Chapter 1 The birthday party

AT THE LUIS MANSION:

"Miranda, get the drinks from the fridge," Lady Loretta said. She was the lady of the house, and it was her only son's birthday arrangement.

"Okay, Ma," Miranda answered. As a young lady in her early twenties, Miranda wore a pink dress and black slippers. It was nighttime, and they were preparing a birthday party for Derrick Luis, the only son of the Luis family. Out of seven sisters, Derrick appeared to be the only son of his rich family.

Many guests were present in the Luis family mansion; among them were top admirers, business partners, and their family members and relatives, but the birthday celebrant wasn't at home.

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Far away at a luxurious firm, Derrick Luis was still at his office when his mobile rang. "Hello, Mother," he picked up the call, and his mother said to him, "Derrick, you know that today is your birthday. So where are you?"

Looking at his wristwatch, Derrick observed it was already 6 p.m. He replied, "At the office, Mother."

"Come home, Son. It's your birthday, and we did a lot just to have today a special moment to mark your new age at 25."

"Hmm, I am not interested in birthday parties, Mother. Why can't you understand my concepts?" Derrick murmured. His mother was already old, so he couldn't blame her.

"I understand. Please come home quickly before the guests start leaving. If I had known you would stubbornly stay up in the office until this time, I shouldn't have allowed you to go to the office today, knowing today is also your birthday."

"Mom, I cannot set work aside for a party. Who will look after Dad's company?" Derrick muttered again. His mother responded sadly, "You are right, but during your father's time, he didn't skip home for work. He attended parties, or where do you think I met him?"

"Hm." Derrick rolled his eyes at his mother's words. "Fine, Mother. I will be at home now." He said, and the phone call ended.

"Running a multimillion-dollar corporation at this age, my mother still wants me to prioritize parties for work. Tch." Derrick mused. He stood up from his exclusive office chair, where he sat in his office. Shutting down his computer, he grabbed his briefcase and elegantly left his office.

Arriving home in a brand new Prado Jeep, Derrick got out of the vehicle and made his way to his family's mansion. He could hear the sound of music and frowned after seeing many guests' cars parked inside his late father's estate.

Marching forward, Derrick arrived at the mansion's exterior. He rang the doorbell, and the maid pulled the door open for him.

"Welcome, Master Derrick," the maid greeted him.

Derrick ignored responding to the maid's greetings and was ushered in by his mother, who was in the living room with many guests.

"Welcome, son. Happy 25th birthday to you," his mother said.

"Happy birthday, Master Derrick!" All the guests in the living room toasted to the new age of the young master.

"Thank you all," Derrick replied, and wanting to retire to his bedroom to rest, his mother stopped him. "Derrick, it's still your birthday. Come cut your cake and make a wish."

Derrick paused at the staircase and look back at the faces of the guests, his seven elder sisters, who were married with children, his company staff. Derrick wanted to protest again that he was not a kid and didn't want a birthday party. However, he gulped down his protest as silence fell in the exquisite living room.

Approaching his birthday cake that was placed in the center of the living room, Derrick picked up the knife and slice the cake into two, blowing off the candles, and the guests beamed, clapping for him.

"Happy birthday, brother," his sisters cheered him, and he replied, "Thank you all."

"That's not all, Derrick. Make a wish," his mother urged him again.

"Oh, Mother. I am not a kid," Derrick protested, and his mother walked up to meet him as they were standing in the living room.

"No one said you're a kid, but you're still my baby, so make a wish," his mother pleaded with an assuring smile.

Not wanting to make his mother sad, Derrick wished for a long life, a happy family, and a prosperous business.

"Happy birthday to you again, Master Derrick; we wish you all the best in life." The guests were happy, and the toasting of drinks continued as the guests resumed drinking and chatting happily.

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Derrick excused himself from the living room and went back to his bedroom on the top floor of the mansion. Meanwhile, among the maids, Miranda had a crush on the master of the house. She was not the only one crushing on Master Derrick, but she couldn't get her eyes away from him.

She openly gawked at his handsomeness. "Too handsome for one person," Miranda thought.

She had observed Derrick; he seemed very hardworking. He didn't have time for women and was mostly focusing on his business alone.

Derrick didn't have a girlfriend, and Miranda was eager to get Derrick to notice her. Well, she was a poor girl and came from an orphanage home. After her years of serving the elite as a maid, Miranda wanted a classic life. She didn't want to return to poverty.

In the Luis family mansion, maids were expected to dress casually. As there was no competition since the daughters of the family were married, including the most immediate elder sister to Derrick, Nicole Luis.

"Come on, Alexa, I want to introduce you to my only brother, Master Derrick. I fear he might be gay. Why won't he have a girlfriend at this age? Don't you find it weird?" Nicole spoke to her friends as she brought Alexa along to her brother's birthday party.

Alexa worked as a secretary at Luis Group, a multimillion-dollar firm. And she would admit that she hadn't seen any young lady come to the office to visit Derrick.

"I don't think Master Derrick is a gay. He is just too busy to notice any beautiful woman," Alexa replied. She wore a seductive red dress and black shoes. She arrived at the Luis mansion after Derrick left the company.

Alexa was also interested in Derrick. She wanted him because she was just 22 years old. She knew that having a man like Derrick as her husband in the future meant she wouldn't need to work much or suffer to feed herself, as his family's wealth was enough to cover her lifetime expenditures.

"Alexa, what do you think of Derrick? Do you not have a crush on my brother? If my elder sisters hadn't spoken to me about introducing a woman to Derrick to work as his new secretary after my leave from the company, do you think I only accepted you based on our friendship alone? Come now," Nicole grabbed Alexa's hand and led her to the top floor, where there were no guests.

Alexa felt nervous. For a year, she had been working as Derrick Luis's personal secretary based on Nicole's influence. She hadn't crossed the line or tried to get his attention.

Derrick was an aloof man, and she feared what he would do to her if she dared to cross the limit.