Chapter 294 Selling The House
“Mr. Scott, I think you should leave. I need to accompany Amelia to view some houses. Goodbye. I won’t see you out.” Tiffany made it very clear that it was time for him to leave.
Carter pretended he didn’t understand her words as his gaze remained on Amelia. “Amelia, are you going house viewing? I’ll go with you,” he offered earnestly.
Amelia felt powerless to reject his advances.
Kurt glanced at him and spoke up. “Mr. Scott, I’ll help Amelia with that. We don’t need your help.”
Carter glowered at him and demanded, “Why is a bodyguard this talkative?”
Kurt kept a straight face and didn’t bother responding to him.
Amelia walked over to Carter and told him, “Thanks for coming today, Carter, but I’m pretty busy today. Can you please leave now? I’ll prepare a spread for you sometime later. I’m really sorry.”
Carter’s passion gradually died down. He clenched his hands tightly before releasing them. Gazing at Amelia affectionately, he declared, “All right, I’ll leave now. If you need me, I’m just a call away. I’ll definitely come right away to help you whenever you need my help no matter what it is.”
“Carter, thank you,” she thanked him gratefully.
Gazing at her, Carter suddenly pulled her into his arms.
Amelia froze at the sudden hug and began struggling to free herself. Carter leaned nearer and whispered in her ear, “Amelia, when I heard about your divorce, I was afraid you’ll be hurt, but at the same time, I was extremely delighted. You’re single, and I have the right to pursue you. I know you’re not in the mood for a new relationship now, but I can wait. Please leave a space for me in your future life instead of treating me as a friend. I’ll do my best to make you happy.”
He released her after saying that and lowered his head to gaze at her. “I’ll take my leave now and come again tomorrow,” he assured.
After Carter’s figure disappeared from sight, Amelia remained in a daze.
Tiffany patted her on the shoulder. “Babe, are you all right?” she inquired in concern.
Amelia snapped back to reality and glanced at Tiffany while shaking her head. She didn’t utter a word.
Knowing what was on her mind, Tiffany suggested, “Babe, should we go buy some necessities for Tony? We’re going to leave soon, right? I think we should prepare Tony’s stuff in advance so we won’t panic when it’s time to leave.”
Amelia inclined her head before saying, “Tiff, if your work forbids you to leave, you should stay instead of leaving with me. I will give you a call after settling down at my new place.”
“Babe, if I remain here, do you think Oscar and the Clintons won’t find you? When they discover where you are, they will demand Tony’s custody. Do you want that?” she asked nonchalantly.
Tiffany’s words hit the nail on the head.
Amelia fell silent as she pondered Tiffany’s words.
Indeed, if Tiffany remained in the city, Oscar would find her through Tiffany. As she had tricked them, the Clintons definitely locate her in every way possible and take legal action to win back Tony’s custody. If that were to happen, her past efforts would be in vain.
“All right. I’ll head to the company and talk to Shannon and Der… Mr. Hisson. We can leave after that. I’m planning to sell this house. I’ve already found a buyer, and he is coming here this afternoon to sign the agreement.” Being a woman of action, Tiffany had made up her mind swiftly. Back when Amelia told her about the divorce, she had already started planning everything.
This house was just a place for her to sleep at night. She had no family. Her relatives and friends weren’t in this city, too. Just like a wandering dandelion, she would settle down wherever she landed. Though she was slightly reluctant to part with this house, it wasn’t that hard to sell it off.
Amelia shot Tiffany a surprised look, for she had no idea Tiffany would sell this house off. She found a buyer so swiftly! She didn’t even tell me about it.
“Tiff, why are you selling the house suddenly?” Amelia inquired.
“We’re going to leave, right? I don’t know when we’ll return. If I don’t sell it, it’s going to remain empty,” Tiffany replied casually.
“But you work hard to buy this house. It’s meaningful. Isn’t it a pity to sell it off?” Amelia didn’t share her sentiments.
“I do feel a little reluctant, but it’s just a house. We can buy a new house elsewhere.” This house was nothing but a mere shelter for Tiffany. Though she had lived here for some time, it wasn’t that hard to part with it.
“But-”
Tiffany cut in impatiently, “Babe, enough. It’s just a house. I can buy another house after selling it. It’s not that serious.”
Amelia said nothing else. She knew Tiffany was doing this for her sake. She couldn’t stop but feel guilty.
I’m lucky to have such a friend in life.
Shrugging nonchalantly, Tiffany said, “I’ll head to my company now. If everything goes well, we can leave tonight or tomorrow. The earlier, the better. Otherwise, when Oscar finds out about our plan, we won’t be able to leave.”
Amelia bobbed her head.
After chatting briefly, Tiffany bade goodbye and headed to her company.
Inside the general manager’s office, the strikingly handsome Derrick was looking at Tiffany, his face devoid of expression. Tiffany couldn’t stop her heart from racing at his unwavering stare.
Derrick was special to her. In fact, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had fallen in love with him. Every time they met, her heart would race uncontrollably and leap to her throat.
Gulping nervously, Tiffany revealed, “M-Mr. Hisson, I’m here to inform you that I’ll be leaving this city soon. If you wish to publish my work, our collaboration will go on as usual. Otherwise, I’ll have to find another publisher.”
Derrick said nothing and shot her an amused look.
Tiffany’s skin prickled with apprehension under his stare. Though she was afraid of Derrick, she couldn’t stop her heart from falling head over heels in love with him. Usually, she could talk with others casually, but her composure would disappear before him. Besides her racing heart, she would also feel a little shy.
Even though they often met, her condition didn’t show any signs of getting better. She’d be reduced to a shy woman before him.
“Mr. Hisson, if you don’t speak, I’ll consider it a silent consent. You must be busy, so I’ll leave you to your work,” Tiffany said with a wry grin.
When she turned to leave, Derrick finally parted his lips to say, “Did I say you can leave?”
Halting in her tracks, Tiffany spun around and offered a flattering smile. “Mr. Hisson, is there anything else?” She looked like a pug trying to butter up to its owner.
Derrick nearly burst out laughing. She never fails to amuse me.
“Are you sure you’re leaving the city?” Derrick asked. He got to his feet and went past his desk, heading for Tiffany.
To Tiffany’s dismay, her heart began thumping wildly again. If Derrick appears before me every day, I won’t die naturally at an old age. Instead, I’ll die because my heart is beating too fast. It’ll stop working one day after reaching its limit, and I’ll meet my end.
“Mr. Hisson, can you please keep a distance from me?” she asked carefully. Derrick was too handsome. She couldn’t bring himself to ruin the good impression she had on him.
The only time I managed to stay calm was when Derrick thought James was his love rival. I could remain calm back then, but after that, I could no longer think straight before him.
Indeed, her mind had gone blank. If someone were to ask her,
“How much is thirty-five minus seven?”, she’d say, “I don’t know.” She wasn’t lying, for she couldn’t do the simple calculations now.
Instead of doing as told, Derrick inched nearer. He lifted Tiffany’s chin and forced her to meet his gaze. Licking his sexy lips, he drawled, “Tiff, are you avoiding me on purpose? Otherwise, why would you leave the city?”
Tiffany’s brain came to a standstill. She watched blankly as Derrick’s face came closer until his slightly cool lips covered hers in a kiss. All of her self-control and reason immediately broke down.
She stared at Derrick as he ended his kiss and shifted away. Blinking profusely, she stood transfixed, stunned by his move.
Pleased with her reaction, Derrick couldn’t help but find her extremely adorable.
“I’m pursuing you. Do you think I’ll let you leave?” Derrick asked in an overbearing tone as he reached out to caress her hair.
As his icy palm landed on her head, Tiffany shivered and regained her composure. She immediately took a step backward instinctively to keep a safe distance away from Derrick.
Derrick’s expression shifted.
Forcing herself to calm down, Tiffany looked at him. “Mr. Hisson, I’m glad to be able to collaborate with you. You can continue publishing my manuscripts if you wish. Otherwise, I’ll find another publisher. I must leave.” There was a finality to her tone that warned him not to continue the topic.
Derrick gazed at her in amusement. “Did you forget our contract is valid for five years? You can’t afford to compensate us if you breach the contract, right?”
Giving him a perplexing look, Tiffany thought about it before answering, “I didn’t say I want to breach the contract. Even if I’m not here, I can still hand in my manuscripts like before. I’m a freelance novelist, so I can email my manuscripts to Shannon. If there are signing events, I’ll attend them as usual. The only change is that I’m going to leave. Why did you interpret that as I have the intention of breaching the contract?”
Derrick’s lips curled into a smirk. He loved it when Tiffany was quick enough to retort his words. Good job. Quick-thinking, Tiffany!
“You didn’t say you want to breach the contract. I am against the idea of you leaving unless you provide me with a valid reason. Otherwise, I won’t allow my woman to be far away from me,” Derrick said honestly. He didn’t bother beating around the bush.
Instantly, Tiffany’s eyes glistened as her heart skipped a few beats. She immediately looked away.
“Mr. Hisson, I’m here to inform you of my departure. I won’t breach the contract and will continue to write in a different city. Regarding the events after publishing a book, I’ll join them as usual. The only difference is that I will no longer remain in this city,” she said, her gaze downcast.
Stepping forward, Derrick pulled her into his arms. He then tightened his arms around her to stop her from struggling.
“Hey, are you torturing me on purpose? No woman has ever made me so emotional. You’re the one and only. Instead of being content, you forced me to pursue you. I might be young enough to do that now, but when I’m old, I can’t continue courting you, can I?” Derrick sighed. His sexy voice was deep and music to Tiffany’s ears.
Her heart raced uncontrollably.
