“Derek, stop it!” Natalie said as she tried to match Derek’s pace.
“Derek, stop it!” Natalie said as she tried to match Derek’s pace.
“My husband is still recovering. Don’t disturb him.” Derek was behaving like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.
“Really? Why can’t I visit him? Why is the CEO of Larson Group so narrow-minded?”
When he saw that Natalie looked like she was going to lose her temper, Derek hurriedly added, “Please, don’t get mad. That was a joke. I just came to exp**ss my gratitude to Brandon for saving my life. I even brought my girlfriend with me. I’m definitely not going to pester you like I did before.”
Natalie finally noticed a tall, beautiful woman with curly hair standing behind him as he spoke. She was slender and stunning, with a height and a disposition that complimented Derek’s.
Before Natalie could utter a word, the curly-haired woman hit Derek while protesting, “I don’t recall agreeing to be your girlfriend yet! Don’t just go telling people that I’m already your girlfriend!”
“Gilda, please! We are in public!” Derek complained.
“Stop embarrassing me!”
Ignoring Derek, Gilda Greville smiled at Natalie and said, “We are still getting to know each other. However, we aren’t really dating yet. Please, Mrs. Larson. Don’t believe him.”
“How do you know who I am?” Natalie was caught off guard. Did Derek tell Gilda about her and how he had been trying to woo her in the past?
Gilda smiled and said, “I’m in the same line of work as Derek… I’m a model. I also watched the Iridescent Show and the wonderful W Marks Studio collections.”
Oh, right. Gilda was a model. She’d probably heard the rumors about Derek then. Or hadn’t she?
Natalie wasn’t one to interfere in other people’s affairs. She just grieved at the thought of this beautiful woman getting involved with such a notorious playboy.
“If that will be all, I will be on my way to bring my husband his dinner.” It was getting late. Natalie didn’t have much time to spare talking to them. However, Derek stopped her from entering the ward.
“I have something important to say to Brandon,” Derek said as he pulled Natalie back, holding on firmly to her wrist.
Derek wasn’t here to disturb Natalie. He just wanted to talk to Brandon. This would have been a walk in the park if there weren’t b*odyguards on both sides of the door to his ward.
“Stop bothering me. Or you’d end up in the tabloids and gossip blogs tomorrow,” Natalie cautioned in a low voice.
Derek was a public figure who was very popular on the Internet. He was already attracting the attention of the young nurses and the patients.
However, he didn’t care.
“Actually, wouldn’t Brandon be angry if we became the subject of paparazzi speculation and started rumors? I think he will. So, will you let me in or not?”
Natalie was shocked at his brazenness. As a crowd began to gather around them, she felt defeated.
Derek noticed the crowd and reasoned with Natalie.
“If you let me in, I won’t bother you any longer.”
Natalie gave in.
“Fine. I will go talk to Brandon first. If he agrees to see you, you may come in. However, if he doesn’t, you’ll be escorted out of the hospital.”
She proceeded to go in first and ask Brandon if he wanted to see Derek.
Brandon’s door was half open. His voice then came from within.
“Who is the cause of all that disturbance outside?” He had been reading the documents Sean had sent over to him when he heard commotion outside his room. Natalie cleared her throat and then walked in.
“Brandon, Derek is outside. He says he wants to thank you for saving him the other day,” she said gently.
Brandon ignored what he heard, continuing with his paperwork until Natalie added that Derek promised to stop pestering Natalie as long as Brandon agreed to see him.
“How immature of him to use that as leverage! If Derek pesters you again, ask the Larson Group b*odyguards to deal with him,” Brandon said dismissively.
Natalie thought by saying that, Brandon was going to refuse to meet Derek. However, he then said, “Tell him to come in. He will keep bothering the other patients if we don’t let him in.”
Derek entered the ward, parading the fruits and flowers in his hands. Meanwhile, Gilda decided to wait for him in the corridor just outside the ward.
Derek discretely reminded Natalie he had to discuss something important with Brandon alone. Natalie did what she was asked and went out first.
What could they be talking about?
Natalie almost p**ssed her face against the door in an attempt to see what was going on inside through a gap in the door.
“Mrs. Larson, eavesdropping is impolite,” Gilda suddenly said from behind Natalie.
Natalie sprung to her full height, desperate to explain herself but unaware of how to as she blushed in embarrassment.
Gilda let out a chuckle.
“I won’t tell anyone.”
All the while, the situation inside was way different from what Natalie imagined.
“What’s up, bro? How’s your condition? Well, your ruddy complexion tells me you’re feeling much better now. Are you?”
Derek was unfiltered. He placed the things he brought, and then settled on an empty seat.
Brandon sorted out the pile of documents, taking time to talk to Derek.
“If you’re only here to pay a visit, you can go now that you’ve seen me.”
A frown crumpled Derek’s face. Somehow, he felt belittled and that did not sit right with him.
“I’m here to tell you that I will not bother Natalie anymore. You can rest assured in the future.”
Brandon put down the documents and said, “You finally decided to retreat. That’s a good thing. Next time, if you’re going to chase after a girl, make sure she isn’t a married woman.”
Derek did not sense any anger in Brandon’s words. There wasn’t even a hint of emotion directed at him. His plan totally failed.
Frustrated, he leaned back on his spot, complaining.
“Hey, did you already I would stop chasing after Natalie? You didn’t look surprised at all!”