Clara's POV "After everything I've said to you, you did this. Do you have any idea what it takes to raise a child?" She yelled.I tried to make my way out of the kitchen, hoping I'd still make it on time for my bus."I made breakfast," she breathed more calmly."I can't, I'm-m getting late for work." I stuttered. I pointed at the door, ready to make my way out."Sit down," Mom demanded. "If your boss had the time to get you pregnant, he can also give you time to eat." She snapped.Without another word, I sat down.She placed a plate of toast and scrambled eggs in front of me."Maybe if I had fed you, those brain cells of yours would have been working, and you wouldn't be walking around doing stupid things." She said next.Ouch!"You are already starving the poor thing. How are you supposed to be a parent?" She said as she poured a glass of orange juice for me.She slammed the glass before me, giving me a stern look.Mom returned to chopping her carrots. That was probably the only thi
Clara POV"I was on my lunch break. I was in a quiet corner outside the hotel, right at the back. Some security guards were doing their rounds a few feet from me."It's my fault. I was the one who insisted that he drop me off at the corner," I answered.Layla continued to laugh. "I'm just mad that I wasn't the one to beat him up instead. I wish someone had captured it on camera." She continued. "How is your mother handling everything?" she asked."I think it's best if Derek joins the witness protection program," I answered. "She might not have said something last night, but this morning, she was ready to murder him," I explained."I would be mad too if I found out that some guy was dropping off my daughter on some corner in the middle of the night, then I find out that she is pregnant. If she wanted to kill him, I could provide a shovel and a shallow grave. " She joked.Hearing it from Layla, I could understand how bad this seemed."Good thing I don't have any daughters. Now I'm just
Clara's POV Everything makes sense now. I should have known. Now I understand why he mentioned the security cameras to Derek and why he suddenly kept quiet."You know Derek could have easily seen that footage. Who knows what he would have thought about the whole thing? He'd hate to find out you've been up to something." He continued.Now, I was a bit unsettled by his words. Was this a threat to uncover everything I was hiding?"Don't take it as a threat, love. I'm just warning you to be more careful." He added.His gaze remained fixed on me as he studied me. I didn't dare flinch, and I didn't want to look more suspicious."I won't keep you here any longer. As you said, you might be needed." He smiled.I forced a smile, gathering my things so I could leave.With a smile, he waved me goodbye.Was that supposed to be sincere, or was that a threat? I couldn't quite figure out which side he was on.Everything was spiralling out of control. This had to end soon.I walked down the corridor
Clara's POV "There are only two suites to take care of. You don't have to do most of the work, and you need to make the rooms look presentable. I'll send someone else tomorrow as well." he said.I nodded.I took note of the two-room numbers that needed to be cleaned.I gathered the cleaning supplies I needed for the job, grabbing an apron as well since I no longer had my uniform. It would have to do.The first room was located on the third floor. Most people who rented the rooms on the top floors were millionaires, while those on the bottom floors often came here for the experience, blowing off their whole year's savings.The one-bedroom suite was empty. It had an open house plan with the living space and the bedroom combined, the kitchen at the far right end. Despite this poor planning for a hotel room, it still looked chic with all the decorations.It was good that it was empty. It meant I could move faster.The suite was in a disastrous state, with towers and bathrobes hovering o
Clara's POV She paused, staring at the perfume label a bit more closely. I would have assumed that she had spotted it was a fake, but what she said was a lot worse."It says here it's a sample," she pointed at the label on the side of the perfume as she shot daggers at him.I nearly laughed, walking to the kitchen to clean up the counter. Even from there, it was still very easy to listen in on their conversation."Of all your money, you must be so cheap." She yelled.He sighed. "Babe, my wife keeps track of every cent in my bank account. Besides, the samples are always much better than anything you can buy." He tried to justify himself."So, when are you finally planning to leave your wife? You've been making excuses for months." She yelled next.He was a lot more shameless than I could have thought. He was the type that if his wife walked in, he would cower and pretend it had all been a setup.I rushed through the rest of my work. I wanted to be out of here before knives started bei
Clara's POV I chose that option, running out of the suite and not looking back despite his calls.Luckily, the elevator arrived just in time. I pressed the button for the ground floor and stood at the far end of the elevator. I was just too confused about everything. Nothing made sense to me right now. I would have stayed to find out, but the thought of possibly getting murdered outweighed my curiosity.The elevator stopped two floors down. I tried to mask my emotions. I didn't want anyone who walked in to think I was some psychopath.Much to my surprise, it was Ivy who walked in.At first, she hadn't seen me. She looked tired, her eyes fixed on the floor as she dragged her feet.“Clara," Ivy exclaimed, looking up.I didn't answer, and I didn't know how not with the many thoughts running through my mind. Ivy quickly picked up on this as she stepped closer to me.The elevator doors closed again."Are you okay?" she asked."Can you please tell Marcus I'm sick and must go home urgently?
Clara's POVI felt more confused than I had ever when I left the hotel. Not to mention the anger that was building up inside me. The feeling of being lied to was overwhelming. I didn't know what to believe in anymore. So many things didn't make sense to me. Why would it make sense when suddenly thrown in my face?I would have expected anything but this."We have an uncle?" Katy asked, trying to make sense of the situation. She, too, was just as confused about the whole thing, even more so than me, because at least I had had some forewarning."Yes," Leonardo confirmed hesitantly.My mother's expression remained unchanged, maintaining her calm and probably giving us a chance to process. Maybe she was just very good at hiding her emotions."How come we are poor?" Katy asked, her eyes widening.I thought this would be one of the few moments she takes things seriously, but apparently, it wasn't."It's just some complicated family history, things you wouldn't understand." Mom sighed.Has sh
Clara's POV "It's not every day that you discover that you may have an uncle. The worst part is that I'm unsure if I believe you." I answered bitterly."He's my half-brother on my father's side." She clarified softly, relaxing her arms. "I was alone and scared for a very long time. My family had cut all ties with me. I had no support whatsoever. I had no idea about babies or even how to work since I never had. I had to work and look after you. My past is something that hurts me. I didn't ever want anything from my past life to get to you. That's why I never told you." she rumbled.Was that supposed to be a valid reason for lying to your children?"And your supposed half-brother abandoned you too?" I asked."He was younger than me and also a child at the time. It was not his responsibility to do anything for me." She answered."When will you tell me who my father is?" I asked.Now that I had gotten to know a little bit, I wanted to know everything. Before, I would have just settled fo
Derek POV The things he is willing to do make me sick to my stomach, and I'm finally done. He deserves everything coming to him. I was glad that the trial with Maddison's mother went smoothly. Turns out, there is nothing Maddison loves more than her reputation and money, and for that, she is willing to let her mother rot and make herself the victim.I was finally done with the cooking and dished our food in the dining room.I slipped my hand into my pocket, ensuring the ring was safely secured.Clara voiced her approval. I'd made a Pad Thai dish for her, knowing it was her favourite. I finally influenced her. "If my mom calls, please tell her I'm not pregnant." She stated this in the middle of her dinner.I nearly choked on my food as my eyes widened."Are you pregnant?" I questioned, puzzled. "Of course yes. She came over the other day and found a pregnancy test in my bathroom." She explained."Oh," I noted, amazed. "That explains why she's been texting me a lot more often." I am
Derek’s POVI must have looked at my watch about five times in the same minute. Why was I nervous? I've made far more risky decisions, and none have ever made my heart beat this fast. The house had already been set, our dinner table was perfect, and the garden was just as I had instructed. Clara would be arriving any moment from now, and I was almost done cooking. Everything was perfect, so why was I this nervous?I wiped the sweat off my brow. Vincent was right; my idea was stupid. What was I thinking about planning a proposal here? Surely, I could have thought of a better idea.I needed to calm down. Hopefully, she had another busy night, and she wouldn't show up.Maybe I should turn off my lights and pretend I wasn't home. But she'd walk in. That's what I get for giving her an extra key.Since we've both been tied up with work, we have dinner almost every evening. It made sense that we'd both have the keys to each other's apartments after she moved out of her mother's.I needed to
Derek POV About a month ago, my mother decided that the best way to end her obsession was to start a new one. She went and got herself a replacement kid. I don't know who in their right mind decided that it was okay for her to adopt a ten-year-old kid. I'd be fine with all this, except the kid hates me. I've done nothing wrong to him. Maybe I'm a bit biassed, but it only took one visit to know there was no longer any space for me in that house."You should be happy about this," Vincent laughed. "Your mother will finally get to fix all the mistakes she made with you. It happened to me, too." He laughed.The secretary walked in to announce that an old friend of ours, Dexter, had arrived. We were working on a new business venture, and we had been waiting for him to start our meeting officially.Dexter walked into my office as laid back as usual. He had barely changed much since I'd last met him. He had a few classes in college together.We exchanged greetings as Dexter settled himself i
Derek's POVSOME MONTH LATERI swivelled in my chair, fiddling with my pen as I tried to develop ideas. When I needed my brain the most, I couldn't think of anything. I've never felt this anxious about anything before."Are you certain that's a good idea?" I inquired of Vincent, who sat across from me.He had visited my office to discuss our new business deal. We just happened to have moved on to the next item on the agenda.He looked at me in disbelief, as if there was only one obvious answer. "Yes, which woman wouldn't want you to take her to Paris and propose to her in front of the Eiffel Tower?" He answered sarcastically. He threw his hands in the air in disbelief.As incredible as his idea sounded, that didn't sound like something Clara would want. She wasn't that sort of girl.I leaned into my chair and stared at the ceiling. I always thought the proposal would be the hardest part, but I guess so was how to propose."If you think that is too cliché, you can go on a private islan
Clara's POV I leaned on the door and peeked through to stare at Derek's motionless body. My eyes were quickly whelmed in tears. I never wanted things to end this way.Without thinking, I pushed open the door and walked in.I collapsed into his chest, held onto him tightly, and sobbed."Please wake up and get back to me; I'll do anything. I love you." I whispered. I held onto him even tighter.I wish I'd said this when he wasn't fighting for his life. There were so many things I would have loved to have done differently, but now I can't take any of it back.I suddenly froze as I felt a hand patting my head.I looked up.I blinked at Derek, who was staring back at me. For the first time, I saw clearly. Derek wasn't covered in bandages or had wounds all over his face, as I expected."It's okay, I'm alright." He answered.I wiped away the tears, my vision becoming clearer. "You are not hurt?" I asked, finally realising what had happened."No, but I will be if you continue squeezing me li
Clara's POVDAYS LATERIt took a few days before the doctors could clear me out and send me home. I was being discharged today, and I had decided it would be the start of my new life.Derek hasn't come over as much, at least not to see me. It meant he was starting to get it. This way, we'd both be able to move on eventually.I was packing the few items Mom had brought to make me more comfortable when I heard a knock on my door. Layla peeked through the door before walking in.She has been responsible for ensuring a fresh batch of flowers in my room every day. She visited me a few times. I was glad she never pushed anything between Derek and me. Without me explaining, she said she understood.Today, there was something different about her. She didn't look like she was dressed for the runway, nor did she carry around her fancy handbag. She was wearing flat shoes. I noticed her eyes were red."I'm so sorry I haven't visited you much in the last few days. How are you, sweetheart?" she ask
Clara’s POV I was relieved when the nurse announced I'd have a visitor until I saw who it was.The sound of the walking stick should have been enough to know who it was. I could have used the time to pretend I was dead or, better still, leave the room,m but I was foolishly hopeful.Derek's grandfather walked into my room with his usual sinister look and a mightier-than-thou attitude.He looked over at me and smirked. "You don't look too bad. I guess everyone exaggerated how bad you were." He commented. If my hand weren't connected to an IV, I'd be the one leaving this room. He was here for a peace offering."Why are you here?" I asked."Don't worry," he replied, raising his hand. "I won't be here for too long. I wanted to be here in person to ensure my message was clear. I hope you liked my flowers." He smiled. "It's funny how I've tried to make sure you and I don't end up as a family, yet here we are." He chuckled. "You've cost me a lot lately, you and all your recent drama." He pau
Clara's POV I understood him, too. I made many bad decisions that I thought were good at the time, and he reacted that way because of it. I should have never done any of what I did, either. I know and understand that lies can never be good.But I wish things were different."You should leave," I finally replied. My mouth became dry, perhaps because I knew I was about to tell one final lie."Of course, you need some rest. I'll see you in the morning." He concluded. He smiled weakly and leaned in to kiss me on my forehead."You shouldn't come back," I added as he pulled away.He stared at me with confusion, but he dismissed whatever he was thinking as his face lightened up. "Of course, I'll be here," he answered.I shook my head at him. "You shouldn't come back to see me, not today or ever. We should end this. Everything that did or didn't happen, all of it." I explained."You should get some rest. We are not thinking right now; so many things have already happened on the same day," he
Clara's POVI woke up to a beeping sound and bright lights around me.All the anxiety rushed in. It took me a while to calm down and realise I was no longer tied up there. I was safe. I still couldn't close my eyes and not reimagine everything. I wish I could forget everything. About a month ago, I never imagined my life would turn out this way.The sedatives were wearing off when my family came rushing into my room.Mom and Katy were the first to strangle me with their hugs and kisses. Soon enough, my room was covered in flowers and soon balloons got well.It was a relief to see everyone again. I thought I never would.We spoke for hours and even cried. You never know how to appreciate these small moments until they can be taken away.I was glad to hear that the woman had finally been arrested. I hope she is locked away somewhere she can never hurt anyone again. Although everything seemed to settle, I couldn't help but think the real storm would soon follow.A nurse stopped by multip