Tabitha's POV
I fixed my eyes on Derek, who seemed to be lost in thought.
After a moment, he cleared his throat and replied, trying to downplay the seriousness, "There's a bit of a problem indeed. It's about Rolf. Lisa's death has caused quite a stir online, and I don't want all this nonsense stressing you out."
"Is it very tricky?" I asked with a frown.
"Not so much. The reason I haven't let PR handle it yet is because we're still gathering evidence. Some shady folks are trying to stir the pot."
Derek leaned down and gently pinched my cheek, his tone softening as he reassured me, "Just leave it to me. Once we sort this out, we'll be heading overseas. Just chill at home for these next couple of days and ignore the negative news. They'll just mess with your head."
I knew he was doing it for my own good, so I didn't press further. "Alright, but you've gotta hurry up and get Rolf out of this mess."
"Sure. I had to go out to take care of something today. Wait for me at home, okay?" he whispered.
"Got it." I nodded.
He planted a kiss on my forehead before turning to head downstairs.
Soon, I heard the sound of the car starting outside, and I watched him drive away.
Honestly, I wasn't much into scrolling through my phone. I did it mainly to fill in the gaps in my memory.
The Omega at home had prepared a sumptuous breakfast. While humming a song, she cheerfully pulled out a chair for me.
"Tabitha, you are way too skinny. Eat more. Once you go abroad, you won't get to enjoy my cooking anymore," she said with a grin.
"I'm definitely gonna miss you. By the way, you never told me your name. May I know about it before I leave?"
Perhaps because of my words, her face flickered with sadness.
"Sure, just call me Zola. I'm gonna miss you too!
"Alpha Derek suggested I go abroad to take care of you, but I've got kids and family here. And I've been living here all my life. It's tough being away from home. It would be inconvenient to go back home even for a short visit. So I had no choice but to turn him down."
As Zola spoke, she kept serving me dish after dish without missing a beat.
"Alpha Derek is a good guy. He truly loves you. Even though you both have been through a lot, I'm sure as long as you believe in Alpha Derek, you'll be happy. He's the one who loves you most in this world."
Zola wiped away her tears and hesitated before saying more.
After a while, she piped up, "In these last few days together, I'm gonna take extra good care of you and leave no regrets."
Her emotions rubbed off on me too as my mood dipped lower with thoughts of parting with her.
"New Year is around the corner. You can spend it with your family this year."
She smiled, "Yeah, but when you guys go abroad, you'll get to spend time with Alpha Derek's family. Since Luna Erin passed away, he has had it pretty rough these past few years."
Hearing about Derek's family made me feel an unexpected tightness in my chest.
"Zola, Derek rarely talked to me about his family. What are his parents like?"
"Well, Tabitha, as an Omega, it's not appropriate for me to talk about Alpha's family stuff. All I can tell you is that he has had a tough life.
"His mom has always struggled mentally, so he's never really felt any motherly love from her. They rarely spend time together, and when they do, it's just chaos."
"Can you tell me more?"
Zola pulled out a chair and sat beside me, saying, "Alright, it's probably better if you know this sooner. Be more cautious when you stay with her, or else you might get hurt."
I nodded repeatedly. "Got it, please go ahead."
"Well, we gotta start with Alpha Derek's dad: Ambrose Greenwood."
I'd never met him, and Derek didn't mention him either.
"What happened with him?"