After hanging up, Debbie headed back to the private booth. She was entertaining, after all. The best way to boost her career. She was about to round a corner when she heard some women chatting nearby. One woman said in a voice full of admiration, "You're the luckiest woman in the world, Stephanie. You're about to marry Mr. Huo, and he cares so much about you."
"You're just about as lucky as me. Let's eat out. How about Orchid Private Club? I'll call Carlos and ask him to lend me his private booth," announced Stephanie in a proud tone.
"Really? Mr. Huo's private booth? I can't wait!" the other women exclaimed. Their cheers reverberated through the hallway.
As Debbie listened, they seemed to be getting close. They rounded the corner and were face to face with her. There were about four of them. Stephanie's friends were surprised to see Debbie. One of them whispered to the others, "Wait...isn't that Debbie Nian?"
"The singer? Yeah, looks like her. I hear that she and Mr. Huo..." another woman whispered back, winking at her friend. For Stephanie's sake, she didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.
Debbie's and Stephanie's eyes met. Debbie was mad at Carlos a moment ago for he had changed their daughter's last name on a form without consulting her. But now she flashed a meaningful smile.
Stephanie sensed provocation in that smile. With a frown, she passed by Debbie. Neither of them spoke.
When Stephanie and her friends walked into the elevator, Debbie took out her phone, unblocked Carlos' number and called him.
No sooner had Carlos stepped into the meeting room than his phone rang. He was known as a cold and emotionless man, but a smile crept over his face when he caught sight of the caller ID. He answered the phone and stepped out. "Hi," he said softly. That was such a shift in tone. The rest of the meeting attendees looked at each other in wonder. They had never seen their boss so tender.
"Was that really him? You never hear him sound like that." "Who called? Was it Miss Li?" someone else asked.
"Haha! Right! You ever hear Mr. Huo talk to Miss Li like that?"
"It's gotta be. She's his fiancee, right?"
More than a few of the men there knew of Debbie's recent association with Carlos. They si
e than ten people. All kinds of salads were waiting for them; the bowls covered the table.
Debbie bid a waiter open the alcohol Carlos ordered for them. "Fill 'em up please."
"Yes, miss," the waiter answered politely.
One of the guests, Mr. Li, surveyed the sumptuous room and exclaimed, "Okay, I'm impressed. How did you manage to score Mr. Huo's private booth?"
Debbie smiled, "I'm flattered, Mr. Li. You've been around the world, I bet." Mr. Li was pleased.
He laughed and then asked Debbie in a whisper, "So you and Mr. Huo..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Debbie knew where he was going with that. "Everything's fine," she answered vaguely. "Please allow me, Mr. Li," she said as she filled his glass.
Realizing she was trying to change the subject, the guests exchanged glances. "Debbie, let the waiters do this. You don't have to," Mr. Li said.
"You helped me a lot. Pouring for you is the least I can do," Debbie replied tactfully.
When they had eaten most of the salad, the alcohol had gone around three times.
During this time, Elmer had been very quiet. "Debbie, I need to go into the office and deal with something urgent. You guys enjoy." He suddenly spoke up.
"Mr. Xue, you have to leave now?" Mr. Li said. "Who knows how long we'll have to wait before we can do this again? It's Mr. Huo's private booth! Besides, we can play golf or pool afterwards. Just enjoy."
Debbie blinked innocently. "That's right. This is for you, Mr. Xue. It's my way of thanking you."
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