Love on the Fast Track (Derek and Norah)

Chapter 126:

Like It's Norah

Derek’s sprawling villa was quiet.

“Madeline, how many times do | have to tell you? Don't toss your clothes around like confetti.” Derek sighed as

he wrapped up his tasks. He pushed open the bedroom door and was greeted by a bed drowning in a sea of

clothes.

Madeline, wearing a delicate white nightdress, lounged on the bed, idly kicking her feet up and scrolling through

her phone.

At the sound of Derek's disapproving tone, she turned her head with a frown. “Derek, | got back late today and

didn’t have the energy to tidy up. The servants will handle them when they ctomorrow.”

Setting her phone aside, Madeline turned around, revealing a generous amount of cleavage. “You know you

dismissed all the household staff, right? They'll be here tomorrow, but for now, we're snug as bugs in a rug. So

why worry about these clothes?”

Getting off the bed, she sauntered over to Derek, hooked her arms around his neck, and planted a kiss, her

breath warm against his skin. “Derek, am | right?”

Derek wrapped his arms around her shoulders, returning the kiss. He didn’t say anything but thought of Norah.

He never cared much for having servants. They always seemed to be around when he wasn’t there. After Norah,

she had taken charge of everything at home.

The tales you love are at gVInov[l{s.cem

Laundry, cleaning, cooking...

She handled it all, leaving him with a well-kept home.

But Madeline's bedroom resembled the aftermath of a tornado, with clothes and cosmetics strewn everywhere.

Only when the servants ccould it be cleaned, but it never lasted long before returning to its chaotic state.

Madeline let out a soft murmur, and Derek felt a surge of heat coursing through him. Like a wild animal, he

tossed Madeline onto the bed, fingers fumbling with her nightdress.

Unexpectedly, he touched something and examined it closely. “This bag, if | recall correctly, set us back 600?”

Suppressing his desire for a moment, he sat on the bed, turning the bag over and over, growing more certain

with each passing moment.

Madeline simply removed her nightdress, lying beside Derek, her fingers deftly undoing his belt. Her voice was

dripping with honey. “Hmm.”

“You bought this? Whose money did you use?” Derek asked.

Madeline raised her head, gazing at Derek with teary eyes.

“Whose money besides yours, Derek? | thought you'd... ”

She lightly tapped Derek's chest with a clenched fist. “At the last auction, didn’t you promise to make it up to

me? | browsed for a while and settled on this bag. Doesn't it look fabulous?”

Derek’s head spun for a moment. “Madeline, you know after the divorce, most of the Carter family’s fortune

went to Norah, right? The family’s finances are tight now, and the company needs a significant injection of cash

to stay afloat. Why splurge on this bag at such a time?”

Madeline's eyes welled up with tears. “I didn’t think a bag would matter.”

“The rifts you used to showerwith were worth millions,” she said, wiping away her tears. “You pick out a bag

worth 600,000, thinking you wouldn't bat an eye, Derek.”

Tears trickled down her cheeks, tugging at Derek’s heartstrings. He pulled Madeline closer, enveloping her in a

comforting embrace. “Madeline, if you love it, keep it. Just promiseyou'll be more mindful next time. You

know our financial situation isn’t rosy. Please wait until things stabilize and the company’s back on its feet. By

then, we can splurge. Got it?”

Madeline, smiling through her tears, nodded. “Alright.”

Her hands clung to him, her teary eyes still carrying a hint of allure. Her delicate tongue peeked out as she

whispered, “Derek...”

Derek succumbed to the allure, booting the 600,000-dollar bag to the foot of the bed, getting entwined with

Madeline. As they reveled in their intimacy, listening to Madeline's moans, a stray thought crossed Derek’s mind.

What if the person in his arms were Norah instead? What kind of spectacle would that be? What would Norah

say? How would she respond? Would she shoot him a look of disdain, or would she extend a welcome?

Norah had taken away a considerable fortune from him, and Derek wondered whether it was an attempt to grab

his attention, persuade him to alter his course, and reclaim those assets. Yet, his heart belonged to Madeline.

She was the woman he had pined for throughout the years. With her lying beneath him, he wouldn't be swayed

by anyone. Almost involuntarily, images of the self-assured Norah on the racetrack, the composed Norah in the

hospital, and the radiant Norah at the auction inundated Derek's thoughts.

“Hmm...” In the throes of ecstasy, his mind was flooded with images of Norah. Even if he wouldn't admit it, a

part of his heart had already surrendered to her, just waiting for the rift to widen.

The following day, Norah headed to Silver Boulder Private Hospital for work. After finishing her customary patient

rounds, she stepped into the operating room for surgeries. Only three surgeries were scheduled for the day, and

she finished a little past three in the afternoon.

Norah made her way to Jamison’s office, planning to ask for stoff. She had decided to forego the

surgeries scheduled for the afternoon and wanted to check in on Joanna and Kason.

Jamison appeared somewhat taken aback when he saw Norah standing at his office door. “Dr. Wilson, | was just

about to seek you out, and here you are.”

“What's going on?” Norah walked in, maintaining her usual calm.

Jamison sighed, his expression stern. “Remember our chat yesterday about your promotion to attending

physician?” Norah nodded.

“I don’t know who dropped an anonymous complaint at the hospital. It accuses you of having inappropriate

relationships within the premises. It alleges you pushed Allison out using your connections, and that your climb

to attending physician was facilitated through those ties. The complaint suggests that, as the department head, |

favor you by constantly tossing opportunities your way,” Jamison admitted.

Harboring a soft spot for Norah's talent but vehemently denying any shady dealings, Jamison treated Norah the

sas the other doctors, only scheduling a few extra surgeries for her. As for Aikin, he genuinely had no idea

about any connection between Norah and Aikin, let alone any wrongdoing. Norah had earned her current

position through hard work and dedication to each surgery, with no hidden agendas.

“Your experience is insufficient, and you don’t meet the requirements set by the hospital president. Instead,

Baylor has been promoted to attending physician,” Jamison responded helplessly. “This year’s evaluation is out

of the question. Next year, perhaps there will be a chance.”

A glimmer of bitterness appeared in Norah's eyes. The writer of the anonymous letter was clearly dissatisfied

with her. From what Jamison had revealed, that individual was not only aware of Aikin but also knew about her

potential to becan attending physician. This seemed to be the work of someone close to her.

Was it because of the promotion to attending physician? Or was it simply out of distaste toward her?