Clara's POV She would not agree with what I did, but she would understand. Perhaps she would help me and know how to explain this to Derek better.I was getting into trouble because I kept inventing more lies and hiding things. Right now, only the truth could save me."Mommy," I whispered, nearly choking on my tears.She smiled back at me, wiping away the last tears streaming down my cheeks."I did something stupid," I confessed.She paused, her eyes now holding a more concerned look."What is it?" she whispered.I took a deep breath to gather my words.Right then, the doorbell rang.Mom kept her strong gaze on me, staring directly into my eyes as a range of emotions flashed across her face. The tears on my cheeks weren't helping her worry any less. Without question, she looked like she was expecting the worst.The look on her face told me, "How bad is it?".I knew I had to tell her the truth. Maybe then I could gather the courage to tell Derek and face whatever consequences that fol
Clara's POV This child was looking for a way to end up in the hospital."What do you think you are doing?" Katy asked in a whisper.Experience tells me she was probably listening in. I knew the sound upstairs was no coincidence."I can't keep hiding this forever, and it will only blow up in my face." I reasoned with her."Mom has never stolen a candy bar in her life. She will murder you and everyone else involved. You can't do this." Katy whispered.Katy and I froze as we heard footsteps and laughter coming down the hall. Katy tried to look as natural as possible to avoid all suspicion."I see you are ready for your trip." I heard Derek's voice from down the hall.Not him, either. I couldn't help but curse softly. My bad luck couldn't be a coincidence. This was all a conspiracy.Maybe it was just my bad decision.It would be much easier to tell the two of them while they are together. That way, I only had to see their disappointed faces once, but Derek had already threatened me, and I
Clara's POV He announced. I folded my arms in rebellion in my seat and buckled up as the jet took off.I tried to fight this. I did. But in the end, I lost.My main argument was that I couldn't leave my sister alone for a while, which worked as Katy backed me up, showing her big puppy eyes.I knew I'd lost the argument when Derek mentioned his five-star guesthouse, her staff, and an unlimited bank card. That's all it took to buy her loyalty. With Derek's argument that I couldn't be trusted, things looked bad for me.Although Derek insisted that she would be under supervision, it didn't help me feel any better. Besides, I was the one trying to get out of this trip.Layla called to inform me that she would also keep an eye on her for the five days we would be gone. I hope Layla doesn't start planning to find a husband for her, too.Thinking about it now, I probably should have fought more about this.Despite everything, my mind finally registered that I was going to Greece.Not too lon
Clara's POV "Feel free to choose either of the two bedrooms you like." Derek interrupted my thoughts. "I have to meet with a client for a few minutes. I'll be right back. Make yourself at home," he added.He looked at his phone before making his way out of the suite.For the first time, I was finally left alone to behave like the lunatic I was. I was jumping up and down like a twelve-year-old kid. For someone who'd just been through a ten-hour flight, I'd think I'd be tired, but then again, I also got a full-body massage.I was forced to remember how old I was when I noticed the door knob turning.I stopped, keeping an eye on the person who walked in.Instead, it was a maid who walked in. She was almost startled that I was standing there. She had a similar uniform to ours, the same knee-length dress style with a white apron over it, except theirs had a faded ocean blue instead of black."Good day, ma'am, I'm Cassia," she said. She had an unfamiliar accent."Good day," I greeted back
Clara's POVI couldn't believe it.Derek knew about Leonardo all along.How many people knew about this while I was clueless this whole time?What else did he know about me?I stopped in my tracks, anger rushing to my face as I continued listening to the rest of his conversation.I've never told him anything about it, and I know he was his partner long before I knew about it.It makes sense now. He was so invested in knowing about my family before meeting my mother. He must have had me investigated. Who knows what kind of information he must have had about me?"It's ridiculous of my grandfather to even think I'd use Clara to get the contract." He said next. "Before you forget, I want to know exactly what business my mother has with the doctor Clara and I visited." He added.I nearly gasped.He was even closer to the truth than I would have ever thought. Was he investigating me this whole time?It felt like a lot for me to process at once.I took some steps back, walking back to the ba
Clara's POV "Mr Montenegro had someone pick out a few dresses for you for the charity ball this evening." She said as she pointed at a pail of clothes, all covered in their suit bags.Hadn't I told him I wouldn't be going? What made him think he could go along and find me a dress anyway?Poor Cassia didn't seem like the right person for me to be having that argument with."He left you a note too," she pointed to the letter at my bedside. "He is such a romantic, isn't he?" She giggled.She stared at me with a wide grin before deciding to leave my room.I waited for Cassia to leave before reaching for the letter.Breakfast in the garden, please join me.-DerekHis letter read.I returned the letter to the bedside as I jumped off the bed.After last night, I was still unsure how to feel about everything. I'd be a hypocrite if I tried to call him out for being a liar or for hiding things from me. He wasn't my favourite person either at the moment.But I was hungry. Besides, I wasn't goin
Clara's POVAs far as Derek was concerned, just one second of me looking at a wine bottle would be enough to send me to rehab."Clara doesn't drink," Derek answered, his tone definite."Come on, Derek, let the girl have more fun." She winked."She is pregnant," Derek clarified.Jocelyn's eyes widened. We were all in awkward silence for a while.I was going to have to lose the baby. If everyone found out, I'd never be able to walk the streets again."So..." Mike cleared his throat. "I heard that your grandfather would be joining us, Derek," Mike said."You know him. He likes making appearances," Derek answered.His grandfather was coming. Why doesn't he tell me about these things? I'd have liked a fair warning if I was potentially meeting any new people, especially family members. Was I being naïve in hoping that his grandfather would be just as nice as everyone else in his family?"His presence would surely be good for our business. You know he attracts a lot of clients," Mike added.
Clara's POV"Noemi, you remember Derek Montenegro, right?" Jocelyn asked."Of course, who doesn't know him?" Noemi responded."Well, she is his little... project." Jocelyn hesitantly answered.I didn't want to be that girl from the hood who ended up beating up a bunch of rich snobs, but right now, the thought seemed tempting. Why kill someone with kindness when you can just knock them out with your fist?The two ladies had their eyes widened; they didn't need anyone to invite them for a seat."That explains the clothes," Ellianna answered."Don't be so mean. She is pregnant, and you wouldn't want anything happening to her baby." Jocelyn laughed."Oh, how far along are you?" Noemi asked. A more serious expression now occupied her face."About five weeks," I replied hesitantly, tracing my lie."Oh, you look a lot bigger than I would've expected," Noemi commented.Why had I even bothered entertaining them? This was all my fault."Don't be so mean, Noemi, and it's not her fault the poor t
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