"Megan is family. Why should she not be so close to Carlos?" Valerie snapped.
Before Debbie could respond, Carlos held her hands and told her in a calm voice, "Deb, Megan is just a kid with a lot of enthusiasm. You're overreacting. Let's go upstairs."
'An 18-year-old kid? With a lot of enthusiasm? She has a thing for you. Why can't you see it?' Debbie retorted in her mind.
With red eyes, Megan apologized again, "Aunt Debbie, please don't be mad at me. If you're not happy, I will keep that in mind and stay away from Uncle Carlos."
Debbie was fuming with rage. 'So you all think I'm the bad guy here? Fine! I'll be the black sheep.'
Debbie shook Carlos' hands off and walked up the stairs. He started after her. She suddenly turned around and shouted at him, "Don't follow me. Leave me alone."
Before Carlos could say anything, Megan stepped backwards as if she were intimidated by Debbie, and Valerie stood up from the couch. "Debbie Nian!" she shouted imperiously. "Don't talk to my grandson that way! He's your husband! The husband is always right!"
'The husband is always right?' Debbie rolled her eyes secretly. 'This woman is positively medieval!'
She wanted to say something back. But on second thought, Valerie was Carlos' grandma, so she bit back the words she would like to have said.
Putting his hands in his pockets, Carlos chimed in, "Grandma, you're wrong. It's the 21st century, and a wife has as much power as her husband when it comes to family. Please stay out of it, Grandma. Megan, keep Grandma company."
After saying that, he grabbed Debbie's hand and walked up the stairs.
Although Debbie had lost her temper at him in front of his family, Carlos made his stand clear and defended her. Valerie couldn't believe her ears. 'Carlos used to be a proud man. I didn't expect him to defend such a rude woman.'
She grabbed her walking stick tighter. "Women have as much power?" she retorted. "Only when she's from a family of equal social rank. What kind of family does she come from? A rich and powerful one?"
'Ah, that's why no one in his family likes me, ' Debbie mused. Bitterness flooded her as she lowered her head to hold back her tears.
Carlos was angered by Valerie's words. Despite the fact that he was still mad at his wife, he felt he should defend her against his own grandma. And he also felt he shouldn't have to. Debbie was his wife. He chose to love her, marry her, and spend his life with her. This was his choice, not his family's. And it was ridiculous to think that he didn't have a say in this. Why did they think they had a say, anyway?
Carlos looked Valerie in the eye and said in a serious tone, "You know what? I don't care if she has money or power; I love her. We had dated for a long time before she finally agreed to be with me. My wife is hot, and doesn't love me for my money. If it weren't for the marriage certificate, she might have been another man's wife. Grandma, will you please stop poking your nose in my business? If Deb leaves me because of you, it will cost me a lot of time and energy to get her back. She's my one and only."
Carlos just wanted his grandma to stay away from Debbie. He wanted to remind Valerie that even if she succeeded in driving Debbie away, he would by no means accept another woman as she wished.
Valerie was exasperated. Pointing at Debbie with a shaking hand, she yelled, "What's so good about her that you had to date her for a long time? Do you know what she did to me and Megan? She bullied us, and then went out on a date with another man. She's nothing but a ho! She even has a lover in New York. How could you be so blind?"
She banged her stick on the floor; the sound reverberated in the living room.
'Bullied Grandma and Megan? Impossible!' thought Carlos. His eyes darkened as he said, "Grandma, Debbie has always respected you. Bully you? Ha! And Megan, you just held my waist, right? Your aunt Debbie just overreacted. She doesn't hate you. Grandma, please don't mess with my family."
Debbie's anger vanished when she saw Carlos defend her like this. His words touched her heart deeply.
Carlos felt Debbie brush his hand away, and got confused.
Before he could respond, Debbie walked towards Valerie, took a deep breath and said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry, Grandma. Maybe I'm not the granddaughter-in-law you want. But I can assure you I love Carlos. A lot. I would never cheat on him. What's more, we've been married for more than three years. If you really hate to see us together, I'll try to not show any public displays of affection. Okay?"
Debbie decided to make peace with Valerie for Carlos' sake. He had done a lot for her, and she should do something in return.
'Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. When I first knew the Huo family didn't like me, I should've tried to make them like me instead of standing up to them, ' Debbie mused.
Now that Debbie had already made a concession, Valerie didn't think she should press her luck. Otherwise, Carlos would think she was crazy. She decided to let Debbie go for now, and she would find a new way to deal with her. Sitting back on the couch, she snorted, saying nothing more.
Debbie gave Valerie a smile and went back to Carlos. They went up the stairs, hand in hand.
After they entered the bedroom, Carlos shut the door behind them and then walked to the study adjoining the bedroom. He opened his laptop and began to work, without saying a word to Debbie.
'What?! I thought he wasn't mad anymore.
Turns out I was wrong, and he's still angry, ' Debbie thought.
She sat on the bedside, wondering what she should do to cool him down. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her mind. She entered the study quietly and sat on the couch.
All of a sudden, she held her back with her right hand and cried, "Aaaargh! It hurts! My back!"
Carlos stopped typing and stood up. He strode towards her and asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Your back hurts? Let me take you to the hospital."
"No… No… No need for that. I can handle it."
"No! I must take you to the hospital." He scooped her up in his arms and was about to leave.
Debbie cuddled his neck and said quickly, "Don't take me to the hospital! I just feel like I'm sprouting wings."
Carlos stopped and looked at her in disbelief.
His reaction amused Debbie, and she wanted to laugh out loud. But she knew he would get angry again if she did. So she said playfully, "Honey, I've developing wings."
Instead of putting her down, Carlos took her to the bed and threw her onto it. He began to strip off her clothes while saying, "Well, I'd like to check how your wings are coming along. What kind of bird are you, anyway? Never mind, let's have fun finding it out."
