Back to Love: A New Beginning
Chapter 21

Chapter 21:.

Derek seemed to be amused at how surprised she was. The smile on her face behind the smoke was quite seductive.

“I don’t want to sleep with you either, missy. Not every woman gets a chance to sleep with me. Besides, do you even think you’re worth that much?”.

I was delighted to see how crestfallen Vivien looked at that moment.

In the past, she had looked down on everyone else in the hospital because her father was the hospital director. She had always considered herself the most beautiful of women and always showed off her charms by all means. Not once did I see her button up her doctor’s gown. Perhaps she wanted to show off her cleavage. Many hospital employees had secretly said that some men would take her bait sooner or later, but I never imagined that Shane would be the fool who would

to bite the temptation.

As the daughter of the director of Virtue Hospital and the most beautiful employee of the hospital, she used to be so self-confident. But now, I couldn’t even utter a word.

Even if they forced Shane to pay, she would never be able to pay three million dollars. I wondered if she would have to cut off one of her limbs just to pay off the debt. I suddenly thought of the means of dealing with gamblers who couldn’t pay their bets on TV shows, and it shocked me to the core.

Truth be told, I wasn’t sure Derek would do something so horrible.

That’s when I turned my head toward him, wanting to speak. But before I could utter a word, Derek suddenly said to Felix, “Take them downstairs and give them something to eat.”

Understanding what he meant, Felix stood up and stretched his limbs. “You know what, I’m hungry too. Come on, beautiful ladies. Let’s get something to eat.”

“Sure! I’m starving.” Louise immediately got up and dragged me with her.

She dragged me to the elevator. As we stood in front of it, I turned and saw Derek say something to Shane. Shortly after, the latter stared at Derek in horror. After a while, Derek headed for a private room, followed by Shane, leaving Vivien alone at the table.

“Eve, would you stop that, why do you keep holding out hope for scum like Shane?” Louise shouted at me.

The truth is, I didn’t expect anything from him, nor did I sympathize with that jerk. From the bottom of my heart, I detested him. But it saddened me to know that a young man like him, who had gone through so much hardship just to get a foothold in the City, would lose everything he had strived for just because of an impulsive gambling decision.

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“Look, I don’t expect anything from him. I just know he can’t pay three million dollars,” I told Louise.

“Yeah, so what, what’s that got to do with you?”

When the elevator door opened, Louise pulled me toward it.

Felix followed us inside. He had one of his hands inside his pocket, and with the other he pushed the elevator button.

“She’s right. If he can’t pay the bet, Derek has other ways of dealing with him,” she said.

“Other ways, you say? What do you mean?” Sensing something sinister, I turned my attention to Felix. It scared me that Derek would break the law just to get back at me.

Unfortunately, Felix didn’t answer my question. He just smiled silently at me.

Soon, we returned to the bar on the second floor. He led us to a booth and asked a waiter to bring some food.

After a while, all kinds of food and drinks were served at the table.

Louise and Felix chatted happily as they ate. It was as if they had known each other all their lives.

But I, on the other hand, didn’t eat anything. I just waited, feeling uncomfortable.

About half an hour later, Derek finally showed.

My eyes followed him until he sat down next to me. I couldn’t replace any clue in his expression.

“Where is he?” I asked.

“She’s gone,” he said.

Shane was gone? There was no way he was paying three million dollars. And it had become clear to me that Derek wouldn’t let him leave unless he had settled all the accounts. After all, it was no small amount of money.

“How did you settle the debt?” I asked again.

Felix opened a bottle of stout and placed it in front of Derek. The latter did not answer my question. As if he was very thirsty, he picked up the beer bottle and gulped down most of its contents before setting it down. Then, he slowly lit a cigarette as he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and leaned over on the couch to face me.

His expression was almost unreadable. He gave the impression of being confused and angry. His lips were curved, but he didn’t look like he was smiling to me.

“You know, Eveline, I’m curious about something. What were you going to do if you hadn’t met me at Tonyin that night?” he asked.

I didn’t know if it was just my wishful thinking, but I could sense that Derek was angry at how soft I was.

“Oh, so it was you, huh? At the time, I didn’t think you were that beautiful.” It looked like Felix had just recognized me, and he seemed to have just understood what had happened to me.

I didn’t respond to Felix, nor could I answer Derek’s question. To tell you the truth, I had no idea what I would have done if I hadn’t met Derek that night.

He wasn’t responsible for helping me, but he did it anyway. In my opinion, he was an upright and responsible man. If it were possible, I would thank him for the rest of my natural life.

“Of course, that situation is only hypothetical, isn’t it? I knew you. You were a blessing in my misfortune. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart.” I poured myself a glass of beer and raised my glass to him with a serious face.

Derek looked stunned for a moment before reaching for his beer bottle and clinking it against my glass.

He then drank the rest of the beer from his bottle and said, “Honestly, Eveline, sometimes blessings and misfortunes can change depending on the choice you make.”

After drinking the whole glass of beer, I put it down. I had no idea what he meant.

I paid no mind to his statement, as I was more curious about how Shane managed to liquidate the three million dollars.

“Oh, come on! Don’t make such puzzling comments. I’m too stupid to understand such things. Be more considerate when you talk, brother.” Felix rudely interrupted us.

“Oh, that’s right. You’ve already hugged and even kissed, why do you two have to thank each other like you’re still strangers?” Louise also seemed to be stirring up trouble.

This time, Derek didn’t explain himself. He just took a puff on his cigarette and smiled at me.

“Eveline, what you owe me can never be repaid with a glass of beer.”

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