Take My Breath Away

A long time ago, Debbie was out shopping with Hayden when she saw something similar happening at another mall. Someone asked a beggar to pay over 100 dollars for a damaged battery charger. Debbie acted quickly, and paid the fine for him. As a reward, she got a tongue-lashing from Hayden, who blamed her for her stupidity and snooping. She wondered whether Carlos thought the same of her.

Unsure what he would say, she kept her head down, and wouldn't look him in the eye. But she was dying to know what he was thinking. "Um, I spent $830 today. And for some poor woman who needed it more than me."

Carlos stopped in his tracks, looked at her, and replied, "Debbie, listen up. You can do what you want and buy what you want. What's mine is yours. We're married. No need to be so skittish." If Carlos had seen what was going on inside, he would have dealt with things in his own way.

But Debbie would still be the good guy. He wouldn't have let the couple leave hating her.

Debbie's heart felt warm when she heard what Carlos said. Whether it was because of the part of "You can do what you want," or "We're married. No need to be so skittish around me," she wasn't sure. When she was with Hayden, she had always been careful around him and his family. Debbie raised her head to look at him. As usual, his face was calm and expressionless, like still water.

'How could such a cool and distant-looking man be so gentle?'

Debbie stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you," she said happily.

Her tender kiss made Carlos' heart sing with joy. With a smile, he took her hand and made his way to the parking lot.

"I haven't seen Emmett lately. How is he?" Debbie suddenly asked after they had gotten in the car.

Carlos looked at her and answered, "He's working in another city."

Debbie didn't sense anything strange, so she simply nodded.

The next morning, she received a phone call from Jared. "Hey tomboy! Remember that job offer my friend hooked you up with? I told him don't bother."

"What? Why?"

"You don't need a job."

"Yeah, I do. Call your friend and tell him you were kidding."

"Oh come on. You're Mrs. Huo. Why do you even need a job?" Married to Carlos, Debbie had everything—not to mention more money than she could ever spend. And she still wanted to work. Jared wondered if there was something wrong with Debbie's head.

Actually, Debbie felt bad about spending Carlos' money.

She thought if she had a job, maybe she wouldn't feel as helpless.

"What kind of job is it? I want it back."

"You're looking for a part-time job, right? About the only thing we have is a barista. You'd probably have to really like coffee. Still want it? Hold that thought. I need to call your hubby and make sure it's okay. It's not your call anymore."

"Don't call him. He's uber-busy. You really think it's a good idea to bug him? I want that job."

"Okay, okay," Jared replied grudgingly.

A few days went by, and Debbie got the job. But her second day on the job was less than ideal.

The store manager called Jared and told him that Debbie had hit a customer. But Debbie was indignant. She thought the man deserved it. "He's a piece of crap! Cheating on his wife with two other women," she spat.

She was unrelenting—she insisted on working. And it fell upon Jared to find her another job. This time the position was a sales associate in a supermarket. However, within three days, Debbie was fired from that job as well. The manager didn't take kindly to the bruises she left on his face. Who knew? "He had it coming! He's a bully." Again, she didn't think she did anything wrong.

But she was hell-bent and determined to work. And Jared was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. Then one day, Kristina said to Debbie, "Deb, why don't you sing with me in the bar? You have a wonderful singing voice. I know the barflies will love you, and if anyone can bring the moola in, it's you."

"Okay, why not?" Debbie agreed. While the girls cheered excitedly, Jared was worried to death. As much as he wanted Debbie to have a job, he thought it was a lousy idea to let her work in a bar, considering that she already hit someone in both the supermarket and the cafe. It was not hard to predict what was going to happen to have Debbie working in a place as chaotic as a bar.

But Jared might catch a break this time. He was a little more easy-going, when he realized that one of his friends was a regular; he could go with him and watch over Debbie.

Debbie had a problem. She had to attend Carlos' lessons every evening, so she couldn't sing in the bar every night.

Of course, Jared came up with a solution. He told the manager that Debbie didn't have to work in the bar every day; she could come there when she could and be paid by the hour. Intimidated by Jared's status, the manager agreed.

Since Carlos was so busy, sometimes he would have to cancel the lesson, like tonight. Earlier, he texted Debbie, saying he couldn't make it tonight. Debbie was glad that she could go to the bar and make some money.

The first two nights, Jared stayed in the bar to keep an eye on her. Some men confessed their love for Debbie, but except for that, nobody dared harass her.

On the third night, Debbie won everyone's heart with "Love Paradise." For half an hour the DJ used the widescreen in the bar to display the declaration of his love for Debbie. "Be my girlfriend, Debbie. I love you," he shouted passionately through the microphone.

Then the customers clamored excitedly. "I'm married. I have a husband," Debbie told the DJ.

But since she wasn't wearing a wedding ring, nobody believed her.

At length, she was able to pick up the mic, wait for the background music to start, and start singing once more.

Once she started singing "Pray for You", a man in the VIP area on the second floor sprang up from the sofa with a glass of liquor sloshing in his hand. The girl hadn't noticed, just singing beautifully, hypnotizing the throng with her siren-like voice. Standing by the French window, Carlos squinted at her gloomily. 'When did she start here? Why wasn't I told?'

He wouldn't have even come to such a place if he didn't have to deal with something important there that night.

Blissfully unaware that Carlos was watching her from above, Debbie continued singing. "I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls. I pray you are flying high when your engine stalls."

Debbie had sung this song to Carlos before, a cover of Jaron Lowenstein. He hadn't known Debbie was in the bar until he hears the song. The he caught sight of the love declaration on the screen. Instantly his face darkened and he stiffened, looking like a living ice sculpture.

When the song was finished, the customers started screaming and whistling in excitement.

At that moment, someone came over to Carlos and reminded him he was there to sign contract, so he walked away from the window. And that was when it all hit the fan.

After Debbie had stepped down from the stage, a man poured a glass of liquor. He held the liquor in one hand and walked towards her with a was of notes in his other hand. "Come on, chica, down this glass of liquor and these notes are all yours."

Debbie glanced at the notes. There were less than two thousand there. For a glass of liquor. She thought it wasn't worth it, so she turned him down.

She could make as much in one hour just by singing, and singing didn't harm her body, yet drinking did. Besides, Alcohol is murder on the vocal chords. she wanted to be able to sing well, so she said no.

The contempt in her eyes made the man feel like doggy doo. Humiliated and irritated, he took out a thicker was of notes and tossed it on the table. "Drink!" He demanded.

Now, there was a respectable amount. She grabbed the cash and the glass. Without a word or any hesitation, she put the glass to her lips and downed it.

The man was pleased and with a sinister sneer, he poured a second glass. Everyone started cheering when Debbie emptied the second glass. Kristina was singing when she saw what was happening to Debbie. She was worried about her. Then she remembered Jared was there too, but when she turned her head , she couldn't see any trace of him. He'd been making time with a girl, though, so it was possible they left together. So it was up to her to keep a bad situation from getting worse.