Chapter 316 Spend More Time With Him
Derrick drove back to his apartment. After taking a hot shower, he lay on his sofa lazily and took out his phone to dial a number.
The moment the call was connected, Derrick’s expression and voice became gentle. “Hey, Tiff, it’s me.”
Tiffany told Amelia that it was Derrick calling her and that she was going outside to talk on the phone.
Upon getting Amelia’s permission, Tiffany walked out and asked, “Mr. Hisson, did you see Oscar today? Did he find out anything?”
Derrick pretended to be mad as he replied, “Tiff, I’ve been thinking about you all day, but you’re asking me about another man? I’m really upset. I won’t answer your questions unless you give me a kiss through the phone.”
Tiffany cringed hard when she heard that. After being together for almost two months, Derrick had gradually revealed the childish side of him in front of her. His aloofness had completely vanished. Seeing the man acting like that, Tiffany suddenly had the urge to break things off with him.
Naturally, that was impossible, so she could only accept him.
“Stop fooling around, Mr. Hisson.” After being familiar with each other, Tiffany could finally interact with Derrick calmly instead of being nervous all the time.
Derrick continued to fool with her for some time. That was an act of romance between the two of them. Moreover, Derrick realized that Tiffany enjoyed seeing him acting coquettishly. Since she could not resist him, Derrick took advantage of it.
“Tiff, if you don’t blow me a kiss, I’ll hang up the phone right now.” Just when Derrick was about to hang up the phone for real, he heard a soft smooching sound through the receiver.
He smiled with satisfaction.
Feeling embarrassed, Tiffany chided, “Are you happy now? Hurry up and tell me. Otherwise, I won’t answer your phone call within this month.”
Derrick knew the limits, so he said in satisfaction, “I met Oscar. He’s quite an interesting man.”
“What happened? Did he find out Amelia’s location?”
Derrick answered, “He sent someone to stalk me.” He wanted to see Tiffany being anxious for him. Clearly, he loved to tease her.
“Did they do anything to you?” Tiffany questioned anxiously. She knew exactly how ruthless Oscar was.
“Tiff, you’re underestimating your man. I’m fine. That being said, I do have to be more careful if I visit you in Beshya. After all, those men who Oscar sent to follow me are experts,” Derrick explained solemnly.
“If so, don’t come over yet. Amelia’s effort would go down the drain if Oscar finds us,” Tiffany said.
Hearing that, Derrick was in disbelief.
“Tiff, what did you say?”
“Mr. Hisson, I’m sorry. I would like to see you, too, but we can’t let Oscar find Amelia. I’m uncertain of his feelings for Amelia, so I can’t let her take the risk. I hope you understand this,” Tiffany explained with a sense of guilt.
Even though Derrick was mad, he chuckled.
His laughter gave Tiffany the goosebumps.
“Mr. Hisson, are you all right?” Although both of them were very close now, Tiffany got used to addressing him as ‘Mr. Hisson.’ To her, that was an intimate title between the two of them.
“My girlfriend doesn’t want to see me. How could I be all right?”
“Mr. Hisson, that’s not it. I’m just-”
“Tiff, have you ever thought about it? If there’s ever a time where you have to choose between Amelia and me, whose side would you take?” Derrick asked seriously.
Tiffany was stunned into silence for a long while at that.
Letting out a sigh, Derrick said, “Tiff, I know I’m being petty, but I’m feeling aggrieved because of how much you care for Amelia. My love rival isn’t a man, but your best friend. I can’t even complain about it. Would you even sacrifice your love just for Amelia?”
“I wouldn’t, of course,” Tiffany refuted instinctively. Yet, her voice sounded guilty.
“Really?” Derrick deliberately stressed his words. “Tiff, I’m willing to take care of Amelia with you, but please give me more of your attention, okay? I’m jealous of her sometimes, really. You might think that I’m being petty, but no man would want to see their woman being so focused on someone else.”
Tiffany felt guilty. She was at a loss now, after hearing Derrick’s complaints.
“D-Derrick, if you’re not satisfied with me, maybe we should split up for some time. You can tell me your answer after you think it through. I’ll let you make the decision on whether to break up or not. However, ever since the day I’ve promised to be with you, I’ve never thought of giving you up. Yet, I can’t just leave Amelia in this situation. You should think about it. I’m hanging up now.”
Derrick was stunned. He did not expect the conversation to escalate so quickly.
Anxious, he said, “Tiff, hold on. Don’t hang up yet. I have something to say.”
“Is there anything else?” Tiffany’s voice had turned cold.
Derrick burst out laughing. He realized that Tiffany was adorable when she was mad. It was the first time they had a minor conflict ever since they got into a relationship.
“Are you mad?”
Tiffany let out a sigh and answered, “I’m not mad, but I can’t believe that you’re so bothered by how I’m treating Amelia. Amelia and I met when both of us were poor. She helped me a lot. Now that she’s having a hard time, I can’t leave her. She’s my best friend, and I won’t give up on her. If you’re unhappy with it, I think we should give up on our relationship.”
“Tiff.” Derrick’s voice sounded stern. “It’s fine for us to have some minor conflict, but I hope that you won’t mention breaking up so easily. I don’t hate Amelia. I’m willing to take care of her with you. I’m just jealous. I’m jealous of her because she has all your attention. Yes, I know I’m a man and that I shouldn’t be so petty, but I just wish that you could give me more of your attention.”
Tiffany was stunned.
“I…” She was at a loss for words.
“All right, that’s enough. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten jealous. I’m sorry. Don’t take it to heart. Anyway, I’ll deal with Oscar. Without your permission, I won’t let him find Amelia.”
Derrick added, “Don’t overthink things and take care of yourself. Also, dream about me tonight. Lastly, don’t ever mention breaking up again. Otherwise, I’ll expose Amelia’s whereabouts to Oscar, and I’ll bring you back to my side, even if I have to use force.”
Tiffany chuckled and replied, “Mr. Hisson, are you threatening me?”
Derrick let out a laugh and said, “Desperate times call for desperate measures, after all. If you don’t talk about breaking up, I’ll let you do whatever you want. Keep in mind that you’re stuck being my woman for the rest of your life.”
Upon hanging up, Tiffany was still smiling. Yet, when she turned around and saw Amelia standing behind her, her smile disappeared.
She approached Amelia and held her. “Amelia, why are you standing here?”
Amelia smiled at her and replied, “I wanted to get some fresh air.”
Tiffany stared at her best friend, afraid that the latter had overheard her conversation with Derrick.
“Amelia, I-”
“What’s wrong? I just arrived. I overheard you and Derrick flirting with each other. Did I disturb you?” Amelia asked innocently.
Tiffany felt relieved. She was scared that Amelia would be troubled if the latter had heard Derrick’s words.
“No. I’m just curious as to how you got here. I mean, look at you, you can even walk out here by yourself now. It’s amazing. Looks like your eyes are recovering. I’m so happy for you.” Tiffany held Amelia as they walked back inside.
Amelia grinned without saying anything.
“My eyes won’t recover so easily. If it’s so easy, there wouldn’t be people who are blind for their entire lives,” Amelia said.
“Babe, stop talking so negatively. Mr. Jackman has great medical skills. You even said so yourself, that you’re sleeping better after the acupuncture, and your headache is cured. All this just proves that acupuncture is working. Soon, the blood clot in your brain will probably disappear.”
Thinking about the great possibility, Tiffany added, “Mr. Jackman will keep his word. He promised that your eyes will recover in three to five years. I believe that he said that because he’s confident. Otherwise, he’ll only ruin his own reputation. Stay positive. We can celebrate your recovery in advance.”
Amelia merely smiled as Tiffany convinced her, but she was not feeling happy at all.
She knew that acupuncture might not cure her eyes. Otherwise, there would not be so many blind people in the world. In truth, she was well aware that Boris was just using her as a lab rat for his acupuncture.
If he succeeded, she would recover. If he failed, she would stay blind.
Amelia also knew that Boris had outstanding medical skills, but it was not that impressive. In her opinion, Boris was just being overconfident in himself when he vowed that her eyes would recover in three to five years.
Helping Amelia walk up the stairs, Tiffany said, “Babe, I’ll need to write a manuscript for Shannon later. I’ll be busy, so just give me a holler should you need anything.”
“Go on and do your work. I’ll be fine. Stop treating me like I’m some sort of fragile porcelain doll. Didn’t you see my improvement within these two months? I’ve already gotten used to my condition.” Amelia smiled. In actuality, she was not doing well. She kept walking into furniture, and her body was covered in bruises now. Once, she even walked into her wardrobe and injured her waist. It was so painful that she could not even straighten her back.
After giving it some thought, Tiffany replied, “All right. I’ll get to work, then. You should go to bed after your shower.”
Amelia nodded.
Tiffany had just sent Amelia to the guest room when Amelia grabbed her hand abruptly and said, “Tiff, spend more time with Derrick. He’s your boyfriend. It’s only normal to spend more time with your partner.”
Tiffany looked at her in confusion. “Babe, did you hear something just now?”
Amelia shook her head as she chuckled. “I just think that you should spend more time with him. It’s already difficult to be in a long-distance relationship. Don’t spend all your time taking care of me and writing manuscripts. Give Derrick more attention.”
Tiffany pondered for a moment and said, “All right. I’ll spare more time to talk to him. Don’t worry about us. If we’re meant to be, nothing can split us. If we’re not… well, we would still break up even after we’ve gone through ups and downs. Don’t overthink things. Get some rest. Anyway, I’ll be sitting there to write the manuscript. Just call out if you need me. Okay?”
Amelia was stunned for a moment before she nodded.
“Okay.”
