"What?" Carlos asked, confused.
He walked to Debbie and saw the news on her phone. Without any change in his expression, he locked the phone screen and said, "I'm not that bored. Colleen tipped the reporters off."
'Huh? Colleen?'
And then Debbie remembered it. She had asked Colleen to help her find out which hotel was Carlos' favorite.
"Will this have a negative impact on you?" she asked in worry.
Carlos held her close to his body and said, "I slept with my wife. What's wrong with that?" According to him, there was nothing unnatural happening. They were married and they just happened to have spent a night together in a hotel. He didn't have any reason to demand the news be deleted as he had done before.
During their lunch, Debbie kept checking her phone screen, hoping to learn how things were going outside. No sooner had she clicked on the news than Carlos said, "Eat." Debbie put the phone down without complaining.
After the meal, Debbie secretly replied to her friends' messages while Carlos was talking on the phone.
"Don't worry. I was the one with Carlos last night."
Her friends were shocked. One after another they posted the Blood Vomiting emoji.
Debbie clicked on the news on Weibo, which claimed that Megan was stood up at the party because Mr. Huo was on a date with a mystery woman at a hotel. The news also said that the two hadn't left the room all night and that Carlos' phone wasn't switched on until noon the next day.
Carlos had some clothes brought to the room. After getting changed, Debbie walked over to him and asked, "What do we do now?"
Calm as usual, Carlos simply straightened his clothes and pulled her into his arms. "Are you still sore?" he asked. She was walking funny, he noticed
Debbie flushed. After hearing his question, she realized that the soreness had indeed not gone yet.
She nodded. The next second, Carlos picked her up in his arms and asked, "Do you need to see a doctor?"
Debbie stammered with embarrassment, "N-No."
It was just a process that every woman had to go through. She knew that she would be fine after getting some rest.
"I'll drive you home before I go to the company."
"Okay."
To her shock, the entrance of the hotel was packed with reporters. The paparazzi were thrilled by the latest gossip.
Usually, any news about Carlos would be covered up immediately. And both the reporter and the press would pay the price for even getting anywhere near him.
This time, however, there was no interference from his side. ZL Group didn't respond to the news as it spread like wildfire. It looked like both the company and Carlos were giving their silent approval to the news.
Carlos exited the hotel and appeared in front of the reporters carrying Debbie in his arms. Cameras were flashing left and right. Questions rang out from all sides relentlessly. Debbie had never seen so many reporters at one place before. She kept her face buried in Carlos' chest. All the press could see was the figure of the girl in her pink down jacket, wearing a bun. One thing was clear—the girl was pretty young.
As they witnessed the intimacy between them, everyone was convinced that the news was true.
Because of the commotion, at least ten security guards rushed to the door to maintain order and keep the reporters at a safe distance from Carlos.
Tons of questions were raised all at once. Everyone wanted to know the identity of the girl in Carlos' arms and what his relationship with her was. Out of nowhere, a reporter brought up Megan. "Mr. Huo, how do you define your relationship with Miss Megan Lan?"
"Mr. Huo, you were supposed to be at the dinner party with Miss Lan last night. But you didn't attend the party. Who is this woman in your arms? What's your relationship?"
"Mr. Huo, are you two getting married?"
"Mr. Huo, is this the other woman who stands between you and Miss Lan?"
Debbie felt furious. How did she become 'the other woman'?
Carlos had been calm all the while, but the reporters' last question made him halt next to the car. He cast a sharp glance at the reporter who had asked that question and the man almost fell to the ground.
"I'll only say this once. Megan Lan is my niece. The girl in my arms is my woman."
His last sentence stirred up a wild sensation among the reporters. They all wondered about the kind of woman who was lucky enough to be Carlos' woman. But since Debbie kept her face hidden, they never got a glimpse of her.
After Carlos and Debbie got in the car, Emmett closed the door and told the reporters in a formulaic way, "This is Mr. Huo's personal matter. Please focus your attention on the new product launch event of ZL Group. Thank you."
The car drove away soon after, leaving the bunch of reporters behind. Debbie didn't raise her head until they were out of sight. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you all this trouble. I shouldn't have booked the room," she said in a low voice.
She had never expected that getting a room with her husband was such a big deal.
"Don't worry about it. This news will help publicize the new product launch event," Carlos comforted her.
In all honesty, he was not fond of advertising new products by hyping his personal affairs. As for today's news, he didn't think he owned anybody an explanation. Nor would he pretend like nothing had happened.
His words soothed Debbie.
Back at the villa, Carlos walked her to the living room and kissed here forehead. "Do you want me to take you to school?" he queried.
"No, that's not necessary. I'll ask Matan to drive me. Now, go to work."
Her response was just as he had expected. Without another word, Carlos left the villa for work.
Slipping on another outfit, Debbie packed her books and went back to school.
On the way, she skimmed the news on her phone and updated her Weibo. After the incident at the hotel, she got to know more about Carlos.
As a successful businessman, he interested the press even more than some movies starts. That morning, the news about Carlos had crashed the Weibo app. As far as Debbie knew, no celebrity had drawn that much attention.
A picture a reporter had snapped when Carlos had carried her out of the hotel had become the hottest news. In the picture, Carlos' face was very clearly seen, while her face remained hidden.
The title of the news read, "Mr. Carlos Huo declared that the girl in his arms was his woman."
Within half an hour, the news had received hundreds of thousands of comments and countless likes. It was re-posted like wildfire.
Carlos' fan-girls wailed in the comment section, "Carlos, my dream man! I've loved you for so many years. And now, you've found the one. Be happy!"
"Mr. Huo has always kept a low profile. I can't believe that he has girlfriend."
"Damn! Carlos Huo is the best-looking guy in the world. I'm drooling on the other side of the screen."
"Carlos, my love for you will never die. Even though you have a girlfriend, I will still love you. Boo...hoo."
"My woman, so cool! Mr. Huo is bloody awesome! Wish you so much happiness forever."
Seeing all the comments, Debbie realized that there were so many girls who loved Carlos the way she did. She obviously had dozens of rivals in love.