After the paramedics carried Ivan into the ambulance, Kasie walked over to Debbie and hugged her. "Debbie, I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
Debbie's voice was choked. "No, it's mine. You were kidnapped because of me." Aldrich knew he might be able to overpower Debbie, but not both her and her bodyguards Carlos had hired for her. So his best bet was to get her through Kasie.
With red eyes, Kasie held her tightly, unwilling to let go. "I was so scared. But you fought them off. Can you teach me? Then next time, things will be different."
Before Debbie could respond, they were taken down to the station for a statement. The police wouldn't be kept waiting.
Debbie had been at the police station way too many times. She started to think that she must have been jinxed or something.
Once they had given their statements and were allowed to leave, Kasie asked her parents to go home, and she accompanied Debbie to the hospital.
At the hospital
Ivan was still in the ER. The doctors were doing their best to save his life. They had the bleeding under control and washed the blood away from the wound, and several blood packs were brought in to replace blood lost from limbs and vital organs. Debbie and Kasie waited outside.
Debbie took her phone out of her pocket. The screen had been broken during the fight, but it still worked well enough. She found Carlos' number and texted him. "You saved my life. Thanks, old man."
She got no reply.
Debbie sighed. 'He must be mad at me.'
Several hours passed. Finally the sign above the door of the ER was turned off. The doctors walked out. "Doc, how is he?" Debbie asked one of the doctors.
The doctor nodded wearily. "Thank god we got to him in time. The bullet's out, and now we wait. "
Both Debbie and Kasie were reassured by his words.
They moved Ivan out of the ER shortly after the operation. Debbie and Kasie rushed over to the hospital cot as soon as they saw him. He was still in a coma.
When they were in the ward, Debbie let out a huge sigh of relief. This might be her fault, but at least Ivan was out of danger. Then she said to Kasie, "You must be tired. Why not go home and rest? I'll take care of him."
Kasie's mouth opened and closed. She wanted to say something, but then she remembered Ivan was Debbie's husband. Although Debbie didn't love him, they were married. Kasie's eyes clouded with that realization. "Okay. I'll thank him some other day," she said, dispirited.
Debbie sensed that something wasn't right with her. But she couldn't pinpoint what it was. In confusion, she nodded, "Okay. Have a good rest."
"Well, I'm off." Kasie gave the man in the hospital bed one last look before leaving the ward.
Finally, Debbie was alone with Ivan. She also realized she was parched and her throat was dry. She poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down.
Just then, her phone buzzed. It was Ruby.
"Hi, Ruby."
"Debbie, you're in real trouble. Mr. Xue found out you left in the middle of the shoot. He is really pissed off. He says he'll terminate the ad contract and sue you."
Debbie gasped, knowing she screwed up. "Did you tell him it was an emergency?"
"Yeah, but he wouldn't listen. What do we do?" Ruby asked anxiously.
Debbie leaned against the wall and closed her eyes to concentrate. "Call and apologize for me. Then invite him to dinner on the fifth floor of the Alioth Building tonight. And that's where I'll personally apologize."
"Alright. I'll give it a shot," Ruby replied.
The phone was hung up. Debbie contemplated a while. Then she texted Carlos. She wasn't sure whether he'd still ignore her or not. "Mr. Huo, me again."
Just as she had anticipated, there was no response. But still Debbie sent him another message. "I need a reservation for the fifth floor of the Alioth Building. I have to apologize to Mr. Xue from Longo Group tonight. But as you know, it's not easy to get a reservation there. Can I get some help?"
Debbie wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing. She felt like she was bothering him.
She waited till nightfall, but Carlos never texted back. Ruby called again. Elmer Xue said yes.
Something struck Debbie. She slapped her forehead and thought ruefully, 'There are tons of restaurants. Why did I have to choose the fifth floor of the Alioth Building? The most exclusive and the most expensive. Now that he's coming, I'm not sure we can even get in.'
After giving it more thought, Debbie decided to solve the problem on her own.
At that moment, her phone rang. She answered it casually, "Hello?"
"May I speak to Miss Debbie Nian please?" a woman asked in a sweet voice.
"That's me."
"Hello, Miss Nian. I'm the receptionist on the fifth floor of the Alioth Building. You have a booth reserved for you, starting at 6 p.m. When and where would you like us to pick you up?"
Debbie was perplexed. 'What?' "I have a reservation at six?"
"Yes. That's what we have entered in our system. Is there a problem?" The woman started sounding confused too.
Debbie's eyes brightened. "No, I'm good. I just forgot. Thank you for reminding me. No need to pick me up. Just pick up Mr. Xue from the Longo Group. Thank you."
"Noted. See you later, Miss Nian. Looking forward to your patronage."
"Thank you. Bye."
That was a load off Debbie's mind. 'Carlos is a great guy.
God, I love you, Mr. Handsome.'
Then she texted him. "Thank you, Mr. Huo. Kisses."
This time, she got a message from him. A brief one—"take a hike!"
"Okeydokey, bye." Debbie put her phone down with a smile. When she gazed at Ivan, who lay there quietly, she was seized by mixed emotions.
Should she tell Ivan's mom? Would Ivan get mad if she did? Stumped, she called Irene for advice. "Where are you?" she asked her.
"I'm in Milan for an MV. You should be making an MV on Jeju Island. Is it nice there?" Irene asked cheerfully.
Debbie sighed. "I've been so busy. My name has been cleared, but your brother was hurt. Work is stacking up."
"What happened to my brother?" Irene's voice was thick with worry.
"He was shot, but he's in stable condition. I wonder if I should tell…Mom and Dad about this." Debbie was about to say "your parents." Then she changed it to "Mom and Dad."
Since she was married to Ivan, his parents were now hers.
"Shot? " Irene's volume went noticeably higher. "What happened? Tell me."
Debbie said after a moment's hesitation, "Maybe you should ask your brother when he wakes up. Think I should tell Mom and Dad?"
"Nah. Just wait. Didn't you say his condition has stabilized? I'll check on him in a couple days. Mom hasn't been well the past two years. I'm afraid the news will stress her out."
"Okay."
"I'll have my assistant book a flight. I'll be out there ASAP."
"Talk to you then," Debbie said.
