Not only did Carlos provide everything for Debbie materially, but he also supervised her school performance whenever possible. It just didn't make sense for her to slack.
Taking a deep breath, Debbie bragged with a smile, "I'll be more successful than you are. I'll take over your position and make you stay at home to take care of the house. If you upset me, I'll make you stand barefoot on a porcupine. And, if you make me happy, I may take you outside for a vacation. It feels great just thinking about it." She laughed.
Amused by the gloating look on her face, Carlos chuckled. He kissed her hand and said, "I'm looking forward to the day that your aspirations are fulfilled and you take over my position. I'll be glad to take care of our baby at home and cook for you for the rest of our lives."
He couldn't help but smile as the scene played out in his mind.
Hearing him mention the word "baby," Debbie blushed as she felt her heart leap in her chest. 'Having a baby with him would make me unbelievably happy, ' she thought to herself.
All of a sudden there was a knock on the door, which startled Debbie out of her day dreaming. Pulling her hand away from Carlos' grip, she picked up the glass of juice on the table, pretending to take a sip.
Carlos' hand was left motionless in midair. He was so surprised by her reaction, for a moment, he forgot to put his hand down. "Debbie Nian, is it so embarrassing to be with me?" he asked quietly.
Clueless to the pain that her reaction had inflicted upon her husband, Debbie asked in confusion, "What? Of course not." In fact, it was quite the contrary. Debbie wished the whole world knew Carlos was her husband.
It was just that Carlos' identity was too significant, so she wanted to be inconspicuous.
Remembering the person at the door, Carlos answered, "Come in!" The door opened and the waiters entered holding numerous dishes in their arms. It was time to eat.
The dishes were served efficiently. As the waiters left the room, Carlos began putting food onto Debbie's plate for her to eat. He continued to do this until she was stuffed. Afraid that she still wasn't full yet, Carlo offered to order even more dishes.
Before he could call the waiters back, Debbie grabbed his hand, put it on her belly and said, "I'm so full. Touch my belly and check it out yourself."
Assured that her belly was bulging out, Carlos closed the menu with one hand, while his other hand moved upward away from her belly.
"Carlos Huo!" Debbie yelled, grabbing his rogue hand.
A satisfied smirk flitted over his face.
"Let's go." Carlos stood up as if nothing had happened.
As he began to walk away from the table, Debbie quickly followed him, sliding her arm into his. "Are you going back to your office?" she asked.
"No, I have to meet with a client at Clouds Road. I can drop you off at school if you'd like."
"Okay," Debbie replied.
That evening, after school Debbie dropped by her aunt's house to bring her some lipsticks before heading back to the villa.
"Debbie, this brand is insanely expensive. How can you afford it? Where does the money come from?" Lucinda asked. She knew Debbie's husband was supporting her, but she didn't know how much he gave her each month, nor did she know who Debbie's husband even was.
Debbie grabbed Lucinda's arm and whispered, "My husband bought these for me, but there are too many of them. It would be a waste to leave any of them untouched, so I would like to bring you some."
"I remember the last time you were here you said that you wanted a divorce. Why are you accepting his gifts?"
Debbie hesitated for a moment and then replied honestly, "I don't want a divorce anymore. Things are good between us right now."
Lucinda took a step back from Debbie to get a better look at her. The girl had changed. She noticed the moment Debbie had walked in the door. It was hard to pinpoint what was different from before, but on a closer look, Lucinda figured it out. "He's good to you,"
Lucinda said firmly. Debbie used to look rough because she practiced martial arts, but now she looked put together and very happy. Despite not wearing any makeup, the girl's skin had a natural glow. Lucinda only had to glance at Debbie's clothes to know that they cost a fortune. Flipping up the tag on her shirt, Lucinda was shocked. The brand was so expensive that even she, an elderly woman with savings and assets, would hesitate to buy it.
"Aunt, you are remarkable! You can tell that he is good to me just by looking at me." Debbie's face reddened as she attempted to avoid her aunt's stare.
Noticing that Debbie didn't deny it, Lucinda let out a sigh of relief and said, "Deb, if you are happy, then I have nothing to worry about." 'This girl had a tough childhood. Her mom abandoned her when she was born. Now finally there's somebody there for her.' Lucinda was so glad.
"Don't worry, Aunt. I'm very happy now." Debbie smiled. Although she and Carlos had their disagreements, he made her happy again afterwards every time.
"Tell me, what does he do for a living? How old is he? Bring him over sometime to have dinner," Lucinda said, enthusiastically.
"Okay," Debbie hesitated. "He is a 28-year-old CEO. I'll bring him here to meet you and uncle next time."
"A 28-year-old CEO?" Lucinda observed. 'That's some achievement, ' Lucinda thought to herself, amazed. Gail's father, Sebastian, hadn't taken over the company until he was in his forties.
There were only a few CEOs under thirty in Y City. Lucinda decided to ask Sebastian about it later.
When Debbie left, Lucinda immediately called Sebastian. "Where are you?" she asked.
"I've just arrived home. Open the door."
Upon seeing Sebastian outside, Lucinda opened the door and quickly pulled him into the living room. Sebastian was so tired so h could barely move his feet. "What is it? Why are you being mysterious?" he asked, irritated.
"How many 28-year-old CEOs are there in Y City?" Lucinda asked.
Sitting on the couch, Sebastian rubbed his temples to relax a little. "Why are you asking?" he responded after a glance at his wife.
"I told you that Debbie was married, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Tonight, Debbie dropped by and brought some lipsticks that cost thousands of dollars each. She also bought you a fancy tobacco pipe. She said it was her husband's money. Guess what? Her husband is a 28-year-old CEO!"
Hearing that this was about Debbie, Sebastian focused up. He thought about it and then replied, "A 28-year-old...Hayden, who has just started to make a name for himself in Y City, seems to be 28. There is the son of the Xue family, the oldest son of the Zhang family, and Carlos Huo of ZL Group..."
Thinking of Carlos Huo, Sebastian seemed to gain some energy. "Could it be Carlos Huo? I heard on the news that he carried some college girl out of a hotel room this morning..." he said.
'Could the college girl be Debbie?' he wondered.
Lucinda had heard of Carlos Huo before. While she knew who he was, she didn't think it could possibly be him. "Carlos Huo? That's impossible! Stop freaking me out! As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't even know Debbie. They are people from two completely different worlds. How can he be Debbie's husband? Let's be realistic. I say it might be Hayden. He and Debbie know each other. They used to date."
Rich and powerful, Carlos Huo was beyond their imagination. The wedding of such a man wouldn't have been so discreet and private. The news of his marriage would have traveled throughout the city. He also wouldn't have married such a lowly girl.
When Artie was alive, Debbie had lived several years as a wealthy spoiled girl. But compared to the Huo family, her family's wealth was practically nothing.