Chapter 193 Confession With Marriage In Mind
After leaving the ward, Tiffany was instantly stopped by James. Studying the man beside her, Derrick, he raised his chin and asked, “Who is this, Tiffany? Are you not going to introduce him to me?”
Before Tiffany could answer him, Derrick wrapped his arm around her waist in a possessive move. Then, he gracefully said, “I’m her boyfriend. May I know who you are?”
James was dumbfounded. He never expected his feelings for her to be crushed before they could truly bloom.
It took him ages to finally want to settle down. It was then he met a Chanaea woman he liked, and he wanted to abandon everything he had to try things out with her. Yet, before he could do anything, fate told him it was game over.
Is this a cruel joke from fate?
Staring at her in disbelief, he squeezed out, “Tiffany, tell me why.”
At that, Tiffany raised a brow. To her, she was barely friends with James. Regardless of whether she was in a relationship with Derrick or not, James was barely an acquaintance.
“What do you mean why, James?” Tiffany waved her hand, annoyed. “I’m grateful that Amelia’s fine, but I really am not in the mood to play word games with you. I’ll treat you to a meal another day. All I want to do now is to have a good, long nap back at home. We’ll talk again another day, okay?”
Never a clingy man, James replied, “Don’t misunderstand what I mean, Tiffany. Your mother is interested in matchmaking us, and you’ve left a good impression on me. Plus, I’ve been planning to settle down in Chanaea too. I was thinking if you’d like to try things out with me. As you know, foreigners are always straightforward.”
Taken aback by his words, she widened her eyes and glanced at Derrick. With an awkward chuckle, she said, “James, stop joking. It’s not funny. Your mind must be stuck after spending so many hours for the surgery. You should get some sleep so that you’ll recover tomorrow. Let’s talk again tomorrow, okay? I’m exhausted. Bye.”
With that, Tiffany ignored the menacing glares the two men were exchanging and walked away.
Derrick shot James a smirk before hurrying after Tiffany.
James, who had been left behind, shrugged. Although he had just been rejected by Tiffany, there was no trace of sadness on his face.
Instead of truly having feelings for her, he had confessed to her because he wanted to settle down. Moreover, among the people he knew, he realized Tiffany was not someone he hated. Therefore, he wanted to see if they would be a match. If they were, he would be glad to have her as his wife. If not, he would only say that they were not fated to be.
Shrugging again, he stuck his hands into his coat pocket and whistled as he walked in the other direction.
Meanwhile, right as Tiffany stepped out of the hospital, someone grabbed her right wrist. With a tug, she fell forward against a broad chest.
Her nose smashed onto the steel-like chest, and she cried out in pain. Immediately, her hand shot up to cover her nose as tears welled in her eyes.
Snapping her head upward to glare at the culprit, she snarled, “Mr. Hisson, you must be doing this on purpose, aren’t you? It hurts!”
Ignoring her struggles, Derrick secured his arm around her waist and towed her toward the car. With a quick move, he pinned her against the car.
His entire body was leaning against her, and she could feel his breaths on her face.
In the dark, Tiffany’s heart raced, and she blushed as she stared at the handsome man.
She could not tear her eyes away from the man’s sapphire-looking eyes.
“Who is he?” Derrick questioned, leaning closer.
They were only a hair’s breadth away from each other, and Tiffany felt as if her heart was going to escape from her chest. Even her mind was nothing but mush at that point.
“Who?” she mumbled in a daze.
“That foreigner.”
Blinking, she then muttered, “You mean James?”
Derrick nodded.
“Why are you asking?”
“Do you like him?”
All of a sudden, Tiffany wondered if she had lost her mind. When separated, Derrick’s words made sense to her. Yet, when they were combined into a sentence, she realized she could not comprehend what he was trying to say.
“Huh?”
“Do you like him?” Derrick was pressing against her to the point that every inch of her back was against the car. Their lips were only a finger apart.
Tiffany could only blink slowly. Every time Derrick was around, the gears in her mind would cease to function, and she would not be able to recall anything.
Seeing how she remained silent, Derrick narrowed his eyes dangerously. “So, you like him?”
Like a fool, she nodded.
The look in Derrick’s eyes turned even more menacing. In the next second, he lowered his head and kissed her, forcing her teeth to part as he began entwining his tongue with hers.
The sudden kiss made her tense before struggling slightly. However, after Derrick’s forceful invasion, she slowly relaxed into the kiss.
That made Derrick satisfied, and he deepened the kiss. By the time the two separated, Tiffany was slumped against the car as she panted. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were unfocused.
Pulling her up and into his arms, he waited for Tiffany to regain her senses. The moment she did, she shoved him away and slapped him.
Right after the slap, the look in Derrick’s eyes changed, and Tiffany stood transfixed, stunned by her own action.
Retracting her hand, an embarrassed look crept upon her face. However, when she recalled that Derrick had been the one to force a kiss on her, the anger in her burned bright again.
Furious, she gritted out, “Mr. Hisson, I can think of your prior harassment as just a prank, but I’m enraged by your kiss this time. I’m not your pet; I’m not here for you to play with when you’re happy and get left aside when you’re not.”
Staring at her, Derrick quietly asked, “Do I treat you like a pet?”
Tiffany averted her eyes guiltily, but still, her voice remained calm. “That’s enough. I’ll just think that your hormones took over your brain tonight. Time to go. I’m sleepy.”
Feeling guilty, Tiffany tried to escape, but Derrick pulled her into his arms again.
Instinctively, she placed her hand against his chest to break free from him. “Derrick, I’m warning you now to let me go. If you don’t, I won’t be as polite.”
Finding her reaction cute, Derrick’s lips curled. In a confident tone, he said, “Tiff, you clearly don’t hate me. So why won’t you say yes to me?”
Tiffany’s mind was in a mess, and she blurted out, “Who courts others as you do? Everyone courts with flowers and gifts, and they’re gentle with the girl. All you do is force your way regardless of whether I like it or not. There’s no sign of sincerity at all. Forget it. I don’t want to waste my time with you anymore. I’m leaving. Goodbye.”
With that, Tiffany hurried away as if she was a rabbit escaping from a wolf.
Derrick’s only response was a growing confident smile on his face.
A moment later, he opened the door and entered the car. After backing out of the parking space, he drove to Tiffany’s side.
Then, he opened the door and said, “Get in.”
Tiffany ignored him. Instead of insisting, he slowly drove behind her.
As she walked, she could not help but turn to look at the car behind her. This… This is such a strange scene.
Three minutes later, she finally walked toward the car.
With a grin, Derrick asked, “Are you getting in?”
Hearing that, Tiffany shot a vicious glare at him and began walking forward again. When she realized he was still adamant about following her, she stomped her foot and yelled, “Stop following me, Derrick! Or I’ll show you what a punch is!”
Derrick burst out laughing.
Then, he stuck his head out the window and said, “Hop in. I won’t do anything to you.”
Tiffany huffed and continued storming away.
Once Derrick found a spot to park his car, he got off and strode toward Tiffany. Disregarding her struggles, he spun her around to make her look at him. Then, in a soft tone, he muttered, “I’ll admit that I did things wrong, so let me apologize to you. Let’s get into the car first. It’s getting late, so let me send you back. I promise I won’t do anything to you without your permission.”
At that, Tiffany shook his hand off before walking back up the path she came from. Opening the car door, she then plopped down on the front passenger seat.
In response, Derrick shook his head. He, too, returned to the car and sat on the driver’s seat.
When he started the car, he commented, “And here I thought you were just mildly spicy but turns out you’re actually a bottle of choking tabasco sauce.”
Tiffany rolled her eyes at him. “What’s the matter? Do you not like me now that you found out I’m not the same as who you think I am?”
Derrick grinned, feeling exceptionally delighted.
“Of course I do. Why won’t I like you like this?”
Immediately, Tiffany’s cheeks heated up. She began moving away as if she was trying to minimize her presence.
Right then, Derrick looked at her and said solemnly, “Woman, be honest with me. Do you want to be in a relationship with me? We’ll be dating with marriage in mind. I’ll love you and dote on you when you’re with me. I can’t guarantee that I can protect you from everything, but you have my promise that I’ll do my best to protect you from harm.”
Tiffany’s heart thumped louder and louder as she stared into the man’s serious eyes. Subconsciously turning her head toward the window, she replied loudly, “Mr. Hisson, this isn’t a funny joke. Hurry up and drive. I’m very sleepy!”
Derrick only stared at her for a while longer. He knew not to push her. Thus, he said, “Tiff, I’ll give you time to consider this; I’m not in a rush. One day, you’ll say yes. I’ll let time prove that marrying into a wealthy family won’t be as hard as you think it is. Men who let their wives suffer at home are nothing but b*stards. I’ll make sure to prove that I’ve never been one. and will never be one.”
After Derrick sent Tiffany home, and as she lay on the bed after her shower, his words kept replaying in her mind.
Annoyed, she smacked her head and yelled, “Derrick, you b*stard! You’re the b*stard of the century! It’s impossible for us to be together, and yet you just have to flirt with me! Argh! You’re the bane of my existence!”
Unsurprisingly, Tiffany was left sleepless throughout the night. It was only at six in the morning that she finally dozed off. When she woke again, it was only nine in the morning.
She was woken up by the incessant ringing of her phone. Not a morning person, she accepted the call grumpily and snapped, “Hello? Who’s this? If there’s anything, send a prayer and I’ll answer you in heaven. If not, I’m hanging up.”
“Tiffany, you’re just tempting me to strangle you here and now. When it’s your death anniversary, I’ll make sure to pray hard and send you a message,” came a devil-like voice through the speakers.
Tiffany instantly sobered up.
“Oh, why, if it isn’t the ever-beautiful Shannon the editor. What’s the matter? Why are you being huffy so early in the morning?” Tiffany said with a chuckle.
“So you still remember that I’m your editor? Where’s the manuscript you promised me a week ago? You said you’re giving me hundreds of thousands of words, but I don’t see anything at all. Are you messing with me? If I don’t see your manuscript coming in soon, I’m going to drag you to hell with me.”
Tiffany quickly pulled her phone away from her as Shannon’s high-pitched voice nearly busted her eardrums.
“Calm down, Shannon.” It was work, after all. Tiffany would not spout unreasonable excuses. “I’m not deliberately avoiding to give you the manuscript. It’s just that Amelia was in an accident a few days ago, and the doctor said she might not make it. I went to the hospital to visit her, so I ended up not working on the manuscript.”
As expected, Shannon immediately calmed down.
“Ms. Winters was in an accident? When?”
“Just a few days ago. I’ve been taking care of her in the hospital these few days, so I wasn’t in the mood to work. She went for surgery yesterday too, so I ended up reaching home at about three in the morning. I was exhausted, so I fell asleep. I was wondering if you can extend the deadline for the manuscript for another half a month? I swear I’ll give it to you by then. I won’t procrastinate,” Tiffany solemnly replied.
Quietly, Shannon asked, “Which hospital is Ms. Winters in?”
“Principal General Hospital.”
“All right, I got it. Come to the office, and I’ll discuss the manuscript with you there before we head to the hospital to visit her,” Shannon uttered. “You’d better not tell me that you want more sleep. You know how scary I can be.”
Tiffany did in fact know how scary Shannon could be. Ain’t no way I’m provoking her.
Thus, she obediently went to the office.
At the office, Shannon berated her for half an hour. Right as her eardrums were about to burst, and Tiffany was about to plead for mercy, Shannon stopped.
The two then discussed the issues of the manuscript. In a blink of an eye, it was twelve.
Packing away the things, Shannon then said, “Let’s go visit Ms. Winters.”
“Should we have our lunch before we head there? Amelia’s still sick, so I doubt she can help you with lunch,” Tiffany suggested with a grin.
Shannon only rolled her eyes. In the end, the two had lunch before heading to the hospital.
When they reached the ward, it was crowded. Fruits and flowers were all over the room.
Then, they heard Olivia’s voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, my daughter-in-law has just woken up, and the doctor said not to tire her out. We’re very grateful that you can come and see her today, but it’s noon. I’ve asked the butler to reserve spots at Thalassa Restaurant, so please have your lunch there. She needs to rest too.”
The visitors exchanged polite words before leaving the ward.
Shannon, with fruits in her hands, glanced at Tiffany, not sure whether to enter the room or not.
“Tiffany, it seems like we’ve come at a bad time. Do we still go in?” Shannon whispered.
Before Tiffany could answer her, the ever-observant Olivia noticed them.
She stepped forward to grab Tiffany’s hand and smiled. “Why are you still standing there? Amelia was just mumbling that she misses you, and you’re here now.”
Tiffany smiled back before following her into the ward.
