A Lovely Obsession ( Billionaire Romance Novel )

Chapter 5

Nora's POV:-

After Tanya leaves I find myself feeling more awkward than ever. I didn't want to thank Derek but would Kevin and the rest of the guys find it strange if I didn't say anything?

But then again why should I care? They don't know that Derek is a monster. That he not so long ago threatened to off me and my family.

Instead, I should be wondering what the hell he was doing throwing Tanya out of the restaurant. Especially since I don't believe that man is capable of doing anything out of the goodness of his heart. But then again what does he stand to gain from protecting me like that?

" Can I have a word?" I hear Derek speak.

I turned to see him speaking to the manager who had belatedly arrived. I felt a surge of anxiety at what Derek might be saying to him. I knew Mr.Mendes would have a lot of questions for me about what happened.

Would I be blamed? After all, I was just the lowly waitress and Tanya the prized customer. She was the one who could afford to throw away money on the outrageously expensive dishes here.

" Get back to work Nora." Mendes nods at me.

At least he doesn't seem mad, I tell myself as I get back to the other customers.

In fact, the rest of the day passes by smoothly. Derek doesn't acknowledge me in any way not even with a single glance. They all finish their meal and leave after half an hour. I wish they would just get away from here as soon as possible.

I try not to even look in their direction but then I feel a touch on my wrist.

" You okay?" It's Kevin looking at me with concern.

I seriously have to wonder how much of it is genuine.

" I am fine Kevin. Nothing to worry about." I shrug.

"Derek spoke to the manager you know. He won't bother you or anything. In fact I bet he's going to take better care of you from now on." He beams.

"That's nice of him but he really didn't have to do that. I could have handled the situation on my own."

I try to keep my face expressionless not trying to give away the annoyance I felt at knowing I was indebted to Derek in any way.

"Jesus Nora. You really hate that poor guy, don't you? Couldn't you just ask me to thank him on your behalf, or anything like that?" Kevin sighs.

" You don't need to thank him on my behalf. I can do that myself." I grumble.

I don't know why Kevin is so desperate for me to like that man. It's almost phony.

" You know Derek's having a party at his place and he especially insisted I bring you along." Kevin follows me as I clear one of the tables.

" I am honestly surprised he decided to invite me. Especially considering we have barely spoken to each other. It's probably because he thinks I am still your fiance and he's just trying to be polite by asking you to bring me along as well. It's about time you tell him that we are no longer together don't you think?"

" I couldn't bring myself to even tell  my own father about this. Do you seriously think I want to discuss this with Derek? Let me make this clear in case you haven't realized. I don't want to break the engagement. I want us to give this another chance. I came here because you weren't picking up my calls and I need us to talk this through. You can't keep on avoiding me forever you know." He stands in front of me effectively blocking my path.

" I wasn't ignoring your calls on purpose. I was sick and I spent most of yesterday in bed. I am also stunned that you aren't jumping at the opportunity to be rid of me. Isn't that what you wanted? You certainly gave me that impression. Weren't you the one who used to fool around with all those women while we were together?" I try to keep my voice low but I notice a few of the guests looking at us curiously.

This was not good. I couldn't afford another scene. At this rate, I will probably be kicked out of my job.

" Please can you go now? We can talk later." I try to sidestep Kevin.

" Okay, I will go. But we need to talk. I know I fucked up in the past Nora. Facing the possibility of losing you has made me realize how much you mean to me. I deserve a second chance. " He kisses me on the cheek before he walks away.

Somehow I don't believe a word he says.

When I get back home I can't fall asleep. My brain is on overdrive. I try browsing through channels hoping there's something on TV that could distract me but I find nothing. Until I spot Derek's infamous ex-girlfriend on one of the channels.

Katy Johnson was in a silver sequin bodycon dress and her black hair fell in thick waves around her shoulders. She was both an award-winning singer and a sex icon. She also had a notorious habit of writing songs about her boyfriends and exes. She even wrote one on Derek and let's just say it did not show him in a positive light.

I debated switching the channel. The name of the show was ' Call Her Mommy' and it featured stuff about celebrity's romantic lives and lurid discussions about sex.

They will definitely discuss Derek and I already spent too much of my time thinking about him. I need to get my mind off him if I want to maintain my sanity.

But would it hurt to know more about my enemy? Part of what scares me about Derek is how unpredictable he is. It's so hard to read him and find out what his motives are. Perhaps learning more about him would make me feel less powerless in front of him.

Then again Katy isn't likely to give away any information that can help me.

I guess I just have an insatiable curiosity about him because I don't change the channel.

The things she mentions are interesting, to say the least.

" He always took me from behind you know? It was either that or he used to tie me up during sex. He wouldn't cuddle with me or even sleep beside me afterward. He threw a tantrum when I made our relationship public. If his sister wasn't such a huge fan of my music he would have never introduced me to her. He made me feel like I was just a sex toy. I should have known he had issues. I just kept ignoring the red flags. I guess it was because he looked like one of those alphaholes from dark romance novels."

Katy flips her hair over her shoulder not showing a smidgen of embarrassment after what she revealed about her sex life.

" Let me guess. You thought you would be the one to 'save' him." The host who's literally an Ellen Degeneres look-alike smiles at Katy with fake sympathy.

" Saving? From what? That guy isn't a tortured hero who needs someone to heal him from a traumatic past. He's just born heartless. It's just the way he's been created. I never saw him show the slightest bit of conflict, guilt, or remorse over his actions." She sighs.

" What's his relationship with his sister like?" The hosts' eyes are gleaming like that of a hungry predator. She knows this episode is going to top the ratings chart.

Derek rarely likes to talk about his private life and most of his girlfriends never revealed much about him. Probably out of fear. Katy was bold I had to give her that.

" Diana is the only person he genuinely seems to care about. He's very protective of her though. He only let me meet her a couple of times and it felt like he smothers her.  She once complained that she feels like a ten-year-old and still has to follow curfew even though she's eighteen. But then again what do you expect from a guy like Derek?"

I sincerely hope she makes it alive after this interview. From what I know about Derek forgiving is not an adjective I would use for him.

Watching Katy's interview has only confirmed what I already knew. That he was an asshole of the highest degree. I can't imagine being in a relationship with a man so terrifying.

I have zero experience when it comes to sex but I seriously doubted I would like being tied up and fucked like an animal.

There was the fact that he was so much bigger than me that I thought he would tear me apart during sex. Yuck! I had enough disturbing thoughts about Derek. I didn't need that image of him and me in my head.