Chapter 6 Don't You Remember Me

Meanwhile, in another part of the same club.

Kellan, the eldest son and heir to the Foster family, patted his good friend on the shoulder and teased him. "Come now, Derek, it's been a while since you flew back home. You should be taking things easy. Why do you look so preoccupied? Wait, don't tell me... Are you still pining for her, the woman you've always had one-sided affections for?"

Derek smiled slightly, though a sharp glint had entered his eyes. "Careful, Kellan. That reckless mouth of yours is bound to get you in trouble one day."

In response, Kellan laughed heartily and shrugged. "I'm just saying. Given your power and social status, you can have any woman you want. Why waste your time on just one? She won't even return your feelings!"

Derek shook his head and took a deep breath. He had nothing further to say on the matter. He put his drink down and stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom."

He had just rounded the corner when he caught sight of the commotion down the hall.

A group of thugs seemed to be ganging up on someone. It took Derek a few more seconds to realize that their target was Melanie!

"Stop!" he yelled out without thinking.

Even so, his voice still carried that domineering authority, and everyone froze upon hearing him.

Derek acted quickly. Before the other men could even react, he pounced at them, launching blow after blow, sending a handful of the thugs to the floor.

Realizing that their opponent was no weakling, the remaining goons scattered and fled, leaving their unconscious comrades behind.

Melanie finally let herself relax, albeit only a little.

The men had been too many. She doubted she would have escaped the situation unscathed if Derek hadn't shown up.

Speaking of which... She turned to face him.

For a moment, they just stood there and stared at each other, lost in their own thoughts.

Derek's eyes drifted over to the water stains on Melanie's clothes. She must have got wet from the scuffle. He acted on reflex, pulling his handkerchief from his pocket and handing it to her. "Are you all right? Here, use this to wipe yourself off."

There was that faint hint of tenderness in his tone again.

It made Melanie pause and hesitate for a few seconds, but she did take the handkerchief he offered. "Thank you."

She wiped her clothes, all while sneaking short glances at Derek.

As for him, his gaze fell on the scar on Melanie's waist. It was barely visible, unless one took a closer look at that small patch of skin.

The sight stirred a long-buried memory inside him. Again, he spoke without thinking.

"It's been four years. You'd think that scar would have completely faded by now."

"What?" Melanie frowned, her finger instinctively touching the scar in question.

She had got it from an incident four years ago, when she had almost drowned at Abyssal Atoll.

Right on cue, Derek supplied, "I'm talking about the scar from when you fell into the sea back at Abyssal Atoll." A faraway look took over his eyes, as if he had transported back to that exact moment in the past.

Melanie felt a ripple in her stoic facade.

Only a few people knew about her accident, and even her own memory of that time was hazy. One thing she did remember clearly, was that the person who had rescued her was wearing a ring bearing the crest of the Willis family.

It took her some time, but when she finally investigated her savior, the trail ended with Ashton, as he had taken over as the head of the family by then. Melanie thought that was that, and she had always believed that Ashton was the one who had saved her.

Now, Derek's words brought a cloud of doubt to her mind.

"How... How do you know about my accident at Abyssal Atoll?" she asked, her bewilderment clear in her voice.

Derek blinked, and a look of disbelief crossed his face. "Don't you remember me?" he asked softly.

This time, he sounded sad, like he already knew the answer to his question.

Melanie's frown deepened. "Do I have any reason to remember you?"

Derek swallowed the lump in his throat, well-built composure faltering for the first time in a long time.

A deep sorrow flickered in his eyes, but in the next second, he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.

"I was the one who-"