Clara's POVMy hand instinctively grabbed for his cheek, turning his head away. The only issue was that he was suddenly focusing only on me. His gaze was fixed on mine. Our touch sent a shockwave through my arm.A chilly shudder ran down my spine. I was unable to attribute it to the wind this time.Our gaze met, and for an instant, I lost consciousness of my breathing.My rational part advised me to back off and that I should flee and get a cab home since these emotions would only make me lose my mind, but I disregarded it. We met eyes, and I stood there, knees weak, dreaming what it would be like to kiss him. I knew full well how close we were. I hope my heartbeat was too rapid for him to sense. A crowd yelled, "Mr. Montenegro," and I heard them.Derek and I both looked in the direction of the sounds.Suddenly, many photographers appeared, all pointing their cameras directly at us.I put my hand over my face. I had to keep them from seeing me.Derek must have gotten the idea, too, f
Clara's POVWe merely smiled to ourselves and tried to keep our eyes on the road ahead as we strolled silently to my house.We had reached my house, so it seemed like a shorter walk than expected.We came to a stop outside my gate.Derek remarked, "I had a great time tonight.""Me too," I grinned in response.We looked at one other for a time, and then I saw Derek gently take a step forward. Before long, there wasn't much room between us.Most likely, he was reaching for his jacket.I retreated, slamming my back into our little iron gate. I removed his jacket.With a "Here you go," I gave him the coat."Oh," he whispered. It appeared as though he had momentarily returned to reality. I held the jacket, and he grabbed it."Good night," I said in a whisper.I waved him off and went through the fence without a second thought.When I opened our front door, he still looked at me from behind.After I got into the home, I leaned against the door and let everything that had transpired some tim
Clara's POV"There will be no need for that," I answered, hoping Mom would get the idea out of her head.I didn't want my mom to meet Derek. It would be awkward if I invited Marcus, and he claims to have no idea why I was even promoted. As for Derek taking the cake, I've never seen him eat a meal that isn't higher than my paycheck, so I'm not sure he would accept it."Of course, we should." Mom insisted. "You know what, I'll stop by tomorrow where you work and make sure I invite your boss myself." She continued. She didn't seem to be getting the idea out of her head."No, Mom," I looked at her with pleading eyes. "Besides, my boss is a very busy man. I doubt he would want to come to this neighbourhood." I tried to reason."Well, you'll never know unless we try." She insisted. "I think I'll go and invite him today. I'll make my delicious lasagna tonight." She continued.It seemed like all my lies were about to blow up in my face. I was already pretending to be sick today. For Marcus or
Clara's POVHer initial reaction was puzzlement before she burst into laughter."You? Move out." Mom laughed. "Please, you don't even do your laundry. I still have to fight with you and your sister to put your dirty clothes in the laundry room. What will you eat if you move out? Nothing but two-minute noodles? I still can't figure out how you even work at that hotel." She continued to laugh."I know how to cook; I think I'd be able to survive on my own," I answered."Don't fool yourself, and I'm afraid you'll find a way to burn water, let alone make a meal every day. You'd be back here in less than two days." She continued.She dismissed my idea by simply laughing it off as she walked out the door.I'm pretty sure she was convinced I had gone mad and was simply delusional.I pushed every thought of my mom away. It was time for me to put on the best performance of my life. I needed to inform Marcus that I wasn't coming to work because I wasn't feeling well. ****Convincing Marcus that
Clara's POV'Who is the business tycoon's new flame?''Trouble in paradise between hotelier Derek Montenegro and Madison Riley?'I ignored the headlines in the rest of the tabloids and skipped through them.I sighed in relief. At least none of them captured my face."This calls for a moment to celebrate," Layla clapped her hands together. "Lucy!" she yelled.Her expression changed as she was hit with a realisation."Oh wait, she is not here today," she whispered. "Margaret!" she yelled again.A woman came running toward us. "Yes, ma'am," she answered."Please bring us two mimosas," Layla ordered.Margaret nodded before returning to the house."I want to know everything that happened," Layla said. She shifted her body to face me, her eyes filled with excitement.I told her every detail of the story, starting when I bumped into Derek. She seemed more excited as the story progressed.Margaret returned with our drinks while we lay under the umbrellas.I took a moment to think. "Have you e
Clara's POVShe could get any information, and she'd find a way to turn it into an evil plot.My phone rang, stopping Layla from finishing her plan."It's Derek," I answered, staring at my screen.I couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement."Answer it," Layla spoke.I paused for a moment before answering the call. "Hello," I replied with a cough."Hi," Derek answered, mirroring my excitement. "I asked around, and Marcus said you weren't coming in today because you are sick. Are you feeling alright?" He asked."I'm okay, it's just morning sickness. I was vomiting constantly this morning, and I felt a bit lightheaded, but I'm much better now," I lied."Okay," Derek answered, letting out a sigh. I could tell he was relieved. "I hope it wasn't because of what you ate last night." He spoke."No, not at all." I cut him off. "The food was delicious," I answered.Layla sent me a signal to hang up the phone. She was very persistent in her request, and she shot me a glare."I was just...""Li
Clara's POVI started with way too many lies. Sooner or later, he was bound to catch on.He sighed. "Okay, why don't I just pick you up?" He offered."No, there is no need for that. As I said, I'm perfectly fine. You can go home. Besides, I'm just about to catch a cab now." I answered."Are you sure?" He asked."Yes, I'll see you tomorrow at work," I said.He sighed. After that, we both said our goodbyes.I got out of this a lot easier than I thought.*****NEXT DAY*I rubbed my forehead, hoping it would make my hangover a little bit better. I ended up having many more drinks with Layla than I should have. To make things more difficult, Mother Nature decided that today was my day. Not only did I have a hangover, but I was also having cramps. My back and feet hurt. If not for yesterday, today would have been the best day to stay home.I slammed my locker shut."Morning!" Ivy yelled. I nearly jumped out of my skin at her surprise."Could you be any louder?" I snapped, rubbing my forehea
Clara's POVFocus, Clara, I reminded myself."How are you feeling today?" He asked.I wanted to smile at him, to assure him that my day at home yesterday had not gone to waste. I had fully recovered, but my body betrayed me as I was reminded by the cramping in my stomach and how incredibly uncomfortable it was just standing right now. I couldn't even handle my period. How would I handle being pregnant? Good thing I wasn't.I sighed. "No, I'm not okay," I answered, throwing my hands in the air. "You have no idea what my body is going through. I feel lightheaded and nauseous."My back is sore, and so are my feet. My whole body feels cold, and I do not know what I want." I rambled. My voice sounded like I was on the brink of tears.I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. It was all going to be alright. I had been doing this for more than fifteen years of my life.Derek took it as some hormonal tantrum caused by my pregnancy.He was now trying to calm me as he sat me on the couch. He
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