"Miranda, get the drinks from the fridge," Lady Loretta said. She was the lady of the house, and it was the birthday celebration for her only son.
"Okay, Ma," Miranda answered. As a young lady in her early twenties, Miranda wore a pink dress. It was nighttime, and they were preparing a birthday party for Derrick Luis, the only son of the Luis family. Out of eight children, Derrick was the sole son of his wealthy family.
Many guests were already present in the Luis family mansion, including top admirers, business partners, and family members, but the birthday celebrant was not at home.
Far away at a luxurious firm, Derrick Luis was still in his office when his mobile phone rang. "Hello, Mother," he answered the call.
"Derrick, you know that today is your birthday. So where are you?" his mother asked.
Looking at his wristwatch, Derrick saw it was already 6 PM. He replied, "I'm in my office, Mother."
"Come home, son. It's your birthday, and we have done a lot to make today a special occasion to mark your 25th birthday."
"Hmm, I’m not interested in birthday parties, Mother. Why can’t you understand my perspective?" Derrick murmured. He knew his mother was aging, so he couldn’t blame her.
"I understand. Please, come home quickly before the guests start leaving. If I had known you would stubbornly stay at the office this late, I wouldn’t have allowed you to go in today, knowing it's your birthday."
"Mom, I can't set work aside for a party. Who will look after Dad's company?" Derrick muttered again. His mother responded sadly, "You're right, but during your father's prime, he didn't skip home for work. He attended parties. Where do you think I met him?"
"Hm." Derrick rolled his eyes at his mother's words. "Fine, Mother. I will be home now." He said, and the phone call ended.
"Running a multimillion-dollar empire at this age, my mother still expects me to prioritize a party over work. Tch." Derrick mused. He stood up from his exclusive office chair, shutting down his computer before grabbing his suitcase and elegantly leaving his office.
Arriving home in a brand-new Prado Jeep, Derrick got out of the vehicle and walked toward his family's mansion. He could hear music and frowned at the numerous guests' cars parked inside his late father's estate.
Marching forward, Derrick reached the mansion's exterior. He rang the doorbell, and a maid opened the door for him.
"Welcome, Master Derrick," the maid greeted him.
Derrick ignored her greeting and was ushered in by his mother, who was in the living room with many guests.
"Welcome, son. Happy 25th birthday!" His mother said.
"Happy birthday, Master Derrick!" all the guests in the living room toasted to him.
"Thank you all," Derrick replied, wanting to retire to his bedroom to rest, but his mother stopped him, saying, "Derrick, it's still your birthday. Come cut your cake and make a wish."
Pausing on the staircase to look back at the faces of the guests—his seven elder sisters, all married with kids, his nephew and niece—Derrick wanted to protest again that he was not a kid and didn’t want a birthday party. However, he gulped down his protest as silence fell in the crowded living room.
Approaching the cake placed in the center of the living room, Derrick cut it while the guests cheered and clapped for him.
"Happy birthday, brother," his sisters cheered, and he replied, "Thank you all."
"That's not all, Derrick. Make a wish," his mother urged him again.
"Oh, Mother, I’m not a kid," Derrick finally protested, but his mother walked up to meet him in the living room.
“No one said you're a kid, but you're still my baby, so make a wish," his mother pleaded with an assuring smile.
Not wanting to disappoint her, Derrick wished for a long life, a happy family, and a prosperous career.
"Happy birthday to you again, Master Derrick. We wish you all the best," the guests happily toasted, and the celebration continued as they resumed drinking and chatting.
Derrick excused himself from the living room and returned to his bedroom on the top floor of the mansion. Meanwhile, among the maids, Miranda had developed a crush on the master of the house. She was not the only one infatuated with Derrick, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
She openly gawked at his handsomeness. "Too handsome for one person," Miranda thought. She noticed that Derrick seemed very hardworking. He didn’t have time for women and focused mostly on his business alone.
He didn’t even have a girlfriend, and Miranda was filled with longing, wishing Derrick would notice her. Coming from an orphanage, she aspired for a better life and didn’t want to return to poverty.
In the Luis family mansion, maids were expected to dress casually, in simple clothing. There was no competition since all the daughters of the Luis family were married, including the most immediate elder sister to Derrick, Nicole Luis.
"Come on, Alexa; I want to introduce you to my brother. I fear he might be gay. Why doesn’t he have a girlfriend at his age? Don’t you find it weird?" Nicole said to her friend as she invited Alexa along. to her brother's birthday party.
Alexa worked as a secretary at Luis Group, a multimillion-dollar firm, and she admitted that she hadn’t seen any young lady come to the office to visit Derrick.
"I don’t think he’s gay. Master Derrick is just too busy to notice any woman," Alexa replied. She wore a red seductive dress and had arrived at the Luis mansion just as Derrick left the company.
Alexa Godwin was also interested in Derrick Luis. At only 22, she thought that having a man like Derrick as her husband in the future would mean she wouldn’t have to work much or struggle to provide, as his family's wealth could cover all her lifetime expenses.
"Alexa, what do you think of Derrick? You don’t have a crush on my brother, do you? If your sister hadn’t mentioned introducing you to Derrick to work as his new secretary after my leave, do you think I would have accepted you based on our friendship alone? Come on," Nicole grabbed Alexa’s hand and led her up to the top floor where there were no guests.
Alexa felt nervous. For the year she had been working as Derrick's personal secretary due to Nicole's influence, she had never crossed the line or tried to get Derrick's attention. He was very aloof and somewhat imposing, and she feared what he would do if she dared to overstep.