Lily's POV "I don't mean to scare you but I want you to know that the scary person is Caster Miller," She shook her head. "I need to know what happened, Lily," she asked.I knew there would come a day when I'll have to tell Scarlet what happened while she wants around. I didn't even get to know how her phone ended up with Roman that he used it to lure me out of the house and still, I haven't told anyone about what happened at Roman's place. "Maybe another time, Scarlet. It's a long story and it's not something we can talk about while we're in the car. Moreover, Arianna must be waiting for us," As if the universe was against me, Arianna's call came through at that moment."Hey, Lily. I'll be late for maybe twenty to thirty minutes but I'll be there as soon as possible," I turned to look at Scarlet who wasn't even aware of what Arianna just said."Okay," I simply replied."Will that be a problem? I don't want you to be waiting for me," "Don't worry about that, Arianna. I'll be wai
Derek's POVI was at the office when I got a call from a detective, asking if I could come down to their office. When I asked him what the reason was, he told me I would find out once I'm there.It wasn't a usual thing for a cop to call you and ask you to come down to their office without a specific reason. The first thing I did was make a phone call to my lawyer, Damien. Damien assured me he would meet me at the station by evening. Though I'd planned I'll get there by afternoon, Damien's decision made me change my mind.I've also tendered my resignation letter at my dad's office. He didn't question my decision and I appreciated that. My money and properties were still tied to Lily but I didn't care. They could strip me of everything and give them to her, I can say I fully trust her with my entirety.A call came in from Luke. "Why are you calling?" I asked as soon as I picked up."I just have this feeling that something is wrong with you so I decided to check up on you. Are you okay?
Derek's POV"What the hell happened to Q?" My dad asked as soon as I walked into the house at midnight. I've been stuck at the police station for more than five hours, sorting out the paperwork and all. I even have to be back there tomorrow to claim his body for the funeral. Unfortunately for me, I was the only person listed as his guardian in California here. I got to know he came from Mexico when he saw the job ad and since I offered a work visa, he decided to hop on the next plane once he got the job.Q and I had more than a boss-to-employee relationship. He always managed to intrigue me with the way he works, the pattern in which he does things, and how dedicated he was to the job. I had so much trust in him and he never hid how much faith he had in me. Even if it was to put the next meal on his table, Q never stopped believing in me. I was skeptical when I found out he was only nineteen when he started working with me, I asked him if he had plans to go to college or further his
Lily's POVAfter I told Scarlet a bit about what had happened when I was kidnapped, she advised me to tell Derek and till I got home, she kept on sending me messages urging me to tell him.I made up my mind as well to do that. I waited for Derek for hours but he didn't come back as early as I thought. I tried reading a book so I won't sleep off but that didn't last long before I dozed off and the next time I opened my eyes, I heard the shower running.The things that followed all faded from my memories because of what I heard."What do you mean by that, Lily?" Derek asked again. I couldn't open my mouth to say a word. I believe I've failed Q. I was supposed to help him but I didn't. Maybe if I had told Derek, he would've survived. Ever since I became a part of Derek's life, I've seen how important Q was to him. He was there during breakfast, with him at work, and at dinner sometimes. Derek never said anything bad about Q and I never saw him act badly either. There were days when he p
Derek's POVThe following morning, the first thing I did was meet with the guys at Henry's home. We felt it was necessary to discuss things before going to the station. I still don't know how the three of them turn out for me so many countless times, but I respect them for that.I also think there's no problem between me and Luke even though I still can't understand why he's letting his abuser breathe the same air as him. I guess, after all, blood is thicker than water. "We are all gathered here today to speak…" Henry began his dramatic scenario as he made an entrance into his study room. I arrived at the same time as Sebastian and we found out a girl was in Henry's home.We didn't get to see who she was because as soon as we knocked on his room's door and he realized it was us, he slammed the door back, preventing us from seeing the girl's face even though we all knew it was Amara. He cleared his throat and started again, acting as if he wasn't taking note of the hard glare that w
TRIGGER WARNING: SOME WORDS RELATING TO DEATH HAVE BEEN USED IN THIS CHAPTER, KINDLY PROGRESS WITH CAUTION.Derek’s POV After I left Henry’s place, Damien asked to meet together at the police station. The traffic that morning was hectic, they announced that an accident occurred on a side of the road and unfortunately, I had to take the same side of the road if I wanted to get to the station. After two hours of being in traffic, I finally got to the station and Damien was already waiting. Once he saw me, he had this huge smile on his face. He wasn’t one who smile a lot and that was what made it weird.“What’s going on?” I eyed him as I walked out of the car. He waved, even though I’d seen him already.“You got my text, right?” I nodded. “That’s exactly what’s going on. You’re not the father of the child so you should be happy about that.“I guess I should. On a normal day, I would be on my way to Brie’s house to slam her with a lawsuit but today, I just have to be here,” I explained,
TRIGGER WARNING: SOME WORDS RELATING TO DEATH HAVE BEEN USED IN THIS CHAPTER, KINDLY PROGRESS WITH CAUTION.LILY’S POVWhile Derek went out to see his friends because of what happened to Q early that morning, I also went to see my shrink together with Mrs. Miller. I still don’t know how Derek was able to tell her even though he left home so early. When Mrs. Miller told me we would be leaving by ten in the morning, I asked her if I could go alone but she said no. Derek had begged her to go with me and it wouldn’t be nice if I actually go there alone. She believes it’s best to hug or hold someone after talking to a Therapist.“I told you the last time we met that I’ll marry you if I see you again,” I smiled as I walked into her office.My therapist, Mrs. Crown is a renowned therapist who has refused to work for any organizations other than Mrs. Miller’s organization. She said it was her dream to help another woman who has gone through abuse find their way to light once more. She really
DEREK’s POV Adorned in black attires, sadness settled on our hearts, darkness was a companion and the weight of his death was unbearable. I thought I was the only one who felt this way or felt his absence but after his church service, I realized a lot of people felt the same way as me. Q wasn’t just my boy, he was everyone’s boy.They all loved and cherished him. Even his church wasn’t left out. I only found out during the service that he gave out to charity, helped single mothers, gave money to orphans, and lived his life for others. I always saw him with the rosary but I never gave it a thought, I guess that’s how much of a shitty boss I was. I attended the funeral with Sebastian and Lily. Henry, Luke, and Damien couldn’t make it for some unbelievable reasons.Henry said he couldn’t step a foot into the church because he backslide by going against his promise to God to stay celibate.Luke on the other hand said he had to attend his mom’s cousin’s brother’s funeral in Texas. Obvious
LILY’S POV ONE YEAR LATER “Love, can you please check up on the baby? I need to pee,” I called out to Derek before rushing into the bathroom. I heard him saying something that sounded like yes but I didn’t bother to listen. I was so pressed that if I didn’t rush into the toilet like that, I would’ve messed myself up. Once I was done, I took my time before coming out. I knew Derek got her, he’s been by her side the moment she was born and never left mine either. He has proved to me that he was a good dad and I’m so proud of him. Three months into my pregnancy, I told him I got a job but he was not comfortable with it and I had to convince him that it wasn’t anything strenuous. I’d learned how to program as a starter and I got an internship program that helped developed me into a junior developer. I know it's stressful when combined with college and the baby but I took a gap year to focus on my career and my child. Once I’m ready, I’ll get back it college and maybe change my degre
DEREK'S POV “Would that have made you feel so much better about yourself? Would you have felt accepted by the family? Would that have been enough to erase the fact that you’re nothing but a bastard?” I gritted my teeth.He started growling like a wild dog, repeatedly.“You shouldn’t have messed with Lily. She wasn’t a part of the family from the start, she shouldn’t have had to pay for the sins of our parents, she had enough already on her plate. Q wouldn’t have died and the family wouldn’t be in so much pain,” I told him.“She chose you and that was her offense. I had my eyes on her since she was at mom’s agency. I’ve always wanted to have a taste of her but mom took her to you and even when I moved into your house, all she wanted was you and not me, why? I would rather kill her than listen to that answer,” Inodded, realizing he was an unapologetic, unrepentant and crazy bastard.“I’m not disappointed in you, Caster because I knew just who you are, I could see through you when othe
DEREK’S POVI banged my hand on the table, controlling the anger that was already boiling inside of me. I was at the police station with my parents, Alex and Arianna. Lily had refused to come to see Caster on the excuse that she had a class but I knew it was because she didn’t want to see him or she wasn’t ready.I don’t know how Arianna summoned the courage to come with us but if I was her, I wouldn’t have been able to. Alex, on the other hand, had tried talking to Arianna but she wasn’t bulging. I was the only person she was talking to, the rest were being ignored and I mean my parents.“You’re telling me that someone knew Caster messed up with Lily’s car but you had to wait till the accident before you did something, right?” I asked my dad again for the third time because I didn’t want to believe the answer he was giving me every damn time.“I’m sorry, Derek, the guy I hired said the only way they could lure him out was to wait for the accident to happen. There’s no way Caster woul
DEREK’S POV We decided to keep the pregnancy news from the family. It was a mutual agreement between Lily and I. we thought it was for the best for the safety of both mother and child. The family was still dealing with Caster’s case and we didn’t want to put ourselves in danger by revealing the news.“Why did all these pregnancy symptoms decide to wait for two months before hitting me?” Lily groaned as she walked down the stairs.“Did you throw up again?” She nodded.“For the second time this morning alone,” Damn! That was bad. I was beginning to get worried about her. Even though the doctor said it was normal, I still wasn’t okay with it.“You should’ve called me, baby,” She laughed as she walked into the kitchen.“Meanwhile, what bomb have you been cooking up in here? Everywhere is a mess,” She started laughing again. I could only smile as I watch her laughing her ass off at the current state of the kitchen.“Well, I’ve been preparing pancake,”She stopped laughing, her mouth fell
LILY’S POV “You can leave now, my family will soon be here for me,” I dismissed the woman standing in front of me.“You don’t have to be so mean, Ataraxia,”I gritted my teeth as I glared at her. It took everything in me not to face her and yell like a lunatic right now.“My name is Lily, not Ataraxia, and thank you for your help, I’ll compensate you if you want,” I told her again for the tenth time and still counting.A few hours ago, I was on my way to get some groceries from the store when my car’s brake stopped working all of a sudden. I couldn’t even hold my emotions together as I saw my life flash in front of my eyes. I could only beg God to take the wheels because, at that point, death was calling. My car maneuvered out of the road and hit a street pole.Even though that stopped the car, both the car and street pole were damaged. Smoke was everywhere in the car and as I tried to open the door, I realized that I was stuck. I couldn’t find my phone to make a call and help wasn’t
DEREK’S POV “I found out that Roman returned to Italy a few weeks ago, precisely two days after Q was buried,” Sebastian informed us.Well, we were currently meeting at my office together with Luke. Someone has been messing up with things a lot around my house and the mansion. My parents don’t feel safe and my dad had to suggest for my mom leave town for a few months till we can get things back to normal.Caster is still MIA but we could all tell some of those things were his handwork. Threat notes were being sent to our homes, strange calls as well as someone messing up with the car tires while we were out. It’s like he’s stalking us all every minute.“Your Intel is fast, I’ll give him that,” Sebastian rolled his eyes at Luke’s comment.“Are you serious right now? I’m trying to help here, what have you done?” Luke scoffed.“It took you and your Intel a few weeks to realize that Roman wasn’t in town and probably not helping Caster. Stop giving yourself more credit than you should, Se
DEREK’S POV “Uh, I still want to sleep,” Lily groaned as I drove to my parents’ house that Saturday morning. I had to wake her up by eight and she grumbled for more than thirty minutes as we got dressed and left the house. “You should have some sleep before we get there,” I advised. She mumbled something incoherent before she closed her eyes and slept off. I smiled as I took in her features; her plump pink lips, those butterfly eyelashes, and her beautiful nose, I want to keep kissing them for the rest of my life. A few minutes later, we arrived at the house. She was already awake, complaining about how she still needed more sleep. “We can officially call you sleeping beauty now,” I joked. She glared at me and I smiled. “You don’t have the right to throw a joke at me right now,” I frowned. “Why?” “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that we’ll be visiting your parents this morning? We were at the club till 1 am and you still didn’t let me sleep when I got back,” I grinned. “Don’t
DEREK’S POV It took everything in me to not stand up and punch Damien when he walked into my club a few hours after the show started.The artist that was invited had already concluded his performance and left after signing and taking pictures with some of his fans. I thought Lily would love a picture with him but my girl stood back, shook her head when I mentioned it, and told me she wasn’t a fan. She was just here to support me and accompany Brandon and Scarlet.After the concert ended, about a hundred thousand fans of the guy wanted to party at the club but I had to turn down about 90,000 of them. Ten thousand people were enough, I couldn’t risk having such a large number of people in such a place. It’ll be bad for business.“Don’t do anything crazy, Derek,” Lily pulled my hand, already noticing how I was glaring at Damien. He had told me he won’t be here, so what’s with the surprise?“I promise, I’ll only hit him once,” I smirked, letting her know he was getting his ass beaten up
LILY’S POV On Friday afternoon, after my final paper, I came out to find Brandon and Scarlet waiting for me. I was surprised that Brandon would actually be here. I know I told Scarlet that I would be giving them free passes to the concert at Derek’s club but I still doubted Brandon’s presence because of what happened with Derek. That was the last time I saw him though. He’s been MIA since then around me and even though Scarlet and I met a few times after that, he never showed up.“I wasn’t expecting you to show up, Brandon. I thought you still hate me and Derek,” He snorted. I couldn’t help smiling.“I might hate Derek but I don’t hate you and who am I to say no to a free pass to that concert. So many people are trying to buy the ticker but can’t. It’s not even available anymore,” He said excitedly.The concert has been the talk of the town and for like a week now, everywhere I turn to in school, people were talking about buying the concert. I’m so proud of my man.“So, am I off your