Chapter 791 Partnership
Derrick could not help but be thrilled at how Tiffany was finally softening her stance. While he half-carried and half-dragged her into the room, he whispered, “Tiff, are you not angry at me anymore?”
Instead of a verbal response, Tiffany sealed her lips with his, and the two fell onto the couch. After everything, Derrick caressed Tiffany’s cheek and lovingly muttered, “Are you really not mad at me anymore?”
In actuality, Tiffany was delighted.
“I thought about many things when I was on my way back. I was thinking about how I’ll forgive you if you come back with me. If you didn’t, it meant our shared fate could only last that long. I don’t know if you were following me or not, but you appeared so swiftly just now, so I’ve decided to give us another chance.” A look of exhaustion flashed past Tiffany’s eyes, but the smile on her face told Derrick that she had returned to her old, nonchalant self.
Hence, he let out a sigh of relief before lowering his head to plant kisses on her face. At the same time, he uttered, “Tiff, I’m glad that I came back with you.”
Tiffany smiled at him. All of a sudden, she raised her hands and hammered his chest a few times. “I don’t want to get a divorce with you anymore, but you still have to give me an explanation about your matter with Crystal. Otherwise, I’ll never let you off the hook.”
Derrick burst out laughing at that, and it was a hearty laugh.
He was in a fantastic mood at that moment. That was what he missed most—the fearless life that he once led with Tiffany. Derrick did not want to see the troubled expression on Tiffany’s face ever again.
“What are you laughing about?” Tiffany asked in mock anger.
“I miss the way you were straightforward and unfazed. I could see how unhappy you were, and how you told me that you wanted to get a divorce made me panic.” Derrick lifted her and walked toward the stairs. “I’m really happy that the two of us can talk calmly like this.”
His words sent a trickle of warmth into her heart, and she circled her arms around his neck.
Of course, the one who was the happiest about them mending things with each other was Amelia.
As agreed, Amelia brought Tony and Oscar to a vintage farmstay.
Just as Amelia took a seat, she spotted the rosy blush on Tiffany’s cheeks. Beaming, Amelia asked, “Are you really back on good terms with him?”
Tiffany filled a cup of coffee for her and replied, “Indeed. Babe, I’ve troubled you for the past few days. My conflict with Derrick made you panic as well. Sorry about that.”
“I’m glad to hear that things are good between you and Derrick again. We’re best friends, so drop the courteous act. If you tell me words like ‘thanks’ or ‘sorry’ again, I’ll get mad at you!” Amelia huffed in mock anger. However, she soon burst out laughing.
In the meantime, Derrick handed Oscar the menu for him to order some dishes. After picking some of the dishes Amelia and Tony liked, he handed the menu back to Derrick, who then ordered dishes that Tiffany would like. Only after that did they summon the server and urged her to serve the dishes as quickly as possible.
Once the dishes were served, Derrick scooped a bowl of soup for Tony before doing the same for Tiffany, Amelia, and Oscar.
He then said, “Mr. Clinton, Amelia, try the soup. It’s an authentic local taste.”
Amelia then scooped a spoonful and took a sip. Immediately, her eyes widened as a surprised laugh escaped her. “It really tastes good! It’s thick but not gross, and its level of viscosity is perfect. It’s been a long while since I had a soup this good. In fact, this chef is better at cooking than Tiff and Molly. If I ever have the chance to, I’d like to get to know them so that I can learn a trick or two from them!”
Derrick chuckled. “That’s nothing hard to achieve. I’m one of the investors of this farmstay, and I was the one who recruited the chef—I found him at the restaurant I went to on my trip for the traditional and internet literature conference. If you want to get to know him, I’ll have someone get him to come here.”
Amelia arched a brow in response. “When did you start investing in food and beverage businesses? Tiff never told me this.”
However, Tiffany was equally astounded. She blurted out, “Derrick, you’re investing in food and beverage businesses now? I never heard you talk about this before.”
Derrick gently combed her hair with his fingers as he said, “I’ve already married you, so, naturally, I’d think of ways to be nice to you. There’s no way I’ll limit myself to just publishing and investing as a producer. If I want to delve into this, I want to be successful. I’ll slowly go into the food and beverage industry, the IT industry, and the real estate industry. Once I’m powerful by myself, you won’t feel guilty about me giving up on the Hisson family’s inheritance anymore.”
Tiffany stiffened. She never thought that Derrick had done all of these for her.
“Tiff, I’ve promised to give you the best at our wedding. I want you to never regret picking me. Once my business grows, I’ll prove to you that I can protect you well through my own hard work too,” Derrick added.
Something moist welled up in Tiffany’s eyes, and she quickly lowered her head. Only when the watery veil was gone did she finally lift her head again.
She then lifted her hand to hammer him twice on his shoulder before speaking in a deliberately nonchalant tone to conceal the overwhelming gratitude she felt.
“Amelia and Mr. Clinton are still here. Aren’t you ashamed to pretend to be a domineering, faithful CEO in front of the CEO himself?”
“There’s no need for me to pretend; I am one!”
Derrick made the two women chuckle.
Oscar chimed in, “The development in the food and beverage industry has been swift lately. I’ve also invested in a few restaurants. If you’re interested, why don’t we partner up to start a unique farmstay in the city? What do you think about that?”
Derrick lifted his cup for a toast. “A sound idea. I’ve already written the proposal, and I was thinking about showing it to you a few days ago, but there was this housefly buzzing non-stop around my head and Tiff’s, so I ended up postponing it. Still, it’s not too late now. I’ll take a trip to Clinton Corporations tomorrow for us to talk about the details.”
Right then, Tiffany knocked her fork against the plate and interrupted, “Hey, hey, calm down, the two of you. We’re just two families having a meal together today, so stop with the endless business talks. Can’t you see that there’s a kid here?”
Amelia said, “Men are always either talking about women or work. But I’m quite looking forward to the businesses in the food and beverage industry. Now that the standards of living are getting higher and higher, people are becoming more and more willing to spend money on entertainment and food. If we utilize the opportunity well, we won’t need to worry about not getting any profits from the businesses. It’s a good deal, and establishments like farmstays can earn even more. So, you have my agreement for this plan. If you don’t mind, I’m thinking of investing in this as well.”
“Babe, don’t bother yourself. Your husband’s the best support you’ve got. The hundreds and millions you have are a tiny sum in comparison, so don’t embarrass yourself, all right?” Tiffany blurted out, half-laughing.
Now that she had thought things through, she was no longer as gloomy as she had been the past few days.
That was why Amelia was thrilled to see Tiffany refuting her.
“Tiff, why don’t you make an investment as well? You’ve earned a rather large sum from the novels you’ve published and from the television adaptations. As a matter of fact, you’re a secret rich woman. Investing in the food and beverage businesses will be a source of income for you, and that way, you won’t need to rely on Derrick’s allowance to live a good life,” Amelia suggested.
Tiffany fell silent at that. Truthfully, she was interested in investing in the food and beverage businesses as well, but she knew nothing about businesses, and she had never learned how to trade stocks. As an outsider, she would lose much more in these things than someone who was well-versed in businesses and stock trading.
“Derrick, do you mind if I become a stockholder as well?”
Derrick glanced at her. “Not at all. I’ll let you be the major stockholder.”
“Okay. I’ll be the major stockholder.”
The casual meal ended up becoming a business talk. The longer the four of them went on, the more excited they became. Nevertheless, the only child there, Tony, enjoyed listening to them. Once the adults stopped talking, he said, “Mommy, Big Meanie, I want to open a farmstay when I grow up too. I want to hire all the chefs who can cook well and make everyone who eats their food say it’s amazing!”
The four adults were taken aback for a moment before they began laughing boisterously.
Tiffany remarked, “Tony, you’re ambitious. Not bad. You have my support!”
What all of them did not realize back then was that Tony did end up delving into the food and beverage industry when he grew up, and his business even became an international chain store.
In fact, the boy had even better achievements than Oscar; he had become the son that both Amelia and Oscar were proud of.
Nevertheless, that was a story to be told later.
