying to give you something. I'll leave it in the living room and leave. Fair?" When Ramona had been waiting for Debbie in the hallway, she saw someone bring a ton of gifts to her apartment. She felt happy—her daughter must have lots of friends. 'She must be happy, ' she thought.
Debbie raised her voice and snapped, "Didn't you hear me? I said no."
Lowering her head and looking at the paper bag in her hand, Ramona murmured, "You're my only daughter. Keep turning me down and I'll have no reason to live." Her son and daughter were her only hope. Even though Decker was useless, she didn't mind at all.
Debbie shouted, "Will you stop?"
Ramona shook her head. "Come on, Deb. Let's talk."
Debbie took a deep breath and allowed Ramona to enter her apartment.
Frankie had already brought all the gifts sent by her friends to her apartment. The gift bags were on the table in the living room.
But she didn't see the platinum roses sent by Carlos. Ignoring Ramona, she looked around the living room, but to no avail. She then opened the door to her bedroom, and when she saw the gift box, she heaved a sigh of relief.
'Carlos probably asked Frankie to put it in my bedroom, ' she thought.
After closing the door, Debbie poured a glass of water for Ramona and said coldly, "Just sit down."
Ramona put the gift bag on the table and took the glass over. With a gratified smile, she said, "You look good, Deb."
Debbie said nothing, and sat on the couch.
"I've listened to every song you've put out. They're good, but they could be even better. I can help you if you want." The older woman used to be a professional singer. Her singing voice was simply gorgeous. She had been the most popular singer in the country, and it was only a matter of time before film producers started offering her roles. She gave up her singing career to become a movie star.
Debbie felt like a rebellious teen again. Unconvinced, she spat, "No, thank you." Normally when a veteran singer offered to work with you, you would say yes. But not Debbie, because this time it had nothing to do with business, but with blood.
Ramona smiled and took a sip of water. "I get it. You signed with Star Empire, and have the best lyricists and composers working for you. We need to talk about why I left. I didn't want to leave you and Decker alone. Elroy Lu forced me."
She had been waiting for this day for so many years. She wanted to tell her son and daughter her side of the story face to face.
Debbie was confused. "But he's your father."
"He is. But he hates the Nian family." Ramona was so glad that Debbie was willing to hear the story from her.
Debbie wanted to say something, but thought better of it. She quietly listened to Ramona.
Before Debbie's grandfather and father passed away, the Nian family was an important, wealthy clan.
The intense competition between the two families was fierce. The Lu Group was the loser, forced to go bankrupt. Not even a week later, Debbie's grandfather accidentally hit Elroy's beloved eldest son with a car and killed him.
In the business world, there are always winners and losers. And Debbie's grandfather running over Elroy's son was just an accident. Debbie's grandfather even sold many shares and properties to compensate Elroy for the loss.
But hatred burned in Elroy's heart. Everyone knew that Elroy loathed Debbie's grandfather and the Nian family the most.
Artie was Debbie's father. And Ramona falling in love with Artie was the last straw. Elroy tried to put a stop to this romance many times, but to no avail. Ramona and Artie married behind the old man's back, and she even gave birth to a son—Decker.
Elroy flared up and took Decker away from Ramona. He changed the baby's name to Decker Lu, and sent him abroad to let Debbie's grandfather know how it felt to lose someone close to you.
A year later, Ramona gave birth to Debbie. Elroy once again ordered his men to take Debbie away. Ramona begged her father again and again to let Debbie stay with Artie. And Elroy finally seemed to give in to her cajoling. But he had a condition—Ramona had to divorce Artie and leave the Nian family. Left with no choice, she did as she was told.
Because of the two kids, the Nian family also hated the Lu family very much. Elroy forbade his daughter from ever visiting her children. Of course, Ramona refused at first. She would never publicly go against her father, but instead met Artie and Debbie in secret. But Elroy found out. His men abducted Ramona and held her captive. He even tied her up and flogged her until she bled from many wounds.
From then on, Ramona didn't dare mention the Nian family again.
When Decker was five years old, he was left in front of an orphanage. Elroy kept his whereabouts a secret from Ramona and the Nian family. He even tried his best to make sure Decker would never amount to anything.
The Nian family mounted a search for Decker, but came up empty-handed.
