Carlos shook his head and pecked her lips. "I should be the one to apologize. Sorry for making you suffer like this. Did Lewis do anything bad to you?"
"No, but he climbed onto my bed and I discovered it wasn't you…" Debbie hadn't expected Lewis to be so bold even in the Huo family's house. At first, she had thought that the guy who climbed on top of her was Carlos. But then the difference in weight and the scent of Lewis' cologne made her realize that it definitely wasn't Carlos. She got really crept out, and even now, when talking of it, she still felt her heart race.
Flames of rage flashed through Carlos' eyes. He asked between gritted teeth, "And then? What did he do?"
Though embarrassed, Debbie mustered the courage to tell him in a hushed voice, "He… climbed on top of me and wanted to…touch me, but I figured it out and stopped him at once."
At this point, Carlos' face had completely darkened. He suddenly broke his embrace, removed Debbie from his arms, and strode toward the doorway.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Debbie shouted anxiously. Without time to put on her slippers, she ran after him in bare feet. Thankfully, he hadn't gone outside, and the carpet was warm and soft.
Carlos turned his head around and spat, "To deal with him!"
Seeing the fuming rage in his eyes, Debbie got flustered. It looked as if he was going to eat someone. To stop him, she grabbed hold of his arm, shook her head and persuaded, "No, no. See, I'm safe and sound now, right? He didn't do anything. And you've already taught him a lesson. Come on, calm down, okay? I promise I'll be more careful next time."
It took him a moment to compose himself. Letting out a deep sigh, he noticed her bare feet and immediately, carried her in his arms. "Where are your slippers?" he rebuked. He didn't like it when she went barefoot. Not only was it unseemly, but it could be unsafe.
Debbie threw her arms around his neck, staring into his eyes. "You just got here. I have you all to myself finally. Don't go anywhere now, okay? I'm tired. Come to bed?" she said, using her cute tone in her favor. She knew Carlos was a man of his word. Once he made a decision, it would be hard to change his mind. Even though Lewis was his cousin, he would still find him and jump him.
Most of the Huo family members already disliked her. And earlier tonight, Carlos had punched Lewis and James in front of the other family members. After tonight, they hated her even more. Now, if Carlos did anything terrible to Lewis, the Huo family would never forgive her!
"Okay, I hear you," Carlos promised, regaining his composure. He tucked her into bed and covered her with the quilt. Then, he shed his clothes before entering the bathroom.
Lying prone in the bed, Debbie whined, "Mr. Handsome, it's less than ten below zero outside. You didn't sweat today and you change your clothes every day. Why shower now? The water will go to waste!"
Carlos stopped his steps and looked toward the complaining woman, feeling baffled. Hesitantly, he replied, "I need to wash my feet."
"Okay, be quick!" Debbie nodded happily.
However, much to Debbie's frustration, that germophobe still chose to take a long shower in the end…
When he finally climbed onto the bed, Debbie clung to him and joked, "Next time, I'm going to quit showering for a whole week and hug you like this. So have I turned you off, seeing that I'm unwashed?"
Breathing in the fragrance of her hair, he said casually, "So what? Even if you don't bathe for a whole week, I still can kiss you all over!"
Debbie couldn't believe her ears. 'Mr. Huo, aren't you a germophobe?' she wondered.
Stroking his short hair, she recalled what happened earlier. In a jealous voice, she asked, "You've been busy all day long. You must be absolutely bushed. Why did you cook for Megan?"
Carlos tightened his arms on her and explained slowly, "For the past five years, I've been looking after her like this. I didn't think much of it tonight. But if you don't like it, I guess I can stop." He had never turned down Megan for anything she wanted in the past five years. Cooking a bowl of noodles wasn't a big deal, so of course, he didn't refuse to do it either.
'Don't like it? Of course I don't like it!' Debbie sulked. "Yes, I hate that you put yourself out for her. You work hard all day, and then you take care of another woman after work!" she protested with concern in her voice.
Smiling, he kissed her on her forehead. "It's sweet that you worry about me."
"Of course. You aren't her husband, so she doesn't worry about your health. But I feel my heart ache!" Yes, her heart ached when she knew Carlos personally cooked for Megan. But it wasn't just about his health, but also for the jealousy. The jealousy was really killing her.
Clever as Carlos was, of course he could comprehend the subtext of her words. "Sorry, sweetheart. I didn't know it bugged you so much. I'll take note of it and never let it happen again, okay?"
Debbie couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She leaned over his chest, hearing his heartbeat. There were times that she felt this man was actually a fool who tried his best to make her happy. Yet, maybe he was not stupid at all because his strategy always worked. Even though she had almost drowned in jealousy, how could she be angry with him anymore after hearing his sincere apology?
On the third day, an unexpected guest came to visit Debbie in Carlos' private villa.
It was Miranda.
"Hi, Aunt Miranda," Debbie greeted her with courtesy.
"Hmm," Miranda responded nonchalantly and went straight into the living room.
Watching the woman walking in, Debbie wondered, 'Why did Miranda show up all of a sudden? Did Carlos know anything about her visit? Or did she come here to seek justice for her son?'
Miranda turned around when she reached a sofa. Staring at the confused girl, she sat down and said, "Carlos has deprived Lewis of his position in the company."
"What?" Debbie asked, trying to understand what was going on.
A housemaid came and served a cup of tea to the guest. After smelling the strong tea aroma, Miranda took a sip, relished the lingering flavor in her mouth and then put down the cup.
Elegantly, she crossed her legs and continued, "It wasn't easy for Lewis' father to make him a general manager. But yesterday, Carlos fired him from that job and set him up in the secretarial department. Lewis has to start at the bottom and work his way up by himself."
'So…her purpose is to seek justice for her son?' Debbie asked in her mind.
She suddenly felt the air pressing in around her as she could sense the coldness and arrogance radiating from Miranda. Even though she spoke in an elegant way, there was a hint of power in her voice, just like Carlos.
Awkward, Debbie cautiously sat opposite her, cleared her throat and replied, "Aunt Miranda, I never meddle in company affairs nor do I understand… Since it's Carlos' decision, I can't interfere…"
Miranda stared at her. "I'm not asking you to interfere. I just came to inform you of it."
This left a question hanging in the air. 'What did she mean? Isn't she telling me this on purpose?
Isn't she asking me to put in a good word for Lewis so that Carlos would give him his old job back?' A lot of questions went through Debbie's mind.
Awkward silence filled the living room. Debbie wasn't a talkative girl in front of unfamiliar people, and Miranda too was aloof with few words, which made the atmosphere even weirder to Debbie. However, it didn't seem to affect Miranda at all, as if she were used to silence. She went on to enjoy the cup of tea in a relaxing mood. In order to stifle the silence, Debbie had to start a conversation herself. "Um…so… Are Lewis and Dad doing well now?" she stammered.
Miranda nodded her head without saying a word.
Debbie cried in her mind, 'Honey, come back now! Save me!'
"Is your flight tomorrow?" Miranda finally opened her mouth to ask.
As if she were being saved from this awkward situation, Debbie nodded her head vigorously and replied enthusiastically, "Oh yeah. We'll take a flight tomorrow afternoon and arrive in Y City the day after tomorrow."
Miranda took out her phone from her handbag. "Add me on Facebook. Contact me in private if you need my help."
"Okay!" Debbie hastily pulled out her phone, opened the app and shot Miranda a friend request.
Her account name was exactly her own name: Miranda. After that, Miranda suddenly looked into Debbie's eyes and requested, "Don't tell Carlos anything about James. Just pretend you know nothing."
Her words dumbfounded Debbie. She wondered if Miranda also knew something about James' secret.
Before she could formulate a response, Miranda stood up from the sofa. "You can probably guess what's going on. Whatever you think, you're right. And that's why Tabitha has depression," she said, sounding sarcastic. With her eyes becoming sharp, she cautioned, "And be careful of Megan. She's a great actress. Don't be kind to the family. Don't cut them any slack, or you'll have dug your own grave."
After tidying her clothes, she walked toward the door in an arrogant and graceful demeanor. Before she left, she turned around and left her last words. "Don't feel bad. That night, Carlos did a good job. Lewis and James deserved it. I'm going back to work. Goodbye."
