Take My Breath Away

Seeing that Debbie wanted to leave, Curtis smiled with resignation. "Debbie, it's just a dinner. Come on."

Debbie took a deep breath, but her mind was made up. "I'm not hungry anymore," she said stubbornly to her husband, refusing to look at or talk to Curtis.

Carlos turned around and explained to her, "This is Colleen's restaurant. And it's expensive, to boot. Let's just eat and let Curtis pay the bill? We can rip him off. It'll be fun."

"Since when do you care about money?" Debbie retorted curtly. The VIP card for the fifth floor of Alioth Building cost a million each. Carlos had given Debbie and each of her closest friends a card like that without blinking. Of course, right now, he wasn't complaining about the cost. He was trying to pull a prank.

With a smile, he coaxed, "Hey, I get it. But you're hungry, right? Since we're already here, let's get something to eat."

Debbie knew Carlos wouldn't let her leave, so she reluctantly followed the two men inside. Nothing would be gained by continuing to resist, so she decided maybe she was hungry, after all.

Curtis led them into a booth. Before they walked in, a waiter had already carried a pot of soup stock inside the booth, and put it on the stove to heat it. A faint delicious smell filled the air when the three stepped inside.

They took their seats. Debbie sat next to Carlos, and Curtis was on his other side.

Soon, the waiter brought in several ingredients so they could finish making the hot pot. There was thinly sliced lamb and goat, beef, egg noodles, bok choy, crown daisy and winter melon, spinach, lettuce, carrots, taro, daikon, and watercress. Not to mention various condiments like soy sauce, garlic, white pepper and XO sauce. The ingredients here were much more exquisite than those she had eaten at other hot pot restaurants she'd tried. This place looked like it catered to an upscale clientele. Which was appropriate since she was here with Carlos.

Assuming Curtis and Carlos were going to eat with her, she didn't stop the waiters from bringing in dish after dish. There was enough for a sumptuous feast.

When the stock started boiling, Curtis picked up some ingredients and threw them in. Debbie didn't see everything he used, but there was definitely some goat and daikon. When the food was ready, Carlos fished it out of the pot with his chopsticks, putting it on Debbie's plate. She ate without complaint and life was good. At least for now.

When there was a lull, she looked around at the two men she ate with, and noticed they hadn't

Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

"As long as I'm alive, I'm still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

ersity?

That must have cost a fortune. Mind blown.' She looked at Carlos and asked, "So why is he paying for all this?"

Carlos didn't know how to respond. It was not like he was poor. He could probably support a dozen Debbies if it came to that.

"Why did you allow him to buy me an apartment? Aren't you always jealous? Why didn't you stop him?"

Both Carlos and Curtis

were dumbstruck. This wasn't the reaction they were expecting.

Instead of taking the keys, Debbie gulped down another slice of pizza angrily. Carlos comforted her, "He's your uncle, he's family. Besides, I don't want you to sleep in the dorm. If you take the keys, we can live there together."

"He's not my uncle. I didn't say it, you did. So he's your uncle, not mine." Debbie rolled her eyes at Carlos.

"Well, my uncle is also yours," he retorted.

"No, he's not. If this gift were from anyone else, then I'd take them."

"What about Gus? He's family too." Gus was the same age as Debbie, but since he was Curtis' brother, legally, he was Carlos' uncle-in-law too. Carlos felt frustrated at the thought.

"Of course not. Don't even try that, Carlos. You just like Curtis' money. Mr. Lu, I appreciate it, really. But I can't." On one hand, the present was too much. On the other hand, she didn't want anything to do with her mom, the woman she had never met.

Curtis didn't mind her reaction. He said with a smile, "It's okay if you blow off my apology. Take the keys. Consider the apartment a late wedding present for you and Carlos."

Hearing this, Carlos took the keys for Debbie and said, "Thank you, Mr. Lu."

Debbie glanced at her husband and scoffed, "Dammit Carlos, where's your dignity?"