Take My Breath Away

"Here's the divorce agreement, Philip. I've already signed it. Please give it to Carlos."

It was difficult for Debbie Nelson to work up the nerve to hand the divorce agreement to Philip Brown, the Hilton family's steward.

Sighing in resignation, Philip went over the document and noticed clauses that made him frown. He looked at the girl sharply and bellowed, "Debbie!" Incredulous, he asked, "Do you realize how stupid this is? I can understand if you want to divorce Carlos. After all, you haven't seen him for the past three years. But why aren't you asking for any money?"

Debbie was an undergraduate with no father or mother. In Philip's opinion, she shouldn't want a divorce, let alone get out of the marriage without any money.

Debbie scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. She was well aware that Philip always treated her as a daughter, so she had no plans to keep anything from him. "I... I want to drop out of university," she stammered.

"What? Why do you suddenly want to leave university? What happened? Are you being bullied?" The steward's eyes widened in astonishment.

"No, no, no! You're overreacting, Philip. You already know, I-I don't like studying. So, I don't want to waste my time in university," she explained.

The excuse of dropping out of university was lame but the only one that came to mind quickly to stall him off. But she was not telling anyone the real reason for wanting a divorce.

She was silent for a while, as several thoughts ran through her mind. 'Tomorrow is my 21st birthday and also the third wedding anniversary.

I'm still young. I don't want this hollow marriage to stand in the way of pursuing true love.

I've never even seen Carlos in person. My father arranged this marriage. How can anyone live like this?' she thought desperately.

Sensing that the girl was not about to share anything else, Philip conceded, "It appears you've made up your mind, so I will..." He waited for her to say something. "I'll hand the divorce papers to Carlos tomorrow," the steward said with a deep sigh when she didn't respond.

"Thank you so much, Philip!" She let out a huge sigh of relief before giving the man a sweet smile.

But Philip could not help himself as he stared at the young girl. "Debbie, Carlos is a good man. I believe you are a perfect match, so I do hope you will think this through carefully and reconsider. If you change your mind, you may call me anytime," he said sincerely.

Of all he said, two words stood out that made Debbie cringe. 'Perfect match? He didn't even show up at the wedding! The man was at a dinner reception for a foreign president at that time. Even the photograph on our marriage certificate was Photoshopped.

In the last three years, I haven't even laid eyes on him. So, why is Philip saying that we are a perfect match?' Debbie couldn't control the sarcastic thoughts in her head.

Finally coming to her senses, the young lady took a deep breath before speaking again. She had intended to say, "I've made up my mind," but as a sign of respect for Philip who was truly concerned for her, she uttered, "Okay."

Thinking that she might have a change of heart, Philip waited until the next afternoon to inform Carlos about the divorce papers. But to his disappointment, she didn't call him. Slowly, he brought out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Carlos, I have a document that needs your signature," he said respectfully.

"What document is that?" came the cold reply. He noted a hint of impatience in Carlos's voice.

After hesitating briefly, the steward answered, "A divorce agreement."

Then his hand holding the pen froze as Carlos Hilton let the words sink in. He closed his eyes and rubbed his brows thoughtfully.

It quickly dawned on him as he thought, 'Oh, I have a wife. If Philip didn't call me now, I wouldn't even remember that I am married and have a wife.'

"Just put the papers in my study. I'll be back in Alorith in a couple of days," Carlos said coolly.

"Alright," Philip acknowledged, and then hung up.

Meanwhile, at the Blue Night Bar in Alorith, the bar was dimly lit but packed with people.

Young men and women flocked to the establishment which was very popular in the city.

Inside Room 501 was a table littered with beer, wine, champagne and a variety of snacks.

The room was the venue for a birthday party. The celebrant was Debbie, who turned 21 that day.

Nicknamed "Tomboy" by her classmates, Debbie now wore a pink lace dress. This was one of the very few occasions that she donned something feminine instead of her usual attire of jeans and shirts. Several of the female guests whipped out their phones to have a selfie with Debbie.

After everyone had their fill of taking photos, the celebrant started to have fun by drinking with her classmates. Stacked in one corner of the room were the many presents Debbie received from friends and classmates.

A slightly tipsy young man broke out in a song, with his arm slung around another boy's shoulders. "I knew you were trouble when you walked in..." he warbled.

His voice was so grating that many of the girls covered their ears and groaned.

"Hey, Jared! Stop that singing. Let's just play games that won't bust anybody's eardrums." It was Kasie Garcia, one of Debbie's roommates, who called out to Jared Hampton.

She was a cheerful girl, full of confidence, who always got people's attention.

Her suggestion made everyone in the room turn silent. The boys and girls in the room turned to look at Kasie, waiting for her instructions.

She was a known party animal, and was popular among the classmates.

Looking at everyone with mischief in her eyes, Kasie said, "Let's play Truth or Dare!" A cunning smile crossed her lips as guests balked at the suggestion.

Several of them cast a scornful glance at the girl. "Kasie, that game sucks!" This time, Jared, who belonged to the rich second generation, got back at Kasie. He rolled his eyes in disgust because he thought it was a boring game.

Kasie stared at Jared defiantly and continued, "Today is Debbie's 21st birthday, so we'll make the game more exciting!" She flashed an evil smile that made some of the guests uncomfortable.

Since all people at the party were students, many were still pure and innocent. They were familiar with the game; the consequences for the dares were usually singing the high notes in Mariah Carey's 'Loving You', carrying the heaviest guy around the room, or singing a duet with the opposite sex.

But Kasie had something else in mind for Debbie. The celebrant's cheeks were already crimson from too much champagne and wine. As the first round started, Kasie winked at the others, who quickly caught on to what she was planning.

"The loser in this round has to go out the door, turn right, and then kiss the first person of the opposite sex he or she runs into. But it will be a kiss on the lips instead of a peck on the cheek. If he or she opts to skip this consequence, there is an alternative. He or she has to drink ten glasses of wine," Kasie declared.

Everyone became excited about the game. They were all eager to find out who the first loser would be. This time Jared snorted in disgust but said nothing. He knew there was already collusion.

After playing Rock-Paper-Scissors, everyone turned to look at the celebrant, who was dumbfounded.

Debbie stared at her hand, which formed the scissors symbol, and then glanced at the others who held out Rocks. Her eyes widened, and her jaw slackened.

"I hate you, Kasie!" she screamed. Remembering the consequence, the birthday girl felt like crying. She was already drunk, and couldn't afford ten more glasses of wine.

Mustering her courage, she took several deep breaths before opening the door.

Following instructions, she turned right.

Standing in the hallway was a man dressed in a crisp white shirt, black slacks, and black leather shoes.

He looked to be in his mid-20s and stood around 180 cm tall. His face was all angles and planes, from his forehead, cheeks to his jawline. His looks were the type that would stand out in a crowd.

His eyes, however, were so cold that Debbie couldn't help but shiver when he glanced at her.

"Wow, he is one handsome dude! Tomboy, hurry up! We're watching you," Kasie said in a loud whisper. Debbie stood frozen for a moment. She was busy thinking, 'He looks somewhat familiar. Where have I met him before?'

But Kasie's voice broke into her thoughts, so she took a deep breath and plucked up more courage.

Still there was this niggling thought, 'I think I've met him before. Never mind! I'd better make this quick.'

Bravely, she walked up to the man, gave him a sweet smile and stood on tiptoe. His cologne wafted through her nose.

Carlos was looking for a quiet place to make a phone call when he was stopped by a girl in the hallway.

He frowned in annoyance as Debbie approached him.

Something clicked in his mind. 'Why does she look so familiar? Her eyes...' Carlos thought, trying to recall the face.

As he pondered who the girl was, Debbie planted a soft kiss on his lips and caught him off-guard.

After planting a kiss on Carlos' lips, Debbie immediately withdrew, fled the hallway and ran straight back to the room.

"Debbie!" Kasie shrieked as she shut the door. "You were awesome, girl!" she said proudly, patting the celebrant on the back. Panting after her escape, Debbie heaved a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Carlos' face darkened after the surprising kiss. He stood rooted to the spot but saw the girl disappear inside Room 501. The man was about to ask his bodyguards to haul the girl out of the room and throw her into the sea when his phone suddenly rang.

Annoyed by the interruption, he answered the call. After listening for a few seconds, he snapped, "Okay. I'll be right there." He pressed the button to end the call and then glanced at Room 501. He inhaled sharply to control his fury. There was an emergency in his company, which needed immediate attention.

"Count your lucky stars today, woman. You better pray I never see you again. You won't get away the next time you provoke me," Carlos muttered as he turned to leave.

Inside Room 501, Debbie rubbed her red cheeks and felt them burning in embarrassment. It was the craziest thing she had ever done in her life. Heart pounding, her mind was a jumble of thoughts. 'Oh my God! That was my first kiss, and I don't even know who he was!

Could that have been cheating on my husband?

Oh never mind! I've already signed the divorce agreement.

And it's okay even if Carlos isn't willing to sign it. Legally, a couple who's been separated for more than two years is deemed to be automatically divorced anyway.

I haven't seen him in the three years we've been married. So maybe legally, I'm no longer his wife. That means I was not cheating on him.

Besides, it was just a kiss...' Debbie forgot everyone around her.

Suddenly Kasie yelled, "My goodness!" All her classmates jumped at her outburst.

"What is wrong with you, Kasie? You scared me to death!" Kristina Lawrence, who was about to drink wine, spilled the liquid and was patting her chest to calm down.

Excitedly, Kasie stepped up to Debbie, who was still lost in thought, and shook her shoulders.

"Do you know who that man is?" she demanded. The object of Debbie's prank was a man every woman dreamed of. He was young, handsome, rich, and powerful, and he owned a large multinational group. People called him Mr. Hilton as a sign of respect.

"So, who is he?" Debbie demanded while grabbing a glass of champagne and taking a big gulp.

"Carlos Hilton!" Kasie yelled the name as she looked at the celebrant's face. The name was supposed to say everything about who the man was, so she wanted to be sure Debbie heard it right.

The champagne sputtered out of the girl's mouth the moment Kasie said Carlos' name. Debbie began coughing violently, unaware that she had spat the liquid on her classmate's face. Kasie, who had been showered by champagne on the face, looked at the stunned Debbie gloomily.

Even Jared was flabbergasted when he heard the name. "Carlos? Tomboy, I think you're screwed," he said. Jared was the son of the general manager of a finance company in Alorith, and Carlos' name struck his ears like a roar of thunder.

The familiar name also made Kristina scream. "Debbie, you kissed Carlos! Ohhh. Let me kiss you because it's like kissing him indirectly," she teased her friend.

Grabbing a handful of tissues, Debbie proceeded to clean her friend's face but was too shocked to apologize.

When Kristina came forward, Debbie hurled the tissues towards the table and ran away as fast as she could.

Suddenly, she remembered something. "Kasie, did you call my name when I was in the hallway?" she asked. She shuddered at the thought. 'Damn it! What if he remembers my name?'

Spunky Kasie snatched more tissues to dry her face and answered in an angry voice, "Yes, I did. Is that what has got you excited? Yes, it must've been thrilling to kiss Carlos, but you were only overacting, right?" She cursed Debbie quietly, 'You brat!

Oh my God! My face! And my hair! There is champagne everywhere!' Patting Kasie's arm as much to console as to apologize, Debbie suddenly said, "You guys have fun. I need to leave now."

As soon as she said the words, the birthday celebrant left hurriedly. Everyone watched her receding figure with a stunned expression.

All her friends were thinking the same thing. What was she going to do, catch up with Carlos? She was out of her mind! They all heard that many women had been after Carlos. And to get rid of these women, he would ask his men to peel off their clothes and toss them out on the street. He might do that to their friend, so they all had the same idea to stop Debbie from going to Carlos.

Many of her friends ran out of the room hoping to prevent Debbie from whatever she planned on doing.

But the girl was nowhere to be found.

As soon as Debbie stepped out of the bar, she hailed a taxi and instructed the driver to bring her to the villa where she was staying.

'I hope Carlos did not recognize me and won't come to the villa tonight. Otherwise, he may think I regretted asking for a divorce, and kissed him to get his attention.'

Leaning against the back of the seat, Debbie kept thinking about what happened.

After they got the marriage certificate three years ago, Carlos assigned Philip to take care of her food, clothing, and anything she needed.

But not once had she seen the man she married.

On the one hand, he was busy with work and spent most of his time overseas to take care of business.

On the other hand, even when he was in Alorith, Carlos stayed in another villa. They had different friends and acquaintances. As a result, they had never met each other, not even once, in those three years.

As for the marriage certificate, her father kept it with him when he was still alive. But just before his death, he had given it to Carlos in his fear that Debbie would make trouble.

So, it wasn't until now that Debbie knew what her husband looked like.

Sitting up, she suddenly remembered something and patted her forehead. 'Oh, I remember seeing him once, ' the young woman thought. She had gone to his office to visit a couple of times. But every time, it was Carlos' assistant who received her, precluding any opportunity to get a glimpse of her husband. The last time she went to the company, Debbie didn't introduce herself, so guards prevented her from entering the building. At that time, Carlos had just come back from an overseas trip. And while standing outside, she saw her husband getting out of the car from a distance.

Unfortunately, she was too far to get a good look at him. And it was a long time ago. Even when she googled his name, she never found any photo of Carlos on the Internet. He kept a very low profile, never granting interviews with the media and not allowing anyone to post his picture online.

There was one time though when Carlos' picture was published. In that photo, it was said that he was holding the hand of an actress. But before Debbie could get a glimpse of the photo, it had been deleted.

Now, she finally saw her husband's face.

And she even got to kiss him! If he had signed the divorce papers, technically, he would be her ex-husband.

While Carlos was known not to lack women for company, he hated the female species who took the initiative to get close to him.

So that was one more reason for Debbie to be agitated. 'Oh my God! I am screwed. I truly hope he didn't recognize me, ' she kept praying silently.

When she arrived at the villa, she heaved a deep sigh of relief when she noted no light was on.

"Maybe he didn't hear Kasie call my name, and didn't even recognize me. Thank God for that!" she muttered.

Tapping her still blushing face, she threw herself on the living room couch and recalled everything that happened tonight. "If he recognized me, he would no doubt dislike me. But maybe, that's better. Then he'd sign the divorce agreement without hesitation," she mumbled.

Debbie was a junior student in Class 22 of Finance Department of School of Economics and Management in Alorith University.

There were more than 50 enrolled in her class. Forty of them passed through the college entrance exam, while the rest got in through the back door.

Alorith University was among the Top 3 universities at home. Even Carlos graduated from this university. There was a long line of people wanting to enroll in the university.

Marc Debenham, an old professor, stood on the platform in front of his class. He pushed his glasses up his nose and took a deep breath while staring at his students, most of whom were sleepy.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang! The professor threw a book on his desk. The sound brought many students back to their senses, and they quickly sat up.

But one of them, a girl in a white leisure coat, who sat in the last row, was still asleep on her desk.

Fuming with rage, Marc roared, "Debbie!" He might be old with grey, grizzly hair, but his voice was still booming. In the silence that ensued, you could hear a pin drop.

But neither the noise nor the silence made any difference to Debbie, who was still sound asleep. Everyone was staring at her as she remained in dreamland.

"Debbie! Debbie!" a light voice kept calling out to Debbie as she was dozing off. Refusing to wake up, Debbie felt a constant tug at her sleeve. The more she ignored it, the stronger the voice and the tugging went. This got Debbie to give up and she finally woke up.

Though it was clear that she was still half asleep, Debbie groggily turned her head towards Kristina. "Kristina... you better have a good reason for waking me up..."

What Debbie saw as Kristina's response was a finger pointing somewhere. Debbie's eyes followed where Kristina pointed and she saw an absolutely exasperated Marc on stage.

Just witnessing Marc's long face was similar to being splashed on the face with ice cold water in Debbie's opinion. 'Oh, crap!' Scrambling to get herself back together, Debbie shook her head violently and then sat upright.

Marc, who was the professor that stood in front, was considered to be one of the remarkably hard-headed professors in their university. Taking the subject book out from her bag, Debbie then opened the book at the proper page and sent an icy glare to whoever dared laugh.

Almost immediately, Debbie's classmates turned their attentions back to the front, feigning that they didn't realize what was happening. Once the situation was sorted out, their professor Marc had returned to teaching.

'Oh God, he looks so angry...' Debbie buried her hands through her hair in regret. 'I'm definitely going to fail his exams...'

No one in the room attempted to taunt Debbie. Everyone in the room as well as the whole university knew that Debbie possessed a cryptic background.

Besides, Debbie was still a rowdy student as she constantly clashed with others, doused herself in alcohol, and cut classes. In short, she had done things that were deemed unacceptable by the university.

Within Alorith University, it was stated in the student handbook that students were neither allowed to dye their hair of any color, paint their nails, nor wear extravagant jewelry to the campus.

However, Debbie didn't care as she possessed long lilac dyed hair and bright red nails. The professors in the university were too terrified to tell her off about it.

It was surprising that Debbie hadn't found herself expelled from the university. The reason for that was that she came from a family with power.

"Debbie," Marc called out coldly, "please explain to me what finance is." The professor knew well of Debbie's background. Someone with the name of Emmett Cooper, who was Carlos' assistant, had something to do with Marc's assignment in the university. Even Carlos himself was a former student of Marc's. As a responsible teacher, Marc knew that he had to intervene as he wouldn't allow his students, Debbie in particular, to submit to her vices.

Feigning to look at the book, Debbie then sent a kick to the seat in front of her. Seated in front of her was none other than the class monitor and straight-A student, Dixon Stevenson.

With that as a signal, Dixon knew what Debbie meant and he quickly flipped the pages of the book to where the answer was written and slid it to his left side for her to see.

A smile of satisfaction was etched on Debbie's profile as the book was made visible to her eyes. Many stole glances towards Debbie and all could agree that she looked stunning.

She possessed features a girl would kill for, such as perfect fair skin, a pair of round, innocent eyes, a beautifully shaped nose, and soft, red lips.

Although Debbie's face was bare and free of make up, her profile still remained ethereal. Not to mention, her pair of long, slender legs were a treat for all boys to see.

If only her academic performance were better, she would perfectly fit the title of 'Miss University.'

'Alright, let's see here...' Debbie stood up and blinked as she began to read from Dixon's book. "Finance is a broad term that describes two related activities: the study of how money is managed and..."

As the professor, Marc saw right through Debbie's trick, which got him outraged. "Enough!" Marc's voice thundered across the room, making the whole class frightened.

The students could see how their professor was desperately keeping his anger in check.

Everyone was frightened and glued to their seats, all except for Debbie who flashed Marc a smile and asked, "Marc, is my answer wrong?"

With that, Marc started to turn red in anger and Debbie couldn't help but regret whatever she did and started to beg for forgiveness. "Marc, please don't get mad at me. I'll memorize the answer by heart before the class ends!" Debbie promised. Even she had people whom she feared and this professor was one of them as she knew Carlos was one of Marc's former students.

Marc calmed down upon hearing Debbie's words. In Marc's opinion, Debbie was a clever girl. If she just put her mind into studying, she could very well be an intelligent, straight A student. But, as a professor, Marc could not further tolerate Debbie's insolent actions. 'You don't like studying? Fine! You failed many exams? Fine!' Marc then sent Debbie a glare. 'But you're not allowed to fail in my class!' he swore to himself.

"If you dare to sleep in my class again, Jared, Kristina, and Kasie, the three of them will go stand under the flag!" Marc declared. "Do you understand?!" The three whose names were mentioned groaned in disbelief upon their professor's statement.

'Why are we the ones suffering when Debbie commits mistakes...' they all thought in chorus.

The reason why Marc made this decision was that he knew Debbie was loyal to her friends. The intention of hurting others for her own personal gains was far beyond Debbie. This was one of the advantages Marc saw with Debbie's attitude.

Casting a burning glare towards their professor Marc, Debbie cursed in the depths of her mind, 'Why?! You cunning little piece of...'

Lifting her head up, Debbie then responded in confidence, "Got it. You'll never see me doze off in your class ever again." Sitting herself back down in her seat, Debbie then picked up her pen and started to write on the notebook she had. A look of satisfaction was present on Marc's face as he thought she was taking notes while in reality, she was just doodling.

When the bell rang, Marc said his final words before collecting his things and then eventually left the room.

Classes were officially dismissed.

The moment Marc left, several boys and girls gathered around Debbie and started to state their complaints regarding their professor.

"Hey, Tomboy. What's up with Marc?" Jared asked. The look of frustration was written all over Jared's face. 'Why the heck did he choose to deal with us instead of Debbie? He's a strange man, ' he thought to himself.

Measuring 210 centimeters in height, Jared was one of the students blessed with height and considered to be the tallest in the whole university. To add, Jared was one of Debbie's closest friends and he was a generous guy.

"Debbie, please don't sleep in Marc's class again..." Kristina whined as she held onto Debbie's arm tightly and acted in a charming manner. "I'm begging you..." Kristina, Debbie' another friend, possessed long, curly hair and a petite body, yet oozing with charm.

"Debbie, as the famous beauty of Room 3301, I can't afford to lose face in public like that, alright?" said Kasie, who proclaimed herself as the most beautiful girl in the dormitory.

Currently, Debbie's spirits were low because of the whole divorce matter and the kiss between her and Carlos. The noise that surrounded Debbie started to irritate her. Taking the book in hand, she then slammed it against the desk and the crisp sound of the book hitting the table reverberated throughout the whole room, sending everyone into a state of shock.

Everyone in that room knew that if they looked back, they'd be frozen as they felt Debbie's cold gaze lingering around them. They all zipped their mouths shut.

Feeling the tension growing heavy in the air, Kasie then spoke up in hope of alleviating the tension. "Hey, I just remembered. There's a grand promotion in the Shining International Plaza today! Do you guys want to come?"

Standing and snaking her way towards Kasie, Debbie flashed a dazzling smile and said, "Me!" 'Probably just because of the lipstick she's always wanted to have...' Kasie rolled her eyes playfully.

As close friends, Kasie and Debbie knew each other like the back of their hands.

Debbie usually engaged in fights and doused herself in alcohol; it was a surprising trait for her to be so interested in lipsticks. Never did she bother about the clothes she wore as she would dress casually. However, her interest of collecting a kaleidoscope of lipsticks was unstoppable.

At the Shining International Plaza

The group all gathered up and they had finally arrived. Inside the said plaza contained so much beauty as it had so much to offer.

The Shining International Plaza consisted of seven buildings, named after the stars that made up the constellation of the Big Dipper.

The names of the buildings were Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid.

At the peak of each building, there were several lights and when night fell, the lights were lit. At this time, if you possessed a bird's eye view, the lights formed the constellation of the Big Dipper. Indeed, it was a breathtaking spectacle.

The domestic lighting designs had been designed to resemble the diamond studded skies, giving you a feeling that you were walking through the sea of stars. It would not be surprising for several people to fall in love with such a plaza wrapped around a unique concept with the Big Dipper. Thus, being a famous dating spot wherein you'd see people of all ages take their loved ones out for a get together or a date to gaze closely into the stars.