Take My Breath Away

Carlos fell in deep contemplation over his relationship problems. He came to realize that no matter how successful he was in business, when it came to love affairs, he still had a long way to go. His natural instincts about matters of the heart weren't as fine-tuned as his razor sharp analytical skills.

On the surface, everything looked like it was a good ending for everyone—he was engaged to Stephanie and Debbie was to get married to Ivan.

But for reasons unknown to him, deep in his heart, there were lingered feelings of unease. His instincts were telling him that he was on the verge of losing something very precious to him. He felt tortured by these thoughts and no matter how hard he tried to use his work to keep his mind occupied, he failed. Especially when he'd see her, the feelings would grow stronger in his heart, making him lose control over his emotions.

Just as what he was doing at the moment. Carlos knew it was wrong to have intimate thoughts about a woman who was soon to be married to another man.

However, despite his strong self-control and the special training he had received in the army, he still couldn't control his desire for Debbie. He longed to hug her, kiss her, and take her. So he decided to act on his thoughts.

While Debbie found herself lost in the depths of his eyes, even she couldn't tell what he was thinking about. After seeing the intense look in his eyes, she finally gave in.

"Okay, but this will be the last time we have sex," she whispered to him.

But Carlos stood by what he said, "Don't marry Ivan." He eagerly looked for signs of regret on her face.

"No way,"

she refused again.

This time, he didn't reply anything more and banged her a whole night.

The following day, Debbie left Y City with Piggy. Later that day, Carlos saw pictures of Debbie at the airport in the news. But Piggy wasn't in the picture with her because Ivan had arranged for someone to take care of the kid and take her through a different VIP passage.

Three days later, Carlos received his wedding invitation card from Debbie, coupled with a picture of their marriage license.

Debbie's picture of her smiling brightly on the marriage license was an indication of her happiness. Carlos felt as though the picture was fashioned into a knife solely for the purpose of stabbing him in the heart.

As if that weren't bad enough, just two days before the wedding, Carlos received a photo of Debbie dressed in a beautiful wedding gown.

But it was Xavier who had sent him the photo.

"Mr. Huo, see you in Z Country," he wrote.

Debbie was dressed in a white satin backless gown scattered with crystals and with straps covered in peach roses, and a three-meter long trail. The dress was elegant, tailored to outline her figure to perfection. Her beautiful hair was curled and done up in a reverse braided bun revealing her delicate neck.

Carlos found himself glued to the picture for a long time, stretching his mind's capacity for self-torture. He could barely keep himself together.

Wasting no more time, he pulled out his phone and called Debbie. As soon as the call went through, he said in a hoarse voice, "Come back." He was stricken with regret, pain and longing.

He couldn't sit back and watch another man possess her beauty, her loveliness, and everything about her.

"Mr. Huo? Debbie is asleep right now. If you have anything to say to her, please just tell me." Carlos recognized Ivan's voice immediately.

'Debbie is asleep?' His words carried subtle sexual overtones which made Carlos even more fidgety.

But before Carlos could say anything, he heard the soft and cute voice of a child from the other end. "Daddy, I want ice-cream."

It was Piggy's voice, and she was addressing Ivan as "Daddy" now.

The sense of loss grew stronger in his heart. It wasn't until then that he finally realized he had lost two of the most important people in his life. Agitated, he threw his phone to the wall, smashing it to pieces.

What else could he do apart from dishing out his anger and frustrations on his phone?

Ivan heard a loud bang followed by a beeping sound before the call was cut off. He shook his head helplessly.

Some people don't cherish what they have until they finally lose it.

Even an outstanding man like Carlos couldn't avoid such a common human weakness.

Soon, Debbie came out the bathroom after taking a shower. But when she saw Ivan playing with Piggy in her bedroom, she quickly retreated back to the bathroom and tidied her clothes. After making sure that she was dressed appropriately, she came out again.

Ivan had noticed it and he gave her a comforting smile. He sat Piggy down on the bed and teased Debbie, "You know why we're getting married, right? Do you need to be so wary of me?"

Debbie shrugged her shoulders and said, "You're a guest here. It's not unusual to dress well before meeting a guest, right?"

Ivan smiled and raised his chin, pointing to her cellphone on the bedside table. "Carlos called you a few minutes ago. I answered it for you. I hope you don't mind."

Debbie shook her head. With a bitter smile, she said, "He doesn't care about me, so why would I mind?"

"Okay. Anyway, keep on holding out. Don't cower at the crucial moment. I'll keep our wedding low-key. I won't let it slip through to any media outlets." Their wedding ceremony was to be an orchestrated show, and the attendees would only be their family members and close friends. Apart from that no one else was to know about their marriage.

It would be more troublesome and difficult for Debbie to go back to Carlos if too many people knew about her wedding to another man.

Taking Miranda's words into consideration, Debbie wiped her hair with a towel and said, "Do you think that Carlos will get angry when he finds out that this is all just a ruse?"

Ivan replied firmly, "Don't think about it too much. You're just doing this to win him back. It's a white lie. And it's just because you love him with all your heart and soul. If he truly loves you, he will forgive you." 'If it were me in Carlos' place, I wouldn't be able to blame a woman for loving me so deeply. If Carlos blames Debbie later on, it will only mean that he doesn't love her at all, ' Ivan mused.

Debbie felt calmer after being convinced by his reasoning. She felt the same way as Ivan did. If Carlos were to cause a scene over this, she would give up on him forever.

"Okay, let's drop this topic for now. What are you doing here at this hour?" Debbie asked as she glanced at the time on her phone. It was almost ten.

Ivan lay next to Piggy and said resignedly, "I'm being spied on by my mother's men. I have no choice but to come to your place to avoid her suspicions."

Debbie chuckled with amusement. "Seems like Elsie really wants me to be her daughter-in-law."

"Yeah, that's why I chose to get married to you." He sat up straight. Stroking Piggy's little head, he gently said, "Evelyn, it's time to sleep. I'm going to take a shower now."

Piggy nodded, "Good night, Daddy."

"Good night, Piggy." Ivan kissed the little girl's forehead and left the bedroom. After closing the door for them, he went to the bedroom next door.

Debbie put down the towel and insisted, "Baby, put away the toys and go to bed now."

Piggy obediently handed all the toys to her mother. When Debbie put the toys back to the drawer, the little girl climbed into bed by herself.

"Good girl. I need to dry my hair now. I'll be back soon, okay?"

Piggy stuck her head out of the blanket and nodded, "Okay." Then she closed her eyes at once.

Debbie was deeply moved. She was so happy to have such a lovely daughter.

With feeling of gratitude in her heart, she walked to the bathroom and took out the hair-dryer to blow her hair.

Every two minutes, she would come out and check up on the little girl.

She could hear Piggy playing by herself and mumbling something under the blanket, but few minutes later, she was quiet and fast asleep.

The sight of her daughter's calm sleeping face gave her a sense of calmness inside her heart as well.

At The Orchid Private Club

In Carlos' VIP room, a group of wealthy men leisurely played mahjong amongst themselves. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Niles drew a mahjong tile from the wall. A big smile crept across his face as he laid his hand of tiles on the table. "Seven Pairs*, I win!" he exclaimed excitedly.

(*TN: Seven Pairs is one of the winning hands of mahjong game.)

Five minutes later, Damon picked up White Dragon* tile that Carlos had discarded and complete a set. He stood up and said, "Hey guys, I win!"

(*TN: The White Dragon tile is the one with a blue frame.)

Another five minutes later, Curtis showed his hand of tiles with a smug look on his face and said, "I'm sorry guys, but I win this round."