"Wait. Just drop me here at the roadside," Debbie said. She didn't want to see Megan, nor did she intend to stop Carlos going.
Carlos looked at her and sensed the change of her mood, but he didn't know what she was unhappy about. "Honey, if those men take Megan, she will be in danger," he explained patiently.
But Debbie didn't respond.
When they arrived at the gate of Megan's housing community, the girl was cringing in a chair in the security guards' room, holding her legs.
"Megan!" Carlos called.
At his voice, Megan raised her head, ran towards him, and held him tightly. "Uncle Carlos, I'm so glad you're here. I was scared out of my wits."
"Don't be afraid. I'm here,"
Carlos comforted her gently. Seeing her husband holding another woman was bad enough, but his soft, warm consoling tone made Debbie feel even worse.
Some people used to say that her husband had a ruthless, cold soul.
But not to everybody, it seemed.
Gently he picked Megan up and carried her towards the car. "Open the door," he ordered the security guards.
"Yes, Mr. Huo," answered the guards in unison as one of them darted to open the back door quickly.
Then he turned to Debbie who had quietly stood by, watching. Thank God, he hadn't forgotten about her yet. "Deb, get in, please."
Debbie didn't want to get in the car.
Thankfully, as she was wondering what to do, her phone rang.
"Hi Tomboy, I'm calling just to ask where you bought the red wine last time," said Kasie.
"What? You're drunk? Where're you? Okay, I'm coming to pick you up," Debbie said on the phone.
Kasie was confused. She took her phone away from her ear and checked the service, which was good. "No, Tomboy, I am asking—"
"Oh, you are at home. Okay, stay put and wait for me. I'm on my way."
Before Kasie could respond, Debbie hung up. She looked at Carlos who was waiting for her to get in the car and said apologetically, "Sorry, Kasie is drunk at home. She is in a really bad mood right now. I have to go check on her. I'll stay at her place tonight."
Staring at her, Carlos didn't say anything back.
Megan, who was in his arms, clutched his shirt and said, "Debbie, go ahead if you have something to attend to. I'm already feeling much better and I don't see the need to hold you around. I'll watch over Uncle Carlos for you, just in case you're worried about him."
Debbie was startled at the girl's nerve. 'This manipulative bitch!'
"OK. Bye," she said and left in a huff.
When she turned around, she hoped he'd call her or stop her. 'Stop me. If you stop me, I'll get in the car and go back to the villa with you.' But till a cab stopped in front of her, he didn't call her or come to her to ask her to stay.
Carlos put Megan in the back seat and said, "Have a rest. I'll go—" He intended to tell Debbie that he wanted to drive her to Kasie's himself.
However, before he could even finish his sentence, Megan grabbed his sleeve and said in a feeble voice, "Uncle Carlos, I feel... I'm not feeling well... I...
think I need to take the medicine."
"Alright. Do you have any of the drugs with you?" asked Carlos. "Y-Yes," Megan answered, pointing at her bag with great difficulty.
After Carlos had given her the medicine, he turned to look for Debbie, but she was long gone.
Carlos was so upset he felt like cursing.
Debbie called Kasie in the cab and asked, "What did you call me for just now?"
Kasie didn't answer. She asked instead, "What's going on with you?"
Listlessly, Debbie replied, "Not much. Where are you? What are you doing?"
"I'm at a friend's party. I called to ask you where you bought the red wine last time. It really tasted great. Could we have some bottles delivered here?" Kasie asked without a pause. Only then did Debbie notice the noises at the other end of the phone. Someone was singing.
Quickly, she gave Kasie the address and hung up. Then she called Jared. "Where're you? "
"In a bar. Looking for a job for you. Where else can I be?" Jared replied resignedly.
A dog with full mouth does not bark. He had taken a VIP card from Carlos, so he felt obliged to take matters concerning Debbie more seriously.
"How is it going?"
"It's just settled. The manager is an acquaintance of mine, and he has agreed to pay you $1, 100 per hour. I was going to call you. When can you come for an audition?"
To be honest, the pay was good. Some bars paid two or three hundred a night. "I can go there right now."
Jared gave her the address.
When Debbie got to the bar, Jared took her straight to the manager. The manager had heard from Jared that Debbie had a very powerful background, so he looked at her more carefully.
Assessing her strong points, the manager was impressed by the confident aura and natural beauty. The only shortcoming was her low-key dressing, which didn't go with the ambiance of the bar. But that didn't matter as long as she could sing. And she blew him away with that melodious voice.
When she took to the stage, guitar in hand, one might have dismissed her for just another wannabe. But the moment she strummed the first chords on her guitar and belted out the first words of her song, the whole bar fell quiet in awe.
By the time she was done, the audience was rapturous. The more sentimental ones among them pulled out handkerchiefs to wipe teary eyes.
The manager, reading his patrons, requested her to sing something more cheerful to set a different tone for the night. From many years of experience, he knew how to play on their moods and make them keep buying.
On the manager's suggestion, a certain girl in the audience requested "Move Your Body," so Debbie picked that for her next act.
With smooth progression, she hit the refrain to another round of applause. The girl who had requested the song was ecstatic.
When she second song was over, Debbie took a brief rest, during which she suggested to the manager, "The customers can request any song, at a tip of 200 bucks. We will split the amount collected between you and me. What do you say?"
The manager gave her a complicated look. He suspected mischief in Jared's recommendation for Debbie. If the girl r Ally had a strong background, how come she seemed almost desperate to make money?
Even so, the manager agreed to her proposal. He motioned a host over and had him announce their arrangement on the stage.
Her charming presence on stage drew barflies, eager to impress her. Men trying to request a song forced their ways through the crowd towards the stage.
"Ever-glow," "I Do," "No Promises," "Against All Odds," "Better In Time," "Wings," ... She went through the requests with breathtaking finesse, ending each performance to a wild round of applause.
She had colluded with Kasie and devised their lies before she came to the bar. In case Carlos called Kasie, she would throw him off the scent. When Kasie ended the call, Debbie forthwith switched her phone off and immersed herself in the music.
From 9 p.m to 2 a.m, the tips went higher and higher. Despite the high price, Debbie's charming persona on stage worked to her advantage. The number of men trying to woo her by requesting songs seemed endless. And she just kept going for hours, until Jared, noticing she was drained came to drag her off the stage.
That night she had made a killing.
In self congratulation, she kissed the bucks with a satisfied smile. "It's unbelievable racking up so much on a single night out," she said to Jared who was watching her, equally blown away.
When they were alone, Jared couldn't help asking, "What exactly are you trying to buy? I've never seen you bust your ass like this."
Debbie cleared her throat and said, "I'll tell you later, but not now."
Jared rolled his eyes and snarled, "Friendship over."
Debbie patted his shoulder and comfort him, "Relax. Once I've made enough money, I'll never come to this place again. Then you won't have to worry anymore."
"It's good you can think like that. If you make any more trouble, your husband will skin me alive. How about I lend you the money you need so that you don't have to sing here anymore?"