The Billionaire Twins Need A New Mommy! - Chapter 450

Chapter 450: Melissa’s Reality
Melissa sat there in the hallway, right in front of her father’s ward, for what felt like forever. Her mind went blank; her heart, however, filled with hatred and bitterness toward Lola. She knew it. Lola wouldn’t just hand over those properties without a diabolical plan.

Her father’s bill wasn’t settled. Her accounts were frozen. And now her properties would be liquidated to pay off the company’s debts.

Melissa felt her heart sink, the weight crushing her shoulders. The only job she ever knew was to be pretty and “act.” But no one would contract her now. All the brands she worked with had already terminated her. The agency she had invested in sent her a termination notice and even demanded repayment for the trouble she caused.

Her very small share in the agency was forfeited.

“I…” her lips quivered. “Right. I still have some investments in stocks.”

Picking up her phone as if it were a lifeline, Melissa quickly checked her stock market account. Much to her dismay, every company she invested in was down. She was even in the negative.

Her stomach twisted at the sight of the red numbers.

“How…?” she whispered, unable to comprehend why the stocks dipped so drastically.

It never crossed her mind that there were people powerful enough to affect the market with a single move. Had she forgotten who Lola was surrounded by? The people forming a human shield around Lola were extremely capable individuals.

Just one minor decision could change a company — or an entire industry.

Melissa dropped her hand to her side, her eyes shaking. It wasn’t even half the day, yet the weight on her chest was bigger than a mountain. Uncertainty crawled up her spine like a vengeful ghost.

“What do I do?” she whispered, her voice quivering with desperation. “How am I going to fix this?”

Moments earlier, she was determined to prove everyone wrong — that she could take care of herself. That she could take care of her father, and that she could rise in power all on her own. Lola managed to do it. So, she could too. But now that her bubble had burst with the simple prick of a needle, her mind was blank.

Her mouth trembled, her eyes reddening as panic filled her. And when Melissa was pushed to the brink, her instinctive reaction was to run to her mother.

“No,” she shook her head, eyes squeezed shut. “I can’t — no, I will not do that.”

Jasmine was not her mother. Even if Jasmine had acted like one until the DNA test, Melissa would never beg her. For one simple reason: Jasmine was Lola’s mother. And Melissa blamed Lola for everything happening to her.

She couldn’t run to Mike either. He was no different from Jasmine. And Lawrence was comatose.

Slowly, another person crossed her mind.

Melissa pursed her lips, remembering the only person outside her family whom she had always run to.

Derek Lancaster.

“…” Melissa clenched her jaw as memories of their breakup returned — the shouting, the hateful words. She remembered every single moment.

And with those memories came Jasmine’s advice: never burn bridges.

But Melissa had been so consumed by stress that day that she had shown Derek her true colors.

“What do I do?” she whispered, clutching her hair with both hands, whimpering quietly.

The moment those words escaped her lips, the weight in her heart grew even heavier. In that moment, the reality finally sank in:

Melissa… had already lost everything the moment Lawrence declared bankruptcy.

She realized it too late. And because she was oblivious to most things — raised solely to be Derek’s wife — she never saw Lola’s intention.

*****

Hours later…

“Auntie Celest, I told you I’m coming,” Derek sighed as he pulled up in front of his villa, phone pressed to his ear. “Of course. I’ll just pick up something and head over there.”

“Derek, making the chairman happy is important,” Celestine reminded him from the other line. “The board has been pleased with you lately, especially with your progress on the project. Don’t do anything reckless.”

Derek sighed heavily, rubbing his temple. Celestine had been helping him heal from his heartbreak, keeping him busy with the project she entrusted to him. He had long stopped aiming for the CEO position — he knew he didn’t stand a chance, not when Celestine and Travis were the ones fighting for it.

Besides, he had no motivation anymore.

But as Derek opened his mouth to answer, movement flashed across his windshield. He lifted his gaze, and his expression instantly darkened.

Standing right in front of his car… was Melissa.

“Aunt Celestine, I’ll be there,” he said quickly. “I’ll be quick.”

He hung up and set his phone down, but he didn’t get out of the car right away. He just sat there in the driver’s seat, staring at her.

She didn’t look the same. Gone was the graceful, gentle beauty she used to have. Her complexion was pale, her dark eye bags deeper than he had ever seen. He didn’t remember her looking like this — in fact, Lola used to have eye bags like that during university. There were occasions when Derek had seen them.

Melissa even had a large pimple on her cheek, one she clearly hadn’t noticed.

But what stood out most was the look in her eyes.

Derek tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his gaze icy. His heart hardened. After all the strong, arrogant words she threw at him, seeing her like this felt like an insult — the kind that almost made him laugh.

Almost. But he didn’t.

After a short breath, he pushed the door open and stepped out of the car.

“What are you doing here?” he asked coldly. “Melissa, if you’re going to—”

Before he could finish, Melissa rushed toward him and threw herself into his arms. Derek stumbled back slightly, his arms instinctively lifting as she wrapped hers tightly around him.

“I missed you,” she whimpered, crying into his chest. “Derek, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean anything I said — I love you!”