"I might be busy these days, Gloria. Take care of yourself. Don't get hurt," said Derrick, looking at Gloria.
His concern and the genuine look in his eyes made Gloria touched.
She had the urge to tell him the truth.
"Mr. Fisher, my full name is Gloria Carter." She took a deep breath. Then she said, intending to tell him all, "I used to..."
"Miss Carter, of course, I know what your name is," Derrick smiled and kissed her lips. He continued, "In my eyes, you will always be Gloria. I like you no matter what you've done in the past."
Gloria didn't expect Derrick to say that. She gawked at him and said, "Mr. Fisher, why?"
"Don't think too much." Derrick opened the door. "Go back. I will come back to you after I'm done with my business."
As Gloria's figure disappeared, Derrick started the car and returned to the Blood Moon Pack.
These days, Derrick had been dealing with matters in the Fisher Group. He tried his best to solve the problems caused by Patrick's company, but still, he made the Fisher Group suffer big losses.
Derrick returned to his family in the Blood Moon Pack. The moment he entered the door, Curtis smashed him with his cane.
Derrick gritted his teeth and kept silent.
By the time Derrick left home, his clothes were already stained with blood. Derrick's Gamma immediately stepped forward and handed the ointment in his hand to Derrick, saying, "Alpha Derrick, the pack doctor gave me the ointment."
"No need. My wounds have begun to heal," said Derrick. He could feel his wounds starting to scab.
"Alpha Derrick, why do you have to be so stubborn?" Derrick's Gamma hesitated for a moment. Then he said, "Curtis will never allow you to choose a rogue to be the Luna of our pack."
"It's my decision," said Derrick as he opened the car door.
"But the Luna means a lot to the pack, so I think Curtis is right to be concerned," the Gamma summoned up his courage and said to Derrick.
Derrick stopped, turned to look at his Gamma, and asked, "Does it really matter who the Luna is? Curtis and my father never find their mates. Why can't I choose a woman I like to be my mate?"
"Alpha Derrick, I'm sure you know how powerful Alpha Patrick is after you have begun to work in the Fisher Group," the Gamma said. "There is a reason why he is the most powerful Alpha in Gabbs. If this goes on, the Fisher Group will face even greater losses. When the time comes, the Blood Moon Pack will be implicated as well. So, I don't think it's a wise choice to be enemies with someone like Alpha Patrick."
What the Gamma of the Blood Moon Pack did not say out loud was that he already had some complaints about Gloria, due to Derrick's wayward behavior these days.
When Derrick heard the Gamma's words, he slowly clenched his hands. He asked, "Do you all think that I am going to lose to Alpha Patrick? I know it might seem so for now, but fortunately, I can make up for my disadvantages. The company is not doing that badly. Though the company suffered from losses, it is now in a better situation. It's not time for me to throw in the towel."
The Gamma asked with a complicated expression, "Alpha Derrick, is this Gloria worth fighting for? At any cost?"
Derrick replied without hesitation, "Yes. Enough talking. I have some business to attend to."
Derrick slowly drove away, and he smiled at the thought of Gloria.
He thought, 'Gloria looked so shy after I kissed her, and she looked so attractive. I hope she is my destined mate. Well, that doesn't matter anyway. I will never give her up.'
Gloria saw Derrick again half a month later. She noticed that Derrick had lost a lot of weight, but he was in good spirits. He was very happy when he saw her.
"Let's go. I'll take you to a place." As Derrick spoke, he reached out for her hand.
"Where to?" Gloria did not move.
"You'll know once we get there. Ask for leave tonight," Derrick said.
"I can't. I don't have any vacation days left," Gloria thought of the unfinished sentence from last time, and she refused him.
Derrick looked shocked and found it hard to believe. He said in a loud voice, "How can you do this to me? I've been taking you out for a while. How can you not be moved by all those okra stews?"
Derrick said in an exaggerated tone, causing Gloria to have a few mood swings, which was a rare thing. She had the urge to punch him in the face.
Such an impulse was rare for someone like Gloria, who was usually immune to feelings.
"I can ask for leave, but you have to tell me where you're taking men to," Gloria finally said.
"Sure thing. Get in the car first. I'll tell you after that." Derrick quickly pulled Gloria's hand and walked to his car.
By the time he started the car and drove on the road, Gloria was still waiting for him to speak, but it seemed that he had forgotten about it.
Gloria said, "Mr. Fisher, you haven't told me yet. Why do you want me to ask for leave? What are you going to do?"
Right after she finished speaking, Derrick stopped the car.
"We're here," Derrick smiled at her. "Get out of the car. You'll see."
Gloria was puzzled. At the same time, Derrick had already gotten out of the car. He went around the passenger seat and opened the door for her. "Gloria, you can get out now."
Gloria glanced at the building in front of them, which was a converted old factory. Then she breathed a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Derrick took her hand and walked in.
After walking inside, she realized that it was kind of a hangout.
"Gloria, the cake here is great. I'll order one for you later," said Derrick excitedly.
As he spoke, he led her to the innermost room.
Gloria assumed that Derrick had invited her to dessert on a whim.
By the time they stood at the door of the room, Derrick's eyes lit up as he said to her, "I'll introduce you to my friends."
Gloria got nervous immediately. She said, "Please, don't."