Chapter 173: Putting Cards On The Table
When Debbie was ten, the Nian Group was given to the Lu Group in payment for debts, and then her grandpa passed away. Meanwhile, her father suffered from a rare illness, which cost at least ten million dollars in two years. From then on, Debbie was no longer a princess.
When the Nian family's financial woes began, only Lucinda and Sebastian had helped them, and Debbie had been invited to the Mu family's house very often.
Unable to stand the attention her parents were showering on Debbie, Gail felt her space invaded, and soon in retaliation, she started to bully Debbie around.
Not to trouble her aunt and uncle, Debbie had stoically endured Gail's bullying.
But one rainy day, Debbie's endurance came to an end. That day, Debbie's dad was in the hospital in a coma. The doctors needed an adult relative's signature for the operation. Debbie thought of her aunt, so she came to her house for help. However, it was Gail who answered the door; and she wouldn't let Debbie in.
If it had ended like that, Debbie wouldn't have hated her so much. That rainy night, Gail had pushed Debbie into a kennel and kept her there with a dog for an entire night.
The next morning, a housemaid found Debbie when she went to the kennel to feed the dog. She was shocked! Immediately, she woke up Sebastian and Lucinda. When the kennel was opened, in the biting cold of late fall, Debbie was carried out unconscious and freezing. For three days, she remained hospitalized, running a fever. Shocked at the heinous act, Lucinda had given Gail a thorough flogging and for the next three days forced her to kneel in the ancestral temple, until Debbie was discharged.
Debbie was surprised that Gail had brought up the things from their childhood. In Debbie's memory, when she was a child, her grandpa loved her the most. The things the other kids had, her grandpa would make sure she had them too. She also had some things that no other kid had. Her bedroom was packed with the princess dresses her grandpa had bought for her, just because she liked them.
While Debbie was lost in thoughts, Lucinda stood up, intending to lecture Gail. However, Debbie put out an arm to stop her. Then she turned to Gail and said, "Nobody was ignoring you. The other kids and I wanted to play with you, but you always acted haughty, as if you were better than the rest of us. Whenever we played in the garden, you always told your mom on us. With time, nobody wanted to play with you anymore. You had made your bed, and you had to lie in it. It's so unfortunate that you haven't outgrown that juvenile stuff yet. Aunt Lucinda and Uncle Sebastian are so worried about you.
Last time, to humiliate me, you recorded my declaration of love to Carlos and played the video at the ZL Group's new product launch event. It didn't take rocket science for Carlos to find out that you were behind the tasteless clip. As a result, you were expelled, and Uncle Sebastian's company was affected too. Do you know how you were ever allowed to come back to the university again after being expelled?"
Familiar with Gail's narcissism, before she responded, Debbie assumed that she had to be thinking that Carlos liked her.
Actually, Gail indeed would have said so if she hadn't known that Carlos and Debbie were married. However, right now, she had to keep that thought to herself.
Debbie looked Gail in the eye and told her word for word, "Well, the university allowed you back only by my pleading with Carlos on your behalf. And if it weren't for the fact that we are cousins, he was categorical, you'd have spent the rest of your life in the cold." Reluctant to let Gail know too much about her and Carlos, Debbie didn't tell her the whole story.
But it was true that Carlos had agreed to allow Gail to come back to school because of Debbie.
Since they were talking about the past, Debbie decided to discuss the matter on the table in her aunt's presence. "Since I'm older than you, at least you should show some respect. I've never wanted to compete with you for anything, but you're always making things difficult for me. During the short time I struggled with adolescent problems, you always snitched on me to the teachers and even spread unfounded reports about me. I can forget all about that. But right now, I'm married to Carlos. Our marriage can be found out by the press anytime. I don't want Carlos to be embarrassed because of some rumor about me, so I hope you can stop starting rumors about me. If you want, we can get along, but it all depends on how you'll treat me. Effectively, the ball is in your court. If you still hate me, then it's fine by me. Let's just stay out of each other's business."
Lucinda was moved by Debbie's magnanimity and tolerance. She admired the sweet girl and wished she could do more to help such an innocent, truthful soul.
Standing there, motionless, Gail stared at Debbie silently. The red, long cashmere overcoat Debbie was wearing set off her fair skin. Her long inky hair was tied up without bangs. In handmade knee high leather boots, Debbie stood straight in the middle of the living room.
This was the Debbie Gail knew, but there was also something different about her. Debbie's words were wholly sincere. Everyone could see how kind and big-hearted she was.
She was no longer the rough, lazy girl. Now she was so confident and refined that Gail couldn't take her eyes off her.
Suddenly, Sasha chirped, "Gail, let bygones be bygones. Debbie is already married to Carlos Huo. If you continue to cross her, you might only invite Mr. Huo's wrath against our entire family."
Debbie's mouth twitched when she heard what Sasha had said. 'That's exaggerated, ' she thought.
However, Gail remained silent. She couldn't accept the fact that Debbie had married Carlos, the most distinguished man in Y City.
Without a word, she ran upstairs into her room.
Lucinda lowered her head and propped one hand against her forehead in frustration. She had talked to Gail a lot of times about working things out with Debbie, but to no avail. Debbie had expressed her willingness to forgive and move on, but if Gail still held grudges against her, then she'd be vindictive, Lucinda thought.
When Debbie was about to leave her aunt's house, Sasha insisted on tagging along, hoping to see Carlos' manor.
Thinking that it would be a good idea to have someone at her side if she took Sasha with her to the investors' dinner, Debbie texted Carlos, asking, "Sasha wants to visit the manor. Mr. Huo, does she have your permission?"
"In our house, Mrs. Huo is the boss," Carlos replied.
Debbie was amused by his message. "You're so sweet. I want you to take the driving seat tonight."
"Driving seat?" After a pause, Carlos added, "How about I go home and leave you in charge now?"
Hearing that, Debbie started the car quickly and responded, "Mr. Huo, I'm driving the car. Talk to you later."
Carlos, who was in a meeting with the employees of the planning department, smiled, making him look much milder.
The young are fearless. A recruit of the planning department saw that smile. "Mr. Huo, you look so happy. Have you been texting Mrs. Huo?" she asked.
Few of his employees had been brave enough to ask such questions, so Carlos was surprised to hear it, but he nodded.
The entire planning department got excited. They were dying to know what kind of woman was able to win the heart of the cold, powerful Carlos Huo, but none of them dared to ask Carlos to show them his wife's picture.
"Wow! My goodness! Dear lord! Good heavens! Oh my God!" When Sasha arrived at the manor, she couldn't hold her joy. She ululated and screamed her heart out, feeling grateful at her favorite cousin's windfall.
From the entrance to her bedroom, Debbie felt she was going deaf from Sasha's high-pitching, excited shrills.
She had been shocked too when she had first come to the manor, but Sasha was on another level.
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