Chapter 20: Headturner

Chapter 20: Headturner Inside the Lion Square... Derek stood tall and proud, surrounded by the few people who would be needed in his meeting with Summit Partners. "Manager Derek, if things go smoothly today, it’s going to be monumental for all of us!" one man, older than Derek, happily currying favor with him, said. "At this rate, you’ll be needing a new name plaque for your office." "No, actually, you’ll have those corner offices! He’d have to start choosing which one he prefers," another man mused in satisfaction. He approached the group, reaching out to pat Derek’s shoulder. "I knew you could do it." Derek’s smug smirk stretched. He looked at his cousin, Justin, who had always been his ally. Then, his eyes shifted to the few men idling in the lobby. Unlike these people, two of those from the Lancasters were just there without much excitement. If anything, they looked bored. "Don’t mind them," Derek’s cousin, Justin, muttered. He eyed their other cousins and scowled. "Those guys just can’t accept that you’re bringing Summit Partners into our family." Derek raised his chin and smirked. "Of course!" His eyes glinted as he eyed his cousins in the lobby, who had always been the golden boys of the Lancasters. Since the news of Summit Partners reaching everyone in their family, those two—Travis and Caullen Lancaster—were evidently displeased. Well, considering they often looked down on Derek, the latter was certain they were bitter about his achievements. Derek proudly sauntered toward his ever-smug cousins, stopping as the other two lifted their eyes to him. "Cousins, why do you look like the world is ending?" he mused. "It’s a good occasion for all of us! Or are you not happy because I’m the one bringing Summit Partners to NL Group?" Caullen and Travis studied the smugness and the mockery flickering in Derek’s eyes. Caullen scoffed, running his tongue across his inner cheek. "Of course not, Derek," Caullen offered his cousin a smile. "Any good news for NL Group is also good news for us. However, the board agreed to send us along with you for this meeting, just in case." "This is an important meeting." Unlike the playful smirk on Caullen’s face, Travis peeled his eyes away from Derek to the newspaper he was reading. "And we’re here to ensure that you don’t screw it up. That’s what the board says." Derek’s smile twitched as a vein protruded on his forehead. Caullen chuckled. "So, Derek, you don’t have to worry or review your proposal plan. We’re here to clean up after your mess." "You—" Justin stepped in, placing a hand on Derek’s chest. "Cousin, don’t worry too much about Caullen and Travis. I’m sure they’re just saying that because there’s nothing they could do at this point," Justin’s voice was calm, but loud enough to deliver a condescending tone as he gazed at both Caullen and Travis. "Though they have a point. You should go over the documents once more." He then faced Derek, turning his head away from the two, and whispered, "They’re here because the first branch wants to steal this spotlight from you. Don’t let them." Hearing this, Derek’s brows rose, while Justin wiggled his brows. His face twisted in dismay, glaring back at Caullen and Travis. I knew it! They’re here because they want to steal the credit at the tip of the hat! Caullen and Travis had always been the golden boys of the Lancaster Family, with Caullen as the current General Manager of LanceTech Electronics, a subsidiary of NL Group of Companies. Travis Lancaster, on the other hand, was the youngest director of NL Group. Growing up with them was not easy since people easily compared everyone in their age group. Derek always disliked them from the bottom of his heart. "Hmph!" Derek tugged the hem of his suit, shoving any thoughts away from his mind. "You’re right. This is an important day. No need to ruin it because some people are bitter." Justin smirked at him and nodded in satisfaction. But just before they left to go over the proposal plan, which they would discuss with Summit Partners, Derek caught someone walking in the lobby. Derek’s face twitched in utter dismay. Even if he wasn’t paying attention, it was hard to ignore a walking scarecrow entering his line of sight. And regardless of the horrific outfit and visually painful makeup, he recognized who it was. There was only one person who thought this kind of look was appealing. What the hell is Lola doing here?! His face twisted as he secretly grimaced, staring at that thick white foundation on her face. Her lipstick was no longer clownish red, but black, as if she had just slurped some squid ink before coming here. Not just Derek, but everyone who had caught a glimpse of the walking horror film paused and turned their heads for a second look. Talk about a literal head-turner. "Isn’t that..." Justin trailed off as Caullen spoke out loud. "Oh, Derek, your ex!" Caullen smirked, while the quiet Travis lifted his eyes over the rim of his thin reading glasses. Derek clenched his teeth as he hissed. "I swear, if she makes a problem..." Thinking Lola was here to bother him, Derek shot Justin a look. "I’ll be back," he said. "I’m just going to put someone in her place—" The rest of his words rolled back in his throat, and his step froze when he saw someone entering the lobby. Turning his head, he saw a group of hotel staff ushering a man in the middle. There were a few other men in suits with the group. "..." Derek’s brows rose as his eyes settled on the important guests being ushered inside. That guy... is the same guy from Summit Partners yesterday! His breath hitched, recognizing Allen as the boss of Summit Partners. "Who is that?" Caullen, idling in his seat, tilted his head to the side. "Even the manager of Lion Square wouldn’t come out to welcome us." He turned to Travis. "Well, he did go out when he heard you were coming." But all the manager did was greet Travis and had small talk with him. Travis remained quiet, eyeing the seemingly important person and the group that was with him. He narrowed his eyes, keeping his silence. He, too, hadn’t seen that face before. The business world might be vast, but honestly, it was too small for all of them. No matter where they were in the world, if one reached a certain impact in business, they would know. After all, Lancaster’s businesses and their company, NL Group of Companies, had been expanding for years now. Derek arched a brow as he shot his cousins a side-eye. Seeing their curiosity, the corners of his mouth hooked up into a smirk. Of course, they don’t know, he thought, chuckling to himself as he withdrew his step. Turning, he faced Justin and tipped his head. "Let’s go," said Derek as he walked away with extra confidence. He didn’t even try to follow Lola anymore, knowing the important people from Summit Partners were already here. Confused, Justin blinked and shrugged before following Derek. "Hey, aren’t you going to talk to that wicked thing?" As for Caullen and Travis, they studied Derek’s back until Travis’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Does he know who that man was?" Caullen hummed. "For some reason, that arrogant jerk suddenly grew more confident." Travis stared at Derek’s back for a moment before he looked away. "That’s none of our business. The board sent us here to oversee the meeting and make sure he doesn’t screw things up for us." As Travis was about to continue reading, someone suddenly sat down on the velvet one-seater armchair near him. His brows rose, eyes shifting to the man. Even Caullen furrowed his brows, catching the newcomer reading a magazine upside down. Reading the magazine upside down wasn’t even what caught their attention. It was the green fish head mask he was wearing while wearing a neat suit for the rest! "Hey..." Caullen leaned closer to his cousin, Travis. He narrowed his eyes at the man wearing the green fish head mask. "Is there an advanced Halloween or costume party here?" Travis didn’t answer immediately, just studying the unbothered man who didn’t seem to think that head mask was out of place. But somehow, despite the ridiculous head mask, the man’s posture and quiet aura were almost like a warning. Travis looked away as he muttered, "Maybe." Little did they know, the man’s eyes behind the green head mask slid to the corner, studying them from the corner of his vision.