A Mistaken Night With The CEO

1 - Birthday Celebration

"Miranda, get the drinks from the fridge," Lady Loretta said. She was an old lady, the lady of the house, and it was her only son's birthday.

"Okay, Ma," Miranda answered. At 22 years old, Miranda wore a pink dress and black slippers. It was nighttime, and they were preparing a birthday party for Derrick Luis, the only son of the Luis family. Out of eight siblings, Derrick was the only son of his billionaire family.

Many guests were present in the Luis family mansion. Among them were top admirers, business partners, family members, and relatives, but the birthday celebrant wasn't home.

Far away at a luxurious firm, Derrick Luis was still at his office on the fifth floor when his mobile rang. "Hello, Mother," he answered the call. His mother said to him, "Derrick, you know that today is your birthday. So where are you?"

Looking at his wristwatch, Derrick noticed it was already past 6 p.m. He replied, "At the office, Mother."

"Come home, son. It's your birthday, and we arranged a lot to celebrate this special moment for you turning 25."

"Mom, I am not interested in birthday parties. Why can't you understand my perspective?" Derrick murmured. His mother was an aged woman, 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 in the office until this time, I shouldn't have allowed you to go to the office today, knowing it was also your birthday."

"Mom, I cannot set work aside for a party. Who will look after Dad's company?" Derrick muttered again. His mother responded sadly, "You are 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 that, and the phone call ended.

"Running a multimillion-dollar empire at this age, my mother still wants me to prioritize work over parties," Derrick mused. He stood up from his exclusive office chair. Shutting down his monitor, he grabbed his suitcase and elegantly left his office.

Arriving home in a brand new Prado Jeep, Derrick Luis got out of the vehicle and made his way to his family's mansion. He could hear the sound of music and frowned after seeing a number of guests' cars parked in his late father's estate.

Moving forward, Derrick approached the mansion's entrance. He rang the doorbell, and a maid opened the door for him.

"Welcome, Master Derrick," the maid greeted him.

Derrick ignored the maid's greeting and was ushered in by his mother, who was in the living room with many guests.

"Welcome, son. Happy 25th birthday to you."

"Happy birthday, Master Derrick!" all the guests in the living room toasted to the young master.

"Thank you all," Derrick replied, but wanting to retire to his bedroom to rest, his mother stopped him. "Derrick, it's still your birthday. Come cut your cake and make a wish."

Pausing at the staircase to look back at the faces of the guests, he spotted his seven elder sisters, all married with kids, and his nephews and nieces. Derrick wanted to protest again that he was not a kid and didn't want a birthday party. However, he swallowed his protest as silence fell over the crowded living room.

Approaching the cake placed in the center of the living room, Derrick cut it, and the guests all beamed happily, clapping 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 again.

"Oh, Mother, I am not a kid," Derrick finally protested, but his mother walked up to meet him as they stood 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 make his mother sad, Derrick wished for a long life, a happy family, and a prosperous business.

"Happy birthday to you again, Master Derrick; we wish you all the best." The guests were equally happy, and the toasts 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 a crush on the master of the house. She was not the only one, but she couldn't take her eyes off him.

She openly admired his handsomeness. "Too handsome for one person," Miranda thought. She had observed Derrick; he seemed very hardworking. He didn’t have time for women and was mostly focused on his business alone.

He didn’t even have a girlfriend, and Miranda was feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness, hoping to get Derrick to notice her. Well, as a poor girl who came from an orphanage, Miranda had dreamed of a better life. After years of serving the elite as a maid, she wanted a more luxurious existence. She didn’t want to return to poverty.

In the Luis family mansion, maids were expected to dress casually. 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 this age? Don’t you find it weird?" Nicole said to her friend as she brought Alexa along to her brother's birthday party.

Alexa worked as a secretary at Luis Group, a multimillion-dollar firm. 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 seductive red dress and had arrived at the Luis mansion just after Derrick left the company.

Alexa Godwin was also interested in Derrick Luis. At just 22 years old, she thought having a man like Derrick as her husband in the future would eliminate the need to work hard or struggle to feed herself, as his family's wealth would cover all her lifetime expenses.

"What do you think of Derrick, Alexa? Do you not have a crush on my brother? If your sister hadn't spoken to me about introducing you to Derrick as his new secretary after my leave, do you think I would have accepted you based on friendship alone? Come now," Nicole grabbed Alexa's hand and led her to the top floor, where there were no guests.

Alexa was nervous. She had been working as Derrick's personal secretary for a year, thanks to Nicole's influence.

Alexa hadn’t crossed any boundaries nor tried to get Derrick's attention. He was an aloof man and unapproachable, and she feared what he would do if she dared to cross the line.