The Billionaire Twins Need A New Mommy! novel Chapter 298

Chapter 298: When Did He Start Liking Her?

The sound of loud music echoed throughout the nightclub, creating a lively atmosphere. However, Derek’s mood remained unaffected. If anything, the music and the alcohol were only making him more irritable.

"Hey!" Justin, his cousin, jumped onto the lounge seat across from him. "Derek, are you just going to sulk here? Let’s have fun, man!"

Derek clicked his tongue irritably but said nothing. He chugged his drink, hissing as it went down.

"Derek, cousin, if you’re angry, why not dance and loosen up a bit?" Justin leaned forward. "I thought that’s what you wanted when you asked me to come here."

But Derek ignored him. Justin sighed.

"Fine," he leaned back. "What is it, man? Is it Lola again? Or her children? Did they beat you up again?"

"Those kids didn’t beat me up!" Derek snapped, making Justin raise a hand in surrender.

"Fine, fine, geez! Why are you venting at me?" Justin snapped. "If it’s not those kids or Lola, then what is it? Was it Travis? Or Caullen?"

"It’s Melissa." Derek ruffled his hair in irritation. "It’s Melissa."

Hearing this, Justin furrowed his brows. "Melissa made you this angry? That’s a first." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Melissa’s been acting strange lately," Derek said, picking up his glass and leaning back. "I know she’s kind-hearted, and because of that, people take advantage of her. But..."

He stopped himself before saying anything harsh. Derek had never felt such anger toward Melissa before, yet tonight, his heart swelled with nothing but frustration. And the reason was clear: she had made him look like a fool in front of others.

"Had she told me what really happened, I wouldn’t have made assumptions," he continued after recounting the events of tonight. "In the end, I am the bad guy, and she’s not even sorry. If anything, she’s even angrier. It’s so frustrating."

Justin shook his head, eyes on Derek. "Derek, did you really try to hurt Lola?"

"What? No!" Derek scowled. "I was just trying to take her—that’s all."

And yet, anyone who had witnessed the incident might have said otherwise.

"Maybe she didn’t really mean it," Justin shrugged. "I mean, you know Melissa better than anyone. You two have been together as long as I can remember. Besides, you liked her the first time you saw her."

Derek glanced up at Justin, opened his mouth, and closed it again.

"Just talk about it tomorrow or when things have calmed down," Justin said, leaning forward. "For now, let’s have fun. Forget about Melissa—or anyone."

He tipped his head in a direction, prompting Derek to follow with his gaze. At the table Justin was hinting at, a group of women sat, their red lips curled in suggestive smiles, eyes gleaming.

"I met them earlier," Justin said. "Don’t worry. It’s all just for fun. Then we forget everything after tonight."

Derek kept his gaze on the table, focusing on one woman in particular, who was holding his stare. After a few seconds, she pushed herself away and sauntered in their direction. Justin smirked approvingly, but to his dismay, Derek suddenly stood just as the woman reached their table.

"I’m going home," he announced, eyes on Justin. "You have fun yourself."

"Besides, you liked her the first time you saw her."

[Flashback]

Lola was an only child. She had no one to play with, and as her fiancé, Derek would ask his cousins to come along. One day, while everyone was playing, Derek idled by the swimming pool.

He was waiting for Lola, wanting to comfort her after learning that Loren had passed. As he wandered along the poolside tiles, counting them with each step, Derek slipped and fell.

"No..." he reached out, trying to climb back. But he couldn’t swim. He struggled, only to sink deeper.

Help... please...

Derek tried to stay conscious, but his body weakened with the lack of oxygen. Just as his vision dimmed, he heard a faint call from above. Forcing his eyes open, he saw a panicked figure at the surface.

In the next second, bubbles erupted in the water as someone jumped in.

Help... he thought, reaching out.

Relief flooded him as a hand grasped his and pulled him up. But he was already on the verge of unconsciousness. The last thing he remembered was a star necklace glinting before he blacked out.

When he woke up, he was back home. The gardener had saved him, or so he was told. But Derek sensed that something was off. A month later, when he visited the Young Residence, he saw the same star necklace—this time, around Melissa’s neck.

From then on, Derek tried to be kind to Melissa, feeling that he owed his life to her. Whatever reason the adults had for lying—claiming that the gardener had saved him—didn’t matter. He had his confirmation when he confronted Melissa.

As Derek started developing feelings for Melissa, his relationship with Lola dulled until it became completely strained. All because Lola kept picking on poor Melissa, and Derek knew he was the cause of Lola’s behavior. Hence, his overprotectiveness toward Melissa was born entirely of guilt.