Nestled in Carlos' arms, Debbie shook her head and murmured, "You didn't wake me up. Hear that buzz? Someone sent messages in group chat."
Debbie was usually a light sleeper, and the person who had awakened her was none other than Jared. He met a girl recently and couldn't stop posting selfies with her in group chat on WeChat. He just wanted to show off.
Hearing that, Carlos furrowed his eyebrows and reached out to grab her phone to find out who was to blame. Debbie somewhat unsuccessfully tried to keep her phone away from him. She was wrapped in the sheets, and he could reach across the bed easily.
Afraid that Carlos might punish Jared again, Debbie immediately grabbed his hand and said in a charming manner, "Honey, it's no big deal. A friend of mine is overexcited about his S.O. Baby, I'm still really sleepy, and it's cold in here. Snuggle?"
Carlos realized she was covering for someone, so he went along with it. He curled his lips, got onto the bed and lay down beside his wife. He felt really uncomfortable now. He thought about taking a look at her phone, but somehow it didn't seem worth the effort.
Debbie rested her head on his arm and wrapped her arm around his waist. A satisfied smile found its way to her face.
"It's Sunday, but you worked all day. You must be tired." Debbie reached out her hand and stroked his face, concern showing in her eyes.
Carlos grabbed her hand and put it inside the warm quilt. "No, not really. Close your eyes and get some rest. You have a yoga class tomorrow morning."
The yoga class started early the next morning, so Debbie needed to get up earlier than usual. She liked to sleep late. If she didn't get to sleep now, she wouldn't be awake enough for the class.
"Okay. Night, Honey." She closed her eyes obediently and dozed off in his arms within a couple of minutes. She was tired, and the warm bed was inviting. If she had any dreams, she didn't remember them.
The next morning, since Debbie had to head to the college and Carlos had an important meeting, neither of them could drive Tabitha to the airport. So Damon offered to drive her there.
Debbie and Tabitha were saying their goodbyes at the gates of the villa when Damon's car pulled up. He greeted them playfully, "Wow, two beautiful ladies! Good morning!"
Debbie waved her hand at him. "Morning, Damon."
Tabitha's smile grew wider when she saw Damon. "I've been here all this time, and you never came by."
Damon gave Tabitha a hug and clutched his chest melodramatically. "Tabitha, you wound me. I heard you came to Y City, so I took the red-eye to get here. At least I can drive you to the airport. You know I wouldn't be able to eat or sleep if I didn't see you at least once."
Tabitha shook her head and sighed, "You silver-tongued devil. No wonder you had so many girlfriends."
"Shhh!" Damon raised his index finger and put it against his lips. In a low voice, he added, "I have a fiancee now. I'm a respectable man. We don't talk about that anymore. What if she heard you and dumped me? Then you'd have to find me a new fiancee."
Debbie rolled her eyes at what Damon just said. Damon and Jared were a lot alike, despite the fact that they had different mothers. She felt as if it were Jared she was talking to, and maybe that was why Damon soon became a friend of Debbie's.
The brothers both had glib tongues, had both dated countless girls, and both seemed to have nothing to do.
Tabitha took a look inside Damon's car and asked, "Really? A fiancee? Did you bring her along?"
Damon shook his head. "Nope. I just brought her back from abroad. Next time you're around, I'll take her to meet you. Or maybe I can take her to New York, so we can visit you."
"Sounds good."
Debbie's class was starting soon. After bidding goodbye to Tabitha and Damon, she got into her BMW, and Matan drove her to the college. Damon started the engine as well and drove towards the airport.
After the second afternoon class ended, Debbie got a call from Carlos. He said he needed to go to a nearby city on business. Debbie was surprised by the sudden news. "That's short notice!" She was not prepared for it at all.
"I know, babe. There's an emergency I have to fix. I'll be back in like a week. Wait for me, okay?"
"Okay." Debbie pouted her lips. The very thought of it made her feel unhappy. She didn't like to be separated from Carlos for long. When he was difficult, he was infuriating, but there were times he could be really sweet. And right now, things were going well.
Carlos suddenly remembered something and told her, "Deb, can you attend a dinner for me tomorrow evening? Emmett will keep you company."
"Attend a dinner for you?!" Debbie cried in utter disbelief.
"Uh-huh. A business partner is throwing a party, and he invited me a long time ago. I'll tell him who you are, so there won't be any problems." She wanted to keep their marriage a secret, and he was fine with it. But eventually, the truth would come out. He was the most eligible bachelor in people's eyes, but he couldn't really date because he was already married. It looked odd, and some people were talking about it.
He swore to himself that he would tell the media about his marriage once Debbie had graduated. Yeah, that would make it all better. She could get used to the limelight, and it wouldn't make things too uncomfortable for her.
Debbie was very nervous. "I… I don't think I can make it. What if I screw it up?"
"Don't worry, Honey. I already bought a gift for the host. You need only give it to him, and then find a place to enjoy the food and drinks there. Just be yourself, and eat everything in sight."
Debbie burst into laughter. "Come on! You brat! I'm not that bad!"
Carlos seemed to be in a good mood. He teased, "Really? Last time I was out on the cruiser, I saw a girl stuff her face with so many desserts. She looked a lot like you, actually."
Back then, Debbie had eaten plate after plate of dessert for more than half an hour without stopping once, which amazed Carlos.
'What? Cruiser? Wait. I remember now.' Debbie snapped, "Leave me alone about that! It was all Jared's fault. Once we got on board, he went after two girls and left me alone. I couldn't do anything but eat." Then she remembered how Carlos had treated her back then.
"Wait a minute. How dare you mention the cruiser! You ordered your men to throw me overboard!"
Debbie said through gritted teeth.
"You should've told me who you were back then!" Carlos defended himself. He felt so lucky right now that Debbie could swim. Otherwise, he would not be living a happy life now. He was grateful that she was in his life, and that she wanted to stay with him.
"So it was my fault you didn't recognize your own wife?"
"It was my fault, Honey. I'm really sorry. I swear I won't do stupid things in the future." Anxiousness could be heard in his tone.
Debbie accepted his apology and said, "Okay! I forgive you—this time." She wasn't hurt by the incident, but she was still humiliated.
"So should I say thank you?"
"Of course. But since we're family, don't be so polite. Haha…" Standing under a big tree, Debbie raised her head to look at the sun streaming through the leaves and flashed a big smile.
Family… For the first time, the word meant a lot to Carlos. "Will you miss me?"
"Of course, Honey."
Raymond Grand Hotel was a five-star hotel. Even driving up to it, you could see the 10 acres of blooming gardens, not to mention the gazebo and fish pond. And of course it had a richly appointed lounge and restaurant. The wealthy and shameless rubbed elbows here.
As darkness fell outside, luxurious cars stopped in front of the hotel gates one after another. Men and women in designer threads entered the hotel.
The Kasee Group had booked the entire hotel for its fiftieth anniversary. More than 1, 000 guests could be seen everywhere—in the main hall, in the garden, etc.
While the CEO of the Kasee Group made an opening speech in the main hall, the PR team responsible for receiving the guests waited at the hotel gates. The team leader raised her wrist to check the time. The dinner had already been going on for about seven minutes, but their special guests hadn't arrived yet. Their boss had specifically instructed them to treat the two guests with utmost respect.
The next moment, a red Pagani sports car raced along and stopped abruptly before the gates.
When she saw the car, the team leader realized the guests had arrived. It must be Emmett of the ZL Group and their mystery guest. With a big smile, she led her companions forward to greet them.
The girl in the driver's seat was none other than Debbie. Her head almost bumped into the steering wheel when the car stopped. But she was late, and she didn't want to be any later than this. The man in the passenger seat was in the same situation. His heart rate skyrocketed. He patted his chest to calm himself down and said, "Alright! Here at last!"
