CHAPTER 375: GOODLUCK, DEREK.

Unlike the world that continued to revolve, the Young family’s lives spiraled, powered only by their problems. Lawrence was left to deal with the aftermath, salvaging what he could, because declaring bankruptcy was the last thing he wanted.

As for Jasmine, she usually sat alone in the garden. No one in the family knew whether she was drowning herself in tea or something stronger—and no one cared.

As for Melissa, she hadn’t left her room since the epic failure of the engagement party.

In the blink of an eye, the family of three had stopped having each other. They were too busy drowning in their own woes... or clinging to whatever hope they had left.

****

DING!

Melissa’s brows furrowed at the sound of another notification from her phone. She glanced at the device lying beside her pillow, biting her lip. Hesitation flickered in her eyes. She already knew it would be bad news.

"Why do I even keep my lines open?" She muttered, reaching to turn it off. But before she could, her screen lit up again. It was an email from Manager Kang.

Seeing his name, Melissa sat up slightly and opened it, hoping he’d fixed something—maybe saved one or two of her projects. Unfortunately, all she felt after reading was bitter dismay.

"That useless Manager Kang!" she hissed, her depressive stupor turning into anger. Melissa slammed her phone shut and tossed it aside before rolling over.

Out of sight, out of mind.

But as she turned to the other side, something caught her eye. On top of her vanity, there was a small white envelope resting on a box.

"...What’s that?"

She blinked, curiosity replacing her irritation. Pushing herself up, she walked cautiously toward it. She was sure that box hadn’t been there before. Taking the envelope, she read the message written neatly on it:

To: The Most Beautiful Girl in the World

Hope this makes you smile.

The message wasn’t handwritten, but it matched the font and format of the letters she’d received before from her secret admirer.

For a moment, her eyes softened. Her chest warmed. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, and she sniffed, trying to keep them from falling.

Setting the envelope aside, she carefully unwrapped the small box. Inside was a luxurious handbag, complete with a tiny plush accessory dangling from the handle.

The gift wasn’t nearly enough to fix her problems, but it made her smile.

"My secret admirer is really good to me," she whispered. "He’s the only one who still cares."

She hadn’t thought much about him before, but now, he seemed like the only person who still remembered her. It wasn’t as if Melissa had never had suitors—she had plenty of admirers over the years—but Derek’s constant presence kept them all away.

"They kicked him out of NL Group, didn’t they?" she muttered, frowning. "Not that it matters."

She had tried calling Derek the same night he’d walked out of the engagement party, but he hadn’t answered. His phone was off the next day too. She’d left several messages, asking to talk, but he never replied.

She already knew what that meant. It was over.

"Not a loss," she whispered bitterly. "If he’s out of the NL Group or disowned by the chairman, what good is he now?"

Her secret admirer, however, was a different story. Not only was he kind, but he also clearly had money to spare. His lavish gifts proved it. Even the dress she’d changed into during the engagement party—the one everyone had praised—was from him.

"How do I even contact him?" She wondered aloud, sighing. "I already asked the delivery guys, but even they don’t know."

There were never any return addresses on the packages. Everything was dropped off at boutiques or delivered anonymously.

Her fingers brushed over the card again. When she turned it around, she noticed something written faintly on the back. A small note slipped out and fell to the floor. She picked it up, blinking as she saw the words—this one was handwritten.

If you need someone to talk to, don’t hesitate to reach out.

—From your fan

Underneath it was a phone number.

"Has he always sent his number?" She murmured, but didn’t think twice about it.

For the first time in days, Melissa smiled. Finally, something good had happened to her. Without wasting another second, she hurried back to her bed, grabbed her phone, and ignored every other notification as she began typing a message.

[To: Unknown Number

Hey, it’s Melissa.

Uhm... I just want to say thank you for all your gifts. I really appreciate them all, and I’m glad you left a number so I can finally express my gratitude. After everything that’s happened, I actually smiled today.

Thank you. 3]

*****

At the same time, Derek sat idly in his room, recovering. After his failed suicide attempt, he’d been told to stay home, under regular supervision from nurses and helpers. Not that he cared. His thoughts were occupied with Celestine’s words.

"Derek, don’t you want to know if Melissa is really worth fighting for?"

"Just try it. Unless... you’re not confident yourself."

Her voice replayed in his mind over and over, no matter how hard he tried to forget.

Derek might’ve answered her confidently, but deep down, he was uncertain. That was why, until now, he hadn’t gone to see Melissa or any of the Youngs.

"Why am I even worrying?" he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Screw it. I’ll just tell her. She may have lied, but I’m sure she didn’t mean to."

At least, that’s what he wanted to believe—that Melissa might’ve lied, but her feelings for him had been real. Because his feelings for her were.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his phone and dialed Celestine’s number. Thankfully, she answered almost immediately.

"Aunt Celes," he said the moment the line connected. "I’ll do it. The test. I’ll do it and prove to you that Melissa did love me."

Meanwhile, Celestine leaned back in her seat and glanced at her phone.

"Good luck, Derek." Her voice was low, almost warning. "Hopefully, it’ll end well."