Take My Breath Away

'Apologize? For what?' Curtis was confused. He casually glanced at his wife and son before answering, "We'd love to. What do you want to eat? When will you be available?"

"How about lunch tomorrow? Would you be able to reserve a table for us? I haven't been here for years," Debbie said.

"No problem. Is this your number? I'll call you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow, Uncle Curtis."

"See you."

Excited, Colleen asked Curtis, "How's it going? Debbie wants to treat us to dinner, huh?"

Curtis nodded with a smile and sat on the edge of the bed. "She said she wanted to apologize to us face to face. She asked me to bring 'Aunt Colleen' along."

"Apologize? What did she do wrong?" Colleen was also confused.

Curtis shrugged. "I don't know what's on her mind. Let's see what she's going to say tomorrow." Then he pinched his son's chubby face and told him, "Boy, Daddy will take you to meet Debbie tomorrow."

The boy was more than twelve months old, and was just learning to speak. Upon hearing that, he stuttered, "De...bbie..."

Colleen kissed him on the cheek and said cheerfully, "Honey, you're so smart! I love you."

Curtis pulled her into his arms and said, "When we see Debbie, don't tell her that Carlos is going to get engaged to Stephanie. Okay?"

"Debbie's already been here. She must have already heard the news. What I can't understand is why she had insisted that Carlos was dead. And all the news posts about her three years ago. Were they true?"

Curtis sighed helplessly and said, "I know. James lied to Debbie, telling her Carlos was dead. He said it was to test her integrity... Before Debbie went missing, she called me and told me that all the scandals about her were true. Nonetheless, I still don't know exactly what happened and I don't think things were necessarily what they seemed. I think Debbie was hiding something back then."

Damon and Wesley, who didn't know Debbie as well as Curtis did, believed what James had said, and they hated her very much. They even blamed Curtis for protecting her.

Colleen asked worriedly, "Did Debbie really.

her feelings to herself.

"I'm good. I don't always stay here." It was James who had insisted that Carlos live with Stephanie. James wanted Carlos and Stephanie to have a baby, and Carlos, for the life of him, couldn't figure out how to turn James down.

During Carlos' first night staying with Stephanie, they had slept in the same bed together. He realized that he wasn't remotely attracted to her—most especially not physically. By midnight, he had already transferred to another room.

Debbie was a little disappointed at Carlos' answer. She then offered, "Where else do you live then? I can move there."

"East District Manor. So you plan to build a manor there too?" he taunted.

Debbie was silenced. She couldn't afford to build a manor there.

They had already gone around and back twice. Carlos wondered to himself, 'She seems strong. We've probably already run a thousand meters and she doesn't even look tired.'

"Old man, why are you jogging? To lose weight?" she asked.

"No," he answered coldly.

"Then you must want to be fit." She approached him and said excitedly, "I have a way to help you lose one kilogram instantly. Give it a try?"

Debbie's ideas weren't exactly reliable—Carlos knew this so he simply snorted and ignored her.

Debbie knew that Carlos had always been a man of few words, so when he didn't say anything, she pressed on, "Are you not curious?"