Chapter 4 Innocent Yeah, Right.

By sheer coincidence, Derek ran into Flora again at the mall a week later. He saw her with someone else-a man in a blue shirt with refined features. They laughed and talked, and Flora patiently held up different shirts for the man to consider.

She looked as sweet as candy right then-candy that belonged to someone else, not him.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a sneer. "Green shirt, red hair... looks like a damned traffic light."

The guy beside him, Alex, glanced up, following his gaze, unable to resist teasing. "What's gotten into you? Who cares how she dyes her hair or dresses?"

Derek shot Alex a disgusted look. "Paired with your blonde head, it's a perfect match."

Alex grinned. "It's called youth fashion, old man. Something you wouldn't understand."

Veins popped on Derek's forehead as his icy gaze swept over Alex. A sudden cold gust blew past. Alex clutched his jacket, adding recklessly, "You might be old, but you're still handsome."

The gust might as well have been a hurricane. Derek viciously tossed his car keys at Alex, snarling, "Get lost!"

Alex snatched them but didn't budge; he just sat there grinning cheekily. A few minutes passed, and then something clicked. Alex whipped his head around, staring intently at Flora buying coffee, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.

"Hey," Alex said a little too loudly, "that's the girl you mentioned, right?

The one who hired you for the night?

Nearby shoppers turned their heads and a few stifled giggles.

Derek took a deep breath, fighting the urge to commit murder. Just as he was about to kick Alex clean off his chair, he felt eyes on him.

He looked up and locked eyes with Flora. Just like the week before, she offered him a small smile, but he sensed a hint of mockery this time.

He was certain she'd heard Alex's idiotic remarks.

Derek cleared his throat, composing himself. He was about to approach her when the man in the blue shirt beat him to it, casually draping an arm around her shoulders.

Scorn rose in Derek. Watching her gentle act was grating. The night she'd spent with him, she'd been all sharp edges and cutting words, her eyes like daggers aimed straight ahead.

So why the sudden sweet routine with this guy?

Annoyed for reasons he couldn't quite pinpoint, Derek frowned and closed the distance, stopping directly in front of Flora.

"Hey there," Derek tilted his head, his tone anything but friendly. "Been thinking about you since that night. Looking all over for you."

A shadow flickered in Flora's eyes as she shot him a warning glare. "Shut your damn mouth."

Derek noticed how concerned she seemed about the other man's feelings; her gaze flickered towards him even as she snapped at Derek. Irritation coiled in Derek's chest, fueling his malice. "What, playing both sides now? Scared, your date's gonna catch on?"

As the words left his mouth, the man in blue tilted his head. Standing next to Flora, the contrast was stark. Where Flora was sharp and cool, this guy seemed genuinely gentle, almost innocent.

Innocent? The word seemed oddly ill-suited for a grown man, yet it was the first thing that came to Derek's mind when he met the man's eyes.

"Flora, who is this?" His voice was soft, yet it made several nearby girls turn their heads.

Flora and Derek faced off, ice against fire, while the other man stood between them like a gentle autumn breeze.

Flora gritted her teeth, visibly suppressing her anger. Turning to the man beside her, she looped her arm through his and murmured, "No one important. Don't worry about it."

Derek smirked, clearly ready to throw out a few more sarcastic remarks.

But before he could, Flora yanked him aside. Her eyes flashed cold as steel as she leaned in and hissed, "I'm telling you-run that mouth one more time, and I swear I'll shove you right off this balcony."

Derek's eyes flickered; he only then registered he was leaning against the railing. Far from showing fear, he leaned back further, resting his arms casually on either side. "Scared he'll see the real you?"

Flora remained impassive. "That's right. Satisfied?"

"Drop the act. This sweet routine doesn't suit you," Derek sneered. "You might fool everyone else with that innocent face, but not me. Your cold, indifferent eyes give you away. You're heartless and cruel."

Flora nodded slowly, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Funny, I almost didn't recognize you. This whole sickly look doesn't fit. You seem much more suited to hot mistresses."

Only then did Derek notice the hospital wristband still on his arm. He must have forgotten to remove it in his rush this morning.

He frowned slightly, ripped it off, and tossed it into a nearby trash bin before resuming his nonchalant posture. "Hearing you talk like that, we have much in common."

"That's right-we're a perfect match. Trash recognizes trash," Flora sneered. She never claimed to be good; if anything, she had a knack for sniffing out her kind.

Derek didn't take offence. On the contrary, he grinned, utterly unfazed.

"Great. Then let's hit the bed and do what perfect matches are supposed to do."

Flora smoothed down her hair, about to speak, when she saw Asher approaching from a distance. She'd kept him waiting too long; he looked a little anxious.

Seeing Flora ready to leave and noticing her intense gaze on the other man, Derek's anger suddenly ignited again.

"Tell me," Derek sneered, his voice low, "what do you think your precious man would do if he found out you gave your first time to a stranger?"

Flora froze mid-step. She turned back, her slender hand landing flat against Derek's chest. A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes as, without hesitation, she shoved him hard.

Derek hadn't expected it. While the shove did little, he was genuinely startled by the sheer ruthlessness radiating from her eyes.

He was certain: this woman genuinely intended to kill him right then and there.

"You dare lay a hand on him," she hissed, "and I swear, I'll drag you down to hell with me."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Asher reached them. His eyes were slightly red as he pulled her into a tight embrace, as if terrified she might vanish. The sight filled Derek with scorn.

"I'm here," Flora whispered, patting Asher's back gently.

One second, she's all fire and fury, swearing she'd kill me-next thing I know, she's purring like a kitten.

"I'll take you home," Flora said gently to Asher.

Derek stood rooted to the spot momentarily, watching their figures disappear into the elevator. The depths of his eyes grew increasingly shadowed.

Protecting him, loving him that much?