Eager to go, Elmer refused to listen to them. He stood up and made his way to the door. "I'm sorry I really have to go. Hey, next time I'm buying…" His voice trailed off as he reached the exit. The door was pushed open from the outside. Everyone was surprised as the newcomer walked in. "M-m-Mr. Huo?" Elmer stuttered.
They looked at Debbie, who was just as stunned as they were, and then all of them stood up and walked toward Carlos.
"Hurry. Mr. Huo is here," Mr. Li urged the others. "Good evening, Mr. Huo," they greeted Carlos in unison.
Carlos inclined his head slightly and cast Elmer a sidelong glance. "Where are you off to, Mr. Xue?"
"Er…n-nowhere. I… Mr. Huo, this way please," Elmer replied. Since Carlos was here, he realized that he couldn't leave now, so he put on his biggest smile and led Carlos to the table.
Slippery as an eel, he had already regained his composure before they even reached the table. Smiling at Debbie, he asked, "Debbie, why didn't you tell us Mr. Huo would be joining us? We should have waited till he got here."
"That's okay," Carlos said before Debbie spoke. A waiter brought in another chair. "There," Carlos said to the waiter, pointing at the spot next to Debbie. The waiter left the room after placing the chair where he was directed and setting another plate at the table, complete with utensils.
'Way to be obvious, old man, ' Debbie thought resignedly.
The guests all gaped at what Carlos had just done.
To break the awkward silence, Mr. Li picked up a bottle of liquor from the table and walked up to Carlos. "Mr. Huo! So glad to see you. Let's have a drink," he said as he filled Carlos' glass.
Another guest echoed, "Right. We're all happy to see you." Then he turned to the waiter and said, "More salads for Mr. Huo. And hot dishes too."
Debbie just sat there, and watched it all unfold.
Originally, this was a thank-you dinner from her. But Carlos instantly became the center of attention. Everyone was fawning over him, and now the reason for throwing this shindig was overshadowed by the cold man's presence.
Debbie watched and was confused and conflicted by the whole thing. Just then, Frankie walked in with four bottles of alcohol in his hands. He put them on the table as a grand gesture and smiled at Elmer. "Mr. Xue, Mr. Huo heard that you had great taste in alcohol, so he asked me to bring these. They are of exquisite vintage, and are from some of the best years of these distilleries. You can't buy them anywhere else in the market."
Elmer looked at the exquisitely packaged alcohol and felt an urge to cry. He just sat there in stunned silence till someone nudged him. It was only then that he managed one of the most stilted smiles before saying, "Really? I'm so honored. Thank you, Mr. Huo. Bottoms up."
Debbie didn't understand what Carlos was doing.
She wanted to ask him, but she felt too embarrassed to ask with so many people present.
At the table, Carlos barely said a word. Most of the time he just sat there listening to the others talk about business, which was normal for him. He was known to listen more than talk. The one thing seemed weird was that he kept asking the waiter to fill Elmer's glass.
It baffled everyone except Elmer himself. He got it the moment Frankie came with the alcohol—Carlos was getting his revenge for the time Elmer tried to stick Debbie with a multi-million-dollar bill for alcohol. Revenge is a dish best served cold—or in this case, chilled to perfection. And Carlos could be very cold indeed.
Debbie didn't realize it until Carlos brought up the contracts between ZL Group and Elmer's company.
Directly and indirectly, Carlos was saying that Elmer had made a lot of money doing business with ZL Group. So Elmer, sweating bullets, finally came out with, "Dinner's on me. Everybody, enjoy."
"Thank you, Mr. Xue." Again, Carlos spoke before Debbie did.
At this point, a steamed fish dish was brought to the guests. The waiter intended to turn the table so that the dish was in front of Carlos with the fish's head pointing at him. But when the dish was about to stop in front of him, Carlos turned the table further and made it stop when the fish's head was pointing at Debbie. The waiter was taken aback. He hadn't expected Carlos to do that, but under the circumstances, he had to think fast, so he looked at Debbie, and recited what he was supposed to say to Carlos—"If a fish's head points at you, your every desire shall come true."
The situation got even weirder. People shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Debbie smiled awkwardly and tried to lighten the mood. "Why Mr. Huo, are you bribing me to toast you?" she asked.
Carlos gave a faint smile. "You work for me. Do I need to bribe you?" he said.
Debbie was even more embarrassed. 'God, sometimes he can be so hateful.' She picked up her glass and replied, "Of course not. Mr. Huo, this glass is a toast to you. Thank you for helping me at work."
She was trying to make her relationship with Carlos sound more official and less personal. "And after work too. Aren't you thankful for that?" Carlos observed.
Debbie felt her face was burning up with embarrassment. "Thank you! Thank you very much!" she said with a forced smile, draining her glass in one gulp.
By now, everyone got the gist of Carlos' remarks.
He was trying to tell everyone Debbie belonged to him, at work or at home.
Outside the private booth
Stephanie caught sight of Carlos' private booth after she walked out of the bathroom. "Who is using Mr. Huo's private booth tonight?" she asked a waiter standing in the hallway.
The waiter was too afraid to tell her. He didn't want to invite Carlos' ire by betraying confidential information.
Stephanie grew impatient. She took out a wad of cash from her purse and gave it to the waiter. "Money talks," she said. "Now you need to do the same."
After a look at the money, the waiter couldn't resist the temptation, so he began, "At first, it was Miss Nian, Mr. Li, Mr. Xue and some others. Then Mr. Huo showed up with some alcohol."
When the waiter finished, Stephanie's face twisted with jealousy and anger.
Debbie's name was like a blade, stabbing her in the heart.
Clutching at her purse, clenching her teeth, she stood there, eyes dangerous like a viper's. Clueless about what was going on, the waiter started sweating and finally fled with the money.
Stephanie cursed in her heart. She wished Debbie would just die. Maybe she'd drink herself to death, or choke on a bone or something. She paused for a minute and thought those fates too good for her. She prayed Debbie would be raped to death, drowned, or torn into pieces.
She had always loved Carlos, but all of sudden, Debbie showed up and turned everything on its ear. All her plans, made for nothing. She had his family's approval and everything.
Carlos was so aloof Stephanie was never able to figure him out. His weaknesses, hobbies, and dislikes were all hidden from her. So she hesitated to approach him. She was discouraged, and knew she couldn't win his heart.
Then Debbie came along, and Carlos fell madly in love with her. He fell for her again even after he had lost his memory. He loved Debbie with all his heart and soul. Even Stephanie could feel it. And she wanted that love for herself.
Debbie was just a singer. She had no powerful family, no status, no impressive diploma. She was bad-tempered, petty, selfish, jealous, and feisty. She was nothing.
Stephanie, on the other hand, graduated from a prestigious university. Afterwards, she had studied for two years in a foreign country. The Li family was powerful, and she herself had a head for business that rivaled many other magnates. She never lacked admirers. From time to time, she'd lose her temper too, but she had always been patient with Carlos, loving the man, caring for him. It was always her calling him, asking about his day. She gave up everything for him, threw away her time, her love, and her pride. She wooed him patiently. But in the end, he gave his heart to another woman.
How ironic!
