Chapter 415

Debra strode out of the mall. A sense of defeat washed over Juan, and he rubbed his temples. “Who leaked the news?” he demanded.

“It seems it was Miss Vargas,” Joe said hesitantly. He had arranged everything personally—the venue, the gifts, the party. Only a handful of people from the company knew. He wondered how Hester got wind of it.

Juan’s gaze remained fixed on Debra’s disappearing form. “Do you think I’ve lost her, Joe?”

“Sir…” Juan hadn’t seen any affection left in Debra. And when she spoke about that dream, her eyes held a world of bitterness and resignation.

Outside the mall, Debra cursed under her breath. She’d forgotten to bring her car, and now she was stranded in the busiest part of Seamar City. Suddenly, a sleek black Porsche pulled up in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing Marion’s grinning face. “Get in.”

Debra quickly slid into the passenger seat, her eyes meeting Marion’s. “How did you know I was here?”

Marion didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out and turned on the radio. The news blared out, filling the car.

“Breaking news: Juan Nichols, CEO of Nichols Group, pulled out all the stops to celebrate his soon-to-be-ex-wife’s birthday in the heart of the city.”

Debra chuckled, shaking her head. “News travels fast. I’m sure we’ll be hearing about Melody causing a scene any minute now.”

“Did she provoke you?” Marion asked, raising an eyebrow.

Debra shrugged. “Not in the slightest. Her words didn’t bother me at all.”

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Marion’s mouth. “Buckle up. I’m taking you somewhere.”

“Alright,” Debra agreed, settling back into her seat.

Erica and Randy rushed into the mall, only to find the cleaning crew already at work. They exchanged a look, and Randy asked one of the staff, “Madam, is it over?”

The woman nodded. “You’re late. It ended half an hour ago.”

“It’s all your fault,” Erica hissed, kicking Randy in the shin. “I told you to drive faster.”

Randy yelped, rubbing his leg. “How is this my fault? We were only half an hour late. Unless you expected me to sprout wings and fly us here, we were always going to be late.”

“You dare talk back now, huh?” She pulled Randy’s ear and said, “What if Juan stole Debra away? I…”

The cleaning lady chimed in, “Oh, he didn’t take anyone. Mrs. Nichols Sr. showed up and caused quite the scene. We had to clean up here because of her.”

Erica and Randy’s faces lit up, their earlier argument forgotten.

“Mrs. Nichols Sr.?”

“She came to stir things up?”

“Great!”

They shared a look, their minds made up. “Let’s find Marion immediately. We need to book a restaurant for Debra.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll arrange a presidential suite. We’ll make sure things get done.”

“Let’s get to it.”

They split up, each with a task in mind. Their shared goal was to give Debra the birthday she deserved.

In the car, Debra, exhausted from exploring the amusement park, leaned her head against the window, her eyes fluttering closed.