Take My Breath Away

Ruby looked around vigilantly, afraid that someone was hiding around a corner or in the bushes. Some paparazzo trying to get a good candid shot of Debbie.

"Decker, I can't. I'm all tapped out and hurting for cash," Debbie snapped, turning down her brother's request. It wasn't an excuse. She'd already spent a ton of money on the detectives, and she was closing in on the limits of her expense account. She'd even withdrawn the money saved in her fixed deposit account.

Decker wasn't angry. He dragged the woman standing behind him forward. "We're getting married soon. I could use some cash to start my new life, you know? You're my sis, after all."

'Getting married?' Debbie was shocked. She sized the girl up. She'd barely reached twenty, but she sure dressed like an adult.

Debbie suppressed the shock in her heart and asked the girl, "You sure about him? He's a parasite. You want to marry a man who lives off his sister?"

Angered by her remarks, Decker stepped in between them and glared at Debbie. "Hey! I resent that! What are you trying to do, anyway?"

Ignoring him, Debbie kept her eyes on the young girl, awaiting her answer. The girl had already retreated behind him. She leaned out and replied, "He treats me well. I want to marry him." Her tone was timid, halting, hushed. Debbie could tell she was afraid of offending him.

Debbie didn't expect a stupid answer like that. It seemed rehearsed, almost.

A smug smile crept across Decker's face. "You heard her! Now, the money!"

"Fine. I'll give you fifty thousand dollars. But you'll have to get a job first, to support this fine young lady. No job, no money." She couldn't bear to see her brother just doing nothing like that. If he didn't find a good job, his future would be bleak.

Debbie was done talking, so she turned on her heel and started walking back to her car.

Decker wanted to run up to her and stop Debbie in her tracks. He wanted the money now. But Ruby got in his way. "You know your sister know Tae Kwon Do, right? She could beat you to a pulp if she wanted. She hasn't done that so far, because you're her brother. Don't push it."

Reminded of Debbie's top-notch martial arts, Decker immediately chickened out. He shouted all sorts of insults as he watched, helpless, as the car drove away. He kicked his leg in the direction of the leaving car as if venting his anger. After that, he hopped on his motorbike.

Just then, a woman wearing a baseball cap and a mask sprang up from nowhere and stopped in Decker's way. "Are you Decker Lu?" she asked.

Decker turned the key and stopped the engine. In an impatient voice, he asked, "Who are you?"

"Are you? Yes, or no."

"Yeah. What? You know me?"

The woman took an envelope from her handbag and held it in front of his face. "Inside this envelope is a bank card with a million dollars. Take it and don't bother Debbie again!"

'A million?' Decker's facial expression changed dramatically. He jumped off his motorbike and grabbed the envelope. He opened the envelope slowly, as if he expected this to be a trick. Once he realized she wasn't lying, he asked curiously, "Who are you? Why cover your face? And why are you giving this to me?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. Just don't bug her for money anymore. You could start a small business with this, maybe open a store. Do something useful for once."

Decker's eyes lit up with excitement. He promised her outright, "Okay, okay. No problem. So what's the passcode?"

"The last six numbers of the bank card number."

"Lady, with this kind of cash I can do all sorts of stuff. It's a deal!" he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

A dash of disappointment flashed in the woman's eyes, hidden under a pair of sunglasses.

After the mysterious woman left, Decker rode the motorbike to a nearby bank and found an ATM. He checked the balance and there was indeed a million dollars in it!

He jumped for joy as he counted the number again and again to make sure of it. He even pinched himself, hard, but he still hadn't awakened. This was no dream! So he took out fifty thousand dollars and grabbed his girlfriend to get some quality time.

Debbie, on the other hand, was still worried about Decker. How would she ever get him to go to work? She had tried everything, using both hard and soft tactics, to get a leash on Decker, but nothing worked.

After a shower, she sat on the bed and turned on her laptop. While she waited for it to boot, she texted Ivan. "Hey, I'm back in Z Country now. Meet you in the office tomorrow."

"Okay, see you then!" Ivan sent back a message.

"Okay, bye."

In Y City

Carlos was lost in thought as he walked to his apartment. He was consumed with thoughts of Debbie. He hadn't walked his dog in a week, thinking that he might bump into Debbie walking around the neighborhood, but not this time.

He hadn't seen her walking her dog, nor did he find her hanging out at the places they used to meet up.

He opened the door to his apartment, confusion flooding his mind. When he came in, he saw that Stephanie was already at home, talking on the phone.

Seeing Carlos come in, Stephanie quickly ended the call and greeted him. "Hey, Carlos. You're back late."

"Mmm hmm."

He took off his suit jacket. She took it from him and hung it up. "I'll get you a glass of water," she said.

"Thanks. I'm headed to the study now."

When Stephanie fetched him a glass, Carlos was diligently working on his company files. After a few moments' hesitation, she asked, "Carlos, your father called me today. He asked when we were going to throw the engagement ceremony."

Last time, he promised it would be soon. But he hadn't said a thing about it after that. Stephanie grew worried. 'Is it because of that woman?' she wondered, anxiety growing in her heart.

Carlos' fingers froze on his laptop. He explained calmly, "Stephanie, you know I'm really busy now. I need to go on a business trip tomorrow. There's a problem regarding a contract we signed. And what's more, I have to personally negotiate a contract with Mr. Wen. So we'll talk about it when I'm back."

Stephanie walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Okay, I'll wait." As long as he'd marry her, she would quit her career and stay at home to be a good wife and a kind mother.

Carlos patted her hand. "You're tired. You should go to bed," he advised.

But she didn't take off. Instead, she sat on his lap, putting her face close to his. "I've been thinking. We've been together a while now... and we'll be engaged soon. So...how about we... have a kid first?"

She tried to beat around the bush to hint at him. But then she thought the direct approach might be better.

'A kid?' Carlos frowned. Myriad complicated feelings stirred in his heart. After a while, he simply pecked her lips and comforted, "No hurry. We're both busy. Wait until we're married."

Disappointed, Stephanie had no choice but to agree. "Okay." Then, she drew in closer and pressed her lips to his.

But in a split second, Carlos pushed her away. "Look, it's late. I need to reply to this email. Get some sleep, like I asked."

So she was frustrated again. Carlos never bugged her for sex. She was the one that had to get the ball rolling. But he turned her down every time.

There were times where she wondered if he were impotent. Now, she felt an urge to get it checked out at the hospital.

'What if he really can't get it up? What would I do?' she wondered worriedly.

In Z Country

Before Debbie could spend any time with her daughter, she was asked to shoot a public service announcement. Left with no choice, she gave Piggy to Ivan for a day.

"You're having dinner with a client, right? So you can drive Piggy back home before dinner," Debbie told Ivan worriedly.