Take My Breath Away

"Mom!" Carlos' powerful voice interrupted Tabitha's mumbling. "Whether they like Debbie or not has nothing to do with me. Just answer my question. When did you see Debbie taking birth control pills?"

"Carlos!" Tabitha raised her voice. His cold voice stung her heart. "You've never talked to me like this before! You've become distant from me because of Debbie. I'm heartbroken by your coldness."

Carlos remained silent. Suspicion rose in his heart. It wasn't a difficult question to answer if she had indeed seen it with her own eyes, but she kept jumping over this issue. It dawned on him that things were not as simple as he had thought it to be. "Sorry, Mom. I have work. I'll call you later. Bye!"

"Carlos! Carlos..." Tabitha wanted to talk to her son for a while longer, but he had ended the call without waiting for her reply.

She sat staring blankly at her phone for a while before coming back to her senses. She stood up and walked to James' study.

James was talking to someone on the phone with a smile on his face when she pushed open the door and walked in. At the sight of her, he instantly pulled a long face and ended the call in haste. The smile had vanished from his face.

In a cold voice, he asked, "Anything?" He returned to his seat and randomly grabbed a file which was on his desk.

The expression on his face had changed so abruptly that it was impossible for Tabitha to not have noticed it. Her face went pale. "Carlos knows about Debbie taking contraceptives," she said, trying to sound calm.

James put aside the file and asked with a frown, "So soon?"

She merely nodded without saying anything. The truth was that she was the one who had blurted it out to Megan. But she couldn't dare tell James that, afraid of his ill-temper.

There was a moment of silence in the study. James lit a cigar, took a drag and slowly blew out a stream of smoke. Tabitha wanted to stop him from smoking for the sake of his health. Yet, the words were stuck to her throat. She dared not interfere with his business.

After a few moments, she vaguely heard him muttering, "It looks like it wouldn't be that easy to get rid of Debbie Nian. I might have to finish her off for good."

Tabitha stared at the man in a daze. His face was emotionless as he said those devilish words. She wondered if she had heard it right...

In the manor

Debbie changed into a set of clean and casual sportswear, and was all set to go out.

Before she left, she called Emmett to inquire about Megan's new address.

Megan wasn't living in her previous residence anymore. Carlos ha

would have loved. The walls were painted in pastel hues and pink. Even the furniture was colored in either baby pink or light blue.

Exquisite and rare ornaments were placed on the tables and the cabinets. Everything looked pricey. But Debbie didn't find anything strange or special.

Suddenly, a photo frame on the table caught her attention. Curiously, Debbie walked towards it. She stood there and looked at the picture without touching it.

There were three people in the picture—Carlos, Wesley and Megan.

It must have been taken a few years back, judging from the complexion of Carlos' face. He looked tanned. Besides, he looked much younger in the picture.

Carlos and Wesley were both wearing a set of camouflage clothes. They had a thin smile on their usually calm faces. A short and young Megan stood in between them with a sweet smile, wearing the same camouflage uniform. In the background was a blue sea. It was a warm picture...

Debbie already knew how Carlos looked in camouflage uniform because he had a lot of group pictures of himself and other big shots hanging on the walls of his study in the manor. Those pictures were taken while he was serving in the Special Force.

"That picture was taken five years ago. Uncle Carlos had just fostered me and had been taking care of me for a while at the time." Megan's voice came from behind her.

Debbie turned around and saw her wearing a blue, long overcoat. In a sincere tone, Debbie praised as she turned back to look at the picture once again, "It's a nice photo. Two handsome men and a beautiful mixed girl. Breathtaking." Debbie couldn't help but think that if Megan hadn't fallen in love with Carlos, she would have been fond of this girl too.