Take My Breath Away

Debbie's grandfather searched for Decker until his dying day. He failed and died in sadness. Later, Artie fought bravely against a terminal illness and also died. Huge medical bills bankrupted the Nian family. Debbie was the daughter of wealth and power until she was ten. But after that, she lost everything.

After hearing the whole story from Ramona, Debbie said nothing, lost in thought. S

he didn't expect that the story about her past would be so...sad. Sad and annoying.

"You're strong enough to know the truth and do something about it. You and Mr. Huo..." Ramona's voice trailed off. After a short pause, she added, "Now that Mr. Huo is in your camp, Elroy can't do anything to you. Curtis is also on our side. But Elroy has never tried to mess with Curtis, so he can't do anything other than stay away."

Now Debbie understood why Curtis had always been so nice to her. It was not just because he was her uncle, but also because he felt bad for her.

When Debbie sat there silently, Ramona sighed helplessly. She picked up the gift bag she brought over. "I've seen many mothers and daughters wear the same clothes. I want to do that with you. Happy birthday, Debbie."

She placed the bag in front of Debbie, and took one last look at her before heading to the door.

Debbie didn't ask her to stay, nor did she say anything.

She just sat there for a long while. Finally, she picked up the bag and pulled the dresses out to look at them. There were several dresses of different styles, which suited young women quite well. Designer labels, too. These were certainly not cheap.

'She must have the same dresses, ' she thought.

Debbie lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was past 2 a.m., but she just couldn't fall asleep.

'Should I forgive her? It doesn't sound like she had much of a choice.

And there's more to Decker than meets the eye. There's something he's not telling me—'

The doorbell rang and derailed her train of thought.

She frowned and wondered who it could be. 'Decker?'

She put on her pajamas and walked towards the door. She looked through the peephole and saw exactly who she expected to see—Decker.

She opened the door and the acrid smell of tobacco assaulted her nose. She coughed.

'Geez! How many cigarettes did he have?'

Without saying a word, he walked past her and made for the guest room that he usually stayed in.

When he was about to close the door, Debbie stopped him, finally shattering the silence. "If..." Decker stopped and held the doorknob tighter.

"If she didn't have a choice, would you still hate her?" she asked.

He turned around to look at her, emotionless. She waited, giving him time to process his emotions. Eventually, he answered, "She's a stranger. She's not my mom."

Seeing he was about to close the door, she asked again, "Why did you lie to me? You have a job, it sounds like."

Decker smiled sardonically. "Thanks, but it's not what you think. Carlos says things he thinks will benefit him. I AM a loser. Hey sis, I'm low on cash. Float me some?"

Debbie was shocked into silence.

Decker, or Carlos? Tough choice, but she thought she'd better listen to Carlos. Crossing her arms in disapproval, she threatened him, "You gotta be straight with me, or should I ask Carlos?"

Decker rolled his eyes and snapped at her, "Him again? Why? You're pretty capable yourself. Why rely on him? Sounds like you've got ways of finding out things."

"I do, which is why I'll find you out before long. I figured you'd want to tell me yourself. And as for relying on Carlos, I'm good, but he's better. James made me realize that. So why wouldn't I rely on him? He's nothing if not efficient." For example, when they were trapped on that island, Carlos had begun to suspect Evelyn was his daughter.

And after she had come back from her trip to Z Country, he had already discovered the truth and even shown her the DNA test results.

"So...you're only with him for his power?" Decker mocked.

"Hey! Don't change the subject. I see! You are afraid of me asking Carlos to look into you, right? I know what Yates does in A Country. If he hates you, that means you're a mobster."

Decker had gone from annoyed to pissed. He walked towards the door, about to leave. "You want me to leave? Fine, I'm gone."

'What?' Debbie rolled her eyes and ran towards the door to stop him before he ran off forever.

"I'm right, then. If I'm wrong, then tell me the truth," she insisted.

"Cut the crap and get out of my away!" he spat.

"It's almost three in the morning. Where are you going? By the way, how did you even get past the entrance guards? I can understand how Ramona got in. She's rich and famous. But you're a stranger to the city. Yet somehow you found your way into my apartment. How did you get in?" Champs Bay Apartments was one of the most high-end areas in the city. No one who didn't belong there could enter without permission. There were security guards patrolling the area, and CCTV cameras everywhere.

Decker wore a hideous expression, like he had just accidentally eaten a fly. After a bit, he taunted, "You figure it out. You're the smart one."

"Cut it out. I'm not that smart." 'If I were smart, none of this would have ever happened and I'd be with Carlos.'

"Get out of the way! I'm outta here!" Impatient, Decker put his hands up to push her away.

Debbie took a step back to avoid him. "Don't want to talk? I can't force you. But listen to Carlos. He's tighter with Yates than I am. Wouldn't it make more sense to work with him than against him?"

"How are you and Yates related? Why didn't you mention him before?" Decker asked with a frown.

"Why would I even bring him up? I bet you didn't know he went to one of my concerts."

"I had no clue," Decker answered. He didn't even know where he was at that time. Or what he was doing.

"Forget it! Go back to bed. Otherwise, I'll have Carlos look into you," she said.

"Oh, give it a rest, sis. I'm not afraid of him," Decker said angrily.

Debbie shrugged and said, "Don't know, don't care. Go to bed."

"You!" He didn't know how to answer back.

"Good night!" she said and then went back to her bedroom.

Decker, who was left in the living room alone, felt helpless. 'Ugh! She's impossible!' he cried in his mind.

Ivan, on the other hand, opened the door for Kasie to climb into his car. They were both all smiles after leaving the Orchid Private Club.

Kasie was in a good mood this evening, and drank a lot with Debbie. She hadn't seen her friend in a while, nor had she remembered the last time she'd laughed this much.