"Hayden, do you know how Debbie managed to get married to Mr. Huo?" Portia asked angrily. She hated that Debbie could easily live a life that she had dreamed of. 'And he spoils her so much. Everyone in Y City...no...in the world knows Debbie is Mrs. Huo and how much Mr. Huo loves her.
She must have saved the world in her previous life. What else could explain her never ending streak of luck?' Portia thought to herself in dismay. Not long ago, she had dreamed of marrying Carlos. But then, he had made his confession to Debbie in public at the expo.
Exasperated by her outburst, Hayden tried to coax his sister, "It doesn't matter how she managed to become Mrs. Huo. It has nothing to do with you. Mr. Huo will never marry you. Just go back home and behave yourself. If you don't, he has many ways to wipe you out. Portia, I'm your brother. I don't want to see you get hurt. So, don't do anything stupid."
With her arms crossed over her chest, Portia sneered and retorted stubbornly, "Behave myself? And did you behave yourself? If you had, then Mr. Huo wouldn't have dealt a blow to the Gu Group and it wouldn't have been at risk now. Even you allowed your emotions to get the better of you. You are not qualified to lecture me about the way I behave!"
"Debbie and I used to be lovers. What about you and Mr. Huo? You two are not even on friendly terms with each other. Yes, he did attend the fashion show and the expo with you. But that doesn't mean he has a thing for you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have shut you out of the entertainment circle without any mercy. He is ruining your career for Debbie's sake, and he doesn't give a shit about it."
Hayden took a sip of the water to moisten his sore throat and then continued, "Do you still believe that you are somehow special to him? If you two meet on the street, he won't even cast a glance at you." Hayden knew how cold and uncaring Carlos was.
He also knew how much Carlos spoiled Debbie.
He loved Debbie to the core of his being, and wouldn't give her up for the world; he knew that now. He didn't want his sister to feel the same pain as he did. Not to mention, Carlos and Portia were merely strangers. He didn't think Portia loved Carlos. He knew his sister well—she loved Carlos' money and power.
"NO! I AM special to Mr. Huo. I'm sure he has a thing for me. The reason why he keeps me at arm's length is that he's married to that wretch and that he is concerned about his reputation," Portia yelled. She was trying to deceive herself, and as she repeated this fictional plot in her head, she eventually started believing that this was the truth. Whenever she couldn't fall asleep, she would coax herself with this lie.
Hayden's expression changed dramatically. As far as he could see, Portia had become a little... mentally unstable. He put his hands softly on her shoulders, and looked her in the eye.
As an experienced businessman, he had dealt with a lot of different people, and was much more sophisticated than Portia, who had been spoiled rotten by their parents and was, in his eyes, an innocent girl. He tried to make her understand by saying, "Portia, listen to me. You've gotten this all wrong. Trust me, okay? You need to face the reality—"
But Portia turned a deaf ear towards her brother. She shook off his hands and interrupted him angrily, "Enough, Hayden! Since you blatantly refuse to help me, I'll just go to Dad. He got me the date with Mr. Huo to the fashion show last time. I believe he can help me again."
Hayden was having a headache because of her. He closed his eyes to cool himself down and opened them again. "Portia, do you have any idea what Dad had to do to get you that date with Carlos? He had to leave behind his honor and dignity to beg Carlos for it. I don't think that's gonna work again."
"What?!" Portia exclaimed in shock. "You're lying! Hayden, I know what's on your mind. You want your beloved woman to live a happy life. You don't want Mr. Huo to abandon her for me, do you?"
Hayden looked at his sister in disbelief. 'Is this really my sweet sibling anymore? Is she possessed by the devil or something?'
Before he could say anything more, Portia grabbed her purse and stormed out of his office.
As soon as she walked out of the building, her phone beeped. She had received some WeChat messages.
In a group chat on WeChat, someone had sent a message saying the wife of some high-ranking official was holding a tea party and asked whether they had received the invitations.
Portia cast a casual glance at the pink invitation, which lay abandoned on the passenger seat of her car, and snorted. 'It's just a tea party. Why are they so excited about it?' she thought.
However, a girl's message caught her attention. It said, "I heard Mrs. Huo was also invited."
"Really? I didn't get a chance to see her at the expo. I heard she was really pretty. I'm going to the tea party to have a look at her in person," another girl said.
'Debbie Nian will go to the tea party?'
she wondered with a frown. After a while, an evil smile appeared on her face. She had a plan.
Curtis drove Debbie to the manor and left soon after. She walked inside, and to her surprise, she saw Kasie, Kristina and Jared waiting for her. The moment they saw Debbie, the three of them rushed towards her and hugged her warmly. After all, they hadn't seen her in quite a while.
"Hey Jared, why are you here? I thought you were still angry with me because of the fight," Debbie teased while still holding onto Kasie's and Kristina's hands.
Jared pulled a long face. "Since you've already apologized to me, I forgive you," he said.
The three girls looked at each other and burst out laughing. Kasie rolled her eyes and snorted, "Jared, you are such a liar! It was you who apologized to Debbie."
Jared and Debbie had exchanged punches at the hotpot restaurant last time, and she had gone to England the very next day. On the third day, he had sent her a text message to apologize and told her that he missed her a lot.
Jared scratched the back of his head sheepishly and gave Debbie an embarrassed smile. Then he grabbed her hand and told her with his usual charming smile, "Tomboy, Sasha is my girlfriend now. Did you know that?"
The news didn't come as a surprise to Debbie. About ten days after she had gone to England, Sasha had given her a call to ask her how Jared had initially formed his relationships with his ex-girlfriends.
And what had Debbie told Sasha back then?
She had told Sasha that Jared had slept with all of them first and then gotten into relationships with them. Debbie had also warned her against falling in love with Jared because he was a playboy and had too many ex-girlfriends.
Jared was a loyal friend, but he was a terrible boyfriend.
Debbie was curious to know what had happened between Jared and Sasha, so she asked, "I thought you didn't like her. You even called her 'a pest.' How did you two get together?"
"I know how that happened, Tomboy," Kristina chipped in before Jared could answer.
He tried to stop Kristina from saying it, but she hid behind Kasie's back and said in a hurry, "He slept with Sasha, and he had to take responsibility for it."
Kasie nodded and added, "I guess their first time was really amazing, because he slept with her again soon after. I believe he has fallen in love with her because of the mind-blowing sex."
'Sasha is still in her early adulthood, yet Jared slept with her! More than once!'
The news hit Debbie like a thunderbolt. She was stunned for a while, and then shouted angrily, "Jared Han, you are dead meat! I'm gonna beat you to a pulp today, and then I will break off all ties with you. How dare you do this to Sasha!" She was so irritated by his playboy behavior.