Derrick’s POV “What do you guys think you are doing together?” Ricky asked as he sipped his drink. We’re currently in the VIP section of my club, and I have instructed them not to allow any other person in. It’s just the three of us. The VIP section was soundproof, so there was no way any sound could come in. It was exactly what I wanted. Naomi rolled her eyes at him. I sighed, “I don’t think I can stay away from my family. Your plan sucks. We need another plan. Why should I suffer because of some fucker?” I know he was just trying to help, but it wasn’t easy to stay away from those I wanted to be closest to. Ricky gaze moved from Naomi to me. He leaned in and whispered, “You were fine staying away from her for five years, but suddenly you can’t endure two weeks.” I could see the curiosity in Naomi’s eyes; she wanted to know what he said. I sat up straight. I don’t intend to hide anything from her, especially since she greatly doubts me because of our past. I want to be honest wit
Naomi’s POV.“It’s not a bad idea. It’s better to start now if you guys would end up co-parenting Dean.” Em said as she moved around her room. I ended up staying with her. I was so exhausted that the idea of leaving didn’t cross my mind. Dean was fast asleep on her bed when I got to Em.“I want to do this co-parenting stuff for Dean, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to be in any kind of relationship with Derrick.”Em paused and stared at me for a while, “I think he’s different from the way you used to tell me about him. The guy is devoted to you, both. Why don’t you give him a second chance?”I groaned. It must have been easier for her to say. I had been the one who went through numerous phases of heartbreak. It wasn’t an experience I was eager to go through again, and I know that although Derrick might break my heart, he won’t break that of Dean’s. He cherished his son.Em chuckled, “I think you’re thinking this too much. Was he bad on the bed?”I turned red. I haven’t thought abo
Naomi’s POVMy first instinct was to hold onto Dean. The banging on the door was serious, like the person was ready to break the door.Emily cursed while she put on a comfy wear; she didn’t open the door immediately. She glanced through the peephole before cursing louder. She opened the door. A tall guy with dark hair moved inside. He looked like he walked out of the magazine, and his confidence felt like an aura throughout the room. I frowned at this. He held a small box and shoved it at Emily. His gaze didn’t leave her, and I don’t think he had any idea someone else was in the room. His eyes were only for Emily.“I saw that at the front of your door. What’s wrong with you? Why are you ignoring my calls? Do you want to drive me insane?’He didn’t look like he was about to go insane. He looked too good to go insane. I guessed it had to be her boss from the gist of things. He wasn’t happy with this break of a thing.Em sighed; she collected the box before walking him in. Then, his gaze
Naomi’s POVAfter hiring a new bodyguard for Dean and getting him settled in school, I went over to Derrick’s. I couldn’t get any work done when I knew the threat hanging over my son’s head. It was all I had thought of throughout the night, and I decided to pay him a visit in the morning.Maybe Em was right. I had invested all I had here, and starting afresh wouldn’t make me achieve the life I wanted for Dean. Plus, I would return to square one, where I have no one alone. Also, the way Derrick had told me he missed his son, I doubt he would be too pleased when I suddenly disappeared with the said son. It all boiled down to one point: I had to work with Derrick to protect my son.As a writer, I’ve read many books that started with contract marriage, and they ended up falling for their selves, but I doubt ours would be like that. We were once married, and it had ended in divorce. So, the possibility of getting married again was close to zero. I would be careful and make sure to state al
Naomi’s POVI wasn’t expecting what I woke up to the next morning. Yes, I knew things were expected to change when I signed the contract. It was the norm in a relationship, even if it were fake. I hadn’t expected to see Derrick at the front of my door so early in the morning.I was just getting Dean ready for school; his bodyguard stood at the front of the door in case there was going to be another mysterious gift.When I heard the bell, my heart skipped a beat, thinking it was another crossed picture, but when I got there and saw Derrick with his luggage, my heart skipped for another reason.My gaze moved to the luggage in his hand, “What’s the meaning of this? Are you going somewhere?”He invited himself in while I trailed behind him. He settled his bag in the living room, took a bottle of cold water, and drank it before responding to my question. “I’ve decided to start living here.”“What!”I yelled before I could think. Dean ran into the living room scared, but when he saw Derrick,
Naomi’s P.O.V.It was a miracle that I hadn’t fainted from the event unfolding before me. Dean sat beside Derrick to have his breakfast; they both picked the same thing on their plates and ignored me like I didn’t exist in my own home. Derrick was stealing my son’s attention right under my nose.I smiled at Dean, “Dean, will you like some Capri-sun?”It was Dean’s favorite; there was no way he would reject it, and I was going to grab his attention again. I know it was childish, but I was jealous of his attention.Dean turned to Derrick, “Do you like Capri-sun, too.”I blinked at them in disbelief. He had never offered me his Capri-sun. Derrick smiled at him, “Of course, if Dean likes it, Uncle Derrick likes it, too.”Dean turned to me, “I’ll like two Capri-suns, mum.”And thus, I turned into their maid, serving them and clearing the table. Although Derrick offered to help, I refused. I didn’t want him to feel too comfortable in the house, but it seemed I was failing already.He offer
Derrick’s P.O.V.This smile on my face was permanent. I never knew it was this amazing to be a father. Today felt like the best day of my life, eating breakfast with my family and driving Dean to school. It was what I wanted to repeat every day of my life.My assistant took his position behind me, filling me in on things I had missed during my absence. I trusted that he could handle most of the work, so I wasn’t bothered about missing most.His voice shivered as he spoke, but I smiled at everything. I understand him. He’s human, and it’s easy to make mistakes; I let it go. I was going to correct the mistakes myself. After reading the report, he left my office. I sat at my desk and brought out my phone to stare at the picture I took with Dean on his way to school. If only Naomi were part of the picture, it would have been perfect, but this was still wallpaper-worthy on my phone. I changed the wallpaper and stared at the phone for a long time before dropping it.In the next few hours,
Naomi’s P.O.V.“Let’s play a game, mummy.” Dean’s voice floats around the room. Thankfully, I survived dinner without falling into Derrick’s hand. I had cleared the table, and Derrick had helped.“I think it’s time mummy work on her book.” I responded.He sat in the living room, and I was certain Derrick was with him. They were kind of inseparable now. “But mummy it’ll be fun. You can work on your book after we’re done.”I knew I wouldn’t win against Dean, so I gave in, “Fine. Let’s play this game.”I wiped my hand in the kitchen, and I was self-conscious of what I was wearing around Derrick, but I couldn’t go in to change now. I hadn’t expected Dean to be back so soon from work. When we were married, he usually came back at a late hour, and I was already getting used to that. I thought he would come late today, and I would have changed before he came back.They were both seated on the floor; I looked at them strangely, “Why are we sitting on the floor.”Dean beamed, “It’s for the gam
Naomi’s PovEverywhere was silent and the fact that it was all white made me feel a bit dizzy. I updated Derrick as I waited for the nurse to bring in Sandy.While awaiting trial, she was diagnosed with some kind of mental issue and was immediately transferred to a psychiatric hospital.I wasn’t supposed to be visiting her according to Derrick. I needed to stay far away from her, but I couldn’t help but be curious. I needed to know why she did that to me. I had expected it from Maya but never from Sandy.The banging of the door made me look up. Sandy was dressed in all white overall, her hair packed to one side with a cloth. Her face was bare. I had never seen her without makeup. She always wore it. She looked like a totally different person without her makeup. “Looks who’s here?” She said in a sing-song.The nurse left her, “Be careful. She’s getting better, but she isn’t well yet.”With that, she was gone.For a few minutes, I stared at the woman who made my life miserable these pa
Nomi's POVI paced my room as I waited for another message from Derrick. Ever since he claimed he needed to make a move, there was no message from him, which only raised my anxiety.I hated that he was putting himself in danger, but there was no other option. I had checked the location he shared with me, and I knew he had left the club hours ago, but now the blue dot on the map just sat in a place. He hadn’t moved from where he was for hours.There was no way Derrick wouldn’t have sent me a message to tell me what was going on with him, especially when I had sent him a message.I called Ricky. Immediately he picked up, and before I could ask him any question, he asked me first, “Did you hear from Derrick?”I could literally hear my heartbeat, “That was the reason I called you. He’s in some strange location that isn’t the club, and he isn’t picking up his calls. I’m afraid.”“I get you. Derrick sent me some pictures he found in Sandy’s room. He should be coming back unless he has been
Derrick’s POVTempting SandyI could hardly believe I was doing this again. I was back at the club, but this time to trap someone else entirely. Naomi had shown me various pictures of Sandy, she believed it would make it easier for me to identify her. And although it was the last thing I wanted, I could easily recognize her with my eyes closed.When she walked into the club with her out-of-shape dress, it only cemented the idea that she truly was the one after us. How could a woman dress that way and expect any man to be attracted to her?I had intentionally sat at an open place, so she could spot me whenever she came in. If truly she was attracted to me, she should be eager to garnish my attention, not knowing she was walking into a trap.But when our eyes met, she looked away.I sip a bit of my drink with renewed interest. Did she do that intentionally or are we just suspecting the wrong person?I spent hours waiting for her to make a move, but she didn’t. She had drank, danced, and
Naomi’s POV“You can’t mean Sandy.”The room was silent momentarily before Derrick nodded, “Of course, I meant her. Doesn’t she know you as much as Maya does?”She does, but Sandy is nothing like Maya. She was satisfied with what she had. She never craved what belonged to someone else. Someone like her won’t ever play a game like this. She was the peacekeeper in the group. Yet, I couldn’t open my mouth to justify her. We were talking about my son’s welfare. So I am open to all possibilities. It would be heartbreaking to discover this was truly Sandy.“But…” I opened my mouth to talk but the expression on everyone’s face told me not to try it.“So, we know that. What do we do?” Diana asked. She clung to Ricky, but the last thing on my mind was asking what was happening between them. I was more bothered about my child than their relationship.“We pretend we don’t know about it and set the same trap for her.”“But what if we are wrong again?” I can’t curb it.What if we are barking the w
Naomi’s POVI saw it. I was bothered because I hadn't heard from Derrick, and he hadn’t called. So, after putting Dean to bed, I came back to wait for him. It was the sound of the car that alerted me. I was waiting for him in the living room when I heard it. I jumped up from my seat to check if it was truly him, and that was when I saw him holding the same package. I recognized it now as I had stared at numerous of it and the image had found a way to stick to my head. So, I knew what he was holding.I expected him to come in, but he had gone back to his car and drove off. It kept me awake all night.‘What could have been in that package?’‘Did we get the wrong person?’‘What was going on?’‘Why didn’t Derrick come in to show it to me?’‘Why did he leave without saying anything?’A little tap behind me brought me back and made me realize that the egg I was frying was burnt beyond recognition.“Mum, What’s wrong?”I could list a lot of things that I thought were wrong in my head, but I
Derrick’s POVI had spent an hour discussing on an online meeting before Ricky stumbled to the living room in just his underwear. At first, he didn’t see me as his eyes were shut and he moved like he was being pushed towards his kitchen. I watched him finish a bottle of water before he opened his eyes. When he turned and saw me, he almost fell, making my smirk grow. It wasn’t every time I was able to surprise him, but getting such a reaction out of him made me momentarily forget what I was going through.“Dude, what are you doing in here?”I cocked a brow at him, “I should be asking what you were doing up there, but I don’t want to know. It gross just thinking about it.”He placed his finger into his hair before moving beside me, “Don’t tell me you have been here for a while?”I raised my hand. I am not saying a word.He smirked, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I had no idea how you were going to react and I didn’t want to add something else to everything going on around you.”I nodded,
Derrick’s P.O.V.My head aches; it doesn’t help that Maya or whatever she was called kept talking about herself. I’ve never met anyone so self-absorbed before. She thought I was into her and decided to tell me more about herself. It was a pity that I barely listened to whatever she was saying, but I bobbed my head up and down to encourage. If I was going to play this pretense game, then I might as well play it well.I was more than thankful when we finally pulled in front of her house. Excitedly, she opened the door and was bouncing on her feet when I got down. She made a show of linking our hands as we moved into her apartment.I looked around. It was a story-building apartment, but it should be easy enough to cover up immediately. I just needed to find evidence, and I’m out of there.Her apartment looked neat enough as if she expected to bring someone back home. It also smelled nice. I stood in the middle of the sitting room, not trying to feel comfortable. She looked around and no
Maya’s P.O.V.When I heard Derrick had returned to the club, I didn’t believe it at first. Everyone knew how he was hanged over Naomi, and he suddenly changed after she came back to town, so I gave up on going to the club to get his attention.There was no use; he was never there in the first place. He was too busy going over to Naomi to see any other person, and I didn’t see the need to hang onto a man who barely had time for me. I had almost given up on becoming Mrs. Boone until Naomi came over to my party to make that mess. It was embarrassing but also an eye-opener that she was finally having issues with Derrick and my opportunity to get him.It was annoying thinking of her as Mrs. Boone. If anyone deserved that position, it was me. I was prettier, and I always dated the best guy while we were at school. So, it was surprising to hear that Naomi had gotten married to him. I loathed that and desperately wanted to separate them. Luckily for me, I was able to separate them, but that d
Derrick’s POVI was back in the office, and I already missed Naomi. I missed having her close to me always, but we needed to do this, and I needed to give the crazy woman the courage to approach me. According to Naomi, staying away from her for a bit would encourage her to approach me, but I doubted it.Thankfully, I was lost at work to keep staring at time, and it helped me miss Naomi less. I had to keep my phone from me so I wouldn’t call her while working.After work, I called Ricky to hang out together at the club. From experience, I knew the easiest way for women to approach me was at the club. If I started frequently the club again, soon there would be rumors, and more ladies would approach me.I have visited the club for a week now and haven’t seen the freak. Lots of girls had approached me, and I had pretended to be into them, but it was disgusting when all I could think of was Naomi. I called her daily to make sure Dean was alright and to check if there was any new threat, bu