The Mysterious Billionaire and His Substitute Bride (Ethan and Janet)
Chapter 862 Misunderstood

The shop assistant's eyes lit up when she spotted Derek. "Are you... You're the famous model, Derek, right? Gosh! Do you mind signing an autograph for me?"

She was practically squealing with excitement and almost fumbled her words.

Derek smiled lightly and obliged, writing his name on the shop assistant's clothes. "Thank you for your support. Can I try this tie on?"

"Of course, of course! Please!" The girl rushed past Janet and handed the tie to Derek.

He turned to the mirror and held up the tie against his chest. It had a black and white stripes design that was fairly common among young men these days. The tie indeed looked good on him, and he even brought his own zest to it.

"It looks great on you!" the shop assistant beamed. She looked at Janet and added, "You have excellent taste, Miss."

"You're mistaken. I wasn't planning to get that tie for him." Janet smiled politely, but it didn't reach her eyes. She then glared at Derek. "Do you think this is funny?"

He met her gaze through the mirror and said nothing.

Janet sighed exasperatedly. "Derek, how did you even know that I was here? Did you follow me all the way from the hotel? You know, I always pegged you for a gentleman. At the very least, I didn't think you would overstep boundaries and disrespect women like this. But now, I see that you're just as pompous and self-centered as they come. I'm warning you. Keep pestering me, and I'll call the police on you." All the shop assistants present were visibly surprised by her sharp tone and harsh words.

Their eyes shifted nervously to Derek.

"Oh, my God! So, Derek is actually a stalker in real life?"

"I didn't see this coming at all. How can he do something so awful?"

"He's nothing like I imagined. I should have known there is no such thing as a perfect man, no matter how handsome they are."

Derek frowned as the people around them discussed among themselves. He turned to stare at Janet with a dark expression.

Just then, his manager burst into the store, panting as he tried to catch his breath. "I left you alone for a while, and you already made a lot of trouble! Why did you ditch your work halfway, huh?"

Derek gave him a tight smile. "I left the set to get some fresh air. If I knew I'd get misunderstood, I would have just stayed put."

The manager huffed and pulled Derek by the arm. "Mind your manners. You are here for work. Don't cause the crew any unnecessary trouble."

Derek offered a small bow to Janet. "I apologize if I upset you. It was my mistake." He handed back the tie to the shop assistant and let his manager drag him back outside.

Janet watched them leave the store. When she looked out the window, she saw that an advertisement was being shot over at the events area.

She saw the manager pull Derek over to the director and made him apologize. "I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. He left for the bathroom. We can resume shooting now."

Janet realized then that Derek did not follow her from the hotel, after all. He just happened to be at the mall for work.

She had misunderstood him, just as he had said.

Feeling sorry, she considered going over to apologize. At that same moment, Derek turned around, and their eyes coincidentally met. When he saw the apologetic look on her face, he just smiled faintly and carried on with his work.

Janet heaved a helpless sigh.

"Miss, do you still want this tie?" a shop assistant asked.

Janet nodded. "Please wrap it up."

As she waited for the payment to be processed, she received a message from Brandon, asking who had brought her breakfast.

Janet pondered for a while. In the end, she told him that the waiter had made a mistake, and that the matter had already been solved. She had misjudged Derek just now, so she didn't want to say anything more that might add to her transgressions against the poor man.

Janet stayed at the mall until noon. She was just about to take a taxi back to the hotel when she ran into Derek again.

Derek had been sitting in his van all this time, having finished his part of the shoot. When he saw Janet walking out the mall in the distance, he scrambled out of the vehicle and ran to greet her. "We meet again, Janet," he greeted as he walked up to her.

The sun was bright and hot at this time of the day, so they took care to stand in a nearby shade. "Are you on your way back to the hotel?" Derek asked. "Do you think you can give me a ride?"