"Nope. Just book the ticket for me. Oh, and don't tell Carlos," Debbie said into her phone. She was now in a thoroughly bad mood, and her mind flashed back to the scenes of the painful memories of her and Carlos bickering over Megan. All these scenes were on repeat in her brain—all the times they clashed over one woman. And that wasn't all. Hayden had been bugging her—practically stalking her, and the Huo family members hated her on top of all that. She needed a break from the hate, the fighting, the bad feelings...all of it. All she wanted to do was fly to England alone.
Words failed Emmett. He knew Carlos would beat him to a pulp if he honored Debbie's request.
Carlos was often busy at work, but he was going to take the morning off and drive Debbie to the airport. She was supposed to leave the day after tomorrow.
But Emmett had a hard time turning Debbie down. She was always nice to him, and he found himself liking her. So he decided to do as she said.
When Carlos got home in the evening, Debbie wasn't there. He called her, but he got Kasie instead. When he asked her to put his wife on the phone, she replied, "No can do, Mr. Huo. Debbie's in the ladies' room."
"Okay. Where are you?"
"We...we're at the restaurant. You know, Debbie's taking off soon. We're giving her a farewell dinner," Kasie answered with the utmost care.
"Which restaurant?"
"A hotpot restaurant on Tenth Street," she said honestly.
After hanging up, Carlos descended the stairs, got into his car and drove towards the restaurant. Something didn't feel right; something bugged him. There was a tickling in the back of his brain.
When Debbie came back to their private booth, Kasie had just hung up on Carlos. "Hey Tomboy, your husband just called. Why not call him back?" She held out Debbie's phone. Debbie took it and unlocked the screen.
'Carlos called?' She checked the time on her phone. 'It's only 7 p.m. Why's he off so early?'
She sat back in her seat, chatting with her friends, but her thoughts were far away. She kept wondering what Carlos had called her for. She thought about it for a half hour, and finally it bothered her enough. She called Carlos. He answered it quite quickly; it had barely rung once on her end. "Hey, old man," she said.
"Hmm,"
he answered shortly, his voice devoid of emotion.
Both of them were silent for a while; they were both frustrated as they had to part with each other soon. Sadness was palpable.
Knowing he was a man of few words, Debbie decided to break the silence. "I'm eating outside. What's up?"
"You see the documents?" Curtis had come to his office this afternoon. He told him Debbie was in a bad mood and asked him to pay more attention to her. Carlos was busy, but nothing was more important than his wife. Originally, he had three dinner appointments this evening, but he cancelled two of them and drove back home as soon as possible.
"Yeah," Debbie answered in a low voice. She feigned calm and added, "Is that why you called?"
"Nope. Have fun with your friends. I'll pick you up when you're done."
"No. That's cool. I'll take a cab home," she said. Kasie had come to the manor to pick her up this afternoon.
They had been drinking this evening, so Kasie couldn't get her back home. Debbie planned to grab a taxi later.
"At this hour? That's not safe. Just call me when you're done. I'll be there," he said firmly. Apparently, he didn't take no for an answer.
Staring at the night scene, she was at a loss whether to laugh or to cry. Her husband was so bossy. That was why she had a love-hate relationship. She loved that he cared for her, but hated that he was so controlling.
"Okay. See you," she finally said obediently. His heart softened, as she gave in without too much of a fight. He just wanted to see her safe, and didn't think it was too much to ask.
Debbie went back to her seat like nothing happened. Jared and Sasha were bantering back and forth. Sasha turned to Debbie. "Was he calling to check on you?"
Debbie was amused by her words. She then pretended to be serious and said, "Yeah. He heard I was with Jared and Dixon, and he said he'd send them to the South Pole to breed penguins."
Jared was boiling with rage at her words. "Tomboy, you have to talk him down. You're the one who invited me, remember? Call him now! I've been to the South Pole before, and it's freezing there. Never again!"
Sasha, however, burst out laughing. "Yeah! The South Pole! Sounds interesting! Don't worry, Jared. I'll go with you." Seriousness was written all over her face.
However, Jared was too freaked out to think clearly. Ignoring Sasha, he went on pleading, "Come on, Tomboy. Give him a ring before he asks his secretary to book a flight."
Kasie picked up a piece of mutton and put it into her mouth. After swallowing it, she teased, "A flight? You wish! It's not a vacation. You might have to take a bus there."
Ever since the trip to Southon Village, Jared hated buses so much that he swore to himself he would never take a bus again.
"Bus! God no!" Jared's face went pale.
Dixon chipped in calmly, "You should feel lucky you don't have to take a walking tractor there."
"Shut up, Dixon. You're going with me. Didn't you hear Tomboy?" Jared didn't understand why Dixon was so calm and nonchalant about it.
With a smug smile, Dixon explained, "Sorry, dude, I should've told you earlier. You're going there alone. Mr. Huo is paying for my college abroad."
"What?" Everyone except Kristina was taken aback by the sudden news. Even Debbie was clueless. "What? Where? England, maybe? What are you studying?"
"So do you have a job lined up with ZL Group at the end?" Kasie asked.
Kristina sighed and explained for her boyfriend, "Do you think the uber-possessive Mr. Huo would let Debbie study abroad with another man? She's going to England, while Dixon is going to America."
Dixon nodded and told them everything. Carlos saw a lot of potential in him, so he decided to send him to some college in America. As his sponsor, he had a lot of influence.
Carlos was a smart businessman, and he wouldn't gamble on a losing proposition.
So he offered Dixon a long-term contract. After Dixon graduated, he would go to work for ZL Group. They'd haggle over exactly where later on. His contract was for fifteen years, but at least he wouldn't be job-hunting after college.
Kasie looked at Debbie, her mouth agape. "Fifteen years? That's a long time, Tomboy. Your husband had him sign a slave contract."
After a moment's consideration, Debbie asked Dixon, "What about the salary?"
'If they didn't agree on the salary, Dixon might be in for it. After all, Carlos is a shrewd businessman, ' she thought.
Like he could read Debbie's mind, Dixon gave her a smile and nodded, "We've already talked about it. If I do well, Mr. Huo will start me off as his personal assistant. That's thanks to our friendship." He took a drink and continued, "If I don't do well, I'll start at the bottom and try to work my way up. Then my salary will be the same as everyone else's."
It was not easy to get on with ZL Group. Their starting wages were double anyone else's. To Dixon, Carlos did him a huge favor.