Megan grabbed Debbie's wrist to stop her. "Aunt Debbie, are you still mad at me?" she asked with a pitiful look on her face.
She saw a group of women gather around Debbie, and she thought this was the ideal time to mess with her. She wasn't going to approach Debbie privately. Debbie was no pushover, and Carlos would back her up if she tried anything. He had backed Megan over Debbie once, but it might not always go so well.
Now Debbie was surrounded by quite a few different women, and they were all fans of Carlos. Megan decided to join them to deal with Debbie.
Debbie shook Megan's hand off and snapped at her angrily, "Yes, I am. I'm mad because you guys are like flies, buzzing around me all the time. That's really annoying."
The women were quite taken aback by Debbie's insult. You could see it from the looks on their faces.
Megan knew how to piss Debbie off, and our heroine would rise to the bait. These women were from well-off families and had been spoiled by their parents. Naturally, they wouldn't bear the humiliation quietly.
The first one to snap back was Portia. She looked down at Debbie and reprimanded her in a harsh voice, "You really think you're somebody after marrying Mr. Huo, don't you? You need to learn how to be Mrs. Huo. A Huo would have more grace and elegance."
"Hah!" Debbie laughed mirthlessly, thoroughly amused. "Who the hell do you think you are, Portia Gu? I need to learn how to be Mrs. Huo? You're dying to claim that title, aren't you? Sorry to burst your bubble. Carlos wouldn't marry you even if you were the last woman on earth."
After saying that, she carefully put the glass on the tray of a nearby waiter and stalked out of the room, leaving the furious women behind. She believed she was showing them the right mix of contempt and disdain.
Wearing an evening dress and a pair of sneakers, she was too embarrassed to wander through the crowds. The less people saw her mismatched outfit, the better. Carlos had asked her to wait for him, so she was forced to go to the garden—that was an area that had next to no one in it.
The indoor heating system worked very well. When Debbie left the building, cold air pressed against her skin. The chill raised goosebumps, and she was immediately uncomfortable.
She pulled her cloak around her with shivering hands. She let the wool do its work and keep her warm—Emilio Pucci had designed this one well. Debbie stopped to take a deep breath of fresh air, then sat on a swing, pulled her phone out of her purse, and began to play on it.
Before she could open WeChat, a familiar voice broke the silence. "Deb!"
Sighing in defeat, she raised her head to see Hayden making his way over to her.
Without responding, she lowered her head again to play with her phone. She wasn't in the mood for a conversation.
Hayden didn't mind her indifference at all—he was used to the cold shoulder. He stood before her, took something out of his pocket and held it out to her.
In the palm of his hand was a pair of delicate and exquisitely crafted ear studs, dazzling in the afternoon sun.
Debbie was stunned. "Okay, what is this?" she asked.
"I can't forget the time we'd spent together. You used to wear earrings like these. When I saw them at the expo, I had to buy them. Go ahead. Try them on," he suggested.
Debbie kicked the ground, and the swing began to sway. "Thank you, Mr. Gu, but I'm good. I can't take these, but your fiancee might really need them."
Had she worn ear studs like these? She couldn't remember, but Hayden could. 'Does that mean he really loved me?' she mused.
Hayden grabbed the rope of the swing to stop it from moving, which snapped Debbie out of her reverie.
Despite her reluctance, he offered, "I can put them on for you. They'll look really good." After he had reunited with Debbie, he had longed to buy her a gift, but hadn't found anything appropriate. Now he had found the perfect gift and the perfect time to give it to her.
"Are you deaf, Hayden Gu? I said no!" Debbie decided that sticking around was the last thing she wanted. She got to her feet and started towards the building.
Hayden heaved a sigh, contemplating the ear studs in his hand. Finally, he put them back in his pocket. He grabbed for her wrist, and guided her back to the swing. "Okay, okay. Don't get mad. Why don't you play on the swing? Hand me your purse, and I'll push you. Come on, you know you want to."
"No!" Debbie cried. But Hayden snatched her purse anyway and pushed her hard. The swing flew forward. She had to hold on to the ropes tightly to avoid falling off.
"Dammit! If you push me again, I'll jump off!" she threatened. Now everyone knew she was Carlos' wife. If she were seen with Hayden, Carlos would be a laughing stock. She didn't want that to happen.
Hayden closed Debbie's purse quickly, grabbed the swing, and stopped it. "My fault. I'm sorry, Deb," he said softly.
Debbie was more than a little startled. Her heart hammered in her chest.
'Why's he acting so weird? First the ear studs, and then the swing. But now he gives in that easily? What's he playing at?'
She shook off her thoughts, took her purse back, and walked towards the entrance.
On the way, she called Gregory. "Hey, Gregory. I'm taking off. You stay and have fun. Thanks for the ride," she said.
She had lost her patience; she needed to leave before she lost her mind. Since Carlos was still busy playing the social butterfly, she decided to take a taxi home.
Gregory was no fool. He looked across the room and saw Carlos, still mingling. "You're not leaving with Carlos, are you?"
"Nope. No biggie. I'll hail a taxi. Bye!"
Actually Gregory wanted to let Debbie know she might have trouble finding a taxi. After all, thousands of people were expected to attend, and not all at once. They would be taking taxis to and from their hotels and houses. And Carlos' sudden confession to his wife had already gone viral. Debbie was now as famous as any A-list celebrity.
But Debbie had already hung up on him. Gregory went to the cashier's desk first, and quickly plunked down the money for a watch that caught his eye. Then he sprinted for the entrance, hoping to catch up to her.
When he saw her, she was already surrounded by a gaggle of fans. Even the security guards were at a loss. They controlled the chaos as best they could.
Debbie didn't know she had become the talk of the town. She was going to boot up Weibo or something in the garden, but Hayden had stopped her.
When she left the gates, many people immediately recognized her. Piercing screams split the air. "Look! Hey! It's Mrs. Huo!"
"That's Debbie Nian! The girl who married Carlos Huo!"
Some took out their phones to compare this woman to the pictures posted by reporters at the expo. "Blue dress with petals, check! Updo, check! Round eyes... Yeah! She IS Mrs. Huo!"
"She's so pretty!"
"Mrs. Huo, such an honor. Can I get your autograph?" They all went on like that. The noise had reached a fever pitch, and Debbie had no problem hearing them, but she had trouble making out anything coherent.
She looked around to see her husband's crazy fans holding a giant luminous board with letters "Carlos Huo" printed on it.
It was the first time that Debbie had been in a situation like this. She didn't know how to respond; all she could do was smile.
She desperately wanted to leave, but Carlos' fans gathered around her and even broke through the cordon. The guards were unable to stop them as the human wave surged around them.
Debbie was instantly caught in the middle of the crowd. People took out their phones and cameras to take pictures, or set up selfies with her.
Unable to resist their enthusiasm, Debbie took a girl's pen and notebook, and signed her name on it in a serious manner.
This was the first time she'd ever signed an autograph.