Clara's POV Perhaps she wouldn't even realise it was missing.I pretended to dust some furniture and waited outside the door.While deciding which dress to wear, Maddison spread out all of the gowns on the bed.Maddison said, "Didn't I ask to have five of these delivered?" Her helper gave her a bewildered look.And what would I do? I could say it was never delivered, but that may lead to the termination of another person. I had to figure out how I was going to survive this one."I think you are better off wearing the blue one ma'am," I said.Madison said, "Excuse me," as she turned to face me.Her companion and her helper both raised an eyebrow at me. I was probably fired for speaking out of turn at this point."I mean, a woman like you, the blue one perfectly highlights your curves. It shows your elegance, that you are different and not like the other girls. It says 'irresistible', you need to make him imagine what he could have. You will be the envy of them all." I was speaking wh
Derek POVThe rest of our walk was silent as we stepped back into the house.Mom was the first to greet us as we stepped back into the house.They had already finished dinner and were now in the living room."You two looked so happy from a distance. I hope you enjoyed each other's company." Mom said.Susanna nodded happily. "Your son is something special," she commented. "On that note, I have to let you know that I have to leave now. It was lovely meeting all of you.""You are leaving already? Please tell me that you will be back soon." Mom said."Of course I will. You'll get tired of my face soon," Susanna answered.Susanna smiled as Mom pulled her into a hug."On that note," Susanna said as she pulled away from mom's hug. "I think your son is very smart and capable of making his own decisions," Susanna said as she smiled back at me.I nodded with a small smile, showing my appreciation.Mom shot me a glare. She masked her disapproval, returning her attention to Susanna. "Maybe you sh
Derek POV One of my friends, Aaron, had recently gotten married without as much as a warning to his parents, who were on the verge of disinheriting him. To celebrate, he said he wanted to go out.And of all the places he could have gone to, he said he wanted to be where he wouldn't be recognized or have the paparazzi snap his pictures. So we ended up here. At a small bar that I'm pretty sure no one knows anything about.Both Aaron and Vincent were pretty easy to track down. Find the loudest spot in a bar, and you'll find them there."I guess I should congratulate you for getting married," I said as I greeted Aaron."You know me, dude, I'd be divorced before you know it." He answered, raising his glass.Why did I still hang out with these losers?He handed me a glass. I raised my glass, too, taking a shot of liquor."Vincent is about to take on the drinking challenge.""I think I'll sit there," I pointed at an empty table. I didn't want to be around if anything was to happen.Aaron sh
Derek POV"Did anyone ever tell you that you are an a-hole? I just lost three girls because of you." Vincent commented, slapping me on the shoulder. "I was happy just trying to ignore them till you came along." He laughed."Maybe they are finally smart enough to realise there is nothing in that big head of yours," I answered."On that note, I think I'll visit a special someone tomorrow. I know you know who I'm talking about. She said she worked for you. How is she anyway?" He asked.He was trying to get to me. "I'd forget that idea if I were you. I know you love that face of yours. Accidents might happen." I answered.Vincent chuckled, ignoring me as he finished the rest of his drink.I found my gaze slipping away and into the crowd.Among the crowd, I might have seen Clara slipping into the group and heading to the exit.The hair and facial features were the same. I was almost tempted to run over to her."Are you okay? You don't look too well." Vincent asked, snapping me out of my th
Clara's POV I never knew that was how she felt. I always knew that she was most affected by his behaviour, but I never expected it to be this bad.Maybe she also had a point. With my mother's luck in choosing men, what were the chances that he'd also be another disappointment? But that didn't stop me from wondering. I felt like a piece of me was missing, one that I'd never know.I pulled Katy into a hug as she cried on my shoulder."I have to leave now, or else I'll be late. You're suffocating me," Katy whined.I finally pulled away from her as I watched her wipe her tears."Anyways, I want you to know that I'll support you. I won't eat Mom's food or even speak to her until she decides to tell you the whole truth." She added.Knowing Mom, we would probably starve before she decided to say anything.She patted me on the back before walking out of my room.I was reminded of all the things I still needed to do today.Tell Derek the truth, just as I decided.I wasn't backing out of my de
Clara's POVI continued looking through the folder. Some things were slowly beginning to make sense. Maybe Mom wasn't lying about some things. But why wouldn't she tell me the whole truth?I finally closed the folder.I paused as I took a deep breath. "I need you to help me find my real father," I said.His eyes widened. "I don't think it's my position for me to get in the middle of that." He answered."You are the only one who can help me with this. I don't even know where to begin." I insisted."I don't know much. It has been many years. Besides, your mother would kill me," he stated."You don't have to tell her," I answered.He sighed, followed by a deep breath. "Okay, I'll see what I can do. I'm not promising anything." He answered."Thank you," I answered with a smile.I stood up, preparing myself to leave.The whiskey bottle on the side caught my attention.Without thinking, I poured half the glass.I drank it in a few gulps without taking any breaths in between.This was probab
Clara's POV "And you say it so casually?" He spat. He shook his head at me in disbelief. He probably couldn't believe how emotionless my voice sounded. "Do you have any idea what alcohol can do to a baby?" He yelled.His voice alone nearly shook me. I've never seen him this mad before."I was just struggling through a very difficult moment," I answered, my voice nearly on the brink of tears."You could have come to me." He yelled back. "I thought we were finally getting somewhere where we could talk about serious stuff." He answered.Why was I even bothering to explain this to him? Whether I drank or not was completely irrelevant. There wasn't even a baby to start with. If he was already this mad, how mad would he be when he discovered the truth?"I know, but I can explain. There is something more important I need to tell you." I said."What could be more important than this?" he asked. "You are drowning the baby with alcohol." He said.He didn't give me a chance to explain. I wanted
Clara's POV“Clara, what happened?" I heard a voice as I felt a rough shake on my arm.I snapped out of my thoughts as I stared back at Ivy, who looked at me worriedly."Why? What happened?" I finally managed to answer."Well, guess who I finally bumped into this morning? Derek." She answered. "He knows that we weren't cousins and that I worked here too. He thinks that whenever I'm around, I get you into trouble, and now I am on the verge of losing my job. He just asked me to submit a five-hundred-page essay on why I should keep my job or else I'll be fired." She said, "Within two days." She added."He did what?" My eyes widened.This was a lot worse than I could have ever imagined.She sighed. "I probably shouldn't be seen with you, and I'll get back to work." She answered.I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see two security guards behind me. "Good morning, ma'am," the security guard said after he had cleared his throat. "I was told to escort you out of the building. If
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