Meanwhile...
"Derek, congrats!"
Justin’s cheerful voice echoed through Derek’s office the moment he opened the door. "Oh, look at that!"
Seeing Derek sitting behind his desk, pen in hand, Justin laughed and strolled right in. "Hey, hey! Tomorrow’s your engagement party! Why are you still here?"
"I have something to finish."
Derek’s reply was short and flat, his attention still on the document he was signing. His lack of enthusiasm made Justin’s brows knit together.
"What’s this?" Justin flopped down on the couch, turning toward him. "This is not what I expected."
Derek glanced up briefly. "And what exactly were you expecting from me?"
"Well..." Justin shrugged. "Excitement, maybe?"
Everyone knew Derek had pursued Melissa relentlessly for years. She’d been hesitant at first, especially because of Derek’s previous arrangement with Lola. But it was Derek’s persistence that finally won her over. So naturally, everyone assumed he’d be ecstatic now that he was officially getting what he’d always wanted — Melissa as his fiancée, and soon, his wife.
"Is this what people call pre-engagement jitters?" Justin teased, eyeing him again.
For several seconds, Derek didn’t respond. Finally, he set his pen down and leaned back in his chair.
"Justin, my engagement with Melissa should’ve happened a long time ago," he said evenly. "So even if it got delayed, in my mind, she’s already my fiancée. Besides, the party isn’t for me. It’s for her. Just like weddings — they’re for women, not men."
"Who told you that?"
"Auntie Celes." Derek shrugged. "The event’s tomorrow. I might as well get something done today."
Justin narrowed his eyes. "Auntie Celes told you that?"
"Yeah," Derek grinned, finally sounding a little livelier. "She also said she’s interested in a new project and wants me to lead it. So, I need to prove myself with this current one. After getting kicked out of the Summit Partners project, I have to show it wasn’t a skill issue."
"Oh..." Justin’s mouth formed a small "o" as surprise flickered in his eyes.
Celestine Lancaster — Auntie Celes — was one of the most respected figures in the entire family, arguably the most powerful woman among them. Even so, she rarely meddled in NL Group affairs. As long as the company was stable, she kept her distance.
So it was shocking to hear she’d taken an interest in Derek at all — especially when she’d never acknowledged Travis’s achievements.
Justin’s thoughts halted when Derek rose from his chair, gathering a stack of documents.
"Where are you going now?"
"Dropping these revised plans off. I’ll send them to Aunt later today."
"..." Justin blinked before jumping up from the couch. "Wait for me! I’m coming with you."
He jogged to catch up. When they entered the elevator, Justin couldn’t help but study Derek’s reflection in the mirrored doors.
"Hey, are you really not going to the venue to prepare?"
Derek frowned. "Prepare for what?"
"Your engagement, obviously."
"We already hired people for that. What’s the point of hiring them if I have to go check their work myself?"
"You’re right," Justin admitted with a nod. "Well, I guess we’ll just see everything tomorrow!"
He let it go and simply followed Derek’s lead. After handing off the revised plans, they took the elevator again. This time heading down.
"You’re not going back to your office?" Justin asked. "Thought you wanted to be productive today."
"I have a meeting in an hour. I’m grabbing food first."
DING!
DING!
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