My Unexpected Marriage to the CEO: A Sweet Second Chance Chapter 16 by Pumpkin Witch. “So, Eve, which of those handsome men do you like?” Perhaps because of my strange expression, Louise suddenly leaned closer to me and whispered me that question. Uneasily, I whispered back, “The person who took me to the hospital that day is among them. “Really? Which one?” Curious to know who I was looking at, Louise followed my gaze. “Is it the good-looking man in the white shirt who’s currently smoking?”. Not only was Derek handsome, he also had a presence that could not be ignored. It was perfectly reasonable for Louise to notice him at a glance. The second I nodded at her, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me towards Derek. “Stop it, Louise!” I did my best to stop her, but it was to no avail. Though I did want to say thanks to Derek, I had no intention of doing so at such an occasion. “There’s no need to be afraid, you know! You’re already acquainted with him, yes? Let’s just go say hello!”. Louise would never listen to me. She had practiced Taekwondo and was twice as strong as I was, so there was no way I could stop her. “Hey there, handsome! Long time no see. In reality, she had never seen Derek before, but she was talented at engaging with people. I was the one who knew him, but I was far too reserved to utter a word. As Derek leaned against the sofa, he suddenly looked up and locked his bright eyes on me. This was an unexpected encounter, so it was normal for me to be flustered. “Excuse us, but we’re old friends with him. Do you mind letting us sit with you. Though I did want to say thanks to Derek, I had no intention of doing so at such an occasion. “There’s no need to be afraid, you know! You’re already acquainted with him, yes? Let’s just go say hello!”. Louise would never listen to me. She had practiced Taekwondo and was twice as strong as I was, so there was no way I could stop her. “Hey there, handsome! Long time no see. In reality, she had never seen Derek before, but she was talented at engaging with people. I was the one who knew him, but I was far too reserved to utter a word. As Derek leaned against the sofa, he suddenly looked up and locked his bright eyes on me. This was an unexpected e ncounter, so it was norma l for me to be flustered. “Excuse us, but we’re old friends with him. Do you m ind letting us sit with you . gu ys ?’ . Louise said to the others at the table

She pressed me down next to Derek, and then she combed her hair before sitting down herself. When she pressed me down, I lost my balance and fell butt-first beside Derek. He managed to hold me up with an arm just in time. It was then that I smelled his masculine scent. It overwhelmed me to the point that my cheeks turned red. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to leave immediately, but Derek tighte ned his grasp on me. Obviously, he didn’t want me to leave. Instead, he s uddenly leaned close to my face, almost as if he was about to kiss my ear . “Are you still mad at me for what happened? I think it’s time to for give me, don’t you think so, too?” . The sound of his magnetic voice flowed through my ears like an electric current. His voice was lou d enough for everyone present to hear him clearly. His abrupt words confused me and ma de blush yet again . One of the men at the table, th e bald middle-aged one, looked a t me with curiosity for a while. “Who is s he?” he as ked Derek. “My girlfriend,” Derek answered wi thout hesitation. His declaration shocked e veryone at the table, inc luding Louise and myself. The bald man glanced at t he girl sitting next to hi m with regret in his eyes. “It appears that my daughter is to o late,” he said. “This is most unfortunate. It seems that my daughter and Mr. Sullivan are not meant to be to gether, either. But you know, Mr. Sullivan is a very private person. I didn’t even hear that he already had a girlfriend,” another man at the table, the one with the beer belly, sighed. Upon hearing their remarks, I gathered what was happening . These men wanted to match their daughters with Derek, a nd showed up just in time for him to use me as an excuse. Those two girls were both young, beautiful, and quite charming. Then, I noticed that they were casting me c old glares. I felt wronged by their stares. But there was no way I could explain myself regarding this matt er now. Derek had helped me a lot. If I could return the favor to him this time, it would only make us even . “So, which family is this young l ady from?” The bald man seemed as though he wanted to humiliate me

I couldn’t answer hi s question. I was not a lady from a rich and noble family. If I were to tell them of my origins, it would only humiliate Derek. Derek put out his cigarette, held my hand while it was o n my leg, and smiled at them. “My future wi fe,” he proud ly declared. The way he protected me fiercely at this moment was the same a s what he did ack at the hospital that day. When I emembered ev ery word he said that day, still felt as moved as I did before. Derek’s words had rendered them speechless, and it stifled their envy and curio sity. For a time, an awkward atmosphere pervaded. Finally, the man with the bee r belly raised his glass and proposed a toast, alleviating the awkward tension. Judging from how things look ed, they seemed to be trying to get on Derek’s good side. Who on earth was De rek? What kind of bu siness was he doing? . I thought that I could gather some clues from their conversation, but I couldn’t. They only talked of unimportant matters. From time to time, the two middle-aged men would toast to Derek. Not once did Derek refuse them, but throughout th e duration of the conversation, he never let go of my hand . Later on, when I said that I needed to go to the restroom, Louise said that she wanted to accompany me. It was apparent to me that she was curious about my relationship with Derek. I had known her long enou gh to know that it wasn’t easy for her to just sit there in silence without so much as asking a question . And sure enough, before we were even f ar from the table, Louise placed her ar m around my shoulder and questioned me. “Hey, hey! When did that happen, huh? You’ re really something, Eve! You managed to h ide something so big from me successfully. I had no idea how to react to her question. “Are n’t you supposed to be smart, Louise? He’s clear ly using me as an excuse to refuse those girls!” . “Oh? But why does it seem so real? Judg ing from how he looks at you, I don’t th ink he’s merely acting,” Louise refuted. “That just mean s he’s good at acting,” I said. Truthfully, I had no idea how he was l ooking at me. I was feeling too embarr assed and nervous to look back at him. After repeatedly telling Louise that th ere was nothing special between me and Derek, she finally decided to let me go. Once I had used the toilet, I had me rely taken a few steps away from the restroom when I stopped in my tracks. Not far away, there was a man who was pressin g a woman against the wall, kissing her passi onately. It was my devil of a husband, Shane