Chapter 77

Clara's POV

I nearly choked on my breath after Derek's grandfather made the announcement.

By the looks of it, I wasn't the only one who was taken by surprise.

Derek's eyes widened; Nicole spat the liquor back into her glass, on the verge of choking.

Wife? What had I just heard?

Wasn't Madison trying to get Derek to marry her not too long ago, and now she was suddenly married to his grandfather? Had I missed something?

This had to be a joke. With the sinister look on his grandfather's face, we all waited for the moment he'd say, 'I'm just kidding' so we could start breathing again, but that never happened.

Instead, she appeared more confident and proud, placing her hand on his shoulder to review the huge rock on her finger. This was happening.

That immediately ruled out all theories I had formulated about her crashing the party. Finding out that she and Derek had reconciled and invited her would have been a better alternative than this.

I still don't know what could have happened between Derek and Madison, but he was never escaping now.

Derek was the first to say the one thing we had all been thinking. "You've got to be kidding me," he spat bitterly. He looked at the two of them in disgust. This only provoked Madison to wrap her hand around his grandfather's arm, a huge grin on her face.

"The two of us are very happy. I'd appreciate it if you fall in line." His grandfather answered. It didn't sound like a suggestion or even a request, something I've figured they are very good at doing in their family. "Besides, you shouldn't get me started on all the things you should have gotten rid of long ago." He directed at me.

"She is old enough to be your granddaughter. Aren't you disgusted with yourself?" Nicole asked.

The comment didn't seem to affect Madison or their grandfather.

This conversation sounded like a private family moment. I probably had no business being here. It was best I slipped away and stayed away from all of this as far as possible.

"I don't care about your relationship, but she is leaving. I want her to leave my establishment." Derek demanded.

"If you kick my wife out, you'll have to kick me out as well," his grandfather responded.

"Even better," Derek replied, crossing his arms.

"You are willing to kick your poor grandfather out?" He answered.

"You are not exactly poor now, are you? We all know she wouldn't have married you otherwise," Derek answered.

"You should show us both respect," Madison interjected. "Now, I know it's a bit too soon, and grandma makes me feel old and sounds old-fashioned. How about you call me Nana?" She smirked.

She was trying to provoke him, and sure enough, Derek reacted.

Derek now seemed more annoyed. He looked like he was ready to kick her out himself. This wasn't the time or place to start a fight. In any other situation, I would have been fine with seeing Derek kick her out himself, but this was not the place.

I wrapped my arm around Derek's. He relaxed slowly, and his grip on my hand tightened.

I bet it's hard enough when your parents get married to someone your age, but even worse if it's your grandparent.

"What is this pest still doing here?" Nicole asked, pointing at Madison.

"That's a good question. I'll have security throw her out." Derek answered.

Just when I thought my family was dysfunctional.

Derek was on his way to the security guard at the entrance when his grandfather stopped him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said. "You know how much influence I have? More than half of these guests are also my business partners. If I leave, they'll go along with me, and we both know your little auction will never see the light of day again." He threatened.

Derek froze. "What kind of person uses a charity for sick children with cancer to blackmail me?" Derek asked. His threat took Derek aback.

His grandfather shrugged. "It's your choice. Are you unwilling to set your ego aside for all the people this event will benefit?" he challenged.

He knew he had him cornered, and I didn't blame Tristan.

A smile spread across Madison's face, knowing she had won. "Sweetheart," Madison dragged out her words and turned, facing Derek's grandfather. "I heard they have this gorgeous diamond necklace up for auction tonight. Will you buy it for me?" she pouted.

"Okay, my pumpkin sugar spice." He smiled back at her.

This wasn't reassuring.

****

I woke up to chirping birds as the sun spread through the opened curtains. The day I seemed beautiful. I immediately lifted my head from the pillow in suspicion.

Why was it so beautiful outside? This day seemed too good to be true, not after last night.

As you may have imagined, the rest of the event didn't go smoothly. With Madison around, the news of her marriage quickly spread, becoming more popular than the event itself. Derek wasn't taking it well.

It wasn't until the event was nearly over that we realised that having her around also meant staying under the same roof. It's scarier than it sounds. Who knows what she is planning next? After all, I was still on her enemies list. It's a miracle that I managed to fall asleep last night. Maybe it was wearing heels the whole night that worked like a sedative.

I heard a loud smashing sound in the living room. It sounded like stuttering glass.

Maybe Madison had sneaked in and bashed Derek over the head with a vase.

I knew it. Something bad had happened, and this day started too good to be true.

I quickly rushed out of bed, heading towards the noise.

The first thing I noticed walking into the living room was the stuttering water glass on the floor. I tried my best to avoid the broken pieces with my bare feet.

Derek was a few feet away, already out of his pyjamas, with messy hair. I sighed happily, knowing he was still breathing.

I noticed his hand was bleeding. Smears of blood were on the floor while he tried to stop his hand from bleeding with one hand.

"Are you okay?" I asked in a panic.

"I'm fine," he answered, his voice pained. "You should move away from the glass before you get hurt," he warned.

I was still focused on his bleeding hand.

He moved towards one of the cupboards, pulled out the first aid kit, and slammed it on the table. With one hand, he struggled to open it before taking out the bandages. He had little luck using one hand. I could tell he was probably still upset about last night.

I stepped away from the glass, walking toward him.

I grabbed the bandages from him, taking him by surprise.

"I can do it myself." He answered, his voice annoyed.

"Let me help you," I insisted. I looked at him sternly to prove how adamant I was.

He sighed, conceding to my demand.

I grabbed a cloth on the table and used it to stop the bleeding.

Luckily, the cut didn't seem that severe or deep.

"How did this happen?" I asked, applying pressure to the wound. He jerked away in response.

"It's nothing. The stupid glass just fell." He answered dismissively.

The bleeding had stopped. I cleaned the wound before wrapping it in a bandage.

"Thanks," he muttered. He moved his fingers around, checking his ability to work with them.