Chapter 129 Still Have A Hold
Tuesday morning began like every other busy morning at Derek’s company.
Inside his spacious office on the top floor, Derek sat behind his desk, leaning slightly forward in his chair. His brows were furrowed as he focused intently on the documents spread across the table before him.
For the past few weeks, ever since the fallout with Rebecca, he had thrown himself completely into work especially since she won't listen to him or even see him.
Meetings, contracts, company reports, financial statements, he handled everything personally, rarely delegating tasks to anyone else.
It was exhausting, but it kept his mind busy.
And that was exactly what he wanted.
Whenever he stopped working, even for a brief moment, his thoughts inevitably wandered back to Rebecca… and that was something he wasn’t ready to face.
He had tried reaching out to her countless times.
He had called her repeatedly, sent her messages, and even asked Amelia several times to speak to Rebecca on his behalf.
But every attempt had failed.
Rebecca refused to see him.
She wouldn’t answer his calls, and she ignored every message he sent.
It was as though she had completely shut him out of her life.
So instead of dwelling on it, Derek buried himself even deeper in work.
He had been reviewing a thick file for nearly twenty minutes when a knock sounded on the door.
Derek didn’t immediately look up.
"Come in," he said briefly.
The door slowly opened, and Celia stepped inside.
She paused just inside the doorway for a moment before walking further into the room.
She was dressed beautifully as always, wearing a soft cream-colored dress that complimented her figure perfectly. Her hair was styled carefully, falling in smooth waves over her shoulders, and a gentle, pleasant smile rested on her lips.
In her hands, she carried a neatly packed lunch bag.
"Good morning, Derek," she said warmly.
Derek finally lifted his eyes from the document he had been reading.
The moment he saw her standing there, the calm expression on his face disappeared.
His gaze instantly turned cold.
"What are you doing here?" he asked flatly.
The warmth in Celia’s smile faltered for only a brief second before she quickly recovered.
"I came to see you," she replied gently as she walked closer to the desk. "You’ve been working so hard lately, so I thought I should bring you something to eat."
She lifted the lunch bag slightly as she spoke.
"I made it myself," she added cheerfully.
Derek glanced briefly at the bag before returning his attention to the file in front of him.
"You didn’t need to do that," he replied.
His tone was distant, almost indifferent, as though the gesture meant nothing to him.
Celia’s fingers tightened slightly around the handle of the bag.
She had expected him to be a little upset with her after everything that had happened recently.
But she hadn’t expected him to be this cold.
Still, she forced herself to keep smiling.
"You’ve barely been answering my calls lately," she said softly. "I was worried about you."
Derek flipped through another page of the document without even looking at her.
"I’ve been busy."
The response was short and dismissive.
Celia stood there quietly for a moment, hoping he would say something more.
But he didn’t.
He simply continued working as though she wasn’t even standing in the room.
A faint irritation flickered in Celia’s eyes.
She hated being ignored.
Especially by Derek.
Still trying to remain calm, she walked a little closer and gently pushed the lunch bag toward him on the desk.
"You should eat something," she said softly. "You can’t keep working like this without taking care of yourself."
Derek didn’t even glance at the bag.
"I’m not hungry," he replied, this time his voice sounded colder, taking Celia by surprise.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Celia bit the inside of her cheek as she watched him.
He was deliberately avoiding her, deliberately pretending she wasn’t even there. He was treating her as though she meant nothing to him again.
And it hurt far more than she wanted to admit.
A flicker of frustration passed through her eyes.
But then, slowly, another idea began to form in her mind.
If he refused to give her attention…
Then she would make him notice her.
Celia quietly stepped away from the desk, pretending to move toward the couch near the window.
Derek didn’t even glance in her direction.
He continued reviewing the documents in front of him as though she had already left the room.
Then suddenly—
"Ah!"
Celia cried out sharply.
Her body twisted awkwardly as she stumbled forward, losing her balance.
The next second, she collapsed onto the floor with a soft thud, clutching her ankle tightly.
Derek’s head snapped up immediately.
"What happened?" he asked, pushing his chair back as he stood up quickly.
He walked around the desk and rushed toward her.
Celia sat on the floor, her face twisted in pain as she held her ankle with both hands.
"I—I think I twisted it," she said weakly, her voice trembling slightly.
Derek crouched down beside her, his brows furrowing with concern.
"Let me see."
Carefully, he reached out and gently touched her ankle, examining it.
The moment his fingers brushed against her leg, Celia winced dramatically.
"It hurts," she whispered, her voice fragile.
Derek frowned slightly.
"You shouldn’t be walking around in heels like that," he muttered.
He helped her sit up properly before speaking again.
"Try standing."
Celia nodded weakly.
With Derek supporting her, she slowly pushed herself up from the floor.
But the moment her foot touched the ground, she deliberately shifted her weight and cried out again.
"Ah!"
Her body tilted sideways as though she was about to fall.
Derek immediately reached out and caught her before she collapsed again.
"You can’t walk like this," he said firmly.
Before she could say anything else, Derek bent down and lifted her into his arms.
Celia instinctively wrapped her arms around his shoulders. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to lean lightly against his chest.
The familiar warmth made her eyes soften.
Just like before.
Derek carried her out of the office quickly.
Employees in the hallway looked surprised as they saw their usually serious and composed boss carrying someone in his arms.
Whispers began immediately.
But Derek ignored them.
He headed straight toward the entrance of the building.
Within minutes, they were inside his car, driving toward the nearest hospital.
Celia sat quietly in the passenger seat, occasionally holding her ankle as though it was still hurting badly.
But inside her mind, her thoughts were very different.
As she glanced sideways at Derek, who was focused on the road with a serious expression, a quiet sense of satisfaction spread through her.
He still cares about me, she thought.
Even though Derek’s face remained cold and distant, Celia felt certain about one thing.
In her mind, this moment proved something important.
As the car continued moving toward the hospital, she leaned her head slightly against the seat, a faint, satisfied smile forming inside her thoughts.
I still have a hold on him.