“Mr. Halford, thank you for helping me out.”
After leaving the headquarters of the foundation, Shayla jumped up happily and hugged Darnell without hesitation, planting a kiss on him.
Even though today’s business didn’t go as planned, Shayla felt genuinely happy, finally releasing the pent-up frustration she had been carrying for months.
Seeing Shayla’s joyful expression, Darnell touched the mark on his face from her kiss and jokingly said, “Actually, you can give me a few more kisses.”
“No way,” Shayla pouted, smiling mischievously. “Men never appreciate things that come too easily.”
“You women always have ulterior motives. I’m easy to handle. Just take off your clothes, and I’ll do whatever you say,” Darnell chuckled.
“If one day I’m captured by the enemy and they use a bunch of beautiful women to tempt me, I guarantee I’ll betray my side without hesitation.”
“No matter how painful the torture or interrogation, I wouldn’t even flinch. But when faced with a beautiful woman, I have no resistance at all,” he added.
Shayla playfully poked Darnell with her finger and said, “You scoundrel. But I know you’re a man of integrity.”
“By the way, were those two your classmates just now?” Darnell changed the subject with a smile. “I’m not being nosy. I just wanted to know a little bit about them so I won’t blow your cover next time.”
In his heart, he thought that if their relationship was truly bad, he would be more ruthless next time. He had the urge to beat them up when he saw their faces.
“One is a man who had an engagement with me but failed to pursue me, and the other is my archenemy from university who opposed me at every turn for four years,” Shayla explained.
She twisted open a bottle of purified water and took a big sip without hiding anything from Darnell. She revealed their past, including Skyler’s pursuit and the staged breakup scene where he twisted the truth in front of my dormitory. “Although his actions were childish, they greatly affected my reputation.”
“I wanted to settle the score with him, but my father said it was better to let it go due to the two families’ past relationship. He also said there was no need to bite back after being bitten by a dog,” Shayla continued.
“So I endured it, which gave people the wrong impression that I was really trying to climb higher. It also allowed Skyler and Rubi to walk all over me.”
“Today when I ran into them, they still wouldn’t let me go. Fortunately, you helped me out of that situation. Mr. Halford, thank you so much.” Shayla expressed her gratitude.
Darnell gently patted her head and said with a touch of pity in his voice, “Don’t mention it for such a small matter. If you had told me earlier how despicable they were, I would have dealt with them more harshly and made them regret their actions,” he said.
“My Shayla is so beautiful and sweet. How could they treat you like this?”
Darnell thumped his chest and said firmly, “If anyone humiliates you like that again, let me know. I will make sure they regret it. I hate people who bully beautiful women the most.”
“I already like the result we have now.”
Shayla looked at Darnell with determination and said, “Mr. Halford, you’ve helped me so much.”
Darnell smiled and teased her, “Oh? Are you thinking of offering yourself to me?”
Shayla couldn’t help but stand on tiptoe and give Darnell another kiss. “If you want it, I’ll give it to you.”
Darnell was taken aback for a moment and couldn’t react in time.
Shayla quickly snapped out of it and realized she had gone too far. She hurriedly let go of Darnell and ran outside in a panic.
“Mr. Halford, I just remembered there’s another client nearby that I need to meet with. You can go back first.”
At that moment, Shayla’s cheeks were as red as an apple, her heart pounding wildly. She didn’t dare to ride in the same car as Darnell because she was afraid of awkwardness between them.
She wanted to run as fast as possible to avoid any embarrassment.
“Shayla,”
Darnell licked his lips, savoring the lingering sweetness that remained, and shouted after Shayla, who had run more than ten meters away, “I’ll go with you!”
“No need!”
Shayla turned around and waved her hand cutely with her blushing face. “I can handle it myself. You can go back first.”
Seeing her like this, Darnell knew she was feeling flustered inside. He didn’t insist and said gently, “Alright then, be careful. Call me if you need anything.”
“I also have business nearby. After meeting with clients, you can call me if you’re still around here. I can give you a ride back to the office.”
Shayla nodded cutely.
“Okay, Mr. Halford. Thank you,” she said with a smile before waving goodbye and running off.
Her clothes danced gracefully as she moved away with the wind, like a flower blooming under the sun.
Watching Shayla disappear from sight, Darnell finally shifted his gaze and walked away. He wanted to find Chandler at the Whiteville Hospital.
Although Chandler was shrewd and cunning, Darnell might still be able to negotiate a few deals with him. Plus, he wanted to check on Kameron’s condition.
Kameron had started treatment yesterday, and Darnell wanted to see if there was any improvement. If not much progress had been made, he would find an opportunity to help Kameron himself.
He didn’t drive over because parking spots at the hospital were scarce. Besides, the two places were just separated by a street, a distance of only a few hundred meters, so Darnell didn’t mind walking there.
From outside the foundation’s main gate through the six-lane pedestrian crossing was the back entrance of the Whiteville Hospital.
Darnell thought of the last intense battle with the Lonsdale brothers and instinctively glanced at the hospital’s back entrance where that scene was still vivid in his mind.
“This luck is really extraordinary.”
Almost reaching the hospital’s back entrance, Darnell shook his head and quickened his pace inward while regretting not bringing the crystal ball along.
Otherwise, he could return it to Eva since she loved it so much.
Just then, Darnell’s eyelid twitched and his body suddenly froze as his ears perked up.
His gaze instantly fell upon a woman in black ahead of him.
As she closed the door of the white BMW with a swift motion, preparing to cross the hospital driveway to the outpatient department, a taxi suddenly swerved nearby.
The car accelerated, charging forward like a crazed bull, heading straight for the woman in black.
A murderous intent filled the air.
“Watch out!”
With his eyelids twitching rapidly, Darnell shouted while leaping into action.
Nearby, several drivers hadn’t yet grasped what was happening when a figure suddenly darted past them, leaving a blur. Darnell moved with such speed it felt as though he had stepped out of a movie.
As bystanders stood frozen in confusion, Darnell had already tackled the woman in black, wrapping his arms around her waist and rolling them both to the side.
They tumbled into the nearby flowerbed just as the taxi zoomed past the spot where she had been standing moments before, barely missing them!
A few car keys fell from Darnell’s grasp, twisting and shattering like a crushed matchbox as they hit the ground.
A flowerpot that Darnell had knocked over flew several meters away, landing beside a startled pedestrian who jumped back in shock.
Screech!
The taxi showed no signs of stopping, making a sharp turn to the left and speeding off.
It seemed the driver had some exceptional driving skills!