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"Yeah, I'm here," Debbie replied on the phone. The worried lady was too distracted to pay attention to her conversation with Jared. All she wanted to know was whether she would be berated by Carlos for getting drunk. Would he punish her for it? The man, after all, had been poking his nose in everything these days. Lifting the covers off her, Debbie jumped out of the bed, and said, "I'm sorry, Jar. I have to go. Talk to you later. " Then she hung up the phone without waiting for Jared to reply, running to the bathroom with her head feeling as though it were being split in half. 'What should I do next? Revolt? Apologize?' Debbie pondered in the tub. If she revolted, would she end up being buried alive? That did not sound tempting at all. So. what if she apologized instead? Would that authoritative aristocrat be merciful? Did he even know how to forgive people? The lady continued to mull over the idea, and considered giving it a try. What was there to lose? Apologizing certainly felt like the easier choice. If it worked, she would no longer have to look over her shoulder anymore. Having made up her mind, she finished her bath quickly and went downstairs. Julie, who was considering going upstairs to wake her up, was glad to see her coming down. With a pleased look, the servant asked Debbie to take a seat while she brought out her lunch. At the dining table, just as she was about to take a bite of her food, an idea suddenly came to her mind. 'How about I cook dinner for him tonight and take it to his office myself? Maybe he'll be so touched by the gesture that he won't have any choice but to forgive me! Hmm. ' Grinning, the girl gripped her spoon tightly, and thought to herself, 'That's brilliant, Deb!' The idea just made more sense to her. Come to think of it, Debbie's current priority was not the divorce, but to avoid cutting her life short due to her aristocrat husband. Now that it was clear to her, she contemplated how to appease her angry husband. It was time to put the plan into action. Or so she thought. The more she thought about it, however, the more challenges crossed her mind. 'Umm. ' Debbie thought, frowning a bit. 'The thing is. ' Looking down on her lap in embarrassment, she closed her eyes and bit her lip. Cooking seemed like a great idea until she realized a small hiccup which could completely influence the results. How could she overlook the key to her plan? That, in order to feed Carlos food delicious enough to make him forget his name, the first thing she needed to know. was how to cook. Luckily, she just thought of the best teacher anyone could ask for. For a moment, the inexperienced chef-for-a-day hesitated while standing in a corner. Watching Julie in her element in the kitchen, Debbie realized how fortunate she was to have someone help her accomplish her goal. At the same time, everything felt unfamiliar, and yet exciting, to her. The whole afternoon, sounds of clanging and banging kept coming from the kitchen. Sizzling oil flew in every direction. Up until that point, Julie never imagined that pans, plates, and ladles could be so noisy. It was as though a war were taking place in the kitchen. By the time it was half past five in the afternoon, the noise in the kitchen finally quieted down. To Julie's relief, the house appeared to be at peace once again. Watching Debbie put the food into a meal box, Julie could not help but wipe beads of sweat off her forehead as she prayed, 'Please, let it not be poisonous. Please. ' When Debbie was done with packing everything, she wore a triumphant look. 'That wasn't so hard now, was it?' she thought proudly. The girl put her hands on her hips and took a deep breath. It was time for the final step of her foolproof plan. Next stop: the headquarters of ZL Group. Situated in the busiest area of the city, ZL Group's astonishing 88-floor main office building towered into the sky, linked with the neighboring 66-floor skyscraper by ten-odd aerial arch bridges. Apart from ZL Group, more than one thousand companies from all parts of the world were based there as well. Debbie had passed by the building so many times, which was one of the landmarks of Y City. Even so, had it not been for Emmett sharing the company address with her, she would not have remembered that it was where Carlos worked. As far as she knew, ZL Group had businesses in many industries such as high-technology, real estate, cosmetics, clothing, and entertainment. As the boss of such a colossal group, despite his age, Carlos was highly respected. His success and competence spoke for itself

You really need to work on your people skills, little girl!" A brazen glint appeared in her eyes. "You might be under thirty," Debbie agreed, nodding mockingly, "but the way you talk to people make you sound like you're over forty. " 'Maybe you are lucky to work in such a big company, but it doesn't make you better than anyone else

. Someone has to tell you that. It might as well be me, ' Debbie thought as she watched Rhonda Wang sputter an incoherent response. Blinking furiously, Rhonda Wang sneered, "Didn't you call someone? Well, nothing has happened so far. From where I stand, no one cares. " The moment she finished talking, however, the phone on the front desk rang. Her heart started racing nervously; her face turned as pale as a ghost. 'Does she really know Mr. Huo?' she thought. Scared stiff that the call might be from Carlos, she trotted to the front desk at once. When she saw the caller ID, she almost stumbled backward. Her heart jumped to her mouth; it was from the CEO's office. Throwing a glance at Debbie, she gulped upon seeing the young lady's triumphant look. It seemed she might have messed with the wrong person. "Hi, Mr. Huo," she greeted, managing a nervous smile. "Send her up," Carlos uttered, his voice as icy cold as ever. Although it was brief, Rhonda Wang felt a little dizzy. Her legs went numb and she could no longer move from her spot. To prevent herself from falling, she had to cling to the desk hastily. 'Oh my goodness! Mr. Huo has called the reception himself. He rarely does that! I'm screwed, ' the secretary wailed inwardly. "Yes, sir," she responded, controlling her voice from being shrill. Her hands trembled as she hung up the phone. So nervous she was, that she had to place the phone several times before doing it right. Then, she took a deep breath. The woman who seemed like she was having a panic attack repeated a breathing exercise which she knew could calm her nerves. In this industry, there was hardly room for mistakes. Yet it seemed like she might have just committed a grave one. Although Debbie was standing near the front desk, it took Rhonda Wang more than ten seconds to walk to her. Her shaking legs betrayed her calm facade, but Debbie refrained from voicing out her observation. "Hello, Miss. Please come with me," Rhonda Wang said in a respectful manner. All of a sudden, the atmosphere seemed to change and everything was more cheerful than it had been a few moments ago. This shift in her behavior did not go unnoticed by Debbie, but she let the secretary drown in her anxieties for a bit more and did not offer anything else but a small nod. 'Crap! Am I going to lose my job?' Rhonda Wang thought as she led Debbie to the elevator. While waiting for the elevator, she stole a glance at the mysterious young lady who appeared to be tranquil. "Um," Rhonda Wang began, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know who you are. Please---""You don't need to explain. I understand. So many people come here every day asking to see Mr. Huo," Debbie interrupted her, a smile playing on her lips. The secretary seemed to have learned her lesson so Debbie decided to stop torturing the woman with her silence. It was not her fault, after all, that she did not know her. What simply irked Debbie was that the older woman should not have looked down on people she had never met before. Her reply surprised Rhonda Wang. When people who had the luxury of meeting Carlos were offended by those beneath them, they often resorted to dishing out harsher treatments. The secretary looked at Debbie and thought, 'Has she forgiven me so easily?'"I'm really sorry. I won't do that again," Rhonda Wang still apologized. For two years, she had been working as a secretary at the front desk for ZL Group. During this long arduous period, she had learned how to deal with problems