"Derek is the illegitimate son of the Fisher family.He is not favored by the family and is often ridiculed
as a fool by the outside.When I first met him, I didn't pay much attention to him.I just thought that the
illegitimate child of the Fisher family was beautiful.He didn't initiate a conversation with others or please
others, and of course, we ignored him."
Charles recalled and suddenly laughed at himself, "It turned out that we were all wrong.Being the best
friend of the young master of the Hopkins family, how could he be an ordinary guy?"
Christina did not interrupt him.It was the first time she had heard of the relationship between Patrick
and Derek.
It turned out that they were good friends with totally different personalities, which was really surprising.
However, judging by Charles's tone, he did not seem to reject Derek but was a little alienated.
"Christina, what's that look in your eyes? Do you think I look down on him because he is an illegitimate
child? I alienated him because he is not a simple person"
Charles looked at her with slight anger.
"Christina, in your heart, Derek was your childhood sweetheart.After his mother passed away, he was
taken back to the Fisher family to be abused by his stepmother.He used to be a silent illegitimate child,
so you always thought he is weak, Tell you what, you really underestimated him-"
"Derek is a...weirdo."
In the end, Charles even didn't know how to describe Derek and snorted at Christina angrily.
"It should have been impossible for Chandler and I to know that Patrick was kidnapped by his mother,
but we finally knew it because Derek came across as he passed by that day..."
"The first time we met was at a grand dinner party in Hopkins family.
On that day, Senior Mr.Hopkins, who was then in power of the Hopkins family, officially announced to
the public that he would hand over the IP&G Group to his only grandson, the God-favored Patrick, who
was only 13 years old that year.
There were a lot of distinguished guests that day, and the party was lively.
Chandler and I were forced to attend with our parents, and Derek was no exception even if he was just
an illegitimate child.That was our job.How could our they let go of such a good opportunity to expand
our social networking?"
Charles shrugged and continued more teasingly.
"But that night, Patrick didn't care about his grandpa's feelings, for he didn't show up at all.He was
standing alone by the guardrail of the lotus pond.The feast was held for him, though, he didn't look
happy"
"Chandler was one year older than him, and him and me were the same age.We have to be more
mature than our peers, but you can't expect a calm mind from a 13-year-old child.Anyway, I was tired of
such social events at that time.The party was held at night, and since I had a good relationship with
Chandler at that time, I dragged him to explore the back garden of the Hopkins.That was when we
found the young master of Hopkins standing in the cold wind.His face was flushed and abnormal as if
he had a high fever..."
Charles paused and his eyes became thoughtful.
What he talked about was happened a long time ago.
Patrick still didn't want others to know him since he was a child.
"Patrick was different from ordinary people when he was sick.It felt like he deliberately didn't ask for
help and abused himself"
Hearing this, Christina's heart tightened and she almost blurted out to refute, "Patrick has no mental
disease.He doesn't have a tendency to abuse himself"
"He does, but he has suffered too much on his own.Since he can't unleash his emotions, he can only
punish himself in extreme ways.He thinks he's doing not well enough."
Charles's voice gradually lowered, and he only dared to mutter to himself in the heart, "Just as he deals
with Derek.He can't let go of his guilt, so he punishes himself..."
Patrick was not a god.
Everyone can be vulnerable at times, especially when they are bearing so much like him.
After all, the past was the past.
Charles suddenly swept his gloom and stretched out his arms.
He lifted his playful face and raised his voice, "Anyway, Patrick fell in a faint in front of us because of
high fever.He huddled himself up and mumbled something as if it were a nightmare.We were both
terrified at that time and hurried to find someone for help.At that moment, we noticed that there was
another person sitting in the pavilion beside.Derek came over with a heavy psychological book written
in Spanish.He squatted beside Patrick, opened his eyelids to check his pupils, and read something we
didn't understand.Soon, Patrick seemed to have been hypnotized.Patrick seemed painful, and, in
hypnosis, he even told us all the details of his kidnapping by his mother, Judy..."
"Chandler and I stood on the side in a daze and watched.Finally, Derek cast down his blue eyes
slightly, shut the heavy book with a snap, and said, 'It really worked' Then he left!"
Charles's expression changed.
Derek had no intention of helping others at all.
He was just passing by, and was curious to prove a theory.He was indifferent to lives.
Sometimes Charles didn't dare to look straight into his blue eyes.
They were too clean and clear to look like human eyes and seemed to have no feelings at all.
Christina's mind was in a mess after hearing this.She knew that Derek didn't care about others or
himself, just like he didn't know why he was alive.
He ignored everything.
But she couldn't figure out about Patrick's experience.
"Charles, since you and Chandler both knew about the kidnapping at that time, why didn't you tell
grandpa that Judy was not worthy to be a mother for doing such a wicked thing?"
"If we went to talk about this, Judy couldn't be Mrs.Hopkins today.She would have been tortured by
grandpa.Well, that we decided not to say at that time didn't mean we sympathized with her-"
Charles paused and his tone became sarcastic.
"We didn't say it because Patrick chose to keep it a secret.At that time, he probably just wanted to
protect his mother and the so-called maternal love that he imagined."
How ridiculous.
Christina did not answer and fell silent.
The clouds in the sky outside the window were getting thicker and darker.
It seemed that there would be a fleece rainstorm today.
It was 7 o'clock in the morning, the sky should have been bright with the rising sun, while it was now as
dark as evening.
Charles stood up from the sofa.
He had had enough tea, and it was time for business.It was time to go to the study upstairs to meet
Patrick and others.
Just as he went away, he suddenly thought of something.
After hesitating for a while, he turned around and called out to the woman in a daze on the sofa.
"Christina, people like us have long been used to hypocrisy and cold commercial marriages, so it's not
easy for us to believe a person, especially for someone like Patrick.No matter what the relationship
between you and Derek used to be, now...Now even for the sake of the child, don't disappoint Patrick,
and don't betray him.Patrick won't marry you just because of the child.You're not stupid, Christina.You
know he loves you very much."
You know, he loves you very much.
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