CHAPTER 380: THAT’S RICH

Later that night, in the Lancasters’ rest house...

"Auntie Celes, this guy... is gonna kill himself," Justin muttered, glancing at Celestine, who had just finished wiping Derek’s face after he’d thrown up.

Derek had been on an alcohol binge, drinking far more than he could handle. If it hadn’t been for Justin, they might’ve found him unconscious on the streets.

"How did you even know he was there?" Celestine asked, genuine curiosity lacing her voice.

"After seeing him drown himself in the tub, I got worried he’d do it again," Justin shrugged. "So I installed a tracking app on his phone. Face recognition works perfectly when he’s asleep."

A subtle smile tugged at Celestine’s lips as she looked at him with quiet appreciation.

"Tell me what you want," she said. "I might grant it as long as it’s not the highest position at NL Group."

His eyes brightened, and as if he’d forgotten the situation entirely, he slid closer. "Auntie, really?"

"What is it?"

"Well..." he trailed off, frowning as his thoughts scrambled. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what to ask for. He just had too many options to choose from.

Celestine chuckled softly. "Let me know once you’ve made up your mind."

"Heh. Thanks, Aunt Celes—you’re the best!"

Their light moment faded as her gaze returned to Derek. A flicker of regret crossed her eyes, but she knew she had done the right thing. Derek didn’t even need to tell her what happened. She already had a few scenarios in mind, and all of them led to the same conclusion.

Derek had finally seen what everyone else had seen long ago.

Justin noticed her expression, raised a brow, and shifted his attention to his cousin. Clicking his tongue, he shook his head.

"I’m honestly surprised he’s this devastated over Melissa," he admitted. "I didn’t think he liked her that much."

"He pursued Melissa for a long time, and they were together for years," Celestine said softly. "When you’re manipulated for that long, you start to believe that kind of love is real. I don’t blame him. I’m not even surprised he’s taking it hard."

She sighed. "He’s grieving. And grieving... is the hardest thing to go through."

After all, she had grieved once too when Derek’s mother was taken from their family. Daniella had been her best friend, the only person in the Lancaster family she trusted completely.

Justin blinked, studying Celestine’s profile. "But Derek didn’t really like Melissa before. He used to say she was ugly."

"Hmm?" Celestine turned to him curiously. "What are you insinuating, Justin?"

"Well..." he scratched the back of his head. "As far as I remember, he didn’t like her because she was... you know, a product of infidelity. Derek doesn’t like those kinds of things."

He hadn’t thought about it before, but that conversation with Derek had triggered old memories. Back then, when they used to visit Lola to play, Derek never paid any attention to Melissa. He wouldn’t even look at her.

"And recently, I asked him about their relationship," Justin continued. "He told me that if Melissa hadn’t saved his life that day, he wouldn’t have bothered with her at all."

That incident had been the turning point. After that, Derek had started talking to Melissa. They’d become friends, then lovers as they grew older.

Deep lines formed between Celestine’s brows as she stared at Justin in confusion. "An incident that saved his life?"

"Mhm! That time he almost drowned at the Young residence. Auntie, have you forgotten that?"

No—Celestine could never forget. How could she, when she’d thought she’d failed to protect Daniella’s only son? What confused her wasn’t the event itself, but what Justin had just said.

"Melissa Young didn’t save him," she said firmly, making Justin frown.

"Auntie, what are you talking about? Derek already knows it wasn’t the gardener who saved him."

"And it still wasn’t Melissa either."

He tilted his head, utterly confused. "Then who was it, Auntie? If it wasn’t the gardener or Melissa, then who saved him?"

Celestine fell silent for a long moment. Her gaze drifted back to Derek. Her lips pressed together, her eyes dimming with the weight of the past. That incident had happened so long ago when Derek had been just a boy. This only proved one thing: Melissa had been manipulating him far longer than anyone realized.

"Lola Young," Celestine whispered. "She’s the one who saved him. That’s why the chairman always felt indebted to her."

Because if not for Lola, they would’ve lost Derek that day.

Justin’s jaw dropped. His eyes widened as he held his breath.

"No... way."

*****

Meanwhile, at the Zorken Mansion...

"I feel like I’m being shunned," Lola muttered, watching Atlas, the twins, and Baby leave the living room the moment they saw her. Crossing her arms, she scoffed. "Did I do something to make them avoid me?"

All she did was take a quick shower after dinner! Before that, she’d been practicing how to charm Atlas—per Penny’s advice—to keep him wrapped around her little finger. It was also why she came back down so fast. She’d started to enjoy teasing him.

"Hmm?" Lola arched a brow and turned her gaze toward Slater, who was glued to his phone. Her lips parted, then curved into a mischievous grin.

She jumped onto the couch beside him and leaned in. "Whatcha doin~?"

"Ah!" Slater yelped, clutching his phone to his chest as he scrambled away. His face twitched. "Sis! Why are you peeking at my phone?!"

"Huh?"

"Don’t you know what privacy is?!" He backed up until he was on his feet. "Goodness! This house is huge, but nobody gives me any privacy! Don’t look! This is private!"

With that dramatic outburst, Slater bolted off, hugging his phone like it was his lifeline. Lola stared after him, utterly disgusted.

"Privacy? He actually knows that word?" she scoffed, shaking her head. "That’s rich coming from him."

A light chuckle echoed through the room. Lola turned to see Allen walking in and taking a seat across from her.

"For him, ’privacy’ usually means he’s doing something shady," Allen said with a grin. "He’s probably fighting with someone online again, saying ridiculous things."

"How does he even get away with that?" Lola muttered, though she already knew the answer.

Slater always got away with everything. Being a public figure with an angelic face helped, and when people called him out, he doubled down. His fans would defend him, claiming he was just being "real and savage," unlike other actors who pretended to be perfect until they ended up in scandals.

"Unbelievable," Lola sighed, leaning back before narrowing her eyes at Allen. "Say, Sir Allen... did I get a disease or something? Did Atlas have me tested while I wasn’t looking?"

"I don’t think that’s possible," Allen replied, amused. "You’d need to participate for that to happen."

"Then why does everyone seem to be ignoring me? Or rather, avoiding me?"

Allen blinked before a knowing smile spread across his face. "They’re just busy with something."

Something, indeed—like Atlas’s proposal plan. The twins already caught wind of it and were all in. There was no stopping them now.

"Don’t worry, Miss Lola," Allen said kindly. "I’m sure they won’t be busy for long. Everything will make sense soon enough."