Take My Breath Away

It was Carlos who provided everything for the entire Huo family, so whenever he spoke, both his dad and his grandmother listened. At least those two, James and Valerie, were less authoritative in front of him.

Sensing Carlos was about to say something, Megan suggested, "Uncle Carlos, Valerie hasn't eaten dinner yet. But she wanted to have dinner with us. Why don't we eat first? Do it for Valerie?"

Carlos ignored her. He pulled Debbie into his arms and announced, "I only need three minutes.

And I'm going to say this only once. If any of you has a problem with Debbie, you have a problem with me! She is my wife, and I love her. If you can't treat her nicely, then we're not staying."

There was dead silence in the living room. Valerie sighed. After a while, James roared, "Shut up, you ungrateful son of a bitch! Did I say you could marry her? She's not welcome here!"

Carlos was going to talk back, but Debbie pulled at the corner of his shirt and shook her head when he looked back at her.

He knew she was worried about him. After giving Debbie a comforting look, Carlos told James, "Grandpa blessed our marriage. Although he's sick and in hospital, he's still the head of the family. He speaks for all of us. Grandpa's blessing means that she's part of this family. Dad, if you think I should listen to you, you should listen to your dad too. If you have a problem with his decision, take it up with him. Huo men are gentlemen. You should treat women with more respect."

James pointed at him furiously. His mouth opened and closed, but words failed him.

They knew Carlos never backed down, so Valerie compromised. "James, calm down. If your dad made the match, it isn't the kids' fault. Carlos did the right thing, defending his wife. Okay, enough. Time to eat."

Debbie blinked in disbelief. 'Has Carlos' grandma actually accepted me? My husband is awesome!'

Tabitha, who had been quiet the whole time, echoed, "Mom's right. It's New Year's Eve. James, please stop. Let's have dinner first."

She barely ever spoke in James' presence. However, as Debbie's mother-in-law, she thought it wrong to remain silent any longer.

Since Tabitha had spoken up, Wade Huo, James' elder brother, spoke up too. He looked at his three sons and reprimanded, "Are you blind? Escort your uncle James to the dining room!"

Debbie now started to understand how these people were related to each other.

Wade Huo was Lewis' dad, Carlos' uncle. He and Lewis' mom, Miranda Shu, had no daughters, only three sons.

Their first born, Frasier Huo, was kind and honest. Both he and his wife, Gloria Mo, were professors.

Their second son, Brooks Huo, was a lawyer. Being a hothead, he tended to go from one extreme to the other. But his heart was in the right place. He was soft-hearted. His wife, Connie Feng, was a photographer.

The youngest son was Lewis, who wasn't married and had tons of girlfriends. All playboys, yet Lewis was different from Damon and Jared. The Han brothers had new girlfriends from time to time, but they weren't lewd. Lewis, however, was disgusting, despicable, lewd, and a total loser. He dated many different women at the same time. The other day, he was almost engaged to Portia. But then he split that one off. And Portia was better off not being around him.

Carlos had warned Debbie to stay away from Lewis whenever she saw him.

Back in the present, Wade Huo's remark annoyed James. "I'm not crippled. Why do I need anyone to take me to the dining room? "

They started to take seats around the table. Debbie sat next to Carlos. Connie Feng came to Debbie and wanted to sit next to her, but someone beat her to the punch. It was Lewis. He rushed to the chair and elbowed Connie Feng away. "Debbie, I didn't expect you to come here for New Year's. It's been only a couple of days, but you're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you," he said impishly.

"Ahem!" Someone coughed heavily, interrupting Lewis. Debbie turned to look, only to find that Lewis' mom, Miranda Shu, was staring at her youngest son coldly.

Lewis was afraid of his mom. He grinned and said, "I know, I know. More eating, less talking.

" Finally, dinner began.

At the table, Megan busied herself with picking up food and ladling soup for Valerie. The old lady just couldn't stop laughing. It looked as if they were grandma and granddaughter.

Then suddenly, Megan looked at Carlos and said, "Uncle Carlos, I would like some of the Dong-jiang salt-baked chicken." The bratty charm was obvious in her voice, as if you could see it.

Debbie looked at the dish Megan mentioned. It was right in front of Carlos. Since she asked, Carlos picked up the serving chopsticks and grabbed some chicken for her.

"Thank you, Uncle Carlos." Megan smiled like a sunflower, at which Carlos simply nodded.

Debbie puckered her lips. 'Ugh! I can't believe it! Carlos is my husband. I didn't even ask him to pick up food for me. You did it on purpose! I hope you choke on it!'

As soon as dinner was over, Valerie and James called Carlos into the study, and a housemaid took Debbie into Carlos' room, at the end of the second floor. Diagonally opposite Carlos' room was Valerie's.

Debbie wandered around Carlos' bedroom, trying to know more about the man she loved. The decor of the room was exactly the same as that of their bedroom in the manor in Y City. Many of the items she simply left in their places as she walked around the room, hands behind her back. But soon, the urge to be proper was overwhelmed by her curiosity. She started to pick up various items to look at them in more detail. On the bookshelf were the trophies Carlos had won when he was a teenager and the medals he had been awarded in the army. There were medals for first-class merit, second-class merit, and third-class merit. Looking at the medals and trophies, Debbie found her husband was outstanding.

In the study of the manor in Y City, there were more than one hundred trophies which he had won in the past few years. Now in this bedroom, there were dozens of trophies. He even started winning trophies in kindergarten. He was a remarkable man, driven from the earliest age to excel in everything he put his mind to. A lot of this explained his exceptional nature, and some of his control freak tendencies. He had to be in control or dominate every aspect of his life. And sometimes that was a charming trait, other times quite frightening. None of this occurred to Debbie at the time.

'How lucky I am to be married to this exceptional man!' Debbie thought to herself.

She took a picture of those trophies and medals and sent it to her friends through the group chat function on WeChat. "Carlos is so awesome! I feel inferior compared to him," she exclaimed.

Jared saw the picture and complained, "Shit! How could you put me in such an envious mood by posting this so early in the morning? Damn! He was even awarded medals for first-class merit. That's a state-level honor! Is your husband even human? He is under thirty, for God's sake! How can I ever be as accomplished as him?"

Kristina asked, "When did you touch down in New York, Tomboy? It has to be night there, right?"

Before Debbie could reply Kristina's question, a commotion started in the study. 'Carlos' dad must have exploded with rage again, ' Debbie thought.

'Never mind. Since Carlos is there, he should be able to handle it. I'd better stay away, in case his dad gets even angrier when he sees me.'