Take My Breath Away

When Debbie saw Carlos' gloomy face, her mind went blank for a moment. "Oh, it's you, old man. No, you can't be here. I must have made a mistake." 'He should be enjoying his girlfriend's company right now. Does he have time for me?' conflicting thoughts ran through her mind.

With her eyes closed, she leaned against his chest, smelling his enchanting scent.

"Where to, Mr. Huo?" asked Carlos' assistant, who was ready in the driver's seat.

For the six months he had been on the job, he had never seen Carlos hug another woman besides Stephanie. This was a first.

Carlos was quiet for a moment. He looked out the window, stroked his brow and said, "Go to Champs Bay Apartments."

"Yes, Mr. Huo."

The car pulled into Champs Bay Apartments in about ten minutes, where on arrival, Carlos' phone rang. A call from Curtis.

"Hi," he answered at once.

"Carlos, Jared told me he couldn't find Debbie. Do you know where she is?" While Jared anxiously looked for her, Debbie had left her phone on the couch at the club. In his frantic efforts to find her, he had called Curtis.

"Yes, I do," Carlos replied faintly.

"Good. Jared said she was drunk. Take care of her, OK?" said Curtis, feeling relieved.

"Alright."

Elsewhere, Jared was still worried. Only after Curtis called back and told him about her whereabouts did he get some rest.

'How did Carlos take her so quietly? He is like a ghost, ' Jared reflected.

With Debbie gone and Kasie dead drunk, there was no fun in the club for him. He decided to leave. The bill would cost him a fortune, though. He went to the manager. "Good fellow, tell me, how long will I have to wash the dishes here to pay the bill?"

The manager smiled politely. "You wouldn't be able to pay off even if you washed the dishes here for 20 years. Mr. Han, you'd better pay the bill directly."

"Fine. Call this guy. He is my brother. Tell him I ran away, and ask him to settle up." Jared hadn't spoken to Damon for a long time.

Damon wouldn't get ripped off willingly, not to mention the bill was ridiculously high. He called Jared. Yet Jared said calmly, "In the past years, as the elder brother, you didn't take care of me at all. Just consider this bill as your way to make up for it."

"Jared, you son of a bitch. Are you talking as if you were a baby in the last three years? Are you crazy, or something? Take care of you, my foot!" Damon cursed.

"If I am a son of a bitch, you are too. Anyway, that's beside the point. Thing is, either you pay or I'll call Adriana and tell her last week you went to dinner with two other women. Those supermodels you seemed head over heels about. The ball is in your court," Jared threatened.

The blackmail worked like magic. Without further ado, Damon caved in. "You evil little son of a bitch!" he cursed again. The dinner with the supermodels was an official event. A normal part of business for him, and entirely public, with so many people present.

But Jared made it sound like some clandestine affair. What angered Damon more was that he was already married and had better things to attend to than babysitting a whole grown up, a party animal who couldn't fund his extravagant lifestyle. "Then you are the older son of a bitch. You are my brother, you have to help me out. Moreover, you are already married. I'm not. I have to save up for my wedding. Okay, my dear brother? Catch you later," Jared retorted.

"Bullshit!" Damon cursed when he looked at his phone only to find that Jared had hung up on him.

Adriana was woken up by his cursing. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at her angry husband and asked with concern, "What's going on? Who has pissed you off this much? What happened?"

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep." Angrily, he put his phone away and went to bed again.

After Adriana fell asleep again, he texted his assistant and told him to bring the money to Jared.

Meanwhile, Carlos walked into the elevator with Debbie in his arms. He pressed "7".

After getting off the elevator, he carried her to the fingerprint scanner, put her down and told her to open the door.

But Debbie didn't respond at all. Carlos had to grab her hand and try one fingerprint at a time.

By the time the door finally opened, he had lost his patience. Once more, he carried her on his shoulder and took her inside.

With her head upside down, Debbie's stomach churned. As soon as Carlos put her down on the couch, she sprung to her feet and darted into the bathroom.

To steady herself, she bent to grab hold on the sink in the bathroom.

In the living room, Carlos heard her puke loud and clear. As a neat freak, he frowned in disgust.

One or two minutes later, he eased up when he heard her brushing teeth.

Out of the bathroom, she walked, supporting herself by leaning on the wall.

Although she was sobered up a little, she still spoke with a slur. "Old man? Why are you here?" she asked.

Carlos handed her a cup of warm water. "Drink this. It'll help," he urged.

Dismissively, she waved her hand and continued walking, pressing against the wall. "Go take care of your girlfriend. I don't need you," she refused.

Now, Carlos cut a gloomy look. He had left Stephanie alone and arranged for one of his drivers to take her home, where she had no one but servants.

Yet here he was, with a sloshed, ungrateful and almost incoherent Debbie.

Had he wasted his time waiting outside the club to take her home only for his kindness to be rejected? Hadn't she claimed she loved him? Carlos wondered why and where Debbie's mixed signals were leading to.

Debbie opened the door with difficulty, but before she knew it, he scooped her up. "Why did you pick me up?" she asked with a drawl. "Carlos, you're an asshole. You kissed another woman before my eyes. I'll kill you!" Debbie showered him with her punches.

When Carlos was about to put her on the bed, she suddenly slapped him.

His face turned red with anger, wishing to strangle her.

But Debbie seemed to be oblivious of his rage. She mumbled on, "I planned to stay single for the rest of my life when they told me you died. Is this how you treat me? Boo...hoo... Asshole! You're a heartless jerk!"

Ignoring her rant, Carlos put her on the bed, took off her shoes and pulled a thin quilt over her.

But she refused to sleep under the quilt and kicked it off the bed. Then she sat up, screaming and cursing. "You're not my husband. My husband loves me. He won't kiss another woman. Neither will he marry someone else. Get out of here!"

After she punched him again, Carlos grabbed her hands and warned, "Shut up and go to sleep! You don't have to push me to the wall."

"Why have you changed so much? You no longer are the person I knew. Back then you loved me from the bottom of your heart."

Carlos was left speechless. 'This woman is a piece of work, ' he thought.

While he racked his brains for an end to the drama, she abruptly made a turn around, held him tight and pressed her face against his chest. "Old man, don't kiss her. Promise me you won't kiss her, okay?"

Her change of tone got him by surprise. A few minutes ago, he had wished she'd be worn out and leave him in peace.

But now, at her soft tender voice, and the way she held him tight, Carlos wished that moment could last forever.

Unaware she was turning him on, Debbie went on between sobs, "Just promise me. It's all I'm asking for."