CHAPTER 346: MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION

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."

"Makes sense." Justin rocked his head, then glanced sideways. "Derek, aren’t you curious about the Summit Partners project? It’s already started."

Derek’s frown deepened as he looked at Justin with a mix of irritation and disbelief. He had originally been the project’s lead before being replaced by Travis. Everyone else had stayed on board, including Justin.

"Are you trying to brag?" he muttered. "You should be grateful I’m still talking to you. You should’ve quit when Travis kicked me out."

"Cousin," Justin sighed, hands raised defensively. "We’re family and best friends, but I still need to make a living."

"Then help me with my project. It’s not that different."

Justin smiled faintly but didn’t answer. The Summit Partners collaboration was, after all, NL Group’s biggest project to date. Derek was lucky to have only been removed from it; if he weren’t the chairman’s direct grandson, he probably would’ve been demoted — or fired.

"If you’re not quitting that project," Derek grumbled, "then stop talking about it in front of me! I hate that company. Summit Partner, my—"

DING!

Before he could finish, the elevator stopped. Both men instinctively looked at the doors, and as if the universe was mocking them, the person standing outside was none other than Travis.

Derek’s expression darkened immediately. Travis stepped in quietly, standing between them. For several seconds, silence hung thick in the air until—

"Congratulations."

Travis broke the silence first, turning to Derek. "I heard tomorrow’s your engagement party. Congratulations."

Derek scoffed. "You’re not invited. Don’t you dare show up."

"..." Travis blinked slowly. "That’s fine. I have a meeting with Summit Partners."

"Travis, you’re not fooling anyone," Derek said with a sharp laugh. "Even if you have a meeting, it won’t last more than two hours. The party’s in the evening. Anyway, if you think I’m still bitter about Summit Partners — I’m not! You can have them for all I care— tch!"

DING!

Thankfully, the elevator reached the ground floor fast, sparing Travis from any further conversation. The doors opened, and Derek stormed out first, Justin following right behind him. Travis exited last, unbothered.

"Tch. ’Meeting with Summit Partners’ — who cares?" Derek muttered under his breath, nearly stomping as he walked. "He acts like that project was meant for him instead of being stolen from me."

"I thought you said you weren’t bitter anymore?" Justin asked dryly.

"I’m not!"

Justin wrinkled his nose. Derek was definitely still bitter.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Justin spotted someone familiar near the reception.

"Wait... isn’t that—?" He trailed off as Derek also looked over, spotting Harvey from Summit Partners standing near the front desk.

"Sir Harvey!" Justin called out, waving. He rushed to him and asked, "Sir, what brings you here? Do you have an appointment with Travis? If not, I can lead you to his office myself."

Travis, who was nearby, slowed his steps when he noticed Harvey speaking to Derek and Justin.

"What’s going on over there?" he muttered, but didn’t approach — assuming it wasn’t business-related. His direct contact at Summit Partners these days was the Big Boss himself, anyway.

Meanwhile, Harvey smiled at Justin, then turned toward Derek. His grin widened as he stepped closer.

"Actually, I’m just running an errand," Harvey said pleasantly. "Sir Derek, I know you’re no longer part of the project. Even so, the Big Boss wanted to recognize your efforts. So, he asked me to deliver an engagement gift."

Derek blinked in surprise, pointing to himself. "A gift? For me?"

"Yes." Harvey nodded, smiling broadly. "And the Big Boss asked me to deliver a message as well."

Both Derek and Justin leaned in slightly, waiting.

"His message is..." Harvey paused, recalling the exact words. "Congratulations on your engagement — and you’re making the right decision. Keep it up."

Then, with a slightly awkward grin, Harvey raised his fist and gave Derek a thumbs-up.

"Good job."