Chapter 814 The Calm Before The Storm
It was as though Kate’s personality had changed overnight. She brought Tiffany shopping every day, from one shop to another. In fact, she even told Tiffany to try out new clothes.
Tiffany had been trying to finish her draft during the night, yet she had to deal with the torture Kate was imposing on her the next day with the shopping. Because of that, she soon became sleep deprived.
Derrick’s heart ached when he saw that, so he tried to convince his mother to stop doing that. To his surprise, Kate retorted, “When I treated her meanly, all of you thought I was being far too strict. Now that I’m trying to repair our relationship, you all think I’m intentionally making things difficult for her. What exactly do you want me to do, Derrick?”
For a moment, he was at a loss for words. Then he said, “Tiff has been staying up all night trying to rush her draft to completion for the past few days, Mom. She needs more sleep.”
Kate sneered, “You think I’m intentionally making things difficult for her, aren’t you, Derrick?”
That prompted him to sigh. “Mom…”
“Fine, since you think I have an ulterior motive for doing this, then maybe I should just intentionally make her life more difficult.” “That’s not what I mean, Mom. Fine, just do whatever you want.”
Only then did she smile satisfactorily. The next day, Kate brought Tiffany to shopping as usual. Their shopping spree lasted for three days. If Crystal hadn’t invited Kate for a meetup, Tiffany probably wouldn’t have been able to escape the torture.
Amelia smiled and gave Tiffany, who was slumped on the table like a fish out of water, a cup of coffee. “What’s wrong? Why do you look so tired?”
Without saying a word, Tiffany waved her hand lethargically as she sat next to her friend. She played dead for a few minutes before raising her head. Seeing the black bags under her friend’s eyes, Amelia furrowed her eyebrows and asked, “You didn’t sleep well?”
Tiffany drank the coffee and smiled bitterly. “Don’t bring it up. I don’t know what’s gotten into my mother-in-law these days. It’s as though her personality suddenly changed. She brought me shopping every day. Now, whenever I see a fashion boutique, I’d feel ill. She really does hate me to the bone. Why would she come up with new ways to torture me otherwise? But she’s my elder, so I can’t scold her or do anything to her.”
Amelia’s eyebrows furrowed even tighter. In a single motion, Tiffany emptied the cup of coffee. “Babe, is there any food for me to eat?” The bitter smile was still present on her face.
“Molly made some pastry. I’ll bring them out from the kitchen.” Amelia stood up and did precisely that. When the food arrived, Tiffany dug in as though she was a refugee who hadn’t eaten anything for years.
Amelia gently patted her back. “Slow down, Tiff.”
The moment she said that, Tiffany began to cough violently.
In response, Amelia poured her a cup of water and spoke resignedly. “Look at what you’ve done to yourself. If people don’t know any better, they’ll think you’re going through a rough patch in your life when all you did was get married.”
Tiffany drank the water and forcefully suppressed her urge to cough. “Accompany me for a walk outside, Babe. I’m feeling a little bored. My mother-in-law’s attitude changes every day. In one second, she’ll berate me. In another, she’ll shower me with love. I suspect that she has a split personality. If this goes on, I think I’m going to end up losing my mind.”
Amelia nodded.
After both of them went downstairs, Amelia drove her friend around the city.
When the car passed by an alley, the women’s sharp eyes caught the sight of Kate, Crystal, and Derrick together.
Crystal was holding Kate’s arm as she walked ahead. Meanwhile, Derrick was walking behind. The three of them appeared like a family.
Tiffany’s grip on her seatbelt tightened as she bit her lip. Disbelief flashed in her eyes.
She recalled Derrick telling her there was an online novel that needed to be published today, so he had to attend a meeting at the company. And yet, there he was, accompanying Kate and Crystal instead of being in the meeting.
There must be some misunderstanding here. Her mind felt as though it was a whirling mess. There’s no way he would lie to me. We are so very much in love!
With trembling hands, she pulled her phone out and called him.
When the call connected, Tiffany asked with a shaky voice, “Are you still in the company, Derrick?”
Hearing Derrick saying “Mhm” faintly made her heart drop all the way to her stomach.
“Is there a reason why you’re calling me, Tiff?” he asked tenderly.
Her lips twitched as her line of sight was fixed on the man still following Kate and Crystal. She never expected him to lie to her.
Her mind was so chaotic that she couldn’t figure out what to do. Still, she said, “It’s nothing. I was just wondering when you’ll be getting off work today. How about I deliver dinner to you later? It’s been a while since we ate together at the company. I quite miss it.”
Derrick chuckled as he said gently, “No need. I’ll just ask my secretary to order takeout for me. You should eat on time. Mom’s not at home tonight, so you should use the time to rest. I’ll buy you your favorite fruit crepe later tonight.”
“All right. In that case, I won’t disturb you any longer. Bye.” When Tiffany finished speaking, she ended the call with a heavy heart, her eyes still focused on her man in the distance.
Amelia grabbed her hand and unbuckled the seatbelt. “Let’s go down, Tiff.”
Fear suddenly crept into Tiffany’s mind.
She grabbed her friend’s hand and shook her head. “Don’t, Babe. Not like this.”
There was a tinge of disappointment in Amelia’s eyes as she stared at her friend. Ever since she married into the Hisson family, she hasn’t been as bright and determined as she used to be. It’s as if she becomes a timid mouse whenever she deals with matters concerning Derrick. I’m afraid she’ll get her feelings hurt, but I also kind of dislike how she refuses to fight back.
Anger continued to swirl in her mind as she watched Derrick and the other two leave further and further away.
“What are you afraid of, Tiff? In the past, you wouldn’t have been so fearful.” She slapped her steering wheel and spoke with a hint of anger.
Tiffany’s face turned a little paler as her eyes gleamed with sorrow.
After a while, she sighed gloomily. “Maybe it’s because I love him too much.”
However, that didn’t quell Amelia’s frustration at all. Derrick promised he would treat Tiff nicely. What prompted him to go back on his word? If I knew this was how things would end up, I never would’ve allowed Tiff to keep contact with Derrick back then.
She uttered flatly, “Maybe this is just a misunderstanding, Tiff. You should ask him about it when he comes home tonight.”
There was a dazed look in Tiffany’s eyes as she stared out the window. “The call earlier was his chance to explain what he was doing, Babe. However, he decided to lie to me.”
Amelia knew married couples should trust and have faith in each other. However, if Derrick truly had nothing to do with Crystal, then he wouldn’t have lied to Tiffany about what he was doing.
Upon shaking her head, Tiffany said, “Let’s continue to roam around, Babe. I don’t want to return to the Hisson residence today. It’s awful there, and I don’t feel a sense of belonging there. I used to have Derrick, but now even he’s lying to me.”
With a conflicted look, Amelia glanced at her friend before driving the car.
At that moment, no matter what she said to her friend, it would only fall on deaf ears.
On the other side, Derrick was staring at the women in front of him with annoyance. He was forced to lie to Tiffany because he was afraid she would overthink what he said if he was being truthful. He did have a meeting in the company earlier, but Kate called him later on and told him Crystal was leaving Tayhaven soon. Additionally, she said she would force Crystal to stay if he refused to join them and bid Crystal goodbye.
In order to be free of Crystal, he had no choice but to join them. It also greatly frustrated him that the women kept talking to each other.
“I still have things I need to do at the company, Mom. I need to leave now.” He didn’t even hide the annoyance in his tone.
Kate turned around to face him. “Crystal’s about to leave. You should join us for a meal first. You and Crystal did grow up together, after all.”
A frown appeared on his face.
Crystal spoke politely. “No need to be so defensive around me, Derrick. I just want to have a meal with you. Two days from now, I’ll be gone from the city.”
In the end, Derrick agreed to the request.
After the meal ended, Crystal suggested they go to the amusement park for fun.
By then, his patience was reaching its limits, but he still agreed to that as long as it meant he could get rid of her as soon as possible.
So the three of them went to the amusement park, though Derrick wasn’t in the mood at all as he followed behind.
Crystal and Kate had some fun before the latter asked him to hang out with the former. The excuse she used was that she was feeling tired, and someone needed to keep Crystal company.
Without hesitation, he rejected the request, “I’m not interested in any of these, Mom.”
Before Kate could say anything, Crystal spoke considerately. “It’s fine, Mrs. Hisson. I’m actually not that interested in these either.”
“Since you aren’t interested, let’s leave right now.” Derrick appeared utterly displeased.
Thus, the women followed him out of the amusement park.
When the car passed by a cold beverage establishment, Crystal made yet another request. “Mrs. Hisson, Derrick, how about we go there? It may be my last opportunity to enjoy a cold beverage in Tayhaven. I probably won’t have the chance to do it after this.”
“She’s going overseas soon, Derrick. Just do what she wants, okay?” Kate ordered.
With no other choice, Derrick agreed.
Boredom gripped him as he watched them eat and drink.
It wasn’t until it was already nighttime that the three of them returned to the Hisson residence.
A housekeeper greeted them and mentioned that Terrence would spend the night at his old war buddy’s place after they played chess together.
A crafty look flashed past Kate’s eyes. “Very well. You can leave now.”
After the housekeeper left, she said, “I’ll cook something for you two to eat. You two must be tired after spending time outside all day.”
Derrick loosened his tie in irritation. “I’m going to check if Tiff is upstairs.”
With a nod, she suggested, “If she’s upstairs, ask her if she wants to join us.”
Pursing his lips, Derrick didn’t answer.
He went upstairs and into the bedroom but didn’t see Tiffany there.
Thus, he gave her a call and was informed that her phone had been turned off.
Exasperated, he paced back and forth in the room.
Then he stopped, took a deep breath, and tried calling Amelia but to no avail.
Hence, he called Oscar, and the latter replied, “She’s at my place right now, but you don’t need to come over. I think she got really tired over the past few days, so she’s currently already sleeping with Amelia. When she wakes up, I’ll send her back.”
Derrick frowned. His sharp senses told him that there was something off about Oscar’s tone. “How about I pick her up right now, Mr. Clinton? It must be inconvenient to have her at your place.”
Oscar sneered and uttered calmly, “What, you don’t believe me?”
Since he insisted, Derrick had no choice but to go along with it. Still, worry swirled in the latter’s heart.
