Chapter 7

• "Derrick, come here. I would like to have a word with you," Lady Loretta said, calling her only son back.
• She knew that he wasn't pleased with her actions of pardoning Miranda. But she liked Miranda a lot, and since Miranda hadn't wronged her personally nor done anything wrong to the other maids, she couldn't just terminate Miranda's employment.
• More likely, Lady Loretta had other hidden objectives. She couldn't disclose her plans yet, as she had personally taken Miranda from the orphanage and enrolled the young woman in school.
• There was a time when Lady Loretta had gone to the orphanage for one of her leisurely, kind-hearted activities. There, she saw the beautiful young girl who was unhappy and mostly staring at the door.
• Lady Loretta knew the young girl's wish was to leave the orphanage and go out into the world to establish herself.
• She never disclosed to Miranda that she was the woman behind Miranda's freedom.
• She made the offer to the orphanage to adopt Miranda and offer her a job as a maid under her if she wanted her freedom.
• Lady Loretta already had seven daughters, and her first daughter was already 45 years old and a grandmother, making her a great-grandmother. So, she didn't need another daughter.
• Similarly, Lady Loretta liked Miranda a lot and wished Derrick would notice the beautiful girl, but Derrick didn't care about any of the maids.
• Lady Loretta also saw the way Derrick had stared at Miranda with pure irritation. It raised an alarm in her heart that Derrick would never like Miranda, even though she set them up.
• Lady Loretta was wrong to think her son would like the maid when she knew that he would have his own preference for the kind of woman he wanted.
• Lady Loretta sighed as she watched Derrick walk back to meet her.
• "Derrick, come sit here. I want to have a word with you," Lady Loretta repeated, and Derrick sighed and took a seat on the pristine white couch beside his mother.
• "Mom, I just wanted to take a stroll outside to clear my mind," Derrick said as he finally sat down beside his mother.
• "Why is that? Are you thinking about what I told you last night or about the maid? You know that Miranda is my maid, I like her a lot, and I cannot just send her away when she hasn't wronged me," Lady Loretta said.
• "I understand, Mother, and I am not concerned about the maid. What would you like to discuss with me? Is it about the birthday party last night or about the fact that you want me to marry?" Derrick inquired, and his mother smiled at him and replied, "Both of them."
• "I want to discuss you settling down first. Ever since you returned from college and took over your father's company, you haven't introduced any lady to me as your girlfriend, nor brought any woman home for me to see her and meet her. Or do you not have a girlfriend at least?"
• "No, Mother. I already told you that I do not need a woman." Derrick's face contorted with a frown.
• "Well, you should, my son. I want you to marry on time. Your father already set aside so much wealth for you, so you shouldn't wait until you're old to think about marriage. Would you like me to marry a woman for you and bring her here?"
• "No, Mother. I do not need that. Actually, last night I was discussing this with Nicole. She wanted me to court Alexa Godwin, my secretary, and Alexa isn't a bad person. She comes from a well-respected family and also has a good work ethic."
• "Hmm, I am not familiar with Alexa Godwin, and I don't really know her. Maybe the next time Alexa comes to visit, you can introduce her to me. You know, you wouldn't be able to know Alexa's true character if you were both in the office. When she visits, you should bring her for me to see the kind of person she is," Lady Loretta concluded, and Derrick agreed with her. "Okay, Mother."
• "Thank you for the birthday arrangements yesterday; I really appreciate it, even if it wasn't something I wanted." Derrick had a frown on his face, and his mother smiled at him.
• "It's only compulsory that I celebrate your birthday with you. You know that you look so much like your father in his younger days, and if only he were here with us. He was a good man, and that's why he has so many business partners all over the world. I could remember when I met your father; coming from a lower-class family, he didn't mind that and fell in love with me at first sight. We met in the supermarket; he was running some errands for his mother, and I was shopping for my boss. I mistakenly bumped into him, and that was how we met."
• "Really, you are from a lower-class family, Mother?" Derrick looked perplexed, and his mother smiled at him and said, "Yes, you thought I was born with a silver spoon like you. No, I wasn't. It was after I met your father; he didn't let me go back. He wanted to know much more about me, and he elevated my family's status from our lower status to the level that my family is now."
• "Hmm. That's very good of my father, but I cannot have anything to do with a lady from the lower class," Derrick spat, and that shattered his mother's heart.
• "Why is that, Derrick? You know you cannot judge anyone based on their backgrounds. All that matters is to find a good woman who will love you and treat you right. You know, your father used to think that women from lower-class homes are more refined, more homely, honest, and genuine," Lady Loretta said.
• "No, Mother. I see them as gold diggers, liars, and dirty people. I cannot associate with anyone from a lowly status, whether women or men. They are dirty and irritating, and I find them repulsive."
• "What? Do I irritate you, my son?" Lady Loretta looked bewildered at her son's statement. She wouldn't blame him, knowing that he has not tasted hardship. He was brilliant and always got everything he wanted.
• "No, Mother. Except for you, you do not irritate me, but I do not think that I will ever want to associate with or have anything to do with a woman from a poor background. I cannot like such poor women. I would rather prefer a lady from a higher-class home that matches my status and academic intellect, or do you want me to have dull kids in the future? I do not like those poor people, and that's the truth. They do not interest me."
• Lady Loretta sighed, and Derrick held her left hand warmly and assured her, "Don't worry, Mom. I will marry since that's what you want. I will try to get along with Alexa and bring her over for you to meet her. Is that okay with you?"
• Looking at her only son's face, his full brows, and midnight blue eyes, Lady Loretta's heart broke after hearing Derrick's statement regarding the poor. She knew that her hope of having Miranda as her daughter-in-law had failed.
• Miranda was pretty and hardworking, but her academic performance was bad, and Miranda had no plan of furthering her education either.
• Well, Lady Loretta also caused it, as she wanted Miranda at home with her. She feared, 'What if another man out there spots Miranda and falls in love with her?' Miranda looked beautiful with her nice shape, blonde hair, pointed nose, and sparkling brown eyes. The gentleman would take Miranda away from her, and she didn't want that.
• "Mother, are you listening to all that I have just said? I apologize for my words regarding the poor people, but the truth remains I don't like them. I just find them lazy."
• "No, Derrick. They're not lazy. Don't say that. It's life for you. All fingers are not equal, but they work together to assist us in doing our daily activities. You shouldn't look down on anyone simply because you were privileged. It broke my heart to see that you think of the lower-class families this way. How about kids without homes and parents? You were fortunate enough to have a home and family to call home, and you shouldn't use your glory in life to rub it in other people's faces. They wouldn't admire it but rather think of how to destroy it and put you in such agony as them. Think of them as equal, and that's not looking down on anyone. I made a terrible mistake, and on my next visit to the orphanage and on helping the poor from the lower class, you will accompany me, and you just be not just giving them gifts in your name."
• "No, Mom." Derrick had a scowl on his face as he rose from the couch. "I cannot visit the town if that's what you want."
• "Yes, Derrick, you will. Where are you off to?" Lady Loretta queried.
• As Derrick turned to stroll out of the mansion, he met Miranda standing in front of them.
• Miranda quickly looked away from Derrick as she heard all he said. She usually listened to his conversation with his mother, and this was the first time she got to know that his mother was from a poor home, but not him. He was such an arrogant man.