Take My Breath Away

Chapter 498: What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

Carlos' mockery angered Decker. If he could, he would find another man for Debbie. He believed that any other man would show him more respect than Carlos had.         

    

Debbie tugged on Carlos' sleeve and reminded him. "My brother has a girlfriend."     

"When did I..." Decker suddenly stopped mid-sentence recalling that he had once brought a woman with him when he went to see Debbie. "Oh, she's not my girlfriend. Just a cover," he explained.     

Debbie rolled her eyes at him and scoffed, "This is my brother who has been lying to me."     

Since he indeed had lied to her about many things, he promised, "I had no other choice, but I won't lie to you again." Decker used to think his identity as a gangster would put Debbie in danger. He didn't believe that he was powerful enough to protect her, and so he kept his real identity from her and even tried to drive her away for her safety. However, now that she was back with Carlos again, Decker knew that she was safe. He didn't need to pretend to be someone else in front of her anymore.     

"Okay, tell me everything," Debbie said.     

Decker reclined on the couch, lost deep in thought as though he was organizing what he was going to say. It took him a long while before he began.     

Decker and Yates used to be enemies. Even so, Yates appreciated Decker's capabilities. Therefore, when he found out about Decker's relationship with Carlos, he had reconciled himself with him.     

Decker used to build up his force overseas. Since Carlos was in Y City and he could help him a lot, it made more sense for Decker to move to Y City.     

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However, it was Elroy who had made Decker into what he was today.     

Elroy had fostered Decker for a few years before he abandoned him as a boy and sent him to a children's welfare home. Whether Decker survived or died was of no concern to Elroy. He simply didn't care anymore.     

Fortunately, Decker did survive. When he was just ten years old, his talent began to show. However, Elroy found out about it as well. The evil man decided to destroy the young boy at any cost.     

That year, Decker had entered into a piano competition. While he was at the backstage, he happened to overhear someone warning the judges not to let him win.     

Decker realized then that someone was gunning for him, but he didn't know who it was.     

In junior high, Decker was one of the top students. Everyone expected him to get a scholarship and go on to an elite high school. However, the day before the high school entrance examination, he was kidnapped and missed the exam.     

Without the scores, there was no way that he would be accepted by any high school.     

Feeling alone and helpless, Decker remembered a man that he knew from his part-time job. On the opening day of high school, Decker went to see him and seek his help.     

The man was a professor in A Country. His wife was a district official, and their daughter was in junior high. Decker was the girl's part-time piano teacher.     

The professor was an honest man. All he wanted in life was for his family to be safe and healthy.     

He had never asked anyone for favors before. The day that Decker came to his house asking him for help, the professor didn't turn the boy down, nor did he promise to help him.     

That night when Decker left the professor's home, it had been pouring rain. Decker used to see a bright future ahead of him, but that night he had a heavy heart, and saw nothing but a sea of misery and darkness ahead of him.     

Before he left the professor's house, his daughter stopped him and said, "It's not that my father doesn't want to help you. Someone threatened to harm us if he did. The very first day that you gave me a lesson on how to play the piano, someone had broken into our home and made my father promise to fire you."     

Decker finally understood what was going on.     

For years someone had been suppressing him, sabotaging Decker's every move and consequently quashing all of his hopes for the future. But who?     

Feeling devastated at the realization, Decker rushed out into the torrential rain and yelled out at the top of his lungs, "Who are you? Come out and show yourself! I know you're watching me! Who the hell are you? Come out and show your damn face, you coward!"     

But no one came out. The heavy downpour pelted mercilessly and spattered on Decker's head and face, stinging his skin and soaking him to the bone. The cold drops ran down his cheeks, taking with it his bitter tears.         

    

The professor sadly watched the boy through the window that night as he vented out his frustration to the night sky. Despite the threat, the professor eventually helped Decker anyway. He managed to enroll Decker into a private high school that was founded by one of the professor's friends.     

Most of the students of that school were the ones whose scores had been at the bottom in the high school entrance examination. Even its best students merely had a score of around 300, ranking in the middle at most.     

After entering high school, Decker started to hide his true self. He slept in classes. His marks ranked at the bottom of the class. He did nothing but gang up.     

Everybody thought he was a little punk. This was the only way that he could finally have some peace in his life.     

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Even so, a man had been stalking him for the past few years, and Decker knew it. One day near his graduation, he followed the man and found out that his boss was a gray-haired older man.     

After he graduated from high school, he learned that the older man was in fact, Elroy Lu, his foster parent that dumped him.     

One night as Decker became more vigilant and capable, he put a knife at the throat of one of Elroy's bodyguards. The bodyguard told him that the older man was Decker's grandfather. He also said that Elroy had another bodyguard watch his mother to stop her from ever meeting him.     

As Decker grew up, his force became stronger. To prevent Elroy from finding out, he only fostered his force in secret, and he always used his alias Eckerd in public instead of his real name Decker.     

Then one day, he met Debbie.     

It was an evening when a pale and desperate Debbie came knocking on his door. When Decker opened the door and stared at the girl before him, she told him that he was her brother. That she was pregnant and homeless and wherever he was was also her home.     

Decker had never known that he had a sister, and Debbie's sudden appearance at his doorstep had surprised him. He replied in a devil-may-care tone, "Psycho!" Just like that, he turned and closed the door in her face.     

As he thought about all of this, Decker looked at Debbie and decided to tell her how he had truly felt back then. "Debbie, remember the first time that we had met? Even though I closed the door on you, I noticed our resemblance. However, back then, I couldn't even protect myself, let alone you and a baby."     

That was the reason why he refused to let her stay with him. However, Debbie was persistent. She kept coming back to her brother's place until he finally agreed to take her in.     action

Leaning on Carlos' shoulder, she stared at Decker with red, teary eyes when she thought about those days.     

She considered herself lucky compared to Decker. At least her father had loved her when he was alive. After her father had passed away, she met Carlos. He held her dear to his heart, but Decker had no one to love and look after him.     

Then Decker went on to explain how he got hurt last time. He had intended to take over Yates' turf in A Country, but Yates found out and hunted him down. One of Yates' men had stabbed him, and the reason why he could enter Champs Bay Apartments was that the guards all worked for him.     

Decker had become a powerful man in Y City. He told Debbie and Carlos casually, "Next, I'll take over the Lu Group. Elroy wants to let his youngest son Gus run the company. He's grooming him for it, but I'm not going to let him get his wish."     

Debbie frowned and was worried. She couldn't help but ask, "You're a stranger to the Lu Group. They might not even allow you in the building. How can you possibly take over the company?"