Since Carlos had warned Debbie to not serve him, she extended her full focus to the delicious food on their table. Instead, he served her the different dishes from time to time.
His smallest gestures brought tears to her eyes. She sniffed when she saw the bowl of soup that he had placed in front of her.
'Even though he has lost his memory, he still takes care of me so well, ' she thought, her chest welling up with happiness.
'It looks like all my efforts are paying off. Does this mean he will come back to me soon?'
"Are you crying?" Carlos' voice snapped Debbie out of her trail of thoughts.
She quickly picked up a tissue and wiped her tears. With a sweet smile, she denied, "No, no! I…" It was so obvious that she was crying. So, there was no point in lying. She nodded and said, "Well, these dishes are just so delicious. I want to come here again. Will you come with me next time?"
"You are crying because the dishes are delicious?" he asked, knowing that she was lying through her teeth.
Debbie nodded again.
Carlos put down the spoon in his hand and said, "Debbie Nian."
"Huh?"
"Do I look like an idiot to you?" he asked, staring into her tear-filled eyes. Her answer was an insult to his IQ.
Her eyes brimming with tears, Debbie forced a smile to hide her true feelings. She tried to make an excuse which he would believe. "I…I'm just too happy. You are the famous Carlos Huo. It's every woman's dream to have a dinner date and spend some time with you. But you are here, with me. I'm just excited."
Carlos snorted and picked up a clean tissue to wipe her tears. "Yeah, that sounds legit," he mocked.
His gestures were so gentle that tears started streaming down her cheeks. "Believe me! I wouldn't lie to you," she said.
Staring at the wet tissue in his hand, Carlos sighed. 'Why is she crying even harder now?'
"Stop crying! Otherwise…"
Under his threat, Debbie finally managed to stop the tears.
She thought of something funny and then said with a smile, "Old man, do you know why you fell in love with me back then?" Carlos shook his head with a smile, encouraging her to continue. She said with a wink, "It's because I'm so damn pretty!"
She laughed and that lightened the mood.
Carlos was glad that she had stopped crying. He felt a pang in his heart as he watched her tears. He raised his eyebrow at her suspiciously and asked, "Seriously? I fell in love with you because of your looks? I don't think I ever was that shallow."
Debbie giggled and went on, "Well, I'm not just good-looking. I'm also witty and strong. That's why you fell for me."
'That sounds more convincing, ' Carlos thought.
'She is indeed a pretty woman and the wittiest and strongest I have ever met.' He wasn't as surprised anymore that he had fallen in love with her in the past.
After dinner, they left the restaurant together. Debbie took Carlos to a nearby park for a walk.
She had initially said that the walk was for proper digestion, but when she saw the pastries and cupcakes through the windows of a dessert store nearby, she gulped her saliva and fixed her eyes on a chocolate cake. "Old man, how about a chocolate cake? The smallest one…"
The yearning in her eyes amused Carlos. Debbie was very different from other women he had seen before. Women were always conscious of their figure and were afraid of putting on weight. They wouldn't have too much food for supper, nor would they indulge themselves with desserts at this late hour.
"Wait for me here," he said and went into the dessert store.
Standing outside, Debbie looked at the man she loved through the window. Carlos picked up several cakes with different flavors and put them onto the tray he was holding. Within a few minutes, he strode out with five or six small cakes inside a paper bag.
He pulled Debbie into his arm. The girls in the store stared enviously at Debbie because she had such a caring and handsome date.
Unable to hold herself back, Debbie took out a chocolate cake from the bag and began to enjoy it.
She scooped a spoonful of cake and brought it to Carlos' mouth. He shook his head, but she grumbled, "You bought so many, I can't finish all of them. Let's not waste good cakes. Besides, I will surely gain a few pounds after eating so much. Come on! Take a bite. Let's put on weight together."
Grinning and not knowing how to turn her down, Carlos opened his mouth and ate the cake she was feeding him with so much love.
Later, when they had just gotten into his car, Carlos' assistant called him. There was an emergency meeting he had to attend at the company. Carlos wanted to take Debbie back home first, but she refused his offer and insisted that she take a taxi home.
Sighing in defeat, Carlos hailed a taxi for her. He waited until the taxi was out of sight and then turned around his car and drove towards the company.
At ZL Group
When he saw Carlos' car approaching the company entrance, Frankie trotted over. When Carlos got out, he informed him in a hurry, "Mr. Huo, they are waiting for you."
"Hmm." He handed the car keys to Frankie and walked into the building.
Frankie called out hesitantly, "Mr. Huo."
Carlos turned around and waited for him to continue.
Frankie approached him and whispered near his ear, "We found that someone had been following you for the past few days. It's… Miss Li."
Carlos furrowed his brows and replied in a cold voice, "I see."
'Stephanie is following me?' He was annoyed.
The senior executives and managers of ZL Group were all sitting in the meeting room, waiting for Carlos.
When he entered, they greeted him. After Carlos sat in his designated seat, James, who was sitting in the CEO's chair, began, "Now that everyone is here, let's begin the meeting." He looked around the table once and then continued, "Milo Yu of the Yu Group has passed away. Ben has been responsible for the project that they are handling in co-operation with us. Gentlemen, let's discuss what we are going to…"
Two hours later, after the meeting was over, Carlos and James entered the elevator together. James cast a quick glance at the expressionless Carlos and asked casually, "Carlos, you didn't come to the company this afternoon. What were you doing?"
Carlos' eyebrows shot up at being questioned. "I was not feeling very well. I was working from home." He made an excuse.
James' face was immediately filled with fake concern. "You were not well? Are you overworking yourself? How about taking a vacation?"
"No thanks, Dad."
"Okay. Did you see a doctor? Are you feeling better now?" If anyone saw this scene, they would believe that James was such a caring father.
They walked out of the elevator, followed by Frankie and James' assistant.
Carlos loosened his tie and shook his head. "Don't worry about me, Dad. I'm fine."
"All right. You are fine, that's all that matters. By the way, when are you planning to get engaged to Stephanie?" James asked in a feigned casual tone.
Carlos came to a halt, and James stopped beside him.
"Dad, I'm not getting engaged to her," Carlos said, his tone very serious.
James' expression changed dramatically. He looked around, making sure no one other than their assistants was around, and then asked in a low voice, "What do you mean by that? Why the sudden change of mind? Not too long ago, you told her father that you would get engaged to her soon."
