Chapter 903 Together Forever
Amelia glanced at Oscar before lowering her gaze. After a brief moment of contemplation, she looked up and said sincerely, “Mom, don’t worry. Oscar and I will work hard and make sure Nolan grows up in a stable and healthy environment. We won’t let anyone bully him. Oscar and I will be his parents from now on.”
A comforting smile appeared on Olivia’s face as she replied, “Amelia, it’s Oscar’s greatest blessing to have you as his wife. I know that you will take good care of Nolan. From now on, the boy has nothing to do with the Walker family. I also trust that both of you will keep the Walkers away from him.”
Amelia merely responded with a smile. Amelia had intended to leave with Tony and Nolan after she finished chatting with Olivia. However, as Olivia had nothing else to do for the next two days, she wanted the boys to stay with her so that she could spend some time with them.
As such, Amelia left the boys with her mother-in-law and drove home with Oscar. The moment they reached their apartment, they saw Tiffany sneezing non-stop while trying to avoid the huge bouquet of roses that Teddy was carrying. When Tiffany spotted Amelia, she dashed toward the woman immediately, as if her savior had just arrived.
“Teddy, please take your flowers away. I have officially stopped liking roses from now on. Can’t you see? I’m allergic to these flowers. So please let me off. Take it as I’m begging you,” Tiffany said while hiding behind Amelia. Teddy walked forward with his flowers and greeted Oscar before fixing his gaze on Tiffany with a smile on his face.
“Teddy, you should try to contain yourself. If you carry on being so aggressive in your pursuit, you might scare Tiff away, and she might even flee the city. If that happens, all your efforts would be in vain,” Amelia said.
Teddy shrugged and replied confidently, “There is a saying in Chanaea that goes, ‘A persistent pursuer will move even the staunchest of hearts.’ I believe that as long as I show her my sincerity, she will definitely fall in love with me.”
Amelia simply smiled and said nothing while Tiffany rolled her eyes. Teddy’s relentless pursuit was starting to annoy Tiffany. Oscar opened the door and invited the man inside.
“Amelia, how is it going? Have you gotten used to working at Royce Technologies?” Teddy asked casually after he sat down on the couch. “It’s going pretty well. Everyone is really pleasant to get along with,” Amelia answered.
Teddy nodded and said, “Royce had also mentioned that you are very efficient in your work and that you are a very talented designer. He thinks very highly of you and thanked me for getting him such a capable assistant. If you continue to perform well, you might even rise to the position of vice president within two years.”
Amelia brought over a cup of coffee and placed it in front of Teddy before sitting down across from him and next to Oscar on the couch.
“Teddy, I’m very happy to hear that. It’s definitely my honor to work for Mr. Royce. I’ve learned a lot from him,” she replied.
After exchanging pleasantries, Amelia changed the subject.
“Teddy, did you come to Chanaea for business or for your private matters? I don’t think there’s anything major at the company that requires your presence here,” Amelia said after casting a glance at Tiffany.
Teddy was seated in a graceful manner with his hands folded across his lap.
“I’m on a two-month business trip here. At the same time, I will also be pursuing my happiness. However, I don’t intend to go back before my sweetheart accepts me,” Teddy said, glancing at Tiffany.
Tiffany pretended not to understand what the man was talking about.
Just when Amelia was about to speak, someone knocked on the door.
When she opened the door, she saw Derrick standing outside. Suddenly, Amelia’s head started throbbing. What’s going on? Why is everyone here at the same time?
“Amelia, my subordinate just gave me some king crabs. I heard that Tony loves seafood, so I’ve specially delivered some over,” Derrick said as he raised the bag in his hand.
Amelia felt slightly speechless when she saw the bag that the man was holding.
Well, I have to give it up to him for coming up with such an idea.
“Come in.” Amelia stood aside for Derrick to enter the apartment.
Derrick took a subtle glance at Tiffany as he walked inside.
Amelia took the crabs from Derrick and went into the kitchen. When Tiffany saw that, she stood up and followed Amelia.
“Did you ask him to come?” Tiffany asked while leaning against the wall.
Amelia proceeded to empty the crabs into a bowl. Each of them was huge and fresh. One look and one could imagine how delicious they would taste.
“Why would I ask him to come over? It’s more likely that he had his men follow you and came here after knowing that you are here,” Amelia said.
Tiffany grimaced when she heard that and could hardly believe how “lucky” she was in love. She could hardly handle one admirer, not to mention two of them.
“Babe, can you help me chase them away? Please?” Tiffany tipped her chin toward where the two men were and asked sweetly.
After putting the crabs away, Amelia looked at Tiffany with a serious expression and replied, “Tiff, tell me honestly, do you still have any feelings for Derrick?”
Tiffany froze for a moment before looking at Amelia with a complicated expression. A moment later, she retracted her gaze and said with a slight stutter, “W-what feelings? It’s already over between us. It’s been over since I made the decision to go overseas. So please don’t try to matchmake us. I don’t like that.”
Amelia looked at her friend and said, “Since you no longer care about him, why are you so scared of him?”
“Who says I’m scared of him? I’m not scared. It just feels kinda awkward. I’m not at the stage where I can be friends with him and pretend that nothing had happened,” Tiffany said with a huff and gave a dismissive wave.
Amelia was amused and glanced over Tiffany’s shoulder before saying, “Tiff, if there’s really nothing between you and Derrick, you should have a proper talk with him. Look, he’s just right behind you.”
Tiffany was slightly startled and turned around immediately. Indeed, Derrick was standing there, right outside the kitchen.
When she met the man’s gaze, she looked away at once and touched her nose awkwardly.
Amelia patted the woman’s shoulder and walked out of the kitchen.
Then, Derrick entered the kitchen and stopped in front of Tiffany.
“I suddenly remembered that I have to make some edits to the ending of my script. I’ll go back first.” Tiffany wanted to escape as she was feeling rather flustered. However, when she was walking past Derrick, the man reached out and grabbed her shoulders.
“Tiff, there’s really no need for you to avoid me. Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to you without your consent,” Derrick said in a deep voice.
Tiffany turned to look at the man and took a deep breath.
Flashing a brief smile at him, she said, “I saw the crabs that you brought here. They look really big and yummy. It seems like my taste buds are in for a treat.” Tiffany said, trying her best to sound gracious.
Derrick looked at the woman thoughtfully before he let out a sudden chuckle and said, “If you like it, I can prepare some just for you. I’m quite a good cook now, and crabs are my specialty.”
“No need. I’m worried that I might get indigestion if I eat more than two of them.”
When the man heard that, his eyes darkened slightly before he let go of Tiffany.
“You can leave. Just don’t treat me like a monster. I’m not going to eat you up. Even though we can’t be husband and wife, we can still be good friends,” Derrick said as he turned around.
He left the kitchen after saying that.
Tiffany stared at the man’s back and sighed silently.
In the end, she was still unable to talk to Derrick comfortably.
Derrick and Teddy stayed for lunch at Amelia’s insistence and left after that.
The two men went downstairs together. When they reached the ground floor, Derrick put his hands in his pocket and looked at Teddy with a serious expression.
“Mr. Rice, thanks for the concern you’ve shown my wife, but she’s really not the woman for you. Tiffany and I are in love with each other, and there’s no need for you to come between us,” he said in a frosty tone.
When Teddy heard that, a confident smile appeared on his face. The two men were standing next to each other. Although Teddy was not as attractive as Derrick in terms of looks, they had equally imposing auras.
“Mr. Hisson, every man wants to have a good woman in his life, and Tiff is a good woman. Besides, since she’s currently single, I have the right to pursue her. You’re just her ex-husband while I’m her future husband. Don’t worry, I will definitely invite you to our wedding when the day comes,” Teddy narrowed his eyes and said nonchalantly.
Derrick curled his lips and said, “Mr. Rice, it’s good to be confident, but it’s better for you to know your place.”
With that, Derrick turned and left, not letting Teddy have any other chance to speak again.
Once the two were gone, Amelia led Tiffany downstairs. They then walked to Tiffany’s car.
“Tiff, it looks like it’s time for you to enter a relationship, but you have to think hard and long about who to pick. If you want neither, you have to tell them earlier. It’s not good to send them the wrong signals,” Amelia said to her.
Tiffany nodded.
“I’m thinking of joining a movie adaptation in Saspiuburg. It’s a piece of work by several well-known screenwriters. If I work with them, I’ll be able to learn quite a lot from them. I’ll be there for around three months, but don’t tell those two about this.”
In other words, she was telling Amelia that she wanted neither suitor.
Knowing what Tiffany meant, Amelia nodded.
Five days went by in the blink of an eye. Amelia sent Tiffany to the airport, but to their surprise, Derrick still caught wind about Tiffany’s departure and had come to the airport. When he saw Tiffany, he called out to her.
“Tiff! I’m so glad I caught up to you this time,” Derrick said, still panting from his run.
Tiffany stared at him as a wave of complicated feelings washed over her. She had wanted to go to Saspiuburg discreetly but he still found out about it.
“Derrick, thank you for coming here to send me off, but I’m only going to Saspiuburg for a while. I’ll be back after that,” Tiffany told him.
“Go ahead. It’ll be a great experience for you to work with first-rate editors, so you have my support. I have told you this before: Even if we’re not a married couple anymore, we’re still good friends. You’ll always have my support,” Derrick replied.
Tiffany’s heart skipped a beat at that, and she quickly averted her eyes from him before giving him a stiff smile.
Derrick raised his hand to pat her head, but she avoided his touch. Thus, he lowered his hand. Nevertheless, a bright smile remained on his face.
“Take good care of yourself when you’re there. Don’t forget to eat even if you’re rushing to churn out the plot,” Derrick reminded her in a low voice.
Tiffany nodded.
“All right, it’s almost time. Go in now.”
At that, Tiffany checked the time and realized that he was right. After uttering a swift goodbye to Amelia, she hurried through the security checkpoint. Anyone who saw her would assume that she was fleeing from something.
A smile grew on Derrick’s lips as he watched her go.
“Derrick, I realized you’re getting slyer. In fact, I’m starting to see Oscar in you. It looks like Tiff will have a hard time escaping you, but I hope you won’t hurt her again,” Amelia said after keeping her silence the entire time.
Hearing her, Derrick turned.
“Amelia, that doesn’t sound like you disagree with me courting Tiff again.”
“I’ll intervene if Tiff doesn’t love you anymore, but alas, she does.”
After a pause, she continued, “The one mental obstacle she can’t get past until now is that child. Maybe you should bring the child to interact with her. Perhaps she would be able to try to accept the child. If she can’t, I hope you’ll stay away from her for the rest of your life.”
Derrick’s expression was grim, and what he said next was not a response to Amelia’s words.
“I’ll be going first.” With that, he left.
Right then, Jolin stepped forward to say, “Mrs. Clinton, we can go back now.”
Amelia nodded.
Amelia would have never imagined receiving Kate’s call that night. As it turned out, Derrick, who was driving to Saspiuburg, was hit by a drunk truck driver and was sent to the operating room right away. Kate even said that she did not know whether or not he was going to make it and that she would have called Tiffany to ask the latter to come back if she knew her number.
Amelia was taken aback by the shocking news. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect things to turn out this way.
After ending the call with Kate, Amelia called Tiffany and told her everything that happened to Derrick. Tiffany was so frightened by the news that her voice started trembling, and she told Amelia that she would come back right away.
Tiffany took a flight back from Saspiuburg and headed straight to the hospital after her plane landed. It was then she met up with Amelia and Oscar.
“Amelia, how is he?” Tiffany asked before she could catch her breath.
Amelia shook her head, her lips pursed.
“Please stay strong after hearing this, Tiff. Derrick’s in critical condition. The truck crashed right into his vehicle, and he was covered in blood when he was rescued, so…” Amelia hesitantly told her.
The colors drained out of Tiffany’s face, and she stumbled back in disbelief.
He was fine just this morning. How can he be in a car accident by night? There’s no way life can be so theatrical. Derrick’s a madman. There’s no way God would want him back so soon. He’s going to be fine, Tiffany reassured herself in her mind.
Kate, who had a sad expression on her face, walked over with a bloody box in her hand. As she passed it to Tiffany, she said, “This is a birthday present Derrick prepared for you. It was a present he owed you for your previous birthday. He said he promised to be with you for every one of your birthdays, but you were overseas then, so he couldn’t do that. This year, he decided to drive to Saspiuburg to give you the gift, but who knew this would have happened? I’m really the one at fault for causing so much trouble in the past and ending up hurting Derrick in the end. He truly loves you, but I realized this far too late. If he can’t pull through this… You should see him for one last time.”
Tiffany took the box with shaky hands. All of a sudden, she crouched down and bawled her heart sinking in sorrow.
Tears rolled down Kate’s eyes. In the past year, she had witnessed her son turning into a workaholic who wanted neither familial love nor any woman. When he got tired, he would take a nap for one to two hours in the office. Derrick had transformed his yearning for Tiffany into energy for work, and that was why he managed to take over the Hissons’ business in such a short time and became the head of the Hisson family. It was only now she realized how absurd she had been previously.
Watching the agony Derrick was in slowly made her realize what she had done wrong, and tried to accept Tiffany’s presence in her son’s life.
However, some things went by in life and would never return.
Therefore, Kate had no one to blame but herself now that Derrick was in critical condition in the operating room. There was nothing she could do to salvage the situation, not even if she were to end her life a thousand times.
It felt as if Kate had grown old by ten years at that moment, and even her usually-straight back was hunched.
Time trickled by painfully as they waited.
No one knew how long they waited until the light outside the operating room finally went out. Dozens of doctors and nurses then came out.
Kate was the first to run over to them.
“Doctor, how is my son?”
“It’s not looking good. He had massive hemorrhaging in his brain and damage to multiple organs. We’ve done our best. If he doesn’t wake in twenty-four hours, he would either be classified as brain dead or enter a vegetative state. I’m sorry,” said the leading doctor calmly.
Kate stumbled back and passed out. In the meantime, Tiffany continued to stand behind the crowd, her hands still trembling as she held onto the birthday present Derrick had bought for her.
Derrick was taken into the intensive care unit. Everyone hoped that he would wake in the next twenty-four hours, but he did not. Nevertheless, he entered a vegetative state instead of becoming brain-dead.
After that, Derrick underwent two more major surgeries. The injuries he sustained slowly healed, but he did not regain consciousness. Tiffany visited him in the hospital every day, but there was nothing she could do other than watch him become thinner by the day. Even Teddy came to the hospital twice to visit him.
Tiffany told Teddy that they were not a match for each other and that Derrick was the only person in her heart. Even if Derrick had betrayed her, he was still the one she loved; in fact, she had never forgotten about him. Perhaps Teddy was touched by the deep love she had for Derrick that he decided to give up courting her in the end.
“Tiff, give me a call if you need any help. I’ll take a flight back to the country right away. You’re a good woman. It’s true that I’m a foreigner, but I love intelligent, traditional Chanaean women,” Teddy sincerely said to her.
Tiffany chuckled.
“Thank you, Teddy. I learned plenty of things from you while I was overseas that year. I have to say that I’m glad to have a knowledgeable and well-read friend like you,” she replied.
Ever since Derrick entered a vegetative state, nothing seemed to faze Tiffany anymore. All she wanted to do was stay by his side for she was certain that he would wake up one day.
“Take good care of yourself. I’m going back now, but I’ll come and visit you whenever I’m free,” Teddy said.
“Have a safe trip. I hope you’ll be able to find the woman destined for you.”
“Thank you.”
After Teddy left the ward, he bumped into Amelia downstairs.
“Amelia, call me if anything happens to Tiff. I’ll be going back to my home country first.”
“Have a safe trip. I’ll take care of Tiff for you. She’s a stubborn girl, and it’s hard for anyone to change her mind on things she has decided on,” Amelia answered with a nod.
Teddy only smiled at that.
After exchanging a few more words, Teddy left.
When Amelia went upstairs and saw Tiffany talking to Derrick, she felt a stab in her heart, and she could not help but sigh.
“Tiff,” Amelia called out.
Tiffany lifted her hand to quickly wipe her tears away before standing up and turning to Amelia.
“You’re here.”
After putting the food on the table, Amelia walked over to the bedside to glance at Derrick.
“Did the doctor say anything about him?”
Tiffany shook her head.
“Just the usual things. The doctor said that it’s highly unlikely that he’ll regain consciousness. Even if that happens, I’ll still take care of him for the rest of my life. Regardless of everything, he and I are destined to be together for the rest of our lives,” Tiffany said with a small smile.
Amelia’s heart ached as she looked at Tiffany.
“Babe, don’t try to change my mind, and don’t pity me. I was too stubborn in the past—too insistent about clinging to my dignity. I was disgusted by him when I found out he was cheating, and that was why I forced the love I had for him aside, but now, he’s in this state. If I’m not by his side, he might really end up as a poor old man who no one cares about,” Tiffany said softly.
At that, Amelia realized that Tiffany was never going to leave Derrick.
Hmm… They tormented each other when they were together but now that he has ended up like this, she’s starting to cherish him.
“I wasn’t going to convince you otherwise. I just want to remind you to take care of yourself while you’re taking care of him.” As Amelia spoke, she opened the food container and passed Tiffany a fork. “Eat so that you have the energy to keep up with this. It looks like you’ll be taking care of Derrick for a long while.”
Maybe he won’t wake up anymore.
Tiffany began digging into it almost immediately. It seemed like she had quite the appetite, for she ate two plates full before putting the utensils away.
“Tiff, I thought you’d tell me that you’re not hungry and that you don’t want to eat it.”
“I have to eat more, or else I won’t have the energy to take care of him. After all, this is a long battle I’m planning to fight until I’m old,” Tiffany said in a lighthearted manner.
Amelia’s heart only ached for Tiffany even more.
Something in the back of her mind was telling her that Derrick was never going to regain consciousness again.
