Carlos wore Debbie out in the car.
Did she make a mistake by coming to his place?
Debbie flew out to A Country early the next morning. The fans, having gotten wind of her arrival, had packed the exit of the airport, the crowd spilling onto the pavement outside. When she got off the plane, she was greeted by legions of fans. Upon seeing her, they screamed and jumped and waved excitedly while pushing forward to see her. Soon, the situation became chaotic.
The airport had to double the security detail. Guards were called in on their day off.
The huge crowd surprised Debbie. She hadn't expected to have so many fans. Were they all there just to see her?
Normally, it only took three minutes to leave the gate and get outside. But today, it took her half an hour.
A car was waiting for her outside. Her phone had been buzzing. Debbie didn't hear it until she got in the car. "Yeah, Debbie speaking," she said.
"The house James bought overseas is for Stephanie. It's worth 200 mil."
'Stephanie? Why is James so nice to her? Just because she's going to be his daughter-in-law? Something fishy here, ' Debbie thought to herself.
"Cool. Keep an eye on James, and keep me posted."
"Sure."
"Thanks, bye." After she was off the phone, Debbie conferred with Ruby about her itinerary for the next two days.
Later, they checked into the hotel they had booked. Debbie wasn't in the mood to go outside. She stayed in the hotel and dialed someone up. "Hey, handsome. I need a favor."
"A favor? Uh-oh, I have a bad feeling about this." The person on the other end was nervous. What was she going to ask?
Debbie smiled and said, "I need you to chase a woman."
"What kind of woman? Hey, I'm a nice guy, not a womanizer," he said seriously, no hint of a joke in his tone.
Debbie rolled her eyes. "You going to help me or not? If you turn me down, I'll tattle to your brother."
When he heard this, the person smiled smugly. "Yates is taking a vacation with his wife. He's not even in A Country."
"That's okay. I've just arrived in A Country. Let's have dinner together. My treat," Debbie said happily as she stood by the window, enjoying the view.
"I just got wind of your arrival. You're even hotter than me now. I don't know whether to be impressed or jealous! Maybe a bit of both." The man closed the news app and sighed.
Debbie shook her head, joking, "You're kidding right? I'm nothing compared to you. You shine like the sun while I'm the glow of a lightbulb."
Kinsley Feng rolled his eyes. "My brother doesn't have time for you, so you come to me. You sure know how to use your connections."
"I'm flattered. I remember you felt sorry for me when you heard my life story. So are you gonna help me or not?"
"Fine, but how do you know I'm in A Country? I just got here. I was still in America this morning," Kinsley asked, impressed by Debbie's information network. He assumed Yates let her know about his whereabouts.
Debbie replied with a giggle, "I just know. We have a special connection."
"Knock it off! Yates says you're Carlos' woman. Carlos will hunt me down if he thinks I'm putting the moves on you. So don't even joke about that. Just tell me where you are, and I'll come over." Actually, Yates had discovered who she was long ago. He played things close to the vest, not interested in getting caught up in their affairs.
"Great. I'll text you the location. See you later."
As night fell, Debbie stepped out of the car and ducked into a Chinese restaurant, her head bowed and face obscured by a mask.
To avoid more gossip, she brought Ruby along.
In a booth, a tall, handsome man was waiting for her. When he saw her, he scratched his grey hair and complained, "The paparazzi saw me and snapped a few pics. If they see you with me, the rumors will fly, and dozens of girls' hearts will be broken."
Debbie took off the mask and sat opposite him. "I'm not scared. What are you afraid of?"
"Afraid?" He managed to look affronted. Debbie was sure he was faking it. He lifted his head and looked down his nose at her. "I'm a gentleman who would rather die than break someone's heart," Kinsley Feng protested, throwing her a cigarette.
Debbie caught it. But after a quick glance at it, she rolled it across the table at him and said, "No thanks. I quit."
She had learned to smoke from Kinsley Feng. For two years, she had lived like a walking zombie. It felt like a hole had been punched in her chest, and in place of a heart there was only a black void. As she smoked, she watched the cigarette burn and the smoke waft away into the air, as if her grief floated away with it. When she found out that Carlos was alive, she felt alive again and gave up smoking.
"Wow, the power of love." Kinsley put the cigarette back into the pack.
Debbie ignored his tease. Opening a file on her phone, she said, "Here, that's my target. If you can make her fall for you, then my path to Carlos' heart is clear."
Kinsley swiped up and down, taking in what he could. When he saw the woman's name and picture, he slid Debbie's phone back to her and replied, "That's Stephanie Li. She is like a goddess in the business world. You must be kidding. Besides, she's with Carlos now. If Yates is afraid of Carlos, what makes you think I'll mess with him?"
'Yates is afraid of Carlos?' Debbie thought. 'Interesting, but unlikely.' "Yates must have lied to you. Carlos looks serious and distant, but he's really just a teddy bear," Debbie argued. 'I've tussled with him a lot. He never hurt me.
All the stories about him being hard and cruel are just fake news, ' she thought.
"Huh! You sure we're talking about the same guy? You haven't seen what I have." Kinsley leaned forward and looked at her conspiratorially.
"What?"
"I watched Carlos torture a guy. Beat the tar out of him, then tormented him mentally till he was on the brink of madness. That was when the guy broke down and told Carlos everything he wanted to know. Carlos was only 24 years old." The torture was bloody and merciless. Kinsley spared Debbie the details which made him shiver every time he thought of them.
Debbie widened her eyes in incredulity. 'That doesn't sound like Carlos.' "That's not Carlos. He's a great guy."
"Bwahaha!" Kinsley laughed so hard one might mistake him for a lunatic.
Debbie was unhappy. "I'm serious. A couple saved his life, and he took their daughter in and has been fostering her for years. Doesn't that mean anything? That girl is Megan Lan. You know her, right?"
Having the cigarette in his mouth, Kinsley replied, "First time for everything. This is the first time I've heard someone say Carlos Huo is a nice guy. Listen, Debbie, he's only kind to you. That Megan girl is doomed if she pushes his buttons."
"Wait a minute. Why are we arguing about Carlos? Let's stay on track. I want Stephanie Li out of the way. Just do me this one favor and hit on her, all right?" Debbie picked up an abalone and put it on Kinsley's plate.
Kinsley snorted. He didn't touch the abalone. Nor did he speak.
Debbie went on, trying to persuade him, "Not bragging, but Carlos used to listen to me back when we were still married. I can keep him from going after you. I can tell him to call you 'Brother, ' because I do. How does that sound?"
"Well, sounds great. But since I'm a month older than him, he should call me 'Brother.'"
"He ever call you that?"
Kinsley Feng fell into silence. Of course not. Because he wouldn't do that without good reason.
"So, please, Kinsley, just help me this once. I'll put in a good word for you and ask Carlos to fund your plays," Debbie begged, refilling Kinsley Feng's glass.
