Blanche asked a housemaid to fetch some ice for Portia. "That bitch Debbie thinks she is somebody just because she is the wife of Carlos Huo's secretary," she said through gritted teeth, a murderous look in her eyes. "She thinks she can do whatever she wants now! Next time I see her, I'll shave her bald!"
Griffin was pissed. He pointed at Portia with a trembling hand. "Tell me the truth! What did you do? I know Debbie. She is a fairly reasonable girl. She wouldn't have done this for no reason."
He had liked Debbie a lot when she and Hayden were dating, for her natural and poised manner. He still remembered how much she had done for Hayden and how she always protected Portia.
"Dad, I'm your daughter, not Debbie! Why are you always taking her side?" Portia protested angrily. Back when Debbie and Hayden were still dating, Portia's dad had blamed her every time she and Debbie had a conflict. And now, he still did. Portia felt it was unfair.
"I only take the right side. Your brother is trying to get Debbie back, but you and your mom are just doing him a disservice." Griffin was disappointed in his daughter. He also blamed himself for spoiling her.
Yet Blanche disagreed with his words. "Don't be absurd! Hayden has agreed to get engaged to the youngest daughter of the Qin family. She's from a truly illustrious family. Debbie Nian is married. Even if she wasn't, she wasn't good enough for our son."
Holding his hands behind his back, a reflective look on his face, Griffin explained to Blanche patiently, "How many times have I told you about the Nian family? It was an influential family in Y City when Artie and his father were still alive. Afterwards, Debbie's grandpa was forced to sell the company to pay his deep debts to the Lu family. Plus, Artie's medical expenses cost at least ten million dollars. It was not until then that the family started to run into financial problems. It was fair to say that before Debbie was ten, her family had been more powerful than the Qin family."
Blanche wasn't convinced. She said contemptuously, "Still, the family went down. Since the day I met her, she has never been refined as a good girl from a respectable family should be. Think about those days she practiced martial arts. A girl should be delicate and elegant, but she fought and somersaulted like a boy. What was she? From some savage tribe? I wonder what Hayden sees in that poor girl!"
"You're one to talk! Don't you know why Debbie was practicing martial arts? To save your son and daughter! It was Hayden who pushed her into martial arts. Your son was a weakling who needed her for protection from bullies. Wouldn't you have done the same thing if you were in Debbie's shoes? Look at her now. She doesn't have to protect your children anymore. She even married Emmett, and since Emmett works for Mr. Huo, by extension she also has Mr. Huo's protection. Does she need to practice martial arts anymore? Look how delicate she is now. I think you have noticed that yourself." Having talked so much, Griffin started to breathe hard.
But Blanche's tone didn't soften much. "You know your health condition. Why don't you save some energy? No one asked her to protect anybody. As if we couldn't even afford a bodyguard! She just wanted to show off and to let everyone know how capable she was."
With his eyes closed, Griffin leaned back on the sofa to steady his breathing. After a long while, he opened his eyes and looked at his daughter, who was still sulking. "Do you remember the time when you were kidnapped? Think about how Debbie saved you."
Portia quieted down, her hands clenched into fists. "I didn't ask her to save me. She made that decision on her own. Just like what my mom said, she just wanted to show off."
That year, Debbie and Hayden were only friends. They hadn't started dating yet. In an attempt to save Portia, she was beaten up so badly by a bunch of kidnappers that her life hung by a thread. But those men were still not leaving her alone. When they were about to **** her, the police came and saved her, who was dying.
Afterwards, Hayden scolded Portia for hanging out with punks.
It was in the hospital that Hayden first told Debbie that he liked her. Back then, he was still a nobody in the Gu family. He hadn't achieved anything yet, and every month, he depended on pocket money from his parents. The only thing he bought for Debbie that day was a rose, which Debbie gladly accepted, and that was how their relationship had started.
Hearing his daughter's response, Griffin almost had a heart attack. He tried to contain his emotions. "Let go this time. If a wrong is avenged with another wrong, there would be no end to it," he persuaded while watching Blanche dab Portia's face with ice.
If the matter got out of hand, he was afraid that Carlos would step in himself. Not the kind of trouble the old man would wish anyone in his family to get involved in. But given that Emmett had worked for Carlos for many years, that possibility wasn't far-fetched. It was not likely that Carlos would turn a blind eye to Emmett's trouble. If Portia angered Carlos because of a trifle between her and Debbie, nobody would be able to save her.
As Portia was busy massaging her stinging face, she didn't respond. However, silently, she had already made a decision in her heart. 'It's impossible for me to let go of this. That bitch is getting more and more arrogant. This has to come to an end, no matter what it takes!'
Back in Carlos' villa, he watched Debbie fall asleep. Then he got out of bed and called Emmett. "What exactly happened this evening?"
Emmett was just dozing off when the incoming call from Carlos shook him wide awake. For the hundredth time, he thanked fate for his not having a girlfriend. Otherwise, his relationship would be strained by such calls from Carlos in the dead of the night.
Emmett shook his head to expel the thought from his mind and gave Carlos a blow-by-blow account of what had happened at the entrance of the Alioth Building.
"Cancel all the ads and activities she has gotten. Shut her out for some time and you give her a warning in person."
"Yes, Mr. Huo." Emmett had already foreseen how the drama would unfold against Portia. The Gu family's influence had grown rapidly lately. Many advertising companies tried to suck up to Hayden, by bringing in Portia—his sister to do their commercials. Although she was only a freshman at college with lousy people skills, anyone eager to please her brother could easily get that around by highlighting Portia's beauty as the main strength for engaging her.
However, for the silly mistake of slapping Debbie tonight, all those advertising gigs would go up in smoke. In offending Debbie, she had messed with the wrong person. If Carlos chose to flex his muscles, Portia's life in Y City would turn into a living hell.
Emmett guessed that Debbie must have pleaded with Carlos for Portia. Normally, Portia would have lost a finger for hitting Debbie.
The next day, Debbie was fidgeting all day because of the investors' dinner she would have to attend that evening.
That was something new to her. Before Carlos left for work, she had asked as many questions as possible about the function.
Carlos spent a lot of time calming her down.
After he left, Debbie got dressed and left the house too.
They were going to New York for some time the following day. She felt she should put Lucinda and Sebastian in the loop about her trip before she left the city.
As soon as she arrived at her aunt's house, Debbie noticed Gail and Victor fighting at the entrance. In case they saw her, Debbie didn't get out of the car, but watched them argue and fight hysterically.