"It's true. That was the only thing Emmett let slip to me. I don't know much about anything else. He didn't tell me even though I asked multiple times," Kasie said from the other end of the phone.
"I see. Anyway, there's one more thing that's been troubling me..." Debbie said gloomily.
"What's that?"
Debbie told Kasie about Valerie's phone call.
After hearing everything, Kasie roared, "What the hell?! James Huo slapped you again? Dammit! He has really disgraced his son. Such a shameless father! And the old lady has some nerve, requesting you to plead with Carlos to let them both go. Unbelievable! Listen, leave these matters alone. Just let your husband do whatever he wants. Don't put in a good word for any of them. You have to take this chance to let the Huo family know that you have Mr. Huo's full support. If your husband is determined to punish Lewis and James this time, it will serve as a warning to the others. Even the old lady won't dare bully you again."
"But... I already promised Carlos' grandma that I'd try to help."
Frustrated, Kasie scolded, "Debbie! Why are you so soft-hearted? Ugh! I'm so pissed! Your husband is serious about giving them harsh punishment. How can you be such a lamb now?"
Debbie dropped into silence. After talking to her for a while longer, she ended the call.
A few minutes later, Debbie's phone rang again. The call was from an unknown number. But it didn't look like Valerie's. 'Could it be someone else from the Huo family?' she wondered with a sigh.
She answered, "Hello?"
"Deb. Um...Debbie. Portia and I are on our way to apologize to you," a lewd voice said. Debbie knew at once who it was.
She replied coldly, "Hmm."
"Um... We just arrived in England. We haven't gotten over the jet lag yet, but we are eager to see you right away. Please tell me where we can find you now."
Debbie had no intentions of meeting them. "We don't need to meet."
Lewis said anxiously, "No, please. Carlos said that we have to apologize to you in person. We just took a long flight to come see you. Please don't reject us."
"You don't need to apologize. I won't accept it anyway. That's all. Goodbye!"
Debbie hung up on him.
Lewis was stunned when he heard the beep from the other end. 'This woman is such a handful.'
He called again, but the call didn't get through. Left with no choice, Lewis and Portia headed for their hotel first. They would try to contact Debbie again later.
Debbie had received so many phone calls in the past two days. She had rejected numerous calls from Carlos, and had answered calls from Emmett, Valerie, Kasie, and finally from Lewis.
At noon, when she had just come back home from school, she received another call from an unknown number in Y City. "Hello?" she answered.
"Deb. It's me." 'Hayden...' Debbie recognized the voice.
After taking a deep breath, she said angrily, "Didn't I tell you not to contact me anymore?"
"I know. But this is about Portia. If you don't meet her and accept her apology, she will be locked up in prison for the next ten years. Deb, please. After all, we've known each other for so many years. Just meet her once." Hayden's voice sounded weary. He had been busy dealing with the trouble in his company and had been trying to take down scandals about Portia on the Internet.
'Ten years in prison? Carlos has been really cruel this time...' Debbie thought. She said indifferently, "She's a grown-up. She should take responsibility for her behavior. I can't do anything to help."
Hayden said in haste, "Yes! You can help her, Deb. You are the only one who can! You know, she's already gotten married to Lewis. You are well aware of what a philandering jerk Lewis is. Portia's future is already ruined. It's already too much for her to bear. If she is to be locked up for the next ten years, then...I'm afraid that... Deb, please let her meet you. If you do, I promise to give up on you forever. I won't pester you anymore. Okay?"
Debbie hesitated. She asked, "Are you sure that she has realized her mistakes?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Deb, I know you are a kind-hearted girl. You wouldn't wish to see a young girl, who hasn't even reached her twenties yet, be locked up, right?"
Listening to Hayden's compliment, Debbie smirked coldly. "You're wrong. I'm not the kind-hearted girl you used to know. If she hasn't realized her mistakes yet, I don't care if she stays in prison forever."
Detecting a sliver of hope from her words, Hayden immediately assured her, "Portia knows her faults now. She will surely change for the better. Trust me. Please, just accept her apology. Deb, thank you!"
"Don't thank me yet." She didn't want to make a rash decision. Hayden wasn't such an important person to her. She didn't want to easily change her mind just because of one phone call from him.
After a moment of silence, Hayden said affectionately, "Deb, I love you. I have to say goodbye to you now. But please do remember, I will love you forever. Even if I have to marry another woman, you will still be the most important person in my life."
"Mr. Gu, that's not something a decent man would say. Don't you feel bad for your future wife? Be a good and responsible man, please!" Debbie chided sternly.
Hayden flashed a bitter smile. "Deb, my love, goodbye."
Debbie got goosebumps all over her body. She quickly hung up.
There was silence all around her. Debbie grabbed a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet and opened it. She gulped down a few glasses. After mustering enough courage, she called Carlos.
It was evening in Y City. Carlos had come back to the company even though his wound hadn't completely healed yet. He was in a meeting with the senior managers when his phone started vibrating on the table.
A dash of happiness flashed through his eyes when he saw the caller ID on his phone screen. 'You finally called me, ' he thought gleefully.
He grabbed his phone and stood up. "We will discuss this tomorrow. You're dismissed now." With those words, Carlos left the meeting room.
The managers let out a sigh of relief. They could finally relax.
Emmett left the meeting room and caught up with Carlos. "Mr. Huo, you look pale. You shouldn't work anymore. I will drive you home."
He knew that Carlos hadn't recovered completely yet, but he had forced himself to come to the office.
Carlos turned around and shushed him with a finger on his lips. He tapped the answer key and said in a soft voice, "Honey."
Hearing Carlos address the person on the phone, Emmett instantly understood who it was and shut his mouth. He quickly stepped backwards to give them some privacy.
Debbie was a little tipsy after gulping down all that wine. Taking full advantage of her drunken state, she said bravely, "Carlos, I heard that you are gonna charge a case against your father and Lewis. Don't do that! I've told you many times. Don't fight against your family for my sake. If you do that, they will just think that I am making you do it."
Carlos sensed that something was wrong about her. Frowning, he asked, "Are you drunk?"
"No, I'm not. Don't interrupt me. I really do want to punch your father black and blue, but he's your father. I can't do that. I will tolerate him for now. Let me tell you a secret about your father. He had an affair with a woman. I saw it with my own eyes while in New York."
Carlos was surprised that Debbie already knew about it. 'You are so tight-lipped, Debbie. How long would you have kept it from me if you weren't drunk right now?' he wondered.
"Your mom treats me well. Don't put him into jail for her sake. Okay? And as for Lewis...Was it you who exposed his scandals?"