Chapter 1920


    If she could have it her way, Yasmine wouldn''t even think about attending graduation. If it weren''t for


    the avnche of regrets that might follow, she might have really skipped it.


    Walls have ears, they say. The whole school probably knew about her losing the baby. Even the old


    gardener tending to the backwoods was likely in on the gossip. Showing up at graduation meant


    she''d be the center of attention.


    She loathed those pitying stares, but what could she do?


    Nobody dared approach her with questions or snide remarks, but getting pregnant before


    graduation was juicy gossip back then. Wherever Yasmine went, people would instinctively steer


    clear, and the whispers weren''t exactly kind.


    Derek, who attended the same school, saw this and was no longer his usual easygoing self. With


    furrowed brows and a cold demeanor, he wrapped an arm around Yasmine and pulled her close.


    It was almost like marking his territory.d2


    Yasmine nced at him, "Not bad, learning to protect ady now, are you?"


    "Shut it, how much less of a man can I be in your eyes?"


    Yasmine smirked, "Right now? Very manly."


    Their interaction surprised everyone. What? When did these two get together? They were known to


    be close, but this fast? Yasmine''s rebound speed was something else.


    When Boyd arrived, all eyes were on him again. Yasmine was taking photos, clearly at Derek''s


    insistence. She never liked being in front of the camera unless necessary. But there was Derek with


    his camera, asionally snapping candid shots of her. She was suddenly in the mood, or maybe


    she felt like humoring Derek, so she smiled for the camera.


    "Wanna join me for a shot?" She invited Derek.


    Derek paused, scanning the surroundings. At that moment, someone handed him a bouquet of


    vibrant, bold roses. He epted the flowers and approached Yasmine, "Hold these and take a


    picture with me."


    The bouquet was big enough to cover her upper body. Many at the ceremony received flowers, but


    a bunch this size turning heads as it made its way through campus was something else.


    She sniffed the roses, "Getting more romantic, aren''t we?"


    Derek shrugged, "Like it?"


    Yasmine raised an eyebrow and beckoned him over with a gesture. He leaned in, and Yasmine


    plucked a single rose, kissed it, and pressed it to Derek''s lips. "I love it."


    Derek stiffened up. Kissing didn''t have to be this extravagant. He handed the camera to a


    ssmate and pulled Yasmine close, posing for several shots.


    Boyd stood nearby, struggling to contain himself. He might have stormed over and whisked


    Yasmine away if not for his restraint. Still he couldn''t help approaching them, under the watchful


    eyes of the crowd.


    Yasmine nced at the camera''s photos. The roses were quite the scene-stealers. Handing the


    camera back to Derek, she caught sight of Boyd standing before her, his aura cold and dark.


    She scanned the crowd, their indifferent silence speaking volumes. Raising an eyebrow, she had no


    intention of pretending she didn''t know Boyd, especially in front of people who knew they''d been an


    item.


    "Something wrong?"


    Boyd remained silent, just looking at her.


    Yasmine''s lips curled slightly, "Let''s go. Time to celebrate the end of my academic life." Clearly, she


    wasn''t speaking to Boyd.


    Derek nced at Boyd, nodded, and then turned to leave with his arm around Yasmine''s shoulder.


    Boyd grabbed Yasmine''s wrist.


    Yasmine, looking at the roses scattered on the ground, finally cooled down. She turned to face him,


    her voice icy. "Let go."


    Boyd didn''t speak, but his grip tightened. Yasmineughed coldly, raised her other hand, and


    pped Boyd across the face. The p echoed sharply, followed by gasps from the crowd.


    Yasmine pulled her wrist free. "Jerk."


    She picked up the roses from the ground, brushed off the dust, and walked away.


    Derek spoke softly after some distance, "Are you sure it wasn''t just you wanting to p him?"


    Yasmine sneered, "Well, I wanted to. But I needed a reason. He''s not worth the trouble over past


    issues."


    "ording to your life philosophy, shouldn''t the past be more p-worthy?"


    "The past?" Yasmine paused by the car door, "I won''t hit him over the past. He''d love for me to get


    angry over it. Why should I give him that satisfaction? I''ll let him stew in guilt and pain for the rest of


    his life."


    Derek opened the car door for her, shivering, "Women are terrifying."


    Yasmine got into the car, "So remember, don''t get cocky. Mess with one woman, fine; mess with


    several, and you''ll slip up eventually."


    Derek got in too, "Where are we celebrating?"


    "Shouldn''t you be nning that?"


    He nodded in agreement.


    "I booked a room. We''re not going home tonight."


    The car''s tail hit the vehicle behind. Derek was stunned, "What... what did you say?"


    Yasmine turned, her smile mischievous, "Just us two in a suite, not going home."


    Derek surveyed her up and down. "You''re not serious, are you?"


    Yasmine ced the roses in the back, resting her chin in her hand as she gazed at him. "Maybe


    give you a chance tonight?"


    Derek scribbled a number on a piece of paper and tucked it under the windshield wiper of the rear-


    ended car before getting back in without another word.


    --


    Serana wouldn''t miss Boyd''s graduation for the world. Even with a noticeable baby bump, she didn''t


    hesitate to go to school. The thought of encountering Yasmine filled her with dread, but she went


    anyway.


    Rumors had it that Boyd had been pped by Yasmine. She scoured the entire school but found no


    trace of Boyd. When she asked Boyd''s assistant, the assistant was clueless, badgered persistently


    by her until finally divulging that Boyd had booked a room at a hotel. What the assistant didn''t reveal


    was that Ms. Yasmine had also booked a room there.


    --


    Upon leaving school, Boyd beelined for the bar. In the afternoon, the ce was almost empty.


    He pondered how he could win Yasmine back. From the moment he had pulled the trigger on her,


    through the news of her miscarriage, to the present, he had been consumed by this thought.


    Yet he had no solution.


    He didn''t even know what he would say upon seeing her.


    Still, he couldn''t bear the thought of her being with someone else. Now, whenever he blinked, he


    saw the radiant roses in Yasmine''s arms, her smile while nestled in another man''s embrace.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Wasn''t she supposed to love him? Hadn''t she been willing to shoulder thebel of a murderer for


    him? So why was she now turning to find sce in the arms of another?


    Drink after drink, cigarette after cigarette. He drank from afternoon until night, from the silence to the


    bustling cacophony.


    --


    After dinner, Yasmine and Derek, breaking their usual routine, ducked into a bar. Yasmine had


    reserved a private booth in advance, but when they arrived at the bar around nine, they barged into


    a different one.


    At first, Derek was perplexed. He had told her they had a different booth booked, but she insisted on


    opening the door to this particr booth.


    As they entered, Derek had an epiphany and cursed under his breath. God damn it, what was she


    even thinking!


    "Sorry, wrong room. Mr. Summers?"


    Derek sneered, thinking her act convincing.


    Nick, who was disturbed from his revelry by the intrusion, was initially annoyed. However, seeing


    Yasmine, he paused. Hearing her call him Mr. Summers, he took a few seconds before asking with


    confusion, "And you are?"


    Yasmine approached with a smile, "Turns out it really is you. I suppose it''s most suitable to call


    myself a junior from your alma mater right now."


    "From Summit Ridge University?"


    Yasmine nodded, "Coincidentally, I just graduated today."


    Up close, Nick was momentarily disoriented by Yasmine''s radiant beauty. "Ha, a junior indeed."


    Yasmine briefly introduced Derek, "This is the Deputy CEO of Peck Innovations, also from Summit


    Ridge University."


    "Oh, great!"


    Derek reluctantly went over and greeted Nick.


    The entire booth was filled with Nick''s old school chums, none of them known for their virtuous


    intentions.


    The Summers family held some clout in P City. They had a formidable andpetent matriarch,


    though their influence seemed to have waned in recent years. Plus, there was Nick, P City''s


    notorious good-for-nothing prodigal son.


    Everyone present was there to milk the Summers family for what it was worth while they still could.


    Of course, Yasmine was also scheming to milk this "good-for-nothing" for all he was worth. Like the


    Summers family''s teetering entertainmentpany – it would be such a waste if it fell into someone


    else''s hands.


    The entertainment business here wasn''t nearly as developed as abroad, but that didn''t mean it


    would stay that way in theing years. The entertainment sector was destined to im a


    significant slice of the domestic economic pie.


    Yasmine had her eye on that juicy morsel. Derek was aware of her ns, but who would have


    thought she would confront Nick tonight? How did she know Nick would be here?


    The rest of the evening was spent in casual banter and drinks.