Clara's POV"Well, good thing you were born with two arms and two legs." She replied with a smile. "Besides, you have a rich boyfriend now," she added.I looked at her in astonishment."Firstly, that's his money, not mine. Secondly, I haven't even been paid yet." I continued listing my reasons.She moved in to hand me the cup, but then she backed away. "I think I'll keep it," she said, pulling the cup to her lips."Fine," she sighed. "Your boyfriend is on TV. It's your decision whether to show up or not." She stood up from my bed.She turned to leave but then stopped in her tracks."One more thing, don't be surprised if I show up at your work pretending to be an orphan. I'm sure Derek would gladly help me out." She said, She brushed her hair off her shoulder before stepping out of my room.What a drama queen.Wait, did she say Derek was on TV?Without hesitation, I pushed out of my blankets and went downstairs.Walking down, I could already hear the TV in the living room.Katy threw h
Clara's POVNext, I helped set the tables, placing the tablecloths and every other decoration needed. Just lifting the vases alone that were placed on each table was bone-breaking work, never mind all the other work that needed to be done on each table. With the way I've been slacking lately, I figured it was time I pulled in some work.Rubbing my forehead with the back of my hand from exhaustion, I dragged my feet toward the bathroom. I needed a break.I opened the tap to rinse my face, hoping it would help me feel refreshed.I heard footsteps and giggles in the hallway. I looked up. Minutes later, Sandra, Maggie, and Erin walked into the bathroom. All three of them were housekeepers.Sandra leaned on the wall next to the roll of basins where I had just finished rinsing my face. She looked at me, a smile on her face with her arms folded. It was almost as if she was studying me.I smiled at her in return as I continued to rinse my face."So," Sandra began. She relaxed her arm. The smi
Clara's POVIt hurt me so much because deep down, I knew it was true. Not even Layla thought Derek and I would ever be together. That's the reason why she wanted to find him a wife. She was only using me to help Derek get away from Madison.I should have been honest with Derek when I got my test results. I wouldn't be in this situation right now. Now, things were spiralling out of control. It was time for me to accept that no matter what I did, Derek would always end up with someone like Madison.I needed a solution to get me out of this, even if I had to go against Layla. The only thing I had was this job, and I would lose it if things continued to spiral out of control. For now, until I could figure out what I needed to do, the plan was to avoid Tristan. It was no longer safe for me to be seen with him anywhere in public, not with these speculations circling. The last thing I needed was to confirm it.I returned to the venue to help out with any finishing touches.It was nearly my l
Clara's POVI locked myself inside a bathroom stool and began changing into the dress and the heelHaving finished, I walked out of the bathroom stool to the mirror to see my reflectionI decided to loosen my hair. Since I was already dolled up like this, I might as well go full outToday, I didn't need to remove myself from the staff. The dress I was wearing seemed to be camouflage enough. No one expected to see me in a dress like this oneThe car that the man had instructed me to use was right in front of the building. A man sprang out of the driver's seat when he saw me opening the doorI smiled at the driver as I stepped into the back seat. This was way more luxurious than I was used to in a dayThe drive to the restaurant wasn't that long, literally five minutes away. I could have walked there if I wanted toBefore I had the chance to open my door, I was once again beaten by the driver. He nodded and smiled, gesturing for me to move forwardI climbed out of the car hesitantly. Th
Clara's POV"Of course, I am the good-looking one in the family." He added."Is everyone in your family this arrogant?" I chuckled. I remembered Derek saying something similar."No, we just took our classes on self-esteem very seriously." He answered with a poker face. I couldn't tell whether he was joking or not.I chose to chuckle, returning my eyes to the menu. I still couldn't keep my legs from trembling.Staring at the menu, I pretended it was the most interesting thing I had ever seen. Nothing could cure the amount of awkwardness I felt in this situation."Why are you here?" I finally asked the most important question."You want to get rid of me already?" He asked. He must have been a skilled actor because he almost looked hurt."I'm just curious," I answered."I was..."He was interrupted when a waiter walked in to take both our orders.Despite staring at the menu for so long, I still had no idea what I wanted to eat.Vincent took the lead as he ordered some chicken wraps for u
Clara's POV"Imagine on your eighteenth birthday getting the news that you will have a little brother. Who even decided to have children at that age?" He asked.I shrugged."I can't be seen with him. Everyone pretty much assumes that I'm his father. I mean me, at this age." He continued.I laughed. I never had that problem with Katy. I was ten when she was born. I was just too excited to have someone to play with. If only I had foreseen the trouble. Snapping back to reality, I looked at my watch. My lunch break was nearly over, in less than ten minutes, to be exact. I needed to get back to work. With the rumours circulating, I felt like I was on a probationary period and couldn't afford to make a mistake."I have to leave. My lunch hour is almost over," I said, standing from my chair. He turned to look at his watch. "Are you sure?" He asked."Yes, I have to leave." I insisted again. I pushed my chair in."Okay, I can drop you off." He suggested."No, it's okay." I insisted again.The
Clara's POVI sighed, slipping my phone into my pocket.The elevator doors finally opened.From a distance, I saw Derek walking toward me. I froze.What was he even doing on this floor?I had to remember the plan I had decided on. I couldn't be seen with him. Right now, all I wanted was to be invisible.Realisation hit. Had he seen the articles, too? Could that be the reason he was here? If so, how mad was he going to be about this, if even mad at all?Before he could fully realise it was me, I slipped into the elevator. I turned my head away as the doors closed.I dodged another bullet.I hadn't even responded to Ivy's text. I'd have to do that later. Right now, my work is more important.I pressed the button to the next floor, continuing with my delivery.It took me just over half an hour to get all my deliveries done.I sighed after making my final delivery, and I was ready to finally do some office work that didn't involve so much walking. I felt a hand on my waist. Before I had
Clara's POVI pulled away as I breathed heavily.As we both tried to gather ourselves, he rested his head on my neck.I saw a shadow back away in a corner.I blinked, almost panicking, thinking it was one of the staff members.I blinked again, this time seeing Madison for just a split second before the shadow backed away into a corner.But no, maybe I was overthinking things. It couldn't be her. This wasn't even the floor on which her hotel room was situated.She had consumed so much of our thoughts that I now saw her everywhere, even in moments like this.Derek moved away from my neck, his hand moving to my channel, tilting my face to meet his eyes again.He looked at me, and I looked at him, and at that moment, I couldn't get myself to think about anything else. Before we knew it, we were kissing again.Right at that moment, I realised I had no plans of letting him go.I'm starting to like Derek in a way that makes my heart beat faster whenever I think about it. It almost makes me f
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