Chapter 3: The Boy Nobody Wanted

Just like those bystanders said: Derek Stanton—the male lead of this story—is the illegitimate son of a wealthy family.

His father was a famous city councilman in Savannah, who had a kid with his secretary after a one-night stand.

The scandal should have ended a career, but in this family, secrets just got swept under the rug and left to fester.

The secretary wanted nothing from him, so she quit, left with a pregnant belly, and gave birth to Derek back in her hometown in rural Georgia.

Not long after, she died of illness, and Derek’s background was exposed.

He had no choice but to return to Savannah and find his father. The family recognized him—but never accepted him.

—I always thought, isn’t this just like a male Cinderella?

But he wasn’t as lucky as Cinderella.

Because in the whole Stanton family, no one liked him.

Relatives wouldn’t let him eat at the table; brothers bullied and excluded him; even the housekeeper scolded him and made him fight the dog for food.

Picture Sunday dinners with crystal glasses and silver cutlery, but Derek was lucky if he got a seat at the kitchen counter, let alone a real plate. Most nights, he ate standing up, dodging elbows and insults.

So when I entered the novel, I found him...

Uh, being cornered and beaten by five cousins.

I used a giant firecracker to scare off those brats, pulled Derek up from the snow, and asked:

"Did you get hurt when you fell?"

My hands shook as I brushed snow off his soaked jacket, his breath coming out in white puffs.

Derek’s face was a mess of old and new bruises. He held a handful of snow, expressionless, staring at the ground in silence.

He was only in his early teens then.

In the coldest winter, his down jacket was soaked, his neck damp and icy from the snow.

But he was eerily calm.

I thought for a moment, then said:

"I just moved in next door. My parents are business partners with your dad. Want to come over and change clothes?"

I’m not sure which part caught his attention, but Derek finally, slowly, turned to look at me.

Our eyes met. His gaze was quiet and cold, like a knife hidden in the dark.

I froze, unconsciously letting go of his arm.

He looked indifferent, then said:

"Get lost."

His words were flat, but there was a glint in his eye, like he was daring anyone to come closer.