Take My Breath Away

"I can't! I want to buy something with the money I earned on my own. There's no point in buying it with the money you or Carlos gave me," Debbie snapped back.

Sitting on the curb of the empty road, Jared raised his head to look at the dark sky and asked, "Where are you going anyway? It's late. And freezing. You're not going home?"

"No, I'm not. I... I'll spend the night in a hotel."

She really hated to watch Carlos and Megan show off their affection in front of her. She wasn't going to go home and be humiliated that way. And the dorm gates were probably closed by now. A hotel was her only option.

At midnight, Carlos got a text message that Debbie's credit card had been just used to secure a hotel room.

'I thought she was in Kasie's house!' he mused. Instantly, he called the hotel manager and asked whether Debbie was alone.

The manager answered honestly, "There are two of them."

After some pause, he added, "A girl and a boy."

Carlos was fuming with rage. So this was how she repaid him after everything he'd done for her!

He wasted no time rushing all the way there, pausing for nothing. Breathlessly, he tore into the hotel lobby. His livid face stopped the manager from saying anything. Holding breath, the scared man carefully led him straight to Debbie's room. He inserted the universal key card and opened the door.

As he peered inside, the manager was stunned at the sight.

It was the cheapest single-bed room in this four-star hotel. Debbie was sound asleep in the bed, while a big guy was curling up, snoring on the sofa. The sofa was so small that his legs hung over the sides.

Carlos kicked him in the leg. Jared woke up instantly. He was having a nice dream and this guy just ruined it. He threw back the quilt and jumped off the sofa, still fully clothed. Annoyed, he shouted, "Fuck! Who the hell— Car— Mr. Huo."

Upon hearing Jared's sharp, angry shouts, Debbie opened her eyes and blinked. She was still sleepy. 'Why is Carlos here?

I'm in the hotel, not the villa! I must be dreaming.'

She closed her eyes again, trying to drift off. Carlos wasn't interested in letting her do this. He walked up to the bedside and demanded in a cold tone, "Get up!"

'What?! I'm not dreaming. He IS here!'

Debbie covered her head with the quilt and murmured, "Wrong person."

Her voice was so hoarse Carlos frowned. Was she ill?

He picked up Debbie and the quilt and walked towards the door.

Jared tried to run off, but the manager blocked his way. He wouldn't let this young man go without Carlos' say-so.

Staring at the boy who was trembling with fear, Carlos scolded, "Jared Han, how could you?!" 'How could you sleep in a hotel room with my wife?' This was what Carlos wanted to say.

'Did he think I was sleeping with his wife?' Jared thought to himself and believed that he needed to explain it. "It's freezing outside, so I stayed here. You saw it; I was nowhere near your wife!"

Carlos strode toward him, and Jared lost his nerve. He quickly cried, "I was wrong. I should've left. Mr. Huo, please forgive me."

Carlos raised his leg in an attempt to kick him, but Debbie caught his arm and said, "I asked him to stay."

Jared had stuck around even when she was in a bad mood. He had spent hours with her making sure she was okay. It was below zero outside. She couldn't just ask him to leave—especially this late. Besides, they had slept in the same bed before. They were friends.

And there was no mistaking it even then. They were in separate quilts with their heads on each end of the bed.

Interestingly enough, they ended up getting in a fight that night. She was annoyed—he was so tall that his feet almost touched her face. He was equally annoyed—he figured she was just being petty, and told her to just shut up and sleep. They had spent much of the night arguing.

Originally, Jared wasn't going to stay in the hotel. He knew Carlos would give him a hard time if he found out. But Debbie told him that Carlos was off having sex with another girl and he'd never know. He was too busy.

Jared still figured he wasn't going to be there that long. He was just going to calm her down and leave after she fell asleep. He didn't expect to doze off soon.

Then, Carlos barged in...

"This is the last time!" Carlos warned Jared and left the hotel, Debbie in his arms.

Jared stuck his head out of the room to make sure Carlos wouldn't be coming back. Then he asked the manager for a new quilt and fell asleep in the hotel room.

When Carlos and Debbie reached the villa, it was already 3 in the morning. She entered her bedroom without saying a word.

Carlos followed her into her bedroom, but she pushed him out. "Megan's sleeping in my room," he said coldly.

Debbie was fuming with anger when she heard that. But she was too sleepy to argue with him right now. She just climbed onto her bed and quickly fell asleep.

When she woke up again, Carlos was not in her room. She cleared her throat and swallowed, finding that it wasn't nearly as painful as before.

After she washed her face and brushed her teeth, she walked downstairs. But what she heard made her stop mid-stride and stiffen. She heard laughter coming from the dining hall, and it wasn't Carlos.

That was when she realized that Megan was still here.

Megan noticed Debbie's reaction, but she didn't say anything about it. In fact, she greeted her cheerfully, "Aunt Debbie, here you are! Breakfast is ready!"

"Thanks," Debbie answered nonchalantly.

Carlos stood and pulled the chair next to him away from the table. He indicated that she should sit.

Debbie didn't want to sit there, but on second thought, she'd better remind Megan that she was Mrs. Huo. So she sat down obediently.

"Hey Auntie, I was just talking about kids with Uncle. Uncle, you didn't tell me whether you want a boy or a girl?" Megan pouted her lips, acting like a spoiled child.

Julie had just served her breakfast, and Debbie was preparing to dig in. Having decided not to say a word, she pretended she didn't hear Megan.

Carlos shot a glance at Debbie, who was about to take a bite of a boiled egg, and said with certainty, "A boy." Before anyone could respond, he added, "A boy, definitely!"

If he and Debbie had a daughter, he was afraid that she'd turn out like Debbie. Then he'd have no idea how to teach her—he couldn't lecture her or beat her.

He really didn't have the energy to deal with a second Debbie. One Debbie was enough.

But if they had a son, he could lecture or beat him whenever he did something wrong. After all, boys had to be strong. He wouldn't have to worry about womanly things, and he could teach him about the world.

Megan laughed and turned to Debbie asking, "How about you, Auntie?"

Now that Carlos liked boys, Debbie decided to give the opposite answer to annoy him. She was in a bad mood now and wouldn't pull her punches. She put on a fake smile and said, "I prefer a girl. Girls are more obedient than boys. What's more, if I had a daughter, we could wear the same articles of clothing. It would be cute to go out with mother and daughter in matching outfits."

While she said this, a picture of Debbie and a mini-sized Debbie entered Carlos' head. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to have a daughter with Debbie, he thought.

"Oh Megan, I nearly forgot. Let me give you a piece of advice. Men are all two-timers. When you find a boyfriend, keep an eye on him so he doesn't cheat on you."

Carlos felt weird when he heard this. 'Is she trying to imply I'm a two-timer?'

he wondered.

Megan nodded and looked at Debbie with a pair of innocent eyes. But what she said next irritated Debbie even more. "Uncle Carlos is a good man. I'll marry a man like him!"

Debbie took several deep breaths to calm herself down and then said in a sarcastic voice, "Really? You don't know him very well. You've been taken in by his looks. He has a weakness for women. So you'd better not marry a man like him."

Megan stopped eating and stared at Debbie in utter disbelief. "I don't think we're talking about the same guy. Uncle treats me well. But other women?"

'That's the problem! He treats you better than his own wife. Can't you see that makes him a bad husband?' Debbie mocked in her mind. "You're wrong. I'm his wife and he should treat me well. He's your uncle, and I can understand he treats you well too. But he has so many other women that he also treats well. Like Miss Mi and Miss—"