"Mom!" Carlos' powerful voice interrupted Tabitha's mumbling. "Whether they like Debbie or not has nothing to do with me. Just answer my question. When did you see Debbie taking birth control pills?"
"Carlos!" Tabitha raised her voice. His cold voice stung her heart. "You've never talked to me like this before! You've become distant from me because of Debbie. I'm heartbroken by your coldness."
Carlos remained silent. Suspicion rose in his heart. It wasn't a difficult question to answer if she had indeed seen it with her own eyes, but she kept jumping over this issue. It dawned on him that things were not as simple as he had thought it to be. "Sorry, Mom. I have work. I'll call you later. Bye!"
"Carlos! Carlos..." Tabitha wanted to talk to her son for a while longer, but he had ended the call without waiting for her reply.
She sat staring blankly at her phone for a while before coming back to her senses. She stood up and walked to James' study.
James was talking to someone on the phone with a smile on his face when she pushed open the door and walked in. At the sight of her, he instantly pulled a long face and ended the call in haste. The smile had vanished from his face.
In a cold voice, he asked, "Anything?" He returned to his seat and randomly grabbed a file which was on his desk.
The expression on his face had changed so abruptly that it was impossible for Tabitha to not have noticed it. Her face went pale. "Carlos knows about Debbie taking contraceptives," she said, trying to sound calm.
James put aside the file and asked with a frown, "So soon?"
She merely nodded without saying anything. The truth was that she was the one who had blurted it out to Megan. But she couldn't dare tell James that, afraid of his ill-temper.
There was a moment of silence in the study. James lit a cigar, took a drag and slowly blew out a stream of smoke. Tabitha wanted to stop him from smoking for the sake of his health. Yet, the words were stuck to her throat. She dared not interfere with his business.
After a few moments, she vaguely heard him muttering, "It looks like it wouldn't be that easy to get rid of Debbie Nian. I might have to finish her off for good."
Tabitha stared at the man in a daze. His face was emotionless as he said those devilish words. She wondered if she had heard it right...
In the manor
Debbie changed into a set of clean and casual sportswear, and was all set to go out.
Before she left, she called Emmett to inquire about Megan's new address.
Megan wasn't living in her previous residence anymore. Carlos had arranged another expensive house for her in a high-class neighborhood.
Debbie felt gloomy when she saw the beautiful houses flash by her as the car drove through the neighborhood. It was like her husband was keeping a mistress in broad daylight with no concerns.
Emmett had informed the entrance guards about their visit beforehand. So Debbie, Jared and Kasie were able to smoothly pass through the heavy security.
Jared, who was driving the car, stole a glance at the sumptuous houses in the neighborhood and marveled at their beauty. "Tsk, tsk," he clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Tomboy, your husband is so wealthy that he bought a house in this prime location for someone unrelated to him. I bet even the smallest house here occupies at least a hundred and fifty square meters, and it would be worth tens of millions of dollars!"
Debbie angrily hit his head. "I know that! No need to rub it in my face."
Of course she knew how expensive this area was. This was the center of Y City. The average housing price in Y City was already high even for a standard middle class house, not to mention a house in this prime location.
Kasie, sitting in the back seat, rolled her eyes. 'Jared, you idiot!' she cursed in her mind. She quickly comforted Debbie, "Tomboy, Mr. Huo has bought you a villa in East City Villa. That one is much more pricey than any house here. And the manor you're staying in now is probably more expensive than this whole neighborhood. So, don't go too much into it. Your husband loves you far more than her."
East City Villa was well known as a brownstone district. Each of the villa there was valued at at least a hundred million. Everyone in the city knew about its sky-high price.
Debbie understood Kasie's intention to comfort her. She leaned against her seat, remaining silent.
When they reached building number eight, Debbie asked the other two to wait outside, and walked towards Megan's apartment by herself. She rang the door bell and waited.
She said to herself that she was strong enough to deal with a weak woman like Megan on her own.
As she waited for Megan to open the door, Debbie caught a glimpse of the two tall and sturdy bodyguards who were standing in front of the door and staring vigilantly at her. They were arranged by Wesley and Carlos to protect Megan. Debbie smiled ironically. They did treat Megan well.
If the bodyguards hadn't known Debbie's identity, they wouldn't have allowed her to come an inch close to the door.
Then again, she was confused. Carlos and Wesley spoiled Megan so much; why didn't either of them get engaged to her while they were still single? That way, things would have been simpler.
As Debbie was lost in her complicated thoughts, the door opened and Megan stood in front of her, wearing pink pajamas with bunny ears and a pair of pink slippers. She looked like a lovely young girl.
Megan was surprised to see Debbie at her door all of a sudden. But she returned to her usual self and greeted her with a sweet smile, "Well, if it isn't Aunt Debbie? What brings you here today?"
Debbie wasn't in the mood to pretend to be on good terms with her. She snorted coldly and cut to the chase. "I just happened to drop by. Come with me. I will buy you a drink and we can have a good talk."
Megan frowned upon hearing her invitation. But she hid her emotion and smiled again. "I'd love to. Please come in and wait till I get changed."
She stepped back from the doorway to allow Debbie to enter. Debbie had had no intentions of going into her house, but then she was curious to know if there would be any of Carlos' belongings in there, or if she might find some clue regarding their past. She decided to go in and find out.
At the hallway, Megan brought a new pair of slippers for Debbie to put on. After that, they walked into the living room.
"Wait here," Megan said indifferently and went straight to her bedroom without giving Debbie a second glance. The fake smile had faded away from her face the moment they had walked in and closed the door behind them. She dropped her pretense since there was nobody else here except the two of them.
Debbie didn't care about her cold attitude. She stood in the middle of the living room and scanned the space.
The decor was the sort of style most girls would have loved. The walls were painted in pastel hues and pink. Even the furniture was colored in either baby pink or light blue.
Exquisite and rare ornaments were placed on the tables and the cabinets. Everything looked pricey. But Debbie didn't find anything strange or special.
Suddenly, a photo frame on the table caught her attention. Curiously, Debbie walked towards it. She stood there and looked at the picture without touching it.
There were three people in the picture—Carlos, Wesley and Megan.
It must have been taken a few years back, judging from the complexion of Carlos' face. He looked tanned. Besides, he looked much younger in the picture.
Carlos and Wesley were both wearing a set of camouflage clothes. They had a thin smile on their usually calm faces. A short and young Megan stood in between them with a sweet smile, wearing the same camouflage uniform. In the background was a blue sea. It was a warm picture...
Debbie already knew how Carlos looked in camouflage uniform because he had a lot of group pictures of himself and other big shots hanging on the walls of his study in the manor. Those pictures were taken while he was serving in the Special Force.
"That picture was taken five years ago. Uncle Carlos had just fostered me and had been taking care of me for a while at the time." Megan's voice came from behind her.
Debbie turned around and saw her wearing a blue, long overcoat. In a sincere tone, Debbie praised as she turned back to look at the picture once again, "It's a nice photo. Two handsome men and a beautiful mixed girl. Breathtaking." Debbie couldn't help but think that if Megan hadn't fallen in love with Carlos, she would have been fond of this girl too.