"Those damn brats," he hissed angrily as he limped to the elevator. "Why is the lift so far?"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt. Who wouldn’t get angry at those two? Not only did they confuse the entire conversation, but that little brat kicked him!
"Ouch," he huffed, leaning close to the lift as he waited for one to be available. "Did he just break my leg? It’s so damn painful."
Derek clicked his tongue as he rubbed his shin until he heard a soft "ding!" from the lift. Without further ado, he dragged his leg and limped his way in. After pressing the top floor, he leaned his body against the side of the lift.
"Damn," he couldn’t help but curse under his breath. "Those brats. Just what kind of parenting was that woman doing?"
Thinking about it, his face soured. Lola had always been the slowest person he had ever known. Yet, she was always quick to think of schemes, using all her brain energy on vile things. It shouldn’t surprise him that her children were the same.
DING!
As Derek quietly suffered from what felt like a more serious injury, the door suddenly opened just before it could fully close.
"Huh?" His brows rose, watching a hand between the doors as it opened once more. He frowned as the lift opened again, only to see a man walking in.
The man was wearing a face mask paired with a black cap and a hoodie.
A celebrity, Derek’s mind concluded, observing the man as he pressed his number.
Usually, Derek didn’t care much about other people, especially men. But the person who jumped in caught his attention. The guy was tall. Even taller than him.
Hah, Lola Young. Look at you. Even your neighbors are celebrities. No wonder you kept going to Grandpa’s house.
Derek secretly hissed, gazing at the floor buttons. The man inside the lift pressed the floor below the top floor. Meanwhile, Lola was on the top floor.
The penthouse, huh? How can she just exploit Grandpa without even telling him that she has children and is already married?
In his mind, the idea that Lola was able to afford the penthouse was because of Chairman Lancaster. It wouldn’t be the first time Lola asked the chairman for financial support. One of the many things Derek hated about Lola was that even with all that support, Lola just did whatever she wanted. Just like getting pregnant despite the fact that the Young family and the chairman were providing her full financial support so she could focus on her studies.
"So you’re the one staying in the penthouse?"
Derek’s train of thought halted when the other man spoke. "Huh?" He turned to the other person. The guy’s face was covered, but his squinting eyes were still visible.
"I wanted to rent the penthouse, but sadly, it’s very exclusive," the man said. He then lowered his face mask, showing his charming smile. "I’m Slater."
Derek arched a brow, a bit surprised that the guy looked even better than he imagined. He was a man, but he had to admit this man was molded to perfection. However, he didn’t let that matter for now and cleared his throat. But before he could dismiss Slater, the latter spoke with restrained praise.
"I was told the person moving in is someone really important," Slater said, his eyes gleaming as if he had just met his idol. "It’s my first time seeing the penthouse owner. You’re the owner, right?"
Slater’s eagerness made Derek hesitate for a second.
Well, if the penthouse is Grandpa’s... then it’s also mine, he thought before the corners of his mouth curled up. "I don’t usually go here, so someone else is taking care of the penthouse."
"I knew it!" Slater pounded the bottom of his fist against his palms, nodding. "So, the person I’ve occasionally bumped into was the caretaker."
His face then twisted a bit as he looked at Derek with conflict. "Say, Mr. Penthouse, your caretaker... is quite scary?"
Mr. Penthouse? Derek wasn’t happy with that new nickname, but he didn’t dwell on it.
"Scary?" he repeated, looking up as he had imagined Lola’s face. His face twisted as he scoffed, looking back at Slater. "Well, the caretaker had a strange taste."
"I guess... he does." Slater rocked his head, leaning to the side. "I know it’s the first time we talked, but many others are already a bit too scared of the caretaker of the penthouse. But again, no one raises a complaint because it’s only natural for the owner of the presidential suite to have a bodyguard like that."
Slater then beamed at him. "I’m just letting you know, and it’s nice to meet you, sir!"
DING!
He perked up at the sound of the lift, grinning as he looked back at Derek. He waved at him and unhesitatingly walked out without looking back. When the lift closed again, Slater stopped in his tracks and looked back at the lift.
"Heh," he sneered. "That guy is sooo dead. Tsk tsk tsk. I’ll tell sis about this!" He paused and shrugged. "Oh, well, I guess at least he won’t be needed to walk back down."
Meanwhile, Derek stayed in the lift and smirked.
"See? Letting her in this place just scares even the neighbors," he hissed, eyes glinting. But then, he remembered the restrained praise and the quiet admiration in Slater’s eyes when he realized that Derek was going to the top floor.
In these settings, the floors were like a display of social status. So, Slater’s polite approach and his words somehow got into Derek’s head.
"Should I start living in buildings like this again?" he wondered to himself, rubbing his chin. "Heh. I should start reconsidering. After all, living all alone in the villa is becoming very boring. Melissa doesn’t come by more often and... it’s a little far from the nightlife."
DING!
His thoughts halted as he heard the lift ring. The second the door opened, Derek dragged his feet out of it. For some reason, he felt like his shin was more painful. But that didn’t stop him.
Derek quickly spotted the hall heading to the penthouse. Well, there was only one on the top floor. Once he stood outside, he rang the doorbell aggressively.
"Lola, come out! It’s me, Derek!" he buzzed the door impatiently, wanting to take a seat for a while. Before coming here, he had mentally prepared himself to confront that living horror film.
But what Derek didn’t know was that he hadn’t prepared himself for what was to come.
Buzz! Buzz!
"Lola, I’m not playing with you," he grumbled. "Open the door—"
Just then, the door opened from the inside. His lips curved down, not pleased by how long it took her to open the door.
"Lola, what took you so long..." he trailed off as his eyes lifted until he tilted his head back. His breath hitched, eyes wide as he stared at the gigantic man in an apron.
"Who..."
Baby’s face darkened as he stared at the little thing before him. With his large hand stretching toward Derek, the latter knew this wasn’t going to be good.