The boardroom remained silent long after Derick's words settled into the air.
"You're looking at him."
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The atmosphere felt frozen.
Gracie stood beside her chair, her body completely still.
Her mind refused to accept what she had just heard.
Derick… the owner of Blackcrest?
It didn't make sense.
Her eyes stayed locked on him.
The man standing calmly at the head of the table was the same man who fixed her broken kitchen cabinet.
The same man who walked her home in the rain.
The same man who made terrible pancakes in her tiny apartment kitchen.
But now…
Powerful executives were standing for him.
Respecting him.
Almost bowing to him.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"…Derick?"
Her voice was small.
Almost fragile.
For a brief second, something flickered in his eyes.
Regret.
But Avery's voice cut through the moment.
"Well," Avery said smoothly, leaning back in her chair.
"This is quite a performance."
She looked amused.
"I must admit, Mr. Furniture Shop Owner… you fooled quite a lot of people."
Derick didn't even glance at her.
His attention remained on Gracie.
That only made Avery's smile sharpen.
The tension in the room became unbearable.
Gracie couldn't breathe.
Everything felt too heavy.
Without another word, she grabbed her bag.
The chair behind her scraped loudly against the floor.
Several people turned to look.
But she didn't care.
She walked toward the door quickly.
Her father watched her leave.
His expression was troubled.
But he didn't stop her.
The doors closed behind her.
And the moment she stepped into the hallway—
her composure shattered.
Her heart pounded violently.
Her vision blurred.
She walked faster.
Then faster.
Until she reached the elevator.
The moment the doors closed, she finally let out a shaky breath.
"What… was that?"
Her hands trembled.
Derick.
Blackcrest.
The biggest company in the city.
The man she trusted more than anyone…
had lied to her this entire time.
The elevator doors opened.
She walked out quickly.
Not looking at anyone.
Not speaking to anyone.
She just wanted to leave.
She needed air.
Outside the building, the cold wind hit her face.
But it didn't calm the storm inside her chest.
She began walking down the sidewalk quickly.
Then suddenly—
"Gracie."
She froze.
That voice.
She didn't turn around.
Footsteps approached behind her.
"Gracie, we need to talk."
Her hands clenched tightly.
Finally she turned.
Derick stood a few steps away.
Still calm.
Still composed.
But now there was tension in his eyes.
"We should go somewhere private," he said quietly.
"The rooftop."
Gracie laughed bitterly.
"No."
The single word came out sharp.
Derick frowned slightly.
"Gracie—"
"No."
Her voice rose.
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
People passing on the street began glancing over.
Gracie turned away from him.
"I'm going home."
She walked away.
This time she didn't stop.
Derick stood there for a moment.
Then he followed.
⸻
Gracie reached her apartment nearly thirty minutes later.
Her emotions had only grown heavier during the walk.
The familiar hallway suddenly felt strange.
Like everything in her life had shifted.
She unlocked the door quickly.
The moment she stepped inside, she dropped her bag on the table.
The silence of the apartment wrapped around her.
This place had once felt safe.
Now it felt suffocating.
She rubbed her face tiredly.
Then—
a knock came from the door.
Her body stiffened.
She already knew who it was.
Another knock.
"Gracie."
Derick's voice came through the door.
Quiet.
But firm.
She closed her eyes tightly.
"Go away," she said.
Silence followed.
Then the door handle turned.
She had forgotten to lock it.
The door opened slowly.
Derick stepped inside.
Gracie turned sharply.
"I told you to leave!"
Her voice shook.
Derick closed the door behind him calmly.
"We need to talk."
"No."
She pointed toward the door.
"I don't want to hear anything you have to say."
He didn't move.
That only made her angrier.
"Why are you still standing there?!"
Her voice broke.
"Just go!"
Derick's expression softened slightly.
"Gracie…"
That one word shattered the last of her control.
"Don't say my name like that!"
Tears suddenly filled her eyes.
"You don't get to stand there and act like nothing happened!"
Her chest rose and fell quickly.
"Do you have any idea how stupid I feel right now?"
Derick remained silent.
And that silence only made her emotions explode further.
"My whole life has never been easy!"
Her voice cracked.
"I grew up in the countryside!"
Tears rolled down her face.
"My mother died when I was still young!"
Her breathing became uneven.
"I took care of my sick grandmother for years!"
She wiped her tears angrily.
"I worked every day just to finish school!"
Her voice rose louder.
"And when I finally came to this city…"
Her hands trembled.
"…I found the father who abandoned my mother!"
The words echoed painfully in the small apartment.
Derick's jaw tightened slightly.
But she wasn't finished.
"And then there's Avery!"
Gracie laughed bitterly through tears.
"My wonderful half-sister who hates me so much she would rather see me starve than give me a job!"
Her shoulders shook.
"So tell me something, Derick!"
She looked straight at him.
Her eyes red and burning.
"What exactly did I do to deserve this kind of life?!"
The room went quiet.
Only her shaky breathing filled the air.
She wiped her face again.
Then her voice dropped.
Quieter.
But more painful.
"And then I met you."
Derick's eyes darkened slightly.
Gracie's voice trembled.
"You were the only person in this city who treated me like a normal person."
Her tears fell harder.
"You helped me when Avery rejected me."
"You made this city feel less scary."
Her hands clenched tightly.
"And somewhere along the way…"
Her voice broke completely.
"…I started trusting you."
Derick didn't move.
But his chest rose slowly.
Gracie looked at him like her heart was breaking.
"You were the only place I felt safe."
A tear slid down her cheek.
"The only man I ever had feelings for."
The words hung heavily in the air.
Then her expression changed.
Pain turned into anger.
"But the whole time…"
Her voice hardened.
"…you were lying to me."
Derick finally spoke.
"I never lied."
Gracie laughed bitterly.
"You pretended to be a furniture shop owner!"
Her voice rose again.
"You made me believe you were just a normal guy!"
She pointed toward him.
"You stood in my kitchen and cooked breakfast like you were nobody!"
Her voice cracked again.
"But today…"
Tears streamed down her face.
"…I find out you're the most powerful man in the room."
Silence filled the apartment.
Gracie shook her head slowly.
"I trusted you."
Her voice became small again.
"And you made me look like a fool."
Derick finally stepped forward.
But she immediately stepped back.
"Don't."
Her voice was firm.
"I don't want you near me right now."
Derick stopped.
For the first time since she met him—
he looked conflicted.
Then he spoke quietly.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to lose this."
Gracie frowned through her tears.
"Lose what?"
His gaze stayed on her.
"This."
Before she could respond—
someone knocked loudly on the door.
Both of them froze.
Another knock followed.
Then a cold female voice spoke from the hallway.
"Gracie."
Gracie's blood ran cold.
She recognized that voice instantly.
Avery.
But Avery wasn't alone.
Because another calm, older voice spoke next.
"Open the door."
Gracie's heart stopped.
Her father.
And then—
a third voice.
Elegant.
Cold.
And unfamiliar.
"Yes, Gracie."
The woman said slowly.
"It's time we finally meet."
Gracie's hands began to shake.
Derick's expression turned dark.
Because he knew exactly who that voice belonged to.
Avery's mother.