Frankie opened the door to Carlos' office for Tristan. Tristan entered the office after having been away for three years.
At the entrance of the company building
James got into a silver Mercedes-Benz, pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "How's it going?" he asked urgently.
"The kid lives in Carlos' manor. He personally takes her to school and picks her up every day. There are three or more bodyguards that protect her."
James' face twitched in anger, and he looked like a poisonous snake ready to strike. "You will bring the kid to me when Carlos is not around."
"Yes."
"Find an opportunity to get rid of Debbie Nian!" James said through gritted teeth. Debbie and Carlos had become a big thorn in his side.
He wouldn't dare act rashly and blindly when dealing with Carlos. However, if the opportunity presented itself, he would eliminate Debbie without mercy in the blink of an eye.
"Yes!"
Inside the manor
Debbie got changed and was about to leave when Carlos came back.
Although he had an expressionless face, when he gazed at her, there was tenderness in his eyes. "Where are you going?" he asked.
Debbie was chatting with Ruby on the phone, so she didn't notice the affection in his eyes. "To meet Ruby. I didn't go to work this morning, and a load of work is waiting for me," she answered absentmindedly.
The next moment, she found herself embraced in his warm arms. His scent was intoxicating, and his presence gave her a sense of security. She stopped texting on her phone and raised her head to look at him. Then she noticed that he was somewhat different than usual. "Carlos, what's up with you?"
Carlos smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I'm taking you to divorce Ivan."
Debbie rolled her eyes at him and thought to herself, 'I won't tell you that my marriage to Ivan is fake unless it's necessary.' She wriggled out of his arms and continued texting on her phone while saying, "Ivan and I have a happy life together. Why should I divorce him?"
Carlos pressed her against the wall and questioned, "Ivan and you have a happy life?"
Debbie looked away, unable to maintain eye contact with him. "Yes. So you better not sleep with me again. If the others were to find out, I'd be the talk of the town." She then raised her head and looked him in the eye.
Carlos leaned toward her. With one hand in his pocket, he put the other on the wall above her head. Pinning her against the wall, he asked in an icy tone, "What have you done? Did he make love to you?
He remembered that time when he called her the day before her wedding, Ivan answered her phone and told him that she was too tired to answer it.
With a wicked smile, Debbie answered, "We're a couple. Of course, we've done things that couples should do. So..." She stopped in mid-sentence, and cast a challenging glance at him.
Carlos took his hand out of his pocket and put it behind her head, pulling her face closer to his. He gazed menacingly into her eyes, and if looks could kill, she would be dead right now. "Debbie Nian! Stephanie and I have done nothing. Why did you let Ivan fuck you?"
Debbie wasn't afraid of him at all. She smiled and calmly said, "Mr. Huo, Ivan and I are a couple. Is it wrong for a couple to make love? Besides, I've seen you and Stephanie kiss before, and I didn't say anything."
Carlos didn't bother explaining the kiss between Stephanie and him as he was filled with rage. He grabbed her wrist and said, "I already told Stephanie I couldn't marry her. I'm taking you to the Civil Affairs Department right now. Call Ivan and tell him to meet you there."
"Mr. Huo, doesn't it bother you that I had sex with another man?" she asked. 'Something is not right with him. I need to stay alert, ' she thought.
'Of course it does! But what else can I do?' Carlos thought. He cast a cold glance at her and said, "You don't need to worry about it. I'll make Ivan pay." 'Ivan will pay for what he's done!'
Debbie suspected that he had regained his memory, so she asked, "Carlos Huo, do you remember which lesson I hated the most at college?"
Carlos lowered his head and curled his lips without Debbie noticing. 'You hated the Advanced Mathematics the most. I know what you're trying to do. But I'm not ready to reveal that I have regained my memory just yet.'
He raised his head again and asked in confusion, "How would I know which lesson you hated the most?"
'Really? He sounds like he hasn't got his memory back.' Unconvinced, she asked another question.
"When will Dixon come back from abroad?"
"He'll be back in three to six months, and then he'll work for the ZL Group," he answered.
Excitement was written all over Debbie's face. "You still remember Dixon. Doesn't that mean—"
Before she finished her sentence, Carlos interrupted her. "I don't know him. Frankie gave me his academic records. That's how I know about him." Then he asked, "You know him?"
"Yes. We're friends," she answered with a wry smile.
Carlos shrugged.
"Call Ivan and tell him to go to the Civil Affairs Department now." Carlos wasn't going to work this afternoon. Instead, he was going to force her to divorce Ivan.
Debbie freed herself from him and turned to run upstairs. "No! I'm not divorcing Ivan. Not on my life!" 'You owe me! It's time for you to pay, ' she thought.
It was Carlos who had given Debbie away when she got married to Ivan. Now he was reaping the bitter harvest.
Carlos stood, staring at his right hand.
When Debbie got married to Ivan, he placed her hand on Ivan's with that hand. Now, he wanted to chop it off! Carlos felt like the biggest fool on the planet. He gave the woman that he loved and cared about the most to another man.
Carlos saw that he couldn't change Debbie's mind, so he decided to force Ivan to divorce her instead. Anxiously, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Ivan's number. As soon as the call got connected, he said bluntly, "Call Debbie now and tell her to go to the Civil Affairs Department to get a divorce!"
Ivan was stunned for a moment. 'Our marriage isn't real, so there's no need for us to get a divorce. But since Carlos has called me, then that must mean that Debbie hasn't told him the truth yet and that he's unable to make her divorce me, ' he thought. Ivan smiled to himself and then replied, "Mr. Huo, don't you think that it's immoral to separate a couple?"
Carlos seethed at his reply and wished that he could skin him alive this very moment. Running out of patience, he warned Ivan in a threatening tone, "I will separate you two. She's my woman! Ivan Wen, divorce her now!"
Ivan sighed helplessly and said, "Okay, okay. She must be with you now, right? Mr. Huo, please tell her that if she decides to get a divorce, I'll do as she says at any time."
He left the ball in her court. Debbie would have the final say.