The entire Y City knew that the ZL Group was going through a period of crisis and was making major changes. The company had held not only a management meeting but also a shareholders meeting and a layoff conference.
Soon after the conferences, five elites who had just graduated from abroad were appointed to be the top executives of the group. Each of them was competent enough to be the CEO of a regional branch.
The arrival of new faces also meant that some of the old employees would be leaving.
Sure enough, eighteen high-ranking managers had been fired in one day. Thirteen of them were sued by the ZL Group's lawyers for embezzlement, taking bribes, cooking the books and other illegal activities.
Three of the five elites that came were appointed as CEOs of the regional branches. Another one became the deputy general manager of the headquarters. The fifth, though, seemed to hold the lowest position among them. He was Dixon. He was appointed as the head of Carlos' secretaries.
The dismissal of the CEOs in some of the regional branches showed that the ZL Group was full of elites and that the company was resolute to put things straight. Those drastic measures brought out the desired effect. Some senior executives that harbored ulterior motives were menaced.
With all the changes that had taken place in the company, Carlos had been swamped at work. Miranda had been taking care of Evelyn, and they became used to not seeing Carlos for a few days at a time.
Debbie stood in front of the office building of the ZL Group and looked up at the logo and smiled.
Four years ago she was still very green and knew nothing about even cooking, let alone other things. However, she was determined to please the most important man in this building, so she learned how to cook and brought the freshly cooked dishes here. Just like she did now, she stood in front of the building, gazed up at the logo and went inside.
Four years ago she and Carlos were strangers. Although now they had become soul mates, the closest a person could be to another.
Debbie's cooking used to be terrible. However, after much practice and determination, she now cooked delicious meals and became an excellent cook.
Carlos had been too busy to eat regularly. He once complained about having a stomachache to Miranda, and then Miranda told Debbie about it. Debbie had felt bad, so she cooked a few dishes for him and decided to bring them to his office so that Carlos could have a nice meal.
When she walked into the building, none of the employees tried to stop her. They all greeted her politely and with respect. "Mrs. Huo."
"Nice to see you, Mrs. Huo."
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Huo."
Since Debbie and Carlos hadn't remarried, she was embarrassed by the way they addressed her. Tristan told her that Carlos gave specific instructions to the employees to address her as Mrs. Huo whenever they saw her.
On the 66th floor, all the secretaries were in their office. When the elevator arrived with a tinkling sound, all of them lifted their heads to look. Tristan was the first, then Frankie followed by Dixon.
"Doctor!" Debbie called out with excitement when she saw him. Tall and thin, he was wearing glasses and a dark-colored suit.
Rising from his seat, Dixon smiled at her. "Hi, Tomboy, I'm back!"
One of the other secretaries was surprised to see him smile. He had been working with them for two days, and not once had he smiled. However, he was smiling at Debbie now. The secretary wondered if he and Debbie knew each other from before.
Despite the gazes from the rest of the employees, Debbie ran toward Dixon excitedly and hugged him hard. Happy tears streamed down her cheeks. "Doctor, you're finally back! Carlos told me that you would be coming back. I'm so glad to see you."
Dixon patted her back to comfort her. "Yes, Tomboy, I'm back, and I'm staying." He had missed Y City and his friends dearly.
"Really? That's great! Do Jared and the others know you're back?"
"No, you're the only one who knows for now. I've just started this job. There's a lot to—"
Creak! The door of the CEO's office was flung open, and Carlos strode out and saw them hugging.
He walked over to them and pulled Debbie into his arms. Glaring at Dixon, he said in a cold voice, "Dixon, take this file and read it through. Highlight all of the errors and then deliver it to my office when it's done."
Dixon took the file. "Yes, Mr. Huo." He retreated to his desk resignedly.
The other secretaries all averted their gazes nervously and resumed their work.
Debbie wriggled out of Carlos' embrace. "I want to—" She meant to say that she wanted to catch up with Dixon.
But before she could finish the sentence, Carlos interrupted her. "Chatting at work isn't allowed. His salary will be deducted. Do you want that for him?"
Debbie pouted.
'Just admit you're jealous, and stop making excuses, ' Tristan mused when he heard what Carlos said.
Dixon waved to Debbie with a smile and pointed at the file in his hand, indicating that he had to go back to work.
Debbie let out a sigh and followed Carlos back into his office.
After closing the door behind her, she put the food containers on the desk in a sullen manner and said, "Here! Eat!"
When Carlos glanced at the containers filled with food, he was taken back to four years ago. Back then, Debbie was much sweeter and more obedient, unlike now when she was defiant and bossy.
Even so, Carlos was touched by her gesture and pecked her on the lips and said, "Thank you, honey."
Debbie had good intentions when she made the dishes for Carlos. However, after the way he acted a few moments ago when she was with Dixon, she had become annoyed with him. Debbie was so irritated that she was going to let him open the containers of food himself. Then she remembered how busy Carlos had been lately, and her heart softened. When Carlos went to wash his hands, she opened up all the containers of food and laid the various dishes out for him on the desk.
There were three vegetable dishes along with fish wonton.
Carlos sat down and took the chopsticks that she handed to him. "Why did you come over? Have you eaten?"
"Yes, I have eaten. I've got the day off today, but I have to go to a fashion show tonight." Debbie watched him eating, and subconsciously she was planning a reunion with Dixon, Jared, and Kasie in her mind.
"Okay," Carlos replied. He seemed to be enjoying the dishes and ate one wonton at a time.
After staring absently at him for a while, Debbie asked, "When did Dixon come back? He's much more handsome than before. He has the urban look about him and seems capable. What position does he hold now? How much will he make in a year? You'll pay him, right?"
Carlos gave her a sharp look. "Why do you care so much about Dixon?"
"He's one of my closest friends. We've been friends for many years. Of course, I care about him. You eat, and I'll go check on him." Debbie was itching to talk with Dixon.
Carlos abruptly put the chopsticks down and frowned.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"I've lost my appetite." He wiped his mouth with a tissue.
"You didn't like it?" she asked. 'That couldn't be the reason because my cooking is much better than before, ' she thought.
Carlos sighed sadly. "Instead of enjoying the moment with me, my wife has been thinking about another man all this time. How can I enjoy the food? Take it to Dixon."
Debbie rolled her eyes at him.
"Humph!" She wasn't going to humor his mood.
"Fine. As it happens, Dixon doesn't seem to have eaten. Since you haven't touched these dishes yet, I'll take them to him. You didn't seem to like them, anyway."
