The sound of loud music echoed throughout the nightclub, creating a lively atmosphere. However, Derek’s mood remained unaffected. If anything, the music and the alcohol were only making him more irritable.
"Hey!" Justin, his cousin, jumped onto the lounge seat across from him. "Derek, are you just going to sulk here? Let’s have fun, man!"
Derek clicked his tongue irritably but said nothing. He chugged his drink, hissing as it went down.
"Derek, cousin, if you’re angry, why not dance and loosen up a bit?" Justin leaned forward. "I thought that’s what you wanted when you asked to co here."
But Derek ignored him. Justin sighed.
"Fine," he leaned back. "What is it, man? Is it Lola again? Or her children? Did they beat you up again?"
"Those kids didn’t beat up!" Derek snapped, making Justin raise a hand in surrender.
"Fine, fine, geez! Why are you venting at ?" Justin snapped. "If it’s not those kids or Lola, then what is it? Was it Travis? Or Caullen?"
"It’s lissa." Derek ruffled his hair in irritation. "It’s lissa."
Hearing this, Justin furrowed his brows. "lissa made you this angry? That’s a first."
"lissa’s been acting strange lately," Derek said, picking up his glass and leaning back. "I know she’s kind-hearted, and because of that, people take advantage of her. But..."
He stopped himself before saying anything harsh. Derek had never felt such anger toward lissa before, yet tonight, his heart swelled with nothing but frustration. And the reason was clear: she had made him look like a fool in front of others.
"Had she told what really happened, I wouldn’t have made assumptions," he continued after recounting the events of tonight. "In the end, I am the bad guy, and she’s not even sorry. If anything, she’s even angrier. It’s so frustrating."
Justin shook his head, eyes on Derek. "Derek, did you really try to hurt Lola?"
"What? No!" Derek scowled. "I was just trying to take her—that’s all."
And yet, anyone who had witnessed the incident might have said otherwise.
"Maybe she didn’t really an it," Justin shrugged. "I an, you know lissa better than anyone. You two have been together as long as I can rember. Besides, you liked her the first ti you saw her."
Derek glanced up at Justin, opened his mouth, and closed it again.
"Just talk about it tomorrow or when things have cald down," Justin said, leaning forward. "For now, let’s have fun. Forget about lissa—or anyone."
He tipped his head in a direction, prompting Derek to follow with his gaze. At the table Justin was hinting at, a group of won sat, their red lips curled in suggestive smiles, eyes gleaming.
"I t them earlier," Justin said. "Don’t worry. It’s all just for fun. Then we forget everything after tonight."
Derek kept his gaze on the table, focusing on one woman in particular, who was holding his stare. After a few seconds, she pushed herself away and sauntered in their direction. Justin smirked approvingly, but to his dismay, Derek suddenly stood just as the woman reached their table.
"I’m going ho," he announced, eyes on Justin. "You have fun yourself."
He glanced at the woman, catching her smile falter. Without another word, he lowered his head and walked away.
"Derek!" Justin yelled, but all Derek gave him was a wave, not a look. "Hey—!"
Justin frowned deeply, watching him disappear into the crowd. He exhaled shallowly, then turned to the woman and offered a smile.
"Sorry about him," he quipped. "He’s not in the mood tonight."
*****
Once Derek jumped into his car, he didn’t drive off imdiately. He sat in silence, his mind wandering, Justin’s words echoing in his head.
"Besides, you liked her the first ti you saw her."
A shallow breath escaped him. "No, I didn’t like her the first ti I saw her."
Actually, he had liked soone else before. Derek knew he had been tied to another from a young age, so liking that soone wasn’t difficult. Besides, Lola had been very pretty as a child.
"When did I even start liking lissa?" he wondered, before realization dawned. "Ahh... right. It was that ti."
*****
[Flashback]
Derek had a good relationship with his cousins as a child. Competition never interfered back then; they got along well. One of their favorite pastis was visiting the Young Residence—for one reason: Lola.
Lola was an only child. She had no one to play with, and as her fiancé, Derek would ask his cousins to co along. One day, while everyone was playing, Derek idled by the swimming pool.
He was waiting for Lola, wanting to comfort her after learning that Loren had passed. As he wandered along the poolside tiles, counting them with each step, Derek slipped and fell.
"No..." he reached out, trying to climb back. But he couldn’t swim. He struggled, only to sink deeper.
Help... please...
Derek tried to stay conscious, but his body weakened with the lack of oxygen. Just as his vision dimd, he heard a faint call from above. Forcing his eyes open, he saw a panicked figure at the surface.
In the next second, bubbles erupted in the water as soone jumped in.
Help... he thought, reaching out.
Relief flooded him as a hand grasped his and pulled him up. But he was already on the verge of unconsciousness. The last thing he rembered was a star necklace glinting before he blacked out.
When he woke up, he was back ho. The gardener had saved him, or so he was told. But Derek sensed that sothing was off. A month later, when he visited the Young Residence, he saw the sa star necklace—this ti, around lissa’s neck.
From then on, Derek tried to be kind to lissa, feeling that he owed his life to her. Whatever reason the adults had for lying—claiming that the gardener had saved him—didn’t matter. He had his confirmation when he confronted lissa.
As Derek started developing feelings for lissa, his relationship with Lola dulled until it beca completely strained. All because Lola kept picking on poor lissa, and Derek knew he was the cause of Lola’s behavior. Hence, his overprotectiveness toward lissa was born entirely of guilt.
Reviews
All reviews (0)