Take My Breath Away

"What?" Debbie heard Carlos' voice come from the other end of the line.

Although it was just one word, she could tell that something was off with him.

'Is it because Stephanie is with him?'

With a sinking feeling, she said softly, "Never mind. I'll let you get back to work."

"Wait!" Before she hung up, Stephanie called out to stop her.

Debbie didn't hang up, nor did she speak.

Stephanie said with a smile, "Miss Nian, let this be the last time that you call my fiance. Carlos and I will get engaged next month. In case you're still in doubt about his intentions with me, I invite you to our engagement party. Maybe, that will confirm you in everything that you need to know."

'Is this woman kidding me?' Debbie wondered. 'What's going on with Carlos? Is this what he has been up to for the last three days?'

Color drained from Debbie's face. She had thought she and Carlos had gone along very well. Why would he change his mind all of a sudden to go ahead with an engagement to Stephanie? What did she miss? In any case, what was the rush for?

Debbie panicked. She didn't know what to say. After a long pause, she said timidly, almost sounding silly, "You are lying! I won't believe it unless Carlos tells me this himself."

Carlos took over the phone, turned off the hands-free mode and said coldly, "Miss Nian, Stephanie and I will get engaged next month. Since she doesn't mind it, you are welcome to our engagement party."

Debbie shook her head and murmured, "Hell no! That can't be Carlos on the phone! I guess you're trying to pull a prank on me, Stephanie." But even as she said those words, putting up a protest, deep down in her heart of hearts, she knew better. This was not a prank. It was Carlos' phone number and the voice was no doubt his. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Her weeping grew into hysterical cries. Carlos, however, responded with a cold sneer. If it weren't for James having warned him, he would've believed her performance. "You want me to tell you face to face?" Carlos asked.

"Wait for me," Debbie blurted. "I'll come to your office now," she added in between sobs. She still refused to believe what she heard. Only a few days ago, Carlos had been so nice to her.

To confirm whatever she had heard on the phone, Debbie rushed to the ZL Group offices, as soon as she hung up. Carlos had informed the receptionist ahead of time, so she was allowed straight to the general manager's office without being stopped.

Inside the office, she found Carlos and Stephanie discussing something. Walking straight to where they were, Debbie noticed that they were looking at map of the venue where the engagement party was to be held.

Debbie's face turned deathly pale.

Carlos cast a cold glance at her and said bluntly, "Stop acting before me. I already know what kind of woman you are. It's good that you are here, so that I can tell you this for the last time. Stop playing tricks on me. I am past that."

As Debbie looked him in the eye, the coldness on his face stung her. It made her wonder whether their happy moments before were just a dream. After a long time, she finally managed to say, "Carlos, what did you hear about me that makes you so hostile against me?"

'What did I hear about you? Are you afraid of being exposed?' Carlos felt even more disappointed. Without saying a word, he opened a drawer and took out a stack of photos and a sheet of paper in between.

Just with one look, Debbie knew what the photos were all about and what was on the paper. 'Now that James began to strike back, I don't need to hide anything from Carlos, ' she thought.

"Carlos, let me tell you the truth. It was James Huo who forced me to leave Y City. He used our baby to threaten me. He told me you were dead and even held a fake funeral to deceive me. He even had his men abduct Sasha and forced me to write this down and sign my name on it. He destroyed our marriage and ruined me. He—"

Whatever Debbie said, Carlos would not believe. He had been warned. Besides, Debbie called James by his name, which only made matters worse. 'She doesn't show any respect to Dad!' Thinking of this, he rudely interrupted her. "Shut up! Enough of that blabber!"

The viciousness in his voice gave Debbie such a real scare that her mouth went dry all of a sudden. 'I now get the point. In Carlos' eyes, James is a caring father. I must expose his true colors.' So she said, "Carlos, do you know James is not your biological father?"

Actually, that was new to Carlos. If anyone else had told him that on any other day, he would have believed it. But this, coming from Debbie, was indeed odd. Stranger than fiction.

"Remember what your grandpa told you on his deathbed? I know you may not believe me. But what James did against you and everyone close to you while you were in a coma speaks volumes. No one might have told you what the old man did to the ZL group. Besides the fact that you came back to a changed leadership in the company, you may not be privy to the acrimony that led to the departure of long-time and trusted employees. Anyway, the losses you're seeing are just a tip of the iceberg. If you don't watch out, that man, James will be your downfall, I promise you. Oh, by the way, he even took away the company and properties that you gave me."

Disdain written all over his face, Carlos retorted, "You must be disappointed to hear that Dad came to me and asked me to take the CEO's position back. But I turned him down. As for the company and properties I gave you, I have a hunch, you came back just to revenge yourself, huh?"

Looking at the man in disbelief, Debbie gaped at his cold retort and apparent naivety. "It's your decision if you want to trust James, and I don't care anyway. So let's just assume that I came here to avenge myself. But this is not because he took away the things you gave me, but because he ruined my life and destroyed our marriage.

For that, I swear, he'll pay a heavy price!" she roared. Clenching his hand to fist inside his pocket, Carlos answered with a cold expression, "It was you who wrecked our marriage."

"For the umpteenth time, get this straight Carlos. I did what I did under duress. When James did a mock funeral for you, had his men abduct Sasha to blackmail me, and threatened me with our baby, to coerce me into signing the divorce papers, what should I have done, Carlos? Should I have agreed to abort our baby? Tell me, Carlos!" Debbie mocked.

"Where's the baby?" Carlos asked all of a sudden.

Not only he, but Stephanie held her breath at the mention of the baby. She was afraid that Carlos had a baby with this woman.

"The baby..." Debbie almost let slip.

But she really couldn't tell him the truth right now. "I stumbled and fell, and then I lost it..." For Piggy's safety, Debbie would lie, even if it meant putting her neck on the line to save the little girl.

Carlos snorted, "You fell on purpose, right? After all, the baby was not mine."

Debbie realized that Carlos trusted James very much, and he wouldn't believe whatever she said. In Carlos' eyes, she was a shameless, disgusting woman who had betrayed him and left him while he was in a coma.

Silence reigned in the office, until Stephanie finally spoke.

Suppressing a mocking smile, she said, "Miss Nian, I don't know why you are saying that Uncle James isn't Carlos' dad. Even if it's true, he is the one who raised Carlos to where he is now. For all practical purposes, he is Carlos' dad, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Shut up! You know nothing!" Debbie screamed.

For Carlos, Debbie could swallow her pride. After all, she still loved him and respected him. But who the hell did Stephanie think she was? She had no say in this matter. Stephanie didn't know what Debbie was capable of, if someone dared rub her the wrong way.

Stephanie had underestimated Debbie. Such a sharp reprimand was simply beyond what she had expected.

"Debbie Nian!" Carlos warned in a cold voice, fearing Debbie might turn violent at any slight provocation now.

"Carlos Huo, I'm so disappointed in you," murmured Debbie, her eyes teary.

Pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket, Carlos wiped his brow, as if the white piece of cotton would magically wipe away the tension building in his head and the air around them. 'I'm the disappointed one. I'm so disappointed in you, Debbie Nian!' he thought.

Stone-faced, he placed an internal call.

Under a minute, Frankie, one of Carlos' new assistants, knocked at the door.

"See her out," said Carlos, trying to sound as composed as possible.

The assistant, oblivious to what was happening, greeted Debbie with a polite smile and indicated the way out. "This way, Miss Nian," he said courteously. But Debbie didn't move. She looked Carlos in the eye and asked, "Carlos Huo, are you sure that you two are getting engaged?"