Derek was busy devouring his food—his hands and mouth fully occupied—but his mischievous mind and sharp eyes were scanning the surroundings, seemingly searching for his next target.
Everyone was either eating or engaged in conversation, holding wine glasses in their hands.
Suddenly, a familiar glint appeared in his eyes—the gleam that surfaced whenever he found a potential prey.
He reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a tiny glass bottle.
"Alright, buddy, someone is missing you terribly and is desperate for your presence," he whispered playfully to the bottle, holding it up to his eyes.
It almost seemed as if the object inside had understood him, for it appeared to dance with excitement.
Derek smirked, then shifted his gaze toward his target—a girl engrossed in a lively conversation, completely unaware that she had already fallen into danger.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that danger had set its sights on her.
With practiced ease, Derek opened the tiny bottle, and as he casually passed by the girl, he flicked its contents onto her shoulder.
Then, folding his arms across his chest, he leaned back against a nearby wall, waiting to enjoy the unfolding chaos.
"And you know what—" Olivia was in the middle of chatting with an old college friend when, all of a sudden, the girl in front of her froze, her eyes widening in sheer horror.
Olivia noticed her friend's face turning deathly pale, her gaze fixed on Olivia's shoulder.
"What happened?" Olivia asked, confused by her reaction.
"T-T-T..." The girl stuttered, pointing a trembling finger at Olivia's shoulder.
"What?" Olivia frowned and instinctively turned to look.
The moment she caught sight of what was perched on her shoulder, her body stiffened.
Her face drained of color.
The world around her went silent.
All sounds of the party faded away.
Her entire focus was now on the tiny creature sitting on her shoulder, staring at her with its beady eyes.
One...
Two...
Three...
Derek, watching from a distance, counted down.
"COCKROACHHHHHHHHHH!"
The moment he reached three, Olivia shrieked at the top of her lungs and jumped in sheer panic, clutching onto the girl beside her.
She screamed so loudly that even the poor cockroach—who had been comfortably seated on her shoulder, resting its tiny legs under its mouth—leaped off in fright.
Some people turned to look, momentarily distracted from their conversations, but seeing the two girls clinging to each other, they assumed it was a joyful reunion after a long time apart. So, they returned to their discussions.
"W-where did it go?" Olivia stammered, scanning the ground. She had seen it fall.
"There!" The girl pointed hesitantly at the grass nearby. "Just hit it with your shoe!"
"No way! My shoe will get dirty!" Olivia made a disgusted face.
"Then use mine! Just kill it!"
"You do it! What if it jumps on me again?" Olivia clung to her companion.
"Don't go near it! Just aim and throw the shoe!"
Olivia liked that suggestion.
The girl removed her high heel and handed it to Olivia.
With trembling hands, Olivia took the shoe and aimed at the cockroach.
She would have hit her mark perfectly… if someone hadn't caught the shoe midair.
Furious, Olivia turned to see who had dared interfere.
There he was—Derek—holding her shoe in one hand while, to her horror, casually picking up the cockroach with the other.
Since his head was tilted downward, she couldn't see his face properly.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Olivia asked, both shocked and repulsed.
"I'm saving my partner. Can't you see? I've been looking for him everywhere, and here you are, plotting his murder?" Derek said with feigned outrage.
"So, that means… this was all your doing?!" Olivia, already fuming, completely lost her temper.
"He's cute," the girl beside her suddenly commented, staring at Derek.
"You find him cute?!" Olivia looked at her in disbelief, then turned to see Derek casually fixing his hair.
"Hi, I'm Derek. I believe this is yours?" Derek handed the shoe back to the girl, taking the opportunity to introduce himself.
"I'm Zoey," she said, blushing slightly as she took the shoe.
Olivia could only watch, dumbfounded.
"What a beautiful name. Nice to meet you." Derek extended his hand toward Zoey—completely forgetting he was still holding the cockroach.
The moment they realized it, both girls recoiled in horror.
"Kill it first!" Olivia snapped.
"Maybe I should kill you instead," Derek smirked, gently stroking the cockroach's back with his finger.
"Ugh!" Olivia made a face of pure disgust.
Meanwhile, Zoey quietly slipped away.
"You know, my partner here came to help me catch that nuisance." Derek emphasized the word nuisance, making it clear who he was referring to.
"Go… to… hell!" Olivia spat.
"That's exactly where I came from. They sent me to bring you back with me," Derek quipped without missing a beat.
"Ugh! Why is your tongue so sharp?!" Olivia asked, exasperated.
"I was almost born with a short tongue, but God stopped me and said, 'Derek, your tongue is too small.' So, I had to wait. It wouldn't have been fair if the afterlife didn't get a taste of Derek's company too, right?" He winked at her before slipping the glass bottle back into his pocket.
"I wish you have kids just like you one day," Olivia muttered under her breath.
"Oh? That means you like me enough to imagine having kids with me?" Derek teased, his grin widening.
"Excuse me?! Our kids?! Have you lost your mind?" Olivia gaped at him.
"Absolutely not. Since we're going to get married, the kids will obviously be ours."
Shamelessness, thy name is Derek.
"I would never, ever marry you! Even in death!" Olivia retorted sarcastically.
"That's exactly why I'm going to marry you while you're alive," Derek said, hands casually tucked into his pockets, flashing a toothy grin.
"I love someone else," Olivia declared, just to shut him up. In truth, it had been ages since she had any relationship.
"Oh? Is that 'someone else' me or our future baby? If it's anyone else, I'll send my army of cockroaches and rats after them," Derek threatened playfully.
Before Olivia could respond, a strange, eerie laugh rang out.
"Hehehe… Hahaha… Hahahaha!"
It sounded like a creepy ringtone.
She turned to Derek, who casually pulled out his phone and answered the call.
"Hello… Bhello…" He greeted cheerfully.
But his expression changed as he listened.
"What? When? Okay, I'm on my way."
For the first time, Olivia saw a serious look on his face.
Derek cast one last glance at her, then hurriedly left, practically running toward the exit.
That final look puzzled Olivia.
Because, for the first time, she had seen fear in Derek's green eyes.
A fear of losing something… or someone.
"Not my problem," she muttered to herself and turned back to mingle with the party guests.
Somewhere on the road…
Derek sped down the road as fast as he could.
But it still wasn't fast enough.
His heart was pounding.
He wanted to fly straight to John's side.
He had barely covered half the distance when, on an almost deserted road, another car suddenly overtook him and swerved sharply, blocking his path entirely.
Derek gritted his teeth in frustration.
From the car, two men stepped out—both wearing black from head to toe, their faces concealed behind dark masks. In their hands, one held a gun while the other gripped a knife. Their appearance blended so seamlessly with the darkness that they seemed like shadows themselves.
"Step out of the car! And don't try anything stupid, or I'll blow your brains out!"
The two men stood right next to his car, their weapons aimed directly at him.
Their stance and composure were professional.
Derek exhaled sharply before complying. He stepped out of the vehicle, clenched his fists, and raised his hands behind his head. He expected them to make some kind of demand, but instead, they shoved the barrel of the gun against his back and ordered him to move forward.
That's when it clicked—they weren't here for robbery.
They were here to abduct him.
Now, he needed to be smart about his next move.
His gun was in his other car.
As they made him walk forward, Derek suddenly spun around and flung the contents of a small lemon straight into their eyes.
The men had not anticipated this. They had assumed he was unarmed.
The moment the acidic juice hit their eyes, they shrieked in pain, stumbling back as they clutched at their faces.
Not wasting a second, Derek immediately doused their remaining eye with more lemon juice.
What made it worse?
He had rubbed chili powder onto the lemon beforehand.
He had taken it from the party earlier, thinking he would use it on something later.
But it had found a much better purpose.
As they flailed helplessly, he seized their weapons, then quickly restrained them inside their own car.
Since he had no rope, he used duct tape—securing their arms and legs tightly before taping the lemons directly onto their eyes.
"Next time, think a hundred times before messing with me," Derek muttered coldly.
It had been a long time since he had gotten this angry. Usually, he was calm—he enjoyed situations like this. But tonight was different.
Tonight, his friend's life was at stake.
Just as he was about to leave, he paused, turned back, and squeezed the lemon once more—right into their already burning eyes.
"Who sent you?" His hand remained pressed against the lemon taped to their face.
"We—we don't know!" one of them stammered through the pain. "We just got paid to kill you!"
Derek narrowed his eyes.
"Hmm… Then enjoy your special payment," he said in a cold voice before squeezing the lemon one last time.
The men's tortured screams echoed as he walked back to his car, got in, and drove off into the night.
---
To Be Continued...