Nova Newton looked past the tinted window of the car they had been seated in, until the door was pulled open and a hand emerged in front of her. Taking it, she stepped out of the car, almost getting blinded by the cameras that flashed on her face. But she had gotten much better at handling that. So, she only smiled before looking up at Derek who then lifted her hand up and pressed a sweet kiss on the back of her palm, promptly making the gathered crowd go wild. Nova could only smile.
The venue that they had chosen was nothing grand, yet it was no less than it either, if that even made any sense. But to say the least, it was the best for the kind of work that they had to do.
The hall seemed never-ending when Nova found herself walking toward the middle of it. A lot of the guests had already arrived. She saw Jason taking care of some business with one of the waiters that were roaming around, a tray full of glasses with some kind of sparkling liquid in them. She could also see James speaking into his ear piece. Derek really made them take care of all this. She wondered if they were even getting paid as much as they work for them both â Derek and Nova.
A few moments into the hall, Nova caught her parents standing a little distance away from where she currently stood, talking to David and Mary â Derek's parents. She promptly made her way to them, dragging Derek with her who was busy exchanging weird glances with James â most probably making sure if everything was alright or not.
In the last one month where it was supposed to be their break, Nova had finally gotten to know Derek's parents and just as she'd expected, they were both lovely people who cared about their only son a great deal. It had almost made her cry when she got to witness firsthand as to just how much her fiancé was loved. It was all that he deserved.
Reaching the parents, Nova and Derek greeted them with hugs and kisses before Mary stole her from Derek's side altogether, enveloping her hand in the both of her own aged ones, brushing her palm on her fingers, fingering the diamond that lay on her ring finger.
"You changed it," she asked, Nova blushed. Mary Adams was a small, petite woman, much different than Nova's own tall and intimidating mother but she was a sweetheart just the same. She was welcoming and full of love and affection and she could light up any room she stepped into. With a fair, glowy skin and blonde hair that she now had in a complex looking bun with some curly strands of it falling around her round face in an elegant manner, she didn't really look much like her son. Her green eyes and fuller cheeks in a great contrast with her son's striking blue eyes and a rather chiseled face, but Nova knew that Derek had all the qualities that his mother had, albeit buried a little deeper, hidden under layers of cover for people he didn't think deserved his caring side.
"Um, yes. He proposed to me again a week ago." Nova answered and Mary gushed, turning to look over at Nova's mother, Isabelle, discussing how the ring looked beautiful on her. Despite the obvious difference in personalities, Nova was very thankful that Mary and her mother got along so well. She wouldn't say they were the closest of friends, but she could surely say that they had bonded well.
"Ah, so that's why he showed up his face after a whole month, I see â Jennifer told me. And didn't even think to visit his old man, this punk." Grumbled out David, almost giving an offended look which all of them knew was only for show because the first two things that anyone got to know about David Adams was that one; he was a millionaire businessman successfully running his jewelry business and two, that he adored his son to bits. Even if most didn't know who the infamous son was exactly (David had told everyone that cared to ask that his son worked in Japan, getting very little time to visit).
Very unlike his wife, David looked a lot like someone who was related to Derek, which was mainly why they never really could be seen much in public because the resemblance was there â with the dark wavy hair atop both their heads and the dark blue eyes. And maybe it would have been a bit harder to ignore if David didn't sport a nice and round beer belly, and if his hair hadn't started to grey or if his striking blue eyes hadn't always been behind the black tinted prescription glasses he wore.
But Nova knew that it was his father Derek took over in the looks department, from all the photos she was shown in one of the visits to the Adams residence. Still, not to take any chances, The Adams' were supposed to be family â with Mary being Hera's (Derek's mother for the ruse and Penton's wife) sister â if anyone were to really ask. Plus, this gathering was family as well as close business partners involved, so there wasn't really much that should seem amiss.
But just like how Derek had his mother's personality and not her looks, the same was the case with his father. While David was a funny and frank man, opening up to anyone he found was a 'good chad', it was almost obvious how Derek's more reserved personality contradicted with that of his father's.
Yet, it was always visible how the father and son duo cared and loved each other as Derek rolled his eyes before showing the slightest of smiles on his face as the rest of the group erupted in laughter at David's attempt of scolding Derek for not visiting him even when Jennifer, his secretary, had asked him if he wished to meet with his dad.
"You just want to slack off," Derek teased and David made an exaggerated face which then prompted a laugh out of everybody again.
"Well, well, I see the party is enjoying itself," came a new voice and everybody turned their heads towards the source. And Derek rolled his eyes when he saw Penton advancing towards them along with his smiling wife, Hera. Nova greeted them with hugs and kisses as well.
Their small group fell into another wave of light-hearted conversation upon Penton's arrival, which mostly consisted to his real dad and the ruse dad both teaming up against Derek and trying their level best to embarrass him while the ladies took their prince's side. It was refreshing, and Nova loved to be there.
It had been well over ten minutes when Derek nudged her subtly, causing Nova to look up at him. He nodded in a direction and Nova quickly understood what this was about. Tonight's target had arrived.
Nodding her head and tipping the champagne over and into her mouth from the flute, Nova followed Derek's lead and went over to the now approaching man.
Derek's shook the man's hand when he neared the both of them and was stood right in front of them, Nova only nodded with a smile, both her hands coiled around Derek's arm with one of his hand palming the back of hers from where she held him.
The man wass like any other typical businessman who wished to climb up the ladders faster than usual. He was shorter than Derek but quite bigger than him, with a big round belly that stayed covered behind the expensive tux he wore, his balding head shining and his eyes seeming a bit hazy behind his big round glasses. Their target for the night.
The two men fell into an easy conversation like any other businessmen, talks about the stock market and new technologies and what-not. Nova felt the man's eyes slide to her face more times than she wished to count and with the way Derek tugged her even more towards him to where she was almost glued to his side told Nova that he'd noticed it too.
Derek wasn't as enthusiastic about the conversation as the man seemed to be, keeping his answers crisp and short but the man didn't get the memo.
It was when the man's eyes glinted right before he said something that he would regret in the next coming seconds â and also what Derek had been chatting him up for â that Nova almost heaved out a sigh of relief because Nova really was just a few seconds away from asking the man what his deal was because she'd caught him looking her over from head to toe three times now.
But as soon as the man uttered the words, the sentence that revealed that the sudden profit that his company benefitted despite the workers still not getting the proper pay and how the man now wore an Armani suit where just a month ago he had been on the verge on bankruptcy, it had been over for him. He seemed to catch on his little slip, probably thinking that the people in front of him won't catch on but little did he know that his case file had already been pretty much made, all they needed was words spoken from his own mouth. And that, he had just given them.
His eyes widened comically for just a second before the previous hazy look took over them again and his smile returned. He had just excused himself and had gone maybe a few feet away when Nova uncoiled her arms from around him to let him follow him. She saw as Derek bent his head a little to reach his ears and whispered something. The reaction was instant â the man stiffened, snapped his head sideways to look over at Derek and from her position she could see the colour drain from his face. Derek only smirked before reaching over to the man's sleek black suit and brushing his shoulder in a way that surely made the man clench his teeth before scurrying off.
Mission accomplished, the first man taken down â rest to follow.
As Derek made his way back to her, a new face suddenly overlapped over his and Nova smiled when she saw who it is.
"I can't believe you wouldn't tell me!" said Abby, in all her cheerful glory.
She came closer and hugged Nova tightly, Nova returned the hug before pulling back. Abby's hands holding the both of hers in between the both of her own, slightly rubbing them all together, created a warm feeling.
Abby had her eyes wide and her eyebrows up, a small smile present on her moving mouth.
"Come on! I deserve to know, I am maybe your only friend in this life, I have all the rights to know!"
Nova only smiled, loving her presence and taking in the contagious happy-go-lucky vibe the girl emitted. And she was right to be honest, Abby really was her only friend â only genuine friend she'd ever made. And she was obviously important to her, hence her presence today.
Abby stopped talking as she felt a shadow loom over her then, and turning around they were both met with Derek's smiling face, his smile still practically non-existent but still there â Nova could always see it â and Abby blushed a little, let her hands go and shifted slightly to the side so that now she was beside Nova and Derek right in front of her.
"I apologise, Ms. Abby, but I must borrow Ms. Newton from you, I'm afraid. I saw Mr. Mark looking for you, by the way. He said something about losing you to the crowd? I am certain he would be pleased to know that you're fine, and by the time that you do meet up with him, I assure you that Ms. Newton will be free for your taking." Charmed his way through Derek, and it clearly worked because Abby was astonished, looking at him with wide eyes and an almost open mouth.
Derek only smiled, this time adorning a bit more noticeable smile before turning his head back towards Nova and extending his hand forward for her to take. "If you will, Ms. Newton?"
Nodding her head at Derek, Nova took his hand who, then lead her to the very center of the hall, and as they made their way, they received everyone's undivided attention. Nova felt the least bit of anxiety at that, which was normal she assumed seeing as what they were just about to announce, she calmed herself through it.
As they made their stop right beneath the glowing chandelier, Nova felt her palms start to sweat. But the moment she felt a gentle squeeze on the hand that was in Derek's she felt warmth swirl in her slowly.
Right when they had everyone's attention, Derek began to speak and Nova begin to think what all lead her today to this day. She saw her mother and father there, amongst the crowd, along with Derek's parents as well as Penton and Hera and she saw as her mother passed her such a genuine, rare smile that Nova almost welled up. And she saw how her father â who had had a tough time to take in the fact that Derek was actually a great guy and not the murderer he had thought him to be â but now had made peace with it, came to terms with it â gave her a nod of her head and Nova felt the glassiness in her eyes at that. Because that nod meant a lot more than just a gesture. It meant that he finally approved, and- and Nova's happiness was just increased a hundred times.
And Nova saw how Hera gave her an encouraging smile as Derek still spoke beside her, addressing the crowd, expressing gratitude. And she saw how Mary was already crying, and the pure sight made her almost start crying but the way David had his arm around her and dropped a loving kiss on her head as he looked at his son with stars in his eyes made Nova stronger. Penton just looked smug, and the wiggle of his eyebrows that he gave her when her eyes landed on him just about made her giggle but then she heard the words. The announcement.
"We're getting married on the first of March!"
Nova took in a sharp breath before turning her head to the man who had just spoken the words, only to catch him already turning his head and tilting it downward to look at her as well.
Nova knew that the cameras flashed, that people erupted into an excited glee and cheered for them but it all faded when Derek smiled big at her before dipping down and kissing Nova square on the lips. Nova smiled against his warm, soft mouth and pressed back before pulling away to the unmistakable shrill and excited voice of Abby shouting 'Oh, my God, I can't believe this!'
Pulling back enough to create a few centimeters of distance between their lips, Nova looked up at Derek's shining, bright, crystal blue eyes and smiled, unabashedly and got Derek's own unreserved smile and if Nova's heart did a somersault then no one needed to know. What they did need to know, however, was that she was in love, and they were getting married, and that Derek loved her, too. And that was enough, more than enough.
Nova had everyone she loved, everyone who loved her, here today, at this gathering which may have been a bit for the ruse but at this point, this was all much more real than just a ruse. And everyone here, who cared about her, about them, knew that.
Nova was happy, Derek was happy, he was smiling and he didn't flinch now when Nova lifted her hand up and placed it on his cheekbone. His smile didn't falter when she brushed along his scar, and he bent his head for her when she rose on her toes to peck him right on the slightly darkened skin. And as she did that, all Nova felt and knew was Derek's hand that rested on her waist, and the light squeeze he gave her on the small of her waist which had her breath hitching.
At that moment she only knew him, along with all of his darksides, and she only knew herself along with him, there with him to accompany him to any and all darkside that may come his way.
She wouldn't change a thing, wouldn't have anything differently.
She loved every bit of this, every bit of what they had, every bit of what happened, every moment that led them here, because Nova didn't only accomplish all that she'd wished to do, not only had she learnt how to live life through slow, but sure steps, how to bask in small victories, but she'd also gotten to know a lot of new feelings.
Not only had she met such a special person who she could call her own, but she'd also known exactly what it meant to live. Exactly what it meant to love. And she'd gotten a home. She'd gotten to know and experience the feel a home. She was living, and she was loving.
She was being loved. And she was home. And she was alive.