Debbie sneered. She had expected that answer. "What else did he do?" she asked the man on the other end of the line.
"After he was discharged from the hospital, James visited the Li family several times. And he was acting very secretive. Our men are still following him," he replied.
James was close to the Li family. That was why he had insisted that Carlos marry Stephanie. So, Debbie didn't think it was odd of him to visit the family. "Okay. Have you found anything about the people who had kidnapped Sasha three years ago?"
"Not yet. Those men had left the city right after they were paid. Nobody knows their whereabouts."
Debbie nodded resignedly. "I see. Thanks. Keep following James and let me know if you find something."
"Okay." That evening, when Debbie arrived at East District Manor, the house was only lit up by the lights in the hallway. Carlos wasn't back home yet.
Debbie busied herself in the kitchen preparing dinner as she waited for him. A few moments later, she heard a noise at the door. It had to be Carlos. She walked out of the kitchen, carrying a tureen of soup to the table. Carlos walked in. "Did you have dinner?" she asked.
He looked at the dishes on the table and replied, "No."
He had anticipated that she would cook dinner for him, so he had come back from work on an empty stomach.
"All right. Wash your hands. Dinner will be ready in a minute. I'm just finishing up the last dish." Debbie was relieved that he had come back for dinner. Or she would have wasted all that time in the kitchen for nothing.
She had thought about calling him before she started cooking. But then she had changed her mind, considering that it was a sensitive period for both of them.
"Carlos," she called as they sat at the table, having dinner. But the rest of her words froze on her lips. Her mouth formed a thin straight line and she lowered her eyes. She poked the rice in her bowl, preoccupied with her thoughts.
Carlos looked at her but since she didn't say anything further, he didn't ask what was on her mind. They ate silently until Carlos was about to finish his rice.
"I can't prove my innocence. There were no cameras in that suburban area. Things are looking really bad for me right now. It's a dead end. If I can't provide an alibi soon, I will be arrested again," she blurted out.
"Hmm," Carlos muttered and continued with his dinner.
He didn't show much enthusiasm, but it was such a grave matter for Debbie that she just had to swallow her pride and ask. "Um, will you help me?"
"Hmm." The same response. Carlos began to eat his soup.
Debbie grew anxious and impatient. 'Why is he acting so nonchalant, as if this doesn't bother him at all?' she thought, clenching her teeth.
But soon, she calmed down. She was nothing to him now, barely a friend. Why would he be concerned about her? He had already done more than enough when he had agreed to take her back to his place for protection.
Too anxious to eat, Debbie put down her chopsticks and texted Xavier. "How much time do I have?"
"Two days."
'Two days?!' Debbie felt like she was being crushed from all sides.
How was she supposed to prove her innocence in such a short time?
"Eat!" Carlos demanded coldly.
Still drowning in her thoughts, Debbie grabbed her chopsticks mechanically, picked up something from the nearest dish and brought it to her lips.
But before she could put it into her mouth, another pair of chopsticks caught hers.
She looked at Carlos in confusion. His face had become gloomy. "What's wrong?" she asked. 'I'm eating just as he had asked, so what's with the long face?'
Carlos stared at her chopsticks. Debbie looked down at it only to find that she was about to put a cheese crab with its shell into her mouth.
She smiled awkwardly and peeled the crab before eating it.
After dinner, Debbie cleaned the table and went to wash the dishes. Meanwhile, Carlos watched the financial news on TV in the living room. When she finally came out of the kitchen, Carlos was on the phone.
Seeing her, he turned off the TV and walked up the stairs.
When he walked past her, she heard him say, "Get the land in the North at all costs. I don't care who we are competing against or how fierce the competition is. I want it!"
'The land in the North? Is ZL Group developing more real estate?' Debbie wondered. The company had built numerous buildings.
She followed him upstairs. Debbie was about to step into her room when he asked, "You want my help?"
Debbie looked back to check if he was talking on the phone. The handsome man was looking straight at her. She nodded. "I had some men look into the matter, but they are not experts and don't have strong connections. So..." She sounded desperate.
Carlos put his phone into his pocket and strode over to her. "I can help you."
Debbie's eyes brightened. "Thank you so much, Mr. Huo."
"Don't thank me yet. I'm a businessman. I seek profits."
"What do you mean?" she asked, bewildered.
Carlos took one more quick step forward and pulled her into his arms. "I mean this..." He lowered his head and kissed her rosy lips, which had been torturing him for the past few days.
She tried to pull away, but he pressed her hard against the wall, sandwiching her between the wall and his body. She couldn't make a sound. 'What's he doing? I'm married.'
She could feel him getting more and more excited. His breathing was heavy. His left hand held the back of her head, and the other reached for her breasts. Realizing what he was about to do, she grabbed his hand and pulled away from him, panting. "Mr. Huo, you're engaged... and I'm married."
Carlos was silent.
He realized that he had lost control over his emotions. For a moment, the overwhelming desire he had been feeling had gotten the better of him, and he had forgotten the nature of their current relationship.
He let go of her and went into the study without a word.
The next day, Carlos played a footage for her. It was her alibi. Debbie was impressed by his efficient and quick work.
The video showed that she and Piggy were downtown two minutes before Megan was killed. There was no way that she could have reached the crime scene in the suburb within two minutes. Hence, she couldn't have murdered Megan.
There was only one possibility now—someone, who looked like Debbie after plastic surgery, had grabbed her knife and had killed Megan with it.
It would be time-consuming to find out who had committed the crime.
But at least the footage proved that it wasn't Debbie. Now that she had been ruled out as a suspect, she had her freedom back. All she needed to do now was help the police find the real murderer.
Yet, her life was far from being peaceful.
Just as her life was getting back to normal, Kasie's mom called her out of the blue. "Debbie, where are you?" asked Mia in a rush.
There was anxiety in her tone. Debbie didn't miss it. "I'm at work. What is it?" She was preparing for her next concert. Moreover, Ruby had arranged a lot of ads and shows for her. She was super busy.
"Ka- Kasie has been abducted."
"What? " Debbie stood up abruptly from the chair. "What happened?!"
Mia said in a choked voice, "They said that it was because of you, and if you want Kasie to live, you will have to go to a recycling center, alone."
Those words sounded so familiar to Debbie. She recalled that three years ago, when Sasha was kidnapped, James' men had said the same thing.
Had James finally resorted to his old schemes again? "Did they say why they were doing this?"
"No. They only said that you had to go there alone. If you take anybody else with you, they will kill her."
The same trick and the same words. Debbie was almost sure that this was James' play.