Chapter 295: I Will Not Apologize For It
"Derek~!"
Derek’s smile faded the closer Melissa came. Deep lines appeared on his forehead as soon as he saw the look on her face.
"Dere—" Melissa stopped when he suddenly held her shoulders. "Derek?"
Derek pinched her cheek and moved it to the side to get a better look. "What happened here?" he asked in disbelief, checking the other side. "Melissa, why is your face swollen?"
"Ah..." A conflicted smile flickered in her eyes as she bit her lip and forced a smile. "This is nothing, Derek."
"Nothing? Your face is swollen! I can still see a palm print on it! Not just on this side, but on the other too!"
"Derek."
"Melissa, is someone bullying you on the set? Because I know one of the executives, and they think you don’t deserve it? Is that it?"
Her mouth curved down. "Is that what you think?"
"What?"
"Do you think that I don’t deserve the role too? That I wouldn’t get it if not for you?" Her eyes were red with disappointment.
"What? No! Of course, not!" Derek gasped. "That’s not what I think. Melissa, do you think I would waste my time sitting with someone I don’t like if I thought you didn’t deserve it? If anything, it’s the opposite. I think you deserve it more than anyone, that’s why I bothered."
She pursed her lips into a thin line, looking back at him with slight hope. "Really?"
"Of course!" he said. "Melissa, what nonsense are you talking about? I’m only asking because I’ve heard things like this happen behind the scenes. I don’t want you to get bullied, knowing you always let things go and overlook injustices."
Derek let out a deep exhale. "Melissa, are we really going to argue about this?"
"No, of course not."
"Then tell me what happened. Was someone bullying you?"
Melissa ran her tongue along her inner cheek, hesitant to tell him. Suddenly, she caught sight of a group out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw Lola with a small group from the production. Her lips quivered, and she quickly faced him.
"Derek, it’s really nothing."
Derek frowned, sensing she was about to say more. Shifting his gaze to where she’d looked, he immediately noticed Lola. How could he not? That living horror doll was a sore sight he couldn’t ignore.
"Did Lola do this to you?" he asked.
Melissa lowered her head and didn’t answer. Seeing her pitiful state and the handprint on her cheek, Derek balled his hand into a tight fist.
"Stay here," he said before walking away.
"Wait—Derek!"
But Derek didn’t stop despite her calls. Instead, he marched toward the small group around Lola.
"Lola Young!" he shouted, stopping the group. When they halted, he continued until he was only a few steps away.
Everyone, including Lola, Silo, and Cedrick, turned to the voice. Confusion quickly appeared on their faces when they saw the look on his.
"Lola, how could you be so low?!" he shouted, pointing at her. "How could you bully Melissa just because you’re part of the production?"
"Ah?" Lola blinked, looking as confused as everyone else. "Derek, what are you talking about? Are you okay?"
"What am I talking about?" Derek looked back just as Melissa approached. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. "This! What excuse do you have? Your hand is still imprinted on her cheek! How could you be so low?"
"Wait, I think there’s a misunderstanding—" one of the crew began, but Derek roared over him.
"What misunderstanding are you talking about?" Derek’s eyes glittered. "Can’t you see what’s going on here? Look at her face!"
Melissa tugged at his arm, not expecting him to flip so quickly and confront Lola. "Derek, please just stop."
"Stop?" He scoffed. "Melissa, this is why Lola keeps bullying you. You keep letting her do whatever she pleases. She can’t just assault someone without consequences."
He turned his glare back to Lola. "Lola, apologize to Melissa—now!"
Everyone went silent at how quickly things had escalated. They’d been heading to their cars and saying goodbye when this happened.
"Why would she need to apologize?" Silo stepped in, hands on his hips, glaring at Derek with equal intensity. "If someone should apologize, it should be you! How could you ambush us like this and accuse Lola of something she didn’t do?"
"Didn’t she slap Melissa?"
Silo choked as he remembered the two slaps Lola had delivered to Melissa under the pretense of coaching. Even though there had been an excuse, Silo and Lola both knew it was just that an excuse.
"Hah! See!" Derek scoffed, his anger rising. He rested his hands on his hips, rolled his neck, and scanned the crowd. "There are a lot of you, and none of you even stood up for Melissa—"
"Derek." Finally, Lola sobered and stepped forward, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Silo, you should walk them to their car. I’ll talk to him."
"Lola, unless you apologize to Melissa, I don’t want to talk to you."
"And why would I apologize to her?" Lola arched a brow. "Derek, did you confront me knowing the whole truth?"
"What truth are you talking about when it’s right in front of me?"
"Everything has different sides," she shrugged. "I’m just telling you this so you don’t humiliate yourself in the future. I did slap Melissa, and I will slap her again if necessary. And I will not apologize for it."
Melissa’s breath hitched, stunned by the coldness in Lola’s eyes. Derek’s anger flared even more at her lack of remorse. This was why he hated Lola—she never admitted wrongdoing or showed remorse.
Derek swallowed hard as Lola clicked her tongue. She glanced back and jerked her chin at the others.
"Silo, go," she instructed. "You too, Ced. I’ll be right behind you—"
"Taz!" Before she finished, Silo, Cedrick, and everyone else shouted, and Cedrick even stepped forward, but it was too late.
Derek reached out toward Lola, his other hand raised as if to slap her, and no one expected he’d actually raise a hand to her. Everyone just froze in their place, breath hitching in their throats, wide-eyed.
THUD!