Debbie stuck her head out and retorted, "You don't have the final say in this."
Carlos' face instantly fell. When Curtis and Colleen burst into a fit of laughter, Carlos pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "I think we need a talk now."
Debbie pursed her lips. She could sense the warning in his tone, but she wasn't afraid. In a hushed voice, she threatened, "You sure you want a talk now? There's no telling of the outcome."
The great CEO chickened out at once. He couldn't afford to irritate her now.
A few moments later, Carlos and Curtis were invited to a business talk by some other guest. Meanwhile, Debbie and Colleen sat idly at the food section, enjoying the food and watching the guests come and go.
Debbie's phone suddenly buzzed. It was a message from Ruby. As she bowed her head to text back, she heard some people behind her gossiping. "Look, that's Debbie Nian, the woman who separated Mr. Huo and Stephanie Li."
"Isn't she Mr. Huo's ex-wife? Why did she do that? Do you think she wants to remarry Mr. Huo?"
"Of course. After all, Mr. Huo is so rich and powerful. I bet she must have been regretting it every day after the divorce."
Their voices were loud enough to be heard by Debbie and Colleen. The two simultaneously turned their heads around, only to find the gossipers were a group of unacquainted women. They were glaring in Debbie's direction while berating her fervently.
The gossipers were taken aback and caught off-guard when they made eye contact with Debbie, although they didn't flinch nor leave the spot.
With her right elbow rested on the table behind her, Debbie smirked and asked in a raised voice, "Hey girls, are you talking about me?"
Colleen stood up, in a bid to give those women a piece of her mind, but Debbie tugged at her sleeve to stop her.
The group of women remained silent, staring at her warily.
Debbie glanced over their shoulders and saw that Carlos was slowly approaching them. In an instant, a bright smile crept across her face, and she spoke again in the same raised voice. "How did you know that I'm only after Carlos' money? What should I do now? You've seen through me. Yes, Carlos is rich, and I love his money!"
One of the nosy women widened her eyes in disbelief upon hearing Debbie's words. She cussed, "Listen to yourself! Shame on you!"
"Shame?" Debbie blinked her eyes mischievously. "You mean me? I'm shameless?"
She was deliberately provoking the women. She could see that Carlos was standing right behind them and could hear every word that was said now. Many of the other guests had noticed that there was a commotion going on. Out of curiosity, they began to make their way to the food section, so that they could hear what was happening.
"Yes, we're talking about you! Mr. Huo and Miss Li were engaged, but you stepped in between them. You're the other woman! A home wrecker!" one of the women spat out crossly. She envied Debbie so much. It was a good opportunity for her to vent her anger since Carlos wasn't by her side to defend her now.
"You home wrecker! Shameless bitch! Slut! We should expose your true colors to Mr. Huo. You're only after his money. You don't love him at all!" another woman abused in an agitated voice.
With her eyebrows raised, Debbie almost laughed herself to tears. She echoed the woman's words, "Yes, yes. I'm back with him only for his money. Look, this is one of the diamond rings he gave me. Its price would be equal to hundreds of your evening dresses. Everything on me is all from Mr. Huo."
The women stared at the huge heart-shaped diamond ring on Debbie's finger while myriads of different colors dazzled brightly from it under the lights. It stirred up jealousy in each of them, and they turned green with envy.
Suddenly a deep calm voice rang from behind the women. "Ladies, I hear that I'm the topic of discussion here. True?"
The unexpected voice sent a shiver down their spines as they quickly turned around. When they saw Carlos standing directly behind them, they became flustered. They didn't know how long he had been there or how much of their conversation he had overheard.
"No... M-Mr. Huo."
"Mr. Huo, no, we didn't..."
Two of them cowered at once and denied it. They knew they shouldn't offend Carlos. However, some of them were stupid or ballsy enough to confront him. A woman came forward and told him boldly, "Mr. Huo, word came out from your father that Debbie married you for the sake of your money. We felt sorry for you and wanted to help you seek justice. She's fooling you."
A waiter came by with a tray in his hands. Carlos casually took a glass of champagne from the tray. While gently swirling the liquid in the glass, he smiled faintly.
Everyone held their breath and gaped at him curiously to see what he would do next. Carlos walked past the gossipers, and nonchalantly approached Debbie. To everyone's shock, he leaned over, pecked her on the lips and questioned slowly, "For money?"
"Yes, Mr. Huo! Debbie Nian tried every means possible to marry you just for your wealth," the same ballsy woman asserted.
Holding the champagne glass in one hand and the other tucked in his pocket, Carlos tilted his head at the woman and taunted, "So what? If she wants money, then I'll give her my money. If she wants love, then I'll give her my heart. Whatever she wants, I'll satisfy her every need. As long as my wife is Debbie Nian, I don't care what her motive is. I'll give her anything, let alone money."
His romantic and doting words caused a rumble of exclamation among the onlookers. Some women couldn't help but sigh out aloud in admiration.
Upon hearing Carlos' reply, the ballsy woman was left speechless. Her face burned with embarrassment. When she looked around, she noticed the disdainful looks from everyone and she hastily retreated, leaving the food section awkwardly.
"Now, who said that Debbie was a shameless bitch?" Carlos asked, portraying no emotion in his voice.
The group of busybodies looked guiltily among themselves and fell into silence for a moment. Then, a woman was pointed out by the others. Engulfed with fear, the woman shook her head vigorously. The color drained from her face, and she was white as a sheet. Opening her mouth, she wanted to apologize to Debbie, but Carlos' death glare silenced her.
Carlos instructed Frankie in a low and cold voice, "Take her outside."
"Yes, Mr. Huo!"
Frankie gestured to the bodyguards. Soon enough, two bodyguards emerged from the onlookers. They sandwiched the woman and locked her arms. While dragging her outside, one of the bodyguards covered the woman's mouth to avoid attracting more attention. They left the banquet hall in a low-key way.
However, there were still many guests who witnessed the woman being taken out. No one dared say anything or try to stop them. They were afraid that they might meet the same fate as she did and land themselves in trouble.
Debbie tugged at Carlos' sleeve. "Where are they taking her?" she asked in a worried tone.
Carlos looked at her and gently caressed her head. Sensing her concern, he assured her, "Don't worry." Ever since he had a wife, Carlos wasn't as cruel as he used to be.
Debbie whispered, "Just teach her a little lesson. Don't go too far, okay?" She was angry with that woman's insulting words, so she didn't want to let her get away with it. It was okay to punish her, but she didn't want Carlos to overdo it.
Carlos raised an eyebrow and held her chin. "I know what to do. Don't you trust me?"
Debbie slapped his hand away. "No, I don't!" She had heard a lot about how brutal and merciless Carlos could be. People said that anyone who offended him or crossed his line would end up miserably. So she felt worried about what would happen to the woman.
To set her mind at ease, Carlos took out his phone and called Frankie. He ordered coldly, "Carve a 'bitch' on her face and throw her out onto the street." After putting his phone away, he brazenly pulled her closer to him and asked, "Honey, is that okay?"
Debbie got goose bumps just thinking about the order that Carlos gave. "No, that's too painful. Just punch her a few times."
Carlos didn't listen to her this time. He shook his head and reminded her. "Honey, you need to know one thing. To be kind to your enemy is to be cruel to yourself. If it were a few years ago, I would've had that woman's mouth stitched up. She's lucky that I'm much more benevolent now because my kind and lovely wife has changed me. You're my angel."