Carlos felt disgusted when he heard the person's voice, because the person in his bed wasn't Debbie, and wasn't even a woman. It was a man wearing a long wig!
In a split second, he broke free from the man's embrace and violently pushed him back onto the bed. "Ouch! Hey, take it easy!" Niles protested, his face contorted in pain. Carlos had pushed him so forcefully that Niles slipped off the bed and fell onto the floor.
Luckily the floor was covered with a carpet, so it was mostly his pride that was bruised.
With a dark face, Carlos stared down at the groaning surgeon and asked, "Where is my wife?"
Niles pointed at the curtain. Behind it, he could vaguely see a figure hiding there. Wasting no time, Carlos strode towards the window and ripped the curtain aside. Again, a person dashed out and jumped into Carlos' arms, saying, "Happy wedding to you, honey!"
Carlos spat out curse words at the man hugging him. Without warning, he gut punched him. Kinsley whined in pain and loosened his embrace at once. He held his stomach, unable to utter another word, gasping for breath.
Carlos asked a second time, "Where is my wife?"
Lifting a trembling finger, Kinsley weakly pointed to the walk-in closet. Carlos was getting irate. He had been hugged by two men now, and wasn't in the mood for a third. He slowly moved towards the closet.
However, before he could get there, a person sprung up from behind the dressing table and did the same thing as the others. Carlos tried not to be too violent. He was afraid he would hurt the real Debbie. Now once again, he had to be hugged by another man and hear him say, "Happy wedding to you, honey!"
Carlos shut his eyes in anger. Without opening them, he grabbed hold of the man's arm and was about to throw him outside. It was Xavier. He knew what was going on, listening behind the dressing table. When Carlos grabbed for his arm, he quickly sidestepped the angry man's attack.
Just in a few minutes' time, Carlos had been called "honey" by three men. He looked like a volcano on the verge of erupting. If he could, he would throw these three men into sea right now.
Niles was dressed in a nightgown. He tore the wig from his head and threw it on the floor. Then, he climbed onto the bed again and lay in the middle. Xavier lay next to him, while Kinsley sat on the edge of the bed, fumbling in his pocket for a cigarette.
Three men were on his bed. Carlos, the germophobe, could no longer hold back his anger. When he was about to blow his top, Niles tried to mollify him. "Calm down. This is a traditional wedding custom. Boys on the bed, for good luck," he teased.
In a traditional Chinese wedding, a virgin boy was supposed to sleep with the groom the night before the wedding. It was supposed to bring good luck.
Of course, Carlos knew about this custom. He stared at Kinsley coldly and said, "Come on. You're supposed to be young and virginal. Young? Maybe. But virginal?" He paused, shifting his ice-cold eyes to the other two, and continued between gritted teeth, "And it's supposed to be done the night before the wedding."
Xavier sat up on the bed and shook his head. "Depends on where you are. In some places, it's the night OF the wedding, and in others, the boys sleep with the groom for five or six nights!"
Niles thrust out his empty hands and said, "So we did what we were supposed to. So...red envelopes, please?"
When Carlos didn't speak, Xavier let out a light cough and began to recite the blessing, "Virgin boys on your connubial bed, good luck follows you everywhere..."
"You idiot. Quit letting him know the two of us are virgins." Niles turned to Carlos. "We just need the moolah," he yelled in embarrassment, bowing his head.
At this point, Carlos had already run out of patience. He wasn't interested in their stupid games. "Do you really consider yourselves teenage boys?" he snarled at them.
Niles raised his head abruptly. Although he felt embarrassed, he still wanted to argue with Carlos. "Haven't you read any martial arts fiction? A virgin is just someone who hasn't had sex, whether age 8 or 80."
Carlos rolled his eyes at Niles, unconvinced by his lame explanation.
Kinsley just kicked back. He was enjoying this. It was fun to give Carlos a hard time.
Then, Xavier continued to recite the blessing, "Wish you a baby boy as soon as possible..."
"No, thanks. I don't need a son. I have my hands full with two daughters," Carlos cut in bluntly.
Xavier didn't mind and shrugged his shoulders. But Kinsley wouldn't let it go. He said, "Well, I need to have a son ASAP. I'll ask my son to marry your daughter. That way, ZL Group will be my family operation."
Carlos snorted, eyes full of sarcasm. "Don't bother. I won't let my daughter marry a younger guy."
Kinsley disagreed, "You're so old-fashioned, Carlos. Age doesn't matter at all. A husband with an older woman can still take good care of her. I can't believe you think that way."
"Nice!" Niles folded his arms and nodded his head.
Carlos was supposed to have a sweet moment with Debbie tonight, and wasn't in the mood to argue with them anymore. "Now, all of you, get lost!"
Xavier stood up, and playfully recited again, "Be a good son, respect your parents and uphold your family honor. The bride has sugar, so the groom is eager; the wedding night is precious, yet... marriage is longer."
The other two guys burst into a fit of wild laughter. More laughter could be heard from the closet. Carlos noticed it, but he paid no attention to it.
He estimated that there were at least ten people in his bedroom now, including himself. And only one of them actually belonged there.
Ignoring their laughter, he crossed his arms over his chest and took a look at his wristwatch. "Every second of my wedding night is precious. So scram."
Someone flung the door to the closet open. Decker came out, then Curtis, Wesley and others in tow. They had been waiting there a long time, but Carlos didn't walk in.
Carlos shifted his gaze, looking at each person who emerged from the closet. Much to his disappointment, none of them were his beloved wife. He realized that Debbie wasn't in this room at all.
They all squeezed onto Carlos' bed. Some sat there, while the others casually lay down. It was an odd scene—Carlos stood alone and nine other men were on his bed.
"Where is my wife?" This was the only question in Carlos' mind now.
"Well, your wife is..." Curtis smiled evilly.
Dixon said, "Your wife..."
Jared filled in the sentence, "—isn't here. She's not even in the house."
'Debbie isn't at the manor?' Carlos frowned in worry.
Ivan looked at his wristwatch and said, "I think your wife is..."
Wesley smiled mysteriously, "She's..."
Niles made a face and laughed. "It's a secret. We won't tell you!"
Carlos was boiling with anger. Now he knew what was going on. His friends were teasing him. They had deliberately gotten him drunk at the wedding party. And now they all crammed into his bedroom, ruining his sweet moment with his bride.
'Fine, you guys have a death wish!' Carlos pulled a chair over and sat down in it. "Okay, since my wife isn't here, I have more time to get even!"
The nine men exchanged glances with each other. They had a bad feeling about this.
Carlos pulled out his cellphone. He was going to start with all the married men here. It was too easy. A phone call to the wife was enough. First up was Ivan. He texted Tristan and got Kasie's phone number. Then he called her. "Mrs. Kasie Wen, I think you should know something. There's a hot, young model your husband talks to after work. I see them standing outside talking and laughing. Okay, goodbye."
Ivan was shocked by what he had heard. In a few seconds, his phone rang. Everyone looked at him with sympathy in their eyes as he hastily stepped out to answer the call.
The next target was Curtis. Carlos called Colleen. "Aunt Colleen, it's me. Did Uncle Curtis come back late one night? Remember that, about a month ago? He looked pretty guilty to me. I'd ask him about it."