Chapter 30

Clara's POV

Her initial reaction was puzzlement before she burst into laughter.

"You? Move out." Mom laughed. "Please, you don't even do your laundry. I still have to fight with you and your sister to put your dirty clothes in the laundry room. What will you eat if you move out? Nothing but two-minute noodles? I still can't figure out how you even work at that hotel." She continued to laugh.

"I know how to cook; I think I'd be able to survive on my own," I answered.

"Don't fool yourself, and I'm afraid you'll find a way to burn water, let alone make a meal every day. You'd be back here in less than two days." She continued.

She dismissed my idea by simply laughing it off as she walked out the door.

I'm pretty sure she was convinced I had gone mad and was simply delusional.

I pushed every thought of my mom away. It was time for me to put on the best performance of my life. I needed to inform Marcus that I wasn't coming to work because I wasn't feeling well.

****

Convincing Marcus that I was sick didn't take much effort at all. I told him that I'd be better by tomorrow. Next, I got ready to go to Layla's house. She had texted me that her driver would come and pick me up. Only heaven knows how Layla got my number.

The driver came right on time to pick me up. I fiddled with my fingers anxiously throughout the car drive.

I noticed all the properties around here were becoming more elaborate, some having their golf course.

The car pulled into a property. Its large silver gates opened, welcoming us in. The mansion was further down, with a large garden in front. I think the place had its golf course and a tennis court further down.

The car was finally parked in front of the mansion. Stepping out of the car, I gasped in surprise.

The place was gorgeous.

Its walls were painted white with grey tiles for the roofing. There were large vases of flowers guarding the entrance to the double doors. The details of the place continued to impress me; it looked very modern.

I knew Derek and his family were rich, but I had no idea they could be this rich.

I was then greeted by a maid who gave me directions. "Walk down the wall, and you'll find the madam there." She instructed.

I nodded and then followed her instructions. It led me into the living room.

Everything looked antique and well-polished.

A man emerged from the living room. He smiled back at me, holding a glass of whiskey.

"Good day, I'm..." I paused. How was I supposed to introduce myself? As the woman who was lying to his son that she was pregnant. I wonder if he even knew about anything, Clara, right?" He answered. "You must be my wife's latest victim." He chuckled.

So, he must have been Derek's dad. I could see the resemblance. They had the same jet-black hair with the same eye colour. He seemed a bit more laid back, unlike when I first met Derek.

I couldn't help but stare at him dumbfounded. How much did he know about me?

"I know everything. You can relax." He spoke.

His words made me feel a bit more relaxed. I couldn't help but think about what he must think about me.

He smiled at me again as he gestured for me to follow him.

He led me to the opposite exit of the house. We ended up on a balcony.

Right down, I got a view of the pool.

Several white sun loungers were lining one side of the pool with umbrellas over them.

The pool looked enormous. I'm sure it takes up more space than my house.

"She is right there," He pointed toward the pool. He returned inside the house, probably not wanting to be a part of this madness. I didn't even get his name.

I climbed down the stairs on the balcony.

Layla jumped off the sunlounger and removed her sunglasses.

"There she is!" Layla exclaimed enthusiastically.

She stood up to hug me. I responded to her hug reluctantly.

She pulled away, smiling back at me. "I didn't think you'd work that fast." She said,

Layla read my puzzled expression. She collected the tabloids on the small table between the sun loungers and handed them to me.

I looked through the tabloids, stunned. I was on the front cover of every one of them. My face was hidden in them, but Derek's face was clear in the pictures as he fielded me. It surprised me that all the covers featured me, just from different angles.

'Who is the secret Cinderella?' One of the headlines read.

'Who is the business tycoon's new flame?'

'Trouble in paradise between hotelier Derek Montenegro and Madison Riley?'

I ignored the headlines in the rest of the tabloids and skipped through them.

I sighed in relief. At least none of them captured my face.

"This calls for a moment to celebrate," Layla clapped her hands together. "Lucy!" she yelled.

Her expression changed as she was hit with a realisation.

"Oh wait, she is not here today," she whispered. "Margaret!" she yelled again.

A woman came running toward us. "Yes, ma'am," she answered.

"Please bring us two mimosas," Layla ordered.

Margaret nodded before returning to the house.

"I want to know everything that happened," Layla said. She shifted her body to face me, her eyes filled with excitement.

I told her every detail of the story, starting when I bumped into Derek. She seemed more excited as the story progressed.

Margaret returned with our drinks while we lay under the umbrellas.

I took a moment to think. "Have you ever stopped thinking that maybe your son is smart enough, and you should let him make his own decisions?" I asked. "Derek doesn't seem that interested in Madison. Do you think that this whole thing may be unnecessary?" I asked.

She laughed. "Do you think I'm doing all this just because of Madison? She is merely a fly to me," she said.

Her response made me curious. What was Layla planning?

"The truth is, there will always be women like Madison. The only way to solve that is to get him married. I'm going to find him a wife. For that, I need Madison far away so he can stop making excuses." She smiled.

My eyes widened.

"Are you going to find him a wife?" I repeated.

"Don't act so surprised. It's not like you have any plans to marry him," she said.

I stayed silent. I agreed to help Layla get rid of Madison. However, I didn't think it was okay to push Derek into something like marriage, at least by manipulating him into it.

She sighed. "I'd advise you not to get too attached. Remember, you're not even pregnant. What would he do if he found the truth?" she asked.

She had a point. I couldn't ever fall in love with Derek.

"Nothing would ever happen between us." I swallowed hard. "Why don't we start talking about why I'm here?" I asked.

"Well, you are here to relax and spend the day with me." She said,

"Did you change your mind about the makeover?" I asked, puzzled.

"Well, I don't usually say this to people, but you are perfect as you are." She spoke. Something told me it was much more difficult for her to admit than it seemed. "Besides, it would be too suspicious if you suddenly appeared all glammed up." She reasoned.

"You could have told me this earlier. I missed work for no reason," I said.

"Well, from what I gathered, last night turned out well for Derek and you. If he doesn't see you for the day, he'll keep thinking about you. Too much of a good thing at once can be a bad thing." She answered.