CHAPTER 47: FATE (?!)

Lola followed Silo to the lobby, headed straight for her suite, which was booked just for her by the production crew. But on their way, her phone buzzed in her hand.

Checking who it was from, she smiled and slowed down. "Silo, I’ll follow you."

Silo just glanced at her and nodded. Her stuff was heavy, and taking it to the suite to free himself from it was his only goal right now.

[From: Unknown]

Mommy, how are you~? Chacha and Second are working hard! Father Sir too!

DING!

[From: Unknown]

Don’t forget to drink water, Mommy~! We miss you so so much~!

Her face softened as she read the messages from the same number their father was using.

"Goodness," she whispered with a chuckle, about to compose a reply when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm.

Lola paused as her brows knitted, gazing down at the hand holding her arm. Slowly, she looked up and turned, only for the warmth on her face to disappear in an instant.

There, standing before her, was Derek.

"Hey." Beaming, Derek straightened his back and retracted his hand. "Remember me?"

She blinked and tilted her head to the side. Seeing her reaction, Derek cleared his throat and sported his best smile.

"We met at the airport days ago!" he intoned, motioning with his hand as if to help her remember. "You know? The guy you bumped into?"

"..." Lola studied the look on his face.

Derek scratched the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly at her lack of response. She just stared at him, and somehow, he wondered if he had shaved neatly today or if there was some dirt on his face. She didn’t have those huge shades or anything on her face, but she was still just as pretty as he remembered.

"I know this is probably strange to you, but, uh..." he trailed off, laughing to lighten up the mood. "I just thought that back at the airport, I barely helped you with your things. So, I’ve been thinking about it."

The disinterest in her eyes shone brighter, but she didn’t bother saying anything.

"How about a coffee?" he suggested with a bright smile. "To make it up to you."

"Do you always buy everyone you bump into coffee?" Finally, she replied with a tinge of sarcasm.

"What—no, of course not," he laughed it off. "It’s just that... I think this is fate."

"Fate?"

"First, in the airport, and then today, I saw you again!" he explained. "I want to think that this is fate."

Lola blinked once, then again. This man was engaged now, and knowing the Young and the Lancaster families, Derek and Melissa would surely have their own grand engagement party. Yet, here he was, asking a "stranger" for coffee.

Oh, Melissa.

After a second, Lola smiled. "Thank you for the offer, but no." After saying that, she was about to resume when he suddenly held her arm to stop her. She frowned and looked back at him.

"If you change your mind," he said, holding a calling card between his fingers to her. "Call me."

"Hah." She scoffed, studying the confident smile plastered on his face. Under different circumstances, she would’ve broken these fingers. But Lola had sworn to herself that physical violence doesn’t always fix things.

She had learned her lesson a long time ago.

She took the card without a word. "Your hand."

"Right." Derek let her go and took a step back. He watched her go, saying, "I’ll keep my line open!"

But Lola didn’t stop or look back at him, which was fine.

"Heh," he smirked, nodding to himself in satisfaction. "I’ll be waiting..."

And deep down, he knew she would reach out. Why? Because his calling card was enough to let her know who he was, which family he was from, and his position.

Any woman would be gleeful if she knew that Derek Lancaster was interested in her. If she didn’t know the Lancasters yet, then he was certain she would look them up. Considering the current articles about him and how he had closed a deal with Summit Partners, he was sure that would be an added point.

"Heh," he snickered. "She’s really pretty."

Amid his happy thoughts and running imagination, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"Right." The smile on his face disappeared, replaced with irritation as he recalled the reason he was here.

With that, Derek resumed his steps and headed to the hotel’s management. His intention? To complain about Lola’s husband and get him fired. After all, Lola had sabotaged Melissa’s audition, and he didn’t like that weirdo.

****

[Summit Partners: Chairman’s Office]

Allen walked into the office, glancing at the glass wall that connected to the other room. There, he could see Chacha and Second standing on a chair, shredding papers happily.

"Everyone’s going to cry once they hear the twins shred their papers."

He shook his head, having seen the future for everyone in this branch. If the twins shredded their papers, that meant the paper was trash. Allen planned to check everything first; it was why he flew earlier than the big boss. But a day was not enough to check everything, so a few unlucky people had to be checked by the twins.

Perhaps that was still a good thing because it meant the twins were saving them from their father before the papers could even reach their father’s desk.

"Ahem!" Allen stopped in front of a desk.

Behind it sat Atlas, who was quietly writing on a document. He didn’t budge even when he knew his assistant was present.

"Sir," Allen lowered his head, studying any type of reaction from the boss. "I received a call from Mr. Leondale."

Even when he mentioned the owner of the Lion Square Hotel, Atlas still didn’t react.

"Someone filed a complaint about an employee..." he trailed off, raising his brows before continuing, "An employee who was wearing a fish mask around the hotel yesterday."

The pen that had been moving against the paper stopped. Now, Allen had his attention.

Slowly, Atlas lifted his eyes and met his assistant’s gaze. "Who?"

"..." Conflict flickered in Allen’s eyes as he quietly and carefully uttered, "Derek Lancaster."