"No, thanks. We'll get a cab ourselves. Go," Debbie urged, pushing Jared towards his car. "Tell me when Sasha gets back."
"Okay. Bye then."
After Jared drove off, Debbie and Kasie stood by the side of the road waiting for a taxi. Debbie's phone rang before they could get one. "Hi, Ivan."
"Debbie… if you're not busy, could you attend a dinner at Glory Hotel?"
"A dinner? Now?" Debbie checked the time. It was already 9:20 p.m.
"Yes. Many advertising agencies are unhappy about you leaving Z Country all of a sudden. Milo will be there too. You can apologize to him so we won't lose his business."
"All right then," Debbie said.
She gave her suitcase to Kasie. Kasie already knew where she was going, thanks to what she overheard of the phone conversation. "Want me to go with you?" she asked Debbie.
"No, just wait for me at home."
"Okay. Call me when it's all over. I'll ask the driver to pick you up."
"Okay."
It was nearly ten p.m. when she arrived at Glory Hotel. In the sumptuous hotel, she followed a waiter. They turned one corner after another and finally were at the booth Ivan had reserved.
Before the waiter pushed the door open, Debbie put on some lipstick to make herself look a little more vibrant.
There were more than ten people sitting in the booth. Debbie frowned at the thick smell of alcohol and cigarettes wafting in the air. The atmosphere was smoky, stinging eyes and lungs.
But before she could get used to the strong smell, a sonorous voice said to her, "Hey, look who's here. Debbie Nian, the superstar. It's a great thing to see you in Y City."
The voice sounded firm and sonorous. Debbie knew the owner. It was Milo Yu, the boss of a media company based in Z Country.
Debbie had met him twice already. He had a forthright manner. So far, they had gotten on okay. She had to be wary, though. She wasn't comfortable with him announcing her presence like that.
She smiled at him in return. The host led her to the table. "Mr. Yu—" she greeted the man as soon as she took her seat.
But when she raised her head, she saw who was in the seat of honor. She was so shocked that the rest of her words wouldn't come.
'Why… why is he here?' she thought.
For a moment, Debbie was lost in thought. Seeing Carlos threw her for a loop. Then she realized her improper behavior. She adjusted her mood quickly and put on a smile. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Yu. It's been a while. A toast to your health." Debbie remembered that she had come to apologize to the man, so she raised the full glass of liquor in front of her.
However, she could still see the man in the seat of honor out of the corner of her eye. He'd been silent, cold as ever. Her heart raced, and she tried her best to remain calm. Then not allowing herself to think about anything else, she drained the glass.
Milo laughed. "Excellent! Debbie, don't bail on me again," he said.
She drank some water to wash away the spicy taste of the liquor lingering on her tongue. "Of course not. But this time it was a family emergency. Mr. Wen didn't want my absence to affect your business, so he decided to find someone else to fill in for me."
Milo nodded, "I understand. But I won't be so understanding next time. You'll need a lot of money to cover our losses."
"Thank you, Mr. Yu. Another toast." To show her sincerity, Debbie gulped down two more glasses of liquor.
Milo didn't want to offend Ivan, so he dropped it. Then he started introducing the guests. "Debbie, allow me to introduce Mr. Carlos Huo, general manager of ZL Group. Mr. Huo, Debbie Nian, a popular singer in Z Country."
Instantly, everyone shut their mouths, because the people who had been in Y City a while recognized Debbie. They knew exactly who she was, and who Carlos was to her.
It was awkward and embarrassing. Debbie took a deep breath. Since Carlos had amnesia and had no clue who she was, she decided to pretend that they had never met before. "It's an honor, Mr. Huo."
Carlos glanced at her and nodded without a word.
Everyone at the table knew this was how Carlos was, so his response was nothing unusual.
During the meal, Debbie tried to act normal. But in fact, she was so nervous around Carlos. She tried to collect herself, not act flustered, and even figured out some things she could say by rote if someone tried to talk to her.
Later, Carlos got a call. He nodded at the others and stepped outside the booth to answer it.
A plan occurred to Debbie just then, so, after a minute, she left the table too.
She looked around outside the booth, but Carlos was nowhere to be seen, as if he had vanished into thin air. Debbie was disappointed and had to give up. To camouflage her embarrassment from failing to find Carlos, she walked towards the bathroom.
On her way back, she saw Carlos walk out of another booth. But his phone rang again, so he walked back inside.
Debbie trotted over and looked around. There was no one else in the hallway, so she pushed the door of the booth and followed him in.
There was only a dim light on in the booth. Carlos was standing by the window, talking on the phone.
Though his attention was on his mystery caller, he still figured out someone had entered the room. "Soon. Talk to you about it tomorrow," he said on the phone as he turned around.
When he saw Debbie, he paused and then continued talking.
Debbie walked around the dining table and stood in front of him.
She was now alone with him in a darkened room. Under different circumstances, this would be romantic, even erotic.
While talking on the phone, Carlos hadn't taken his eyes off Debbie since the moment she walked in.
Debbie smiled malevolently, took a single step forward and wrapped her arms around Carlos. She held him tight.
She felt his body freeze. To make her point, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips.
It was a light kiss, but somehow, Carlos felt it was special.
He had kissed Stephanie before, much like this. It felt different. It hadn't felt so…beautiful.
Debbie was a smart girl. Before Carlos pushed her away, she took one step back and said with a smile, "Old man, kissing you is just as beautiful as it ever was." Her gentle voice tugged at his heartstrings.
She turned to leave, but a hand grabbed her wrist.
She turned her head back. Carlos still held her fast. "Want more, old man?" He was merciless with his attention before. Now it was payback time. From now on, she would do exactly what he did to her.
Carlos ended the call and put his phone away. "What do you want?" he asked, staring at her.
Debbie was interested in the question. She grasped the hand holding hers and caressed it.
Being groped by a woman, Carlos was stunned.
Then it occurred to him that they were just strangers. He released her hand and stepped further away from her. "Say it."
"What do I want?" Debbie put on that malevolent smile again. "I asked you that a lot in the past. You know how you answered me?"
Carlos looked at her in confusion.
She walked closer to him and whispered in his ear, "I want you."
