The Secret Obsession of the CEO
Chapter 134: Doubts

Chapter 134: Doubts

"What do you mean, why?" Rory shrugged. She tried to walk past him. But Derick stood firm.

"The closet specifically," Derick gripped her shoulders and made her look at him. "Why are you asking me about it? What do you- why now?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just..." Rory bit her lips. She looked into his blue eyes and she saw his pupils were dilated. On his forehead formed a layer of cold sweat.

Fear... That’s what she saw in his eyes. Fear.

She smiled. "Why are you acting weird, Derick? Makes me wonder what you are hiding. I recently changed rooms. This other room... Ellie’s room to be precise... I sleep there when Liam’s not there... I guess I should have said "nursery" and not "my room". I am sorry."

Derick’s eyes widened and his hold on her shoulder got gentler. "You will tell me if something’s bothering you, right, Rory? You won’t hold it back and..." he cocked his head. "Like in the past~"

"I won’t!" Rory said gritting her teeth.

She was mad. She glared at Derick. She knew what he means about her past. He found her cutting herself in the past not handling her parents’ death well. And now, Derick is insinuating that she might resort back to her old habits.

It made her mad.

Because, if there even was a doubt that she is hurting herself and is "unstable" she will lose custody of her child. She knew it. She knew right now the most terrifying thing one could do to her is taking her baby from her.

They already froze her accounts. She has no access to money. And what’s left of her is only her baby. And no one can take her baby from her.

"Aren’t you late?" She asked as Derick stared at her. He was not saying anything, but he was observing her face as if he was reading a book. She always found it a little annoying that he could see through her.

And she hated that he might have picked up on her fear.

She kept on staring, thinking of the pictures she found. Pictures that would ruin any woman. A deep bitterness formed in her gut and she projected it through her eyes. She observed Derick as he observed her.

He looked shaken.

"Guys..?" Julia’s tender voice snapped them.

"Yes," Rory turned with a smile. "I was getting upstairs..." She then turned and looked up. Derick stepped aside and she with a smirk walked past Derick.

"What was that about?" Julia walked up the stairs.

Derick shrugged. "She’s not well, Jules. She’s worrying me."

"We’ll look after her. Don’t worry," Julia rubbed his back.

Derick sees her as family. And Julia did not want to see Rory hurt. She agreed with Derick. Rory does not look well today. She looks like she has lost her marbles. And that is very dangerous.

"I think she is hiding what grandma told her," Derick wrapped his arm around her shoulder and walked down the stairs.

"What? We were all there. Grandma was slurring because of the stroke... " Julia stopped and held his hand. "Even if Rory is hiding anything, it means nothing. Grandma was surrounded by everyone, and yet she only talked to Rory. Right? Rory told me that grandma promised her skillet to her. I don’t know about your family. But in ours, the one who is promised grandma’s skillet is considered her heir... I don’t know about your hereditary properties, but.. "

"Is that so?" Derick asked. "Grandma did make sure everyone knows that her skillet will go to Rory."

"See..."Julia shrugged. "They might have some secrets."

Derick nodded half-heartedly. That’s what he was more worried about--grandma sharing some secret with Rory.

What secret? Why her?

----

Rory walked up the stairs and saw Lennon’s room was slightly ajar. She pressed her lips as Sidney’s very odd behavior came to her mind.

She walked to his room. She slightly knocked on the door, but the door flung open. She walked in.

"Ah!" Rory shouted out of instinct. "I’m sorry. I was not..." she covered her eyes and turned to face the door. She did not expect to see Lennon all wet with just a towel around his waist.

"It’s... I apologize... I thought the door was locked..."

Lennon’s voice was a little shaky and Rory heard him opening the wardrobe.

"I’ll...talk to you later," She walked out and waving her face that went red out of embarrassment, closed the door.

She took in a deep breath and went to her room. Ellie was awake and was on her belly inside the crib.

"Oh, sweetie pie..." Rory picked her up. "Your mother’s acting like a nutcase today..."

She smiled seeing Ellie’s big smile. Her little baby finds everything she says as entertaining. Maybe she just wants to laugh and smile.

"Aren’t you a darling? Aren’t you?" she rubbed her cheeks with hers and the baby laughed out loud. "That’s right! You are a darling. And I am not going to lose you."

She kissed the baby’s forehead. "I will protect you, dear... With my everything. I won’t let his paws on you. You are so precious, mommy will do just anything for you. That’s right, dear... Anything."

The baby cooed placing her hand on Rory’s cheek. Rory’s eyes turned menacing as she stared at the window.

Now she has to think about what grandma Roberts wanted to tell her. It must have been so important if grandma insisted on speaking even when she was in pain.

What could it be?

-----

Derick glanced at his father looking stressed. Even his favorite music in the car didn’t seem to calm him down as they drove to the hospital.

"Dad, do you remember that file I gave you a long time ago? File that had pictures of Rory?"

Leroy turned and looked at him. There was panic in his eyes. "What about it?"

"Can I have it back?" Derick asked. He still couldn’t shake off the weird look he saw on Rory’s face. He saw hatred. He couldn’t think of a reason why Rory would look at him that way. And combined with her questioning about her closet...

He could only think of those pictures.

"I left it with Agnes," Leroy said.

Derick slammed the brakes. "Dad, why?"

"Son, are you okay?" Leroy asked. He looked pale just like the day he handed him over that file.

"When did you..?" Derick asked and his eyebrows were flinching. He appeared to be mad and controlling his anger.

"I know I was late, Derick. I should have given it to Agnes the moment you gave it to me," Leroy fisted his hands.

"You gave it to her recently?" Derick tried to not get angry at his father, but he was angry. "I think Rory knows... Did- did Agnes show them to Rory? She..."

"So what?" Leroy found his son’s reaction not appropriate. "I still was late. And Rory... As much as it hurts, Rory should know that she was stalked and she probably was molested by the same guy..."

"Dad, what?" Derick gulped. "Rory was what?" His hands started to shake.

"You heard me, son. Don’t make me..." Leroy sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Start moving..."

"Molested? She was..." Derick was stunned to hear that.

"Who? Who was it? Did she know who that was?" Derick asked.

Leroy shook his head. "Talk to her. Maybe she knows or... I don’t think she remembers. If Agnes told her, then..."

Derick stared at the tree near the curve of the road for some time.

Is she doubting me?

He clenched the steering wheel. After a minute, he started the car and the car drove away.

------

Liam looked at the grey table in front of him. his hands were cuffed and were locked with a metal ring on the table. His legs were cuffed together.

So many precautions for just a "r@pist"!

He smiled wryly. He looked around and he could spot two cameras. There probably are more. Right now the agents would be watching each and every move of his and forming an opinion of him. They would be profiling him and wondering what methods would work on him.

They are already treating him as a serial killer. He could say just by the way they "handled" him. Accidentally tripping him while he was walking, not giving him water, not telling him that they gave him boiling hot water...and other stuff.

He could say that someone influential is involved, behind the scenes, to let the agents handle someone in their custody this way. Those agents won’t do anything of their own accord. To them everything is about following orders. And that means...

He is screwed.

Never in his life when he watched various crime series with Rory did he think that one day he would be in a real interrogation room in chains.

Even now, he was not worried for himself. He was thinking only about Rory.

He looked at his empty ring finger. They got everything he was wearing. He should have left the ring with Rory. And now, he stupidly left some of his DNA with the cops.

Oh, Rory... What should I do?

He remembered her tear-filled face when he left her. He had to tear her away from him to leave. He tore away from her that day he left after he asked for the divorce papers too. And it hurt.

He heard the knob of the door turning and he looked at the door to see who was there.