Back to Love: A New Beginning
Chapter 118

Chapter 118:.

After hanging up, Derek stood up and rested both hands on the desk. He leaned over and smiled at the two officers.

“This matter is over. I don’t want to investigate any further.” I blinked in surprise.

The two police officers gave the same shocked impression as I did.

Derek sat back in his chair.

“I apologize. I’ve thought this through and have come to this conclusion. At the end of the day, all the facts have been verified and clarified. My wife and I have lost nothing of value. I will not serve any punishment for now. I would like to give the person a chance to move on.”

At this point I was totally confused.

Although everything else was a mystery, I was pretty sure of one thing: his change in attitude had to do with the call just now.

As things stood, the police didn’t have much else to do. In fact, they had just saved themselves a lot of trouble. They got up and said a few more words before leaving.

“Why did you change your mind?” I couldn’t help but ask.

But before Derek could answer, there was a knock at the door.

His assistant walked in. He glanced at me briefly before turning to his boss. “Mr. Sullivan, at today’s close, Dere International’s stock price was down two points.”

The stock price was down? Did it have something to do with the statement I had made?

Derek didn’t react much, however, so he had to wait for it. The assistant left shortly thereafter and Derek began to pick up his briefcase. He stood up and picked up his suit jacket.

“Let’s go home.”

With that, he had deftly avoided my question.

I was still hurt, so at first he bent down and tried to carry me, but I stood my ground. I wanted to walk alone.

To my dismay, he still wordlessly picked me up as we exited the elevator. He carried me across the lobby, ignoring the stares and whispers, then carefully placed me in his car. Derek was about to start the engine when I got a call from the hospital.

Find your next read on gⱯlnσν𝓮ℓs․com

It was the head of the human resources department, and he kept apologizing profusely to me. It was as if he had become a completely different person.

Unfortunately for him, I hated hypocrites.

I let him go on with his apologies and praise. I didn’t know what to say, anyway. When Derek saw my expressionless expression, he took the initiative and picked up my phone.

“Hi, this is Derek Sullivan.” His voice was low and calm.

In the back of my head, I pictured the other man kneeling on the other end of the call.

“Listen, I was never in favor of my wife working, but I respect her freedom and her own free will. However, after working at her hospital for a short period of time, I have noticed that she has lost a lot of weight. Needless to say, I am heartbroken at what she has had to endure. I don’t think my wife should have to suffer through any more of this. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”.

Maybe the fact that his grandfather was the director of Wonder Hospital had something to do with it, but Derek managed to sound polite but uncompromising at the same time.

I gave him a disgruntled look after he ended the call. I consciously decided to ignore the part where he had said he was heartbroken for me.

“How could you just decide for me like that, just like that? I really need this job.”

He shot me a sidelong glance before starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot. After a couple of moments of silence, he cleared his throat.

“I suddenly realized something alarming.”

I turned and stared at him, expecting him to continue, but he kept his eyes on the road.

It wasn’t until we had to stop at a traffic light that he finally gave me a look. He grabbed my hand and said in a deep voice, “I’ve realized I can’t live without you anymore.”

I expected him to explain his abrupt change regarding the case. Instead, what I got was a sappy pick-up line.

Then I noticed how exhausted he looked. His eyes were tired, but strangely satisfied, as if he had finally relaxed after working for so long.

And I could also see traces of sincerity.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and withdrew my hand. I averted my eyes and fixed them on my shoes.

When the car started up again, I spoke. “I understand that rich people like you get a kick out of playing pranks on others, Derek, but I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t fixate on me all the time. You can have your fun, but I’m sick of all that.”

The tires screeched against the asphalt as he slammed on the brakes. The sudden force propelled me forward, even as I clutched at my seatbelt.

Derek had stopped the car in the middle of an intersection.

As expected, this was followed by loud, angry honks from the cars behind us.

The light was green and people were trying to go about their day, but there we were, causing a traffic jam on a busy highway. Derek didn’t seem to have any intention of driving again any time soon.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I yelled at him.

“Explain yourself. Get it straight.” He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, oblivious to the utter chaos erupting around us.

Unlike him, however, the constant blaring of horns was making me panic.

“This is not the time to talk about it!”

“When should we talk about it, then?” he replied nonchalantly.

“You decide, but not now.” I expressed anxiously.

Derek smirked before starting the car again.

The other drivers were cursing him now. “You think you can get away with this just because you drive a Maybach?” an angry man called out to him. But Derek didn’t flinch at all. If anything, he seemed to be in a good mood.

He drove straight to the villa.

“Aaron bought some supplies and decided to cook today. You can try his cooking,” he said.

I finally relaxed, knowing that someone else was going to be there.

.

.

.