Chapter 32 One Whole Week
The room fell silent after Derek's question. Rebecca sat still on the sofa, her hands resting on her knees.
Her eyes were fixed on the floor, and for a long moment, she didn’t say anything. This was exactly why she'd told her uncle she wasn't going to lie to the man who'd marry her.
Derek waited, watching her closely, not wanting to rush her. He could tell the question had touched something deep within her.
After some time, Rebecca took a slow breath and finally spoke.
"I planned to tell him," she said softly as she looked at Derek, who was watching her intently.
Derek lifted his head slightly. "Tell him when?"
"Before the wedding," Rebecca replied. Her voice was calm, but there was a weary honesty in it. "I wanted him to know exactly what he was walking into. I didn’t want to trap anyone or lie to them."
She'd made up her mind that she'd first of all, take the groom outside of the hall the moment she arrived to tell him until she'd stepped into the hall to see Derek.
Derek nodded slowly, listening.
"That was also why I wanted to meet the man I was supposed to marry," she continued. "I wanted to tell him before the wedding. But my uncle Richard had said no. That it has been agreed upon by the families. From what I heard, my supposed husband wasn’t interested in seeing me either."
"You wanted to see me before today?" he asked with a frown.
"Yes," Rebecca said. Then she paused and looked up at Derek again. "Why didn’t you want to see your bride before the wedding?"
Derek was caught off guard by the question. He rubbed the back of his neck and leaned back slightly.
"It’s not that I didn’t want to see her," he said honestly. "I actually did. But my grandfather didn’t want me to. I already told you."
Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "You only said he forced you. You didn't say why he didn't want you to meet her."
"I did but I'll just tell you again. My grandfather..., he was scared I would try to make a deal with the woman," Derek explained. "You know… like an agreement that would benefit me."
Rebecca stared at him for a second and then suddenly laughed. It wasn’t loud, but it was genuine.
Derek stared at her in shock, surprised. That was the first time he had heard her laugh since they met, and for a moment, the tension in the room faded. Her face softened, and her eyes lit up slightly. She looked… really beautiful, her blue eyes shinning like a calm ocean.
Derek didn’t even realize he was staring until she spoke again.
"So your grandfather really knows the kind of person you are," Rebecca said with a small smile.
Derek scoffed lightly. "He just likes being dramatic," he replied. "And he wanted to remind me that he’s the one in control. If it wasn’t for the properties and the family business, I wouldn't have allowed him to go this far."
Rebecca laughed again, shaking her head. "Okay," she said. Then she tilted her head slightly. "But think about it… if your grandfather had allowed you to meet me, wouldn’t you have tried to make a deal with me?" she asked curiously.
Derek went quiet as he considered her question carefully. After a few seconds, he nodded in agreement, a smile already breaking out on his face.
"Yes," he admitted with a mischievous smile. "I probably would have. That was actually why I was angry when he told me he wouldn’t tell me anything about the woman I was supposed to marry. I wanted to handle things my own way."
He had every intention of talking the lady out of the marriage arrangement or even paying her off if he had been given the chance so he could marry the Rebecca he met.
Rebecca laughed again, this time a little longer. “You see? He wasn't entirely wrong.”
Derek smiled faintly. "This is the most I’ve seen you laugh," he said. "Why don’t you laugh often?"
Her laughter slowly faded. Rebecca looked away, her eyes returning to that distant gaze.
"If you went through what I’ve been through," she said quietly, "you’d understand why."
Derek didn’t push her. He could hear the pain behind her words, and somehow he could tell it had to do with the fool Liam who got her pregnant and couldn't do anything but try to sabotage her wedding.
He wanted to ask her about it but he didn't. He respected her silence. After a moment, he spoke again.
"Well," he said, straightening up, "since we’re the ones married now, I think our agreement should still stand."
Rebecca looked back at him. "You mean the deal we talked about before?"
"Yes," Derek replied. "We should continue with it. Nothing should change."
She studied his face. "You don’t want to be married… for real?" she asked curiously, as she had never met anyone who didn't value marriage.
She had always loved the idea of being married and had nursed dreams of being married to Liam for the longest time before everything happened.
He shook his head. "No. I’m not the marriage type. Let’s just stick to what we agreed on."
Rebecca thought for a few seconds and then nodded. "Okay," she said. "But that means we sleep in separate rooms."
"That’s fine by me," Derek replied immediately. "I don’t have a problem with that."
Just as the conversation seemed to settle, there was a knock on the door. They both exchanged curious glances.
“Are expecting anyone?” Derek asked, and Rebecca shook her head.
Derek frowned. "Who could that be?" he muttered as he stood up.
He walked to the door and opened it. His expression changed instantly when he saw who it was.
"Grandfather?" he said in disbelief.
Mr. Hemsworth stood at the door, looking calm and completely unbothered.
"I thought I should stop by," the old man said, walking inside without waiting for permission. "I’ll be staying here tonight."
Rebecca stood up quickly, shocked.
"Tonight?" Derek repeated as he locked the door before walking back inside. "Why? What happened to giving me privacy?"
Mr. Hemsworth turned to face him. "Because I want to."
Derek crossed his arms. "In case you forgot, I'm married now, grandfather and we’re leaving for our honeymoon."
His grandfather gave him a knowing look. "That’s not true. I booked the trip for your honeymoon myself. You won’t be leaving the country for another week."
Derek’s jaw tightened. “So what?”
"So," Mr. Hemsworth continued, "I’ll be staying with both of you for the week before you depart."
Rebecca felt her stomach drop. A whole week? She glanced at Derek, whose face clearly showed his frustration.
"And don’t worry," the old man added, smiling slightly as he took a seat. "I expect you both to behave like a proper married couple."
The room fell silent as Rebecca looked from the old man to Derek. If there was one thing Rebecca knew for sure: it was the fact that this marriage was going to be far more complicated than she had ever imagined.