'As easy-going as Debbie?' Carlos shook his head. "I don't think so. It must be my genes. Debbie isn't an easy-going person at all," he said curtly. She was a hard nut to crack. If she were easy to handle, he would've already had her by his side. It was way more difficult to coax her than to snag a one hundred million contract.
On the contrary, he would easily surrender to her as soon as she gave herself to him.
The ever-aloof Miranda was amused by Carlos' childish words. A rare wide smile crept across her face as she said, "Your genes? What would Debbie say to that? If you were easy to handle, she wouldn't have had to suffer so much in the past months. See how angry she is with you now."
Carlos couldn't find a word to say. He was stumped. It was a scoff from his biological mother.
When he said nothing in reply, Miranda changed the topic and asked, "How are you going to deal with James and Stephanie?" The smile on her face was replaced by a serious look.
Carlos drank the remainder of the juice that was left in Evelyn's glass before answering calmly, "There's no hurry."
He wouldn't let them die peacefully. He wanted to torture them slowly, inch by inch, and exhaust them physically and mentally.
"Uh huh. Fine, I'll leave them to you. But be cautious, James is cruel and heartless. He'll probably try to get his hands on Evelyn. It would be wise to tighten the security around her. She needs more armed bodyguards," Miranda suggested. As she thought of the possibility of danger, she decided to stay in the manor for the time being until Carlos finished off James and Stephanie for good. She would then consider whether she should move out or not.
"Yes, I will do that."
Carlos didn't need to do anything much to deal with Stephanie. Because ironically, it was now her turn to become the target of cyber-bullying. As arrogant and proud as she was, Stephanie could hardly endure the negative comments on her. She was already devastated.
Debbie received Carlos' messages every day since she had flown to France. Today was the seventh day of her stay there. When she finished her work and returned to the hotel at midnight, she received his text again. "Honey, did you miss me today?"
Lying on the bed, she typed, "No."
Carlos didn't mind her cold reply. He continued to text her. "You should stop lying to yourself. You miss me. You can tell me that you do. I won't judge."
Debbie choked on her saliva when she saw his reply. He had recently gotten very good at sweet-talking. Was this really the stoic CEO she had known for years? Did he find someone to teach him some romance?
She didn't bother to reply and closed her eyes to rest. Her phone buzzed again. "Honey, I love you," his message said.
Debbie smiled. Of course, she knew how much he used to love her before he had lost his memory. Now, his memory was back, and his love for her was stronger than ever. Nonetheless, she still tried to stay angry at him. "Mr. Huo, I'm just one of your staff and you're the CEO. You're beyond my reach. I'm not expecting any love from you. I just want to earn my saly and make a living."
"Babe, gimme some sugar, and I'll give you everything in return. My body, my heart… Everything that is mine belongs to you."
Debbie got goose bumps as she read his brazen words. She put her phone away without replying.
Two minutes later, she grudgingly got out of bed and plodded towards the bathroom to shower. She was exhausted after the whole day's work.
She regretted having accepted this commercial job in France. The work was signed for fifteen days and there was still eight days left. She would be drained of energy by the end of it.
The eighth day of the event was the most relaxing day for her so far. She had a dinner party that night and she could go back to the hotel earlier than usual. She was going to hang out in the streets of Paris and do some sightseeing if the party ended early.
Luckily for her, the dinner did end very soon. She left the restaurant with a colleague from France and they walked together since they were heading in the same direction.
Her colleague was a muscular man, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He very much appreciated Debbie's music, so they had a lot in common to talk about.
"Debbie, I would like to develop my career in your country as well. Do you think your compatriots will like someone like me?" the man asked as he flexed his elbow to show his bulging biceps.
Debbie was amused. She laughed, "Of course. A lot of girls love muscular men like you. They feel—" She stopped mid-sentence as she gazed into the distance in front of them.
Suppressing the shock that was travelling through her entire body, she finished her sentence, "—safe."
The foreigner noticed the change in her expression. He followed her gaze and saw a man and a little girl standing ten-odd meters away, looking at them.
The man was dressed in a white woollen sweater, black leisure trousers and a black overcoat. He was handsome, but his eyes radiated disturbingly cold calmness. One glimpse at him, and you'd never forget that face.
Next to him, the little girl was holding a doll in her hand, her straight hair done up. She was wearing the same style overcoat as the man, with a belt tied around her waist and a pair of light-colored princess shoes.
They stood there, holding each other's hands. With the artistic buildings of Paris in the background, they looked like figures from a breath-taking oil painting.
Some passers-by took out their phones and began snapping pictures of them. Debbie heard someone marvel in Chinese, "Wow, he's so hot. Is he a model? Is that his daughter? I wonder who the mother is."
Debbie tittered under her breath. 'Of course, that's his daughter, and I'm the mother, ' she thought proudly.
"Debbie, do you know them?" the foreigner asked curiously.
She nodded, without taking her eyes off the father and daughter duo. "My ex-husband and my daughter," she said with a sigh.
The man threw a glance at Carlos and asked, "I heard from someone that your ex is the CEO of an international group. Is that him?"
"Yeah." Debbie waved to her daughter.
Evelyn instantly broke free from Carlos and began walking towards her mother.
Debbie squatted and stretched out her arms, expecting the little girl to run and jump into her embrace.
However, she didn't.
Debbie squatted there, embarrassed, as she watched her daughter gracefully walk towards her with the doll in her hands. Debbie was still in a daze as Evelyn walked up to her and gave her a hug. "Mommy, I miss you."
Debbie wanted to cry and scream. 'Why is my dear baby becoming as cold as her dad? She's only three years old!'
Kids, they say, are easily influenced by the adults whom they spend most time with. Evelyn had been staying with Miranda and Carlos for a while and now, she had become as aloof as those two.
She scooped her daughter up and pecked a kiss on her cheek. Then she turned to her friend and introduced, "This is my daughter, Evelyn. Baby, say hi to Uncle Davis."
The foreigner greeted Evelyn cheerfully, "Hi little girl, my name is Davis. Nice to meet you!"
Evelyn smiled politely and waved her hand at him. "Good evening, Uncle Davis. Good to see you too."
Both Debbie and Davis were shocked by how fluently the three-year-old girl spoke English.
Debbie knew that Piggy could say a few simple English words. But so fluently? She had no idea.
Davis was excited. "Wow, Debbie, your daughter is amazing. She's cute and clever!"
As Davis was speaking, a tall figure came over and embraced the mother and daughter. Carlos planted a kiss on Debbie's cheek and said in English, "Honey, I've missed you." Before she could react, he looked at the man who was still very excited by the scene in front of him. The two gentlemen shook hands. "Thank you for taking care of my wife. Sorry, we should get going now."
