"Yeah. Wesley quit the military. He's planning to study in England. He'll probably drop by before he leaves, saying goodbye to his family. After that, he won't be back for a long time," Carlos said. So, Blair would be safe staying with the Li family. Wesley wouldn't have to know.
Debbie was speechless. 'Poor Wesley. Good luck to you, ' she prayed, shaking her head.
But then, she suddenly realized something. Wesley would be taken in by the same trick, something she'd done to Carlos, too.
As she was thinking, she sensed Carlos' intent gaze. She tilted her head and met his deep eyes. Piggy slumbered in his arms.
"Why… Why are you staring at me?" Debbie uneasily touched the tip of her nose, and leaned her head against the glass window of her car door.
Carlos asked sarcastically, "The whole Li family is keeping a secret from Wesley. Sound familiar?"
Debbie was taken aback. Did he read her mind?
"Didn't think I knew?" Carlos asked a bit angrily. But deep down, he felt happy to see Debbie's frustrated face. She had been ordering him around and giving him the cold shoulder these days. Finally, he had a chance to fight back.
The young mother felt guilty. She decided to pretend to be innocent. "What do you mean?"
He flashed a smile and pulled her closer to him. Looking down at her in an arrogant manner, he scoffed, "Don't play dumb. My mom, Xavier, Yates, Ivan and the others knew your marriage was fake. I didn't. They kept the secret. I was the odd man out, like poor Wesley."
Debbie felt embarrassed. Since Carlos had figured it out, it was pointless for her to hide it anymore. "How did you know?" 'But wait… Everyone knew I didn't love Ivan, and my wedding to Ivan was part of my plan to win Carlos back. But not everyone knew the licenses were fake, ' Debbie thought to herself.
"That's not the point. The point is, you're good, aren't you? You had them all charmed—Xavier, Yates and even my mom. You got them to play along with you." Thinking of this, Carlos really wanted to punish her now, but…he didn't dare. He kissed her forehead with force, as if he were protesting how she treated him.
Debbie chuckled. "Hey, don't blame me. Not my idea."
He sighed resignedly. "Blame you?"
Suppressing her laughter, Debbie pretended to be indifferent. "Yes, blame me. You're good at holding grudges. Let go of me. I want to get out."
The car had arrived at the manor. Debbie got out first. Then Carlos carried the sleeping Piggy out and caught up to her.
The housemaids grabbed the suitcases and carried them into the villa. As they walked inside, Debbie gently patted the little girl's back and said, "Piggy, baby… We're home. Wake up. Grandma's here."
Miranda knew they were coming home today, so she was waiting at the manor.
Piggy slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Debbie and swept her gaze around the house with her sleepy eyes. In a haze, she called out, "Mommy…" But then, she cradled her dad's neck and went right to sleep again.
Blame it on the jet lag—the little girl seemed really drowsy. Carlos said, "Let her sleep for a while longer. I'll put her to bed upstairs."
Debbie nodded in agreement.
Miranda asked in a low voice, "How long has she been asleep? If she sleeps now, she'll be up all night."
"A hair over ten minutes," Debbie said as she changed into her slippers and walked into the living room with Miranda.
"Okay then. Let her sleep."
After tucking his daughter into the quilt in the kids' room, Carlos came downstairs. He told Miranda, "Debbie and I aren't having dinner at home tonight, Mom. Get the chef to cook up something for you and Evelyn."
Miranda nodded and asked casually, "Going out?"
"Tonight is Barlow Xu's one-hundredth birthday. We're invited to his party," he said matter-of-factly.
Debbie looked at him in surprise. "Hey! You didn't tell me that."
"Would you have come if I did?" he retorted.
She was wordless. And he was right. If he had told her about it, she would have just had him drop her and Evelyn off at her apartment. "But why are you so sure I'll go now?"
Ignoring her question, he shifted his gaze to the housemaids standing by. "Bring them out."
"Yes, Mr. Huo."
Two minutes later, three housemaids walked over to them, carrying boxes. Debbie opened one and looked inside. There was an evening dress, a pair of high heels, and a set of jewelry.
Obviously, he intended for her to go, by force, if necessary. He made a gesture to indicate the boxes. "Dress, shoes, accessories…they're all here, all customized for you. Put on them and then I'll take you to a salon."
"No…"
Debbie wanted to turn him down but Miranda interrupted. She explained with a smile, "Barlow Xu is well-respected. He holds traditional views on relationships between men and women. Every guest there will be family, or spouses. No lovers or friends allowed."
Nonetheless, Debbie still tried to excuse herself. "But we're not—" She left her sentence unfinished.
Carlos said nothing. He understood what his mom meant, and he was sure that she'd side with him this time.
As he expected, Miranda continued working on Debbie. She grabbed the evening dress and handed it to the young mother, whispering, "Don't be stupid. Now you can prove you're his wife. I know you're still pissed, but look at the big picture. This is a good thing. Get it?"
Debbie listened to her. She made sense. Miranda had told her she could be mad. She could throw tantrums or yell at him. But if she wanted to be Mrs. Huo, she needed to do everything she could to achieve that goal.
Still reluctant, Debbie pursed her lips and glared at the silent man. He looked back at her, feigning innocence. Then, she took the evening dress from Miranda's hands and nodded, "Yeah."
She went upstairs to get changed.
Mother and son sat opposite each other on the sofa. Miranda poured two cups of tea, and offered one to Carlos. "James had a private meeting with Funk Zhang, assistant general manager from Pinsent Group. Something seems fishy. Keep an eye on them," she advised seriously.
Carlos took a sip of the tea and replied calmly, "I know. James helped Funk Zhang land a big account before. That fattened both their wallets. What timing. James must be feeding the guy insider news."
Miranda smiled understandingly. "Let me guess. News leaked to them by you?"
"Of course." Carlos smirked. He wasn't going to let that sly old fox outwit him this time. The news he let slip was fake. Now he could get at James and Funk Zhang, or even purchase the Pinsent Group.
After chatting for a while, Carlos went upstairs to check if Debbie was ready. Debbie had just changed into her evening dress and was about to don the high heels.
As soon as he came into the bedroom, he saw Debbie dressed in the pale apricot fishtail gown. Only thin layer of lace covered her shoulders and arms, so her sexy collarbones were revealed.
The color complimented her fair skin and the vintage style made her look elegant. Carlos was smug. He had such good taste.
As he stared at her with passion in his eyes, he began to fantasize. He knew what lay beneath that dress, and he wanted to see it. God knew how much he wanted to take that dress off her and make love to her.
After some wild fantasies, he swallowed hard and composed himself. He dismissed the maids. Then he walked up to Debbie. When she looked at him confusedly, he suddenly knelt on one knee and helped her put on the shoes.
Debbie stared affectionately at the man helping her with her high heels. She was so moved. Ever since he regained his memory, he treated her so well, even better than when they were first together. She told herself to keep him at arm's length, but each time he treated her like this, she couldn't be mean to him. She didn't know what to do.
