Tabitha's POV
If it were in the past, I would have walked to him to check on his wound or give him a head massage.
But today, I didn't.
Even if our separation was the result of someone's plan, and even if he had nothing to do with Dad being hospitalized, he was already part of my past.
I had to get used to the fact that I'd spend the rest of my life without Derek.
While standing respectfully aside, I said calmly, "Mr. Greenwood, I've brought the proposals."
Derek didn't open his eyes. Frowning, he said, "Come here."
I walked up to him with the plans. "I'll read them if you're tired."
I used to do this when Derek was busy.
He would rest while I read beside him, and then he would tell me his decision and leave me to handle it.
In the next second, he looked up, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me gently. I fell into his embrace.
He furiously asked me to piss off last night, and now, he did this, which caught me off guard.
I was startled.
The files were scattered all over the floor, and I pressed my hands against Derek's hard chest.
Right now, Daphne was showcasing her authority as the CEO's wife in other departments, yet Derek was holding his ex-wife in his office.
"What are you doing?"
I looked into his just-opened eyes, and I saw no hatred nor indulgence.
They were calm as a lake, so inscrutable that I had no idea what he was thinking.
"I heard that you became the center of attention in the group chats today."
"Thanks to you."
The man working for the person behind the scenes only managed to take photos of me and Harry entering the hotel one after the other. There were no photos of us being together.
It convinced me that this had nothing to do with Sonia.
If it were her, there would have been photos of more intimate scenes. Apparently, whoever took the photo was near the hotel door.
If Derek hadn't taken me to the top floor, and I hadn't changed my clothes, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
Derek raised an eyebrow. "Are you blaming me?"
"How dare I?"
"You know, you're quite something. You, a rookie, have been here for less than a week, yet you've already managed to offend everyone in your department."
He picked up a strand of my hair next to my ear.
Then he leaned in close to my ear and said, "You said you wanna start over and work hard, but..."
He continued, his talking speed turning slower, "You've got all worked up and acted as if you were everyone's enemy. Tabitha, your behavior gave you away. I'm not a fool. What do you want by coming here?"
My heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, I couldn't hide anything from him.
The second I brought up Elena last night, he got so pissed off. What was more, the person behind it was spying on me all the time. If I told him the truth, I might spook the person.
At the thought of that, I swallowed back my words.
Then I said, looking aggrieved, "I want to behave myself and work hard, but only provided that I have a chance to do so. You see it, right? They pick on me because I'm new here without anyone backing me up. The second I joined the company, they threw me under the bus and pushed me out when I said no."
As I spoke, I became angry. "You didn't see Mr. Watson last night, did you? He was old enough to be my dad, yet he wanted me to spend the night with him! If I didn't come out strong, they'd bully me even more!"
Derek frowned. "Who said no one was backing you up?"
I glanced at him. "Are you saying that... You are?"
He said a bit flirtatiously, "Depends on whether you want or not."
Things between Derek and I had become much more complicated than before. I had no idea how he felt about me, as he acted so unpredictably, both pestering me and telling me to get lost.
But one thing that I knew was that I shouldn't fall out with him. At least not now.
I had a feeling. The mastermind behind the scenes made such a big fuss to drive me out of the Greenwood Group.
After all, those two photos couldn't do any substantial damage. At most, my reputation would be tarnished. However, they were enough to catch Daphne's attention.
If I was right, the photos were the reason why she was here today.
As long as she made a request, Derek would kick me out so as not to ruin the group's reputation.
Perhaps the person had sensed that I was looking into it. That was why Daphne was used to get me away from the Greenwood Group.
Derek was my only chance to fight back.
I stroked his chest with my fingers gently. "So what if I say I want? At this point, you won't give a damn about me as long as Daphne winks at you."
Derek stared at me.
After a moment, he asked, "What exactly is wrong with your body?"
I was startled. What did he know?
"Didn't you see my medical examination report? What could be wrong?"
Derek used his hand to hold his forehead. "Nothing? Really?"
"If I'm on my deathbed, will you regret what you have done to me?" I watched him with interest.
"No. Given another chance, I'd make the same choice."
He changed the subject and said, "I've had people acquire and integrate Sunlight Group. If you wanna start over, you can take over when it's the time."
Sunlight Group was the company that acquired part of the Silver Moon Pack.
Yet in recent years, its capital chain had been broken. It hadn't been operated well and was getting worse and worse.
Derek spent a lot to restructure the Silver Moon Pack's original industry. Guessed he was being generous to me.
"How long do I have to wait?" I pretended to be interested.
"A month at the earliest."
A month was enough for me to find out the truth.
"OK," I said, beating him to it. "Then... Can I stay here this month?"
Derek's intense gaze kept scanning my face, and I met his eyes bravely, not daring to show any hint of guilt.
"I don't wanna stay at home every day. Just let me kill time here, OK? I can get to learn rules about the workplace at the same time."
I said coquettishly, "Derek, I want you..."