Take My Breath Away

Debbie had been missing Kasie a lot. She hadn't seen her in 3 years, and that was a long time for best friends. She wrote "Miss You in Winter" for her. When she announced it, she looked at Kasie who was standing next to her on the stage.

Kasie was moved. Just before the performance, she kissed Debbie's forehead and said, "Love you forever, sis."

Debbie's eyes twinkled with tears. Holding Kasie's hand, she put the microphone to her lips. The music started, and she sang, "That winter, the snow fell relentlessly. The night was blanketed in white.

You saw me crying like a baby coming back from a hike.

Wiping the tears from my face, you cheered me up and told me everything would be all right."

Kasie got off the stage in the middle of the song.

A member of the crew handed Debbie a guitar. She took it and fastened the mic to the stand, and continued, "When I saw your tears, I wanted to say, 'Lovely girl, we need to be strong. There are many more people who love us in the world. Put on a smile and live bravely...'"

When Emmett died and Kasie's heart was broken, Carlos had fallen into a coma. Debbie was beside herself with grief and was soon forced to leave the city. She had always hated that she couldn't be there for Kasie during that dark time when she must have needed a shoulder to cry on. So, separated from her friend, she poured her heart out through her songs.

Countless glow sticks swayed back and forth in unison in the dark. Many fans raised signs saying "We love you Debbie," or "My bias Debbie." The words shone in many different colors, made even more colorful by the glow sticks.

The concert went more smoothly than Debbie had anticipated. When she went to the dressing room to change her clothes during the intermission, Ruby asked excitedly, "Did you invite Mr. Huo and Colonel Li? The reporters are hovering around outside like vultures. Be careful."

The stadium was packed to the gills. There were simply too many people, with twenty thousand inside the venue and ten thousand outside. It was standing room only. In that sea of faces it would be difficult to pick out a special guest.

"I'm a singer, not a miracle worker. I didn't invite them, and they wouldn't come even if I had." Yates loved Piggy. He knew how important the concert was to Debbie, so of course he had come. Debbie begged him every chance she got to have him invite Carlos too.

"How about Xavier? He's working on an international business dispute case, isn't he? When did he get here?" Ruby asked as she put on the belt of the dress for Debbie. "Get the black stilettos and strap them on her," she told Debbie's assistant who was standing nearby.

"I invited him. I need his help here," Debbie replied with a nod.

She had forged a relationship with Xavier for a reason, and now finally it was time for him to play his part.

Ruby gave her a thumbs-up. "Nice! So even Carlos is here. You'll be the talk of the town after tonight."

Debbie straightened her clothes and smiled at her. "That's the plan, right?" As a pop star, popularity and attention were the basis of her success. The longer she stayed in the public eye, the longer she could remain on top.

Three minutes later, the concert resumed.

Debbie had invited a popular male artist to sing "The Mysterious Mermaid" as a duet with her. The crowd cheered even louder as he walked onstage into the light. He didn't have all of the first verse, so it was an even bigger surprise to see and hear him there. And after the first few lines, his studied tenor came through the speakers.

"There is a pretty fish in an ancient fairy tale.

She looks wistful and distant. People shed tears at her melancholy and beautiful songs.

They say she's the curse of fishermen. Many sailors died looking for her.

She has no soul. The sun is her home and the rainbow is her road."

The chorus went, "Aaaaaaah, she wears red clothes with her breasts and shoulders bared, her hair disheveled.

Sparse red hair grows behind her cheeks."

A fan said, "Holy crap! This is brilliant! I've seen Debbie live three times. I love this new one! Lay on vocals? Definite yes!"

Jared had goose bumps all over. "Jeez! This is epic! Awesome!" Then he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Debbie, you rock!"

Debbie heard him and looked at him resignedly.

Sasha pulled at his sleeve in annoyance. "Settle down, dude."

Jared kept quiet.

Even among so many noisy people, Carlos could still do his work. He had a laser-like focus that let him filter out distractions while he concentrated. But his keen mind let him know what was going on around him.

He looked up at Debbie and told Frankie, "Talk to her. Convince her to work for Star Empire Entertainment Company under the ZL Group."

'I can't imagine we have to do any work here. It's a done deal if you want to sign her, ' Frankie thought.

But he didn't have the guts to say it. "Yes, Mr. Huo, but..." he hesitated.

Without looking up, Carlos ordered, "Spit it out."

"She's good. Really good. But she comes with a lot of baggage. Tons of rumors. Now, Mr. Wen did a good job quashing those... but fans are good at digging dirt up on their celebrities. We could be in for trouble if we sign her." Frankie's remarks were completely objective and professional. Debbie had been a hot topic since he met her. She could easily hit the headlines.

On the other hand, Carlos and ZL Group had a way of making those headlines disappear.

"Stars need exposure to stay popular. As for the scandals..." Carlos looked at Debbie, the shiniest star of that night, and continue, "So? she's not embarrassed.

Worried that Star Empire can't handle the scandals?" 'If Ivan can do it, so can I, and I can do better.'

There was a trace of jealousy in Carlos' tone.

Frankie didn't know what to say.

It sounded that Carlos was ready to sign Debbie at any cost.

Frankie wanted to remind him, "She cheated on you."

But he knew he would be screwed if he told his boss that, so he remained silent. He just hoped that fact wouldn't come back to bite them both.

Yates heard their conversation. He said to Carlos, "Put your work up for now. Enjoy the show. That's why I asked you along." Yates had a loud and husky voice. Carlos heard h clearly.

"You know better than anyone else why I'm here." Carlos kept his head lowered. He signed his name at the bottom of a file and moved to the next one.

Yates sneered. He knew Carlos thought he was bullied into coming here. "You used to be made of sterner stuff," Yates said.

Carlos kept silent as if he heard nothing.

The concert was over at 10:30 p.m. Carlos had ducked out, using the VIP passage during intermission. He was still ambushed by a hundred reporters. They spotted him as soon as he left, and swarmed around him like flies on dung. The night was lit up by dozens of flashbulbs.

Some of the reporters has run stories on Carlos and Debbie three years ago and grown fat from the proceeds. Now, they wrote about how Carlos and Debbie were seen together.

The fact that Carlos has shown up at Debbie's concert was enough to keep people interested and talking about it for at least a week.

As usual, the papers carried more fiction than facts, writing that Carlos and Debbie still loved each other, Debbie would be Mrs. Huo again and they were getting hitched again.