The Untouchable Derek Cross

chapter 3

Hearing Derek words Emily sat in her wheelchair, staring at him. Her eyes weren't sad. They were full of something else. Something dark and burning.

Hatred.

“Derek.”

Her voice was flat, dead.

“Why did you even come back? Get out. I don't want to see your face.”

The words hit him like a punch to the gut.

"What's the point of you being here now? Where were you when Mom and I were getting beaten every day? Where were you when they came to our door and smashed everything we owned? Where were you when I jumped off a building and shattered both my legs trying to get away from that animal?"

Her voice rose, shaking with fury.

"You were in prison! Taking the fall for some bitch who destroyed our entire family! You're pathetic, Derek. You're a coward. You're not my brother. You're nothing to me, I can never be a sister to her coward like you."

Tears streamed down her face, but her voice didn't soften.

"I hate you. I really, truly hate you. Do you understand that? I hate you more than I've ever hated anyone in my life."

Immediately she pointed at some of the thugs that were still trying to stand up.

“You see them, I hate you more than I hate them, now go back to where you're coming from, go meet your wife!!.”

She screamed the last words, her voice breaking, raw and ragged.

At that moment Derek couldn't move, he couldn't even blink. Couldn't breathe. Each word stabbed into his chest like a knife twisting deeper and deeper. His vision blurred.

And he couldn't complain about it, because he deserves everything, and even more.

His voice came out hoarse, barely audible. "Mom... what happened? Emily's legs... someone did this to her. Who?"

Linda's face crumpled. She wiped her eyes, her hands shaking. "It was Nathan Morrison."

Derek's blood turned to ice.

Nathan Morrison. Claire's younger brother. A spoiled, disgusting piece of trash who'd never worked a day in his life. A predator who thought the world owed him everything.

"He did this to her?"

Linda nodded, her voice trembling. "The neighborhood we live in... it's being turned into a development zone. The Morrison family wants the land. They've been threatening everyone, forcing families to move out. The compensation they offered was almost nothing. Barely enough to survive.

She took a shaky breath.

"Most families gave in. They had no choice. But we refused. A few other families too."

"Two months ago, they came again. Nathan and his men. They broke down doors, smashed windows, beat people in the streets. We still said no."

Her voice broke. Tears spilled over again.

"That's when Nathan... he came after Emily. He cornered her. Tried to force himself on her. He grabbed her, tore her clothes, told her she should be grateful someone like him wanted her."

Again Linda sobbed into her hands.

"Emily fought. She screamed. She bit him. And when she couldn't get away... she ran to the window and jumped. Four floors, Derek. She jumped four floors to escape him."

Derek's hands shook. His vision went red.

"Both her legs were shattered. The doctors said she'll never walk again."

Emily's voice cut in, cold and hollow. "So now I'm a cripple, Derek. Are you happy? Is this what you wanted when you went to prison for that bitch?"

"Emily, I—"

"Don't say my name. It makes me sick."

Her eyes burned into him, full of rage and pain.

"Megan sacrificed everything for you. She had her face slashed over a hundred times trying to save you. Marcus Patel cut her so many times she almost bled to death. She was in a coma for two months. Her whole family was thrown out of the Bushman household. They're living in poverty now, eating scraps, completely destroyed."

Emily's voice rose, shaking.

"And me? Thanks to your 'brother-in-law,' I'm stuck in this wheelchair for the rest of my life. I'll never walk again. Never run. Never dance. Never have a normal life."

She leaned forward, her voice dropping to something venomous.

"Everything that happened to us... it's because of you. You destroyed us, Derek. You ruined our lives. Megan's life. My life. Mom's life. How can you even look at us? How do you live with yourself?"

Her voice cracked, tears pouring down her face.

"Now get out. I don't want you here."

Derek's jaw clenched. His fists tightened until his nails cut into his palms. His voice came out low, dangerous, shaking with rage.

"The Morrisons. Claire. Nathan. Every single one of them. They're dead."

Emily laughed. It was bitter, cruel, empty. "Oh, my dear brother. If you really want revenge, then do something. Stop talking and do something for once in your miserable life."

She wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"By the way, today is the night before Morrison Corp goes public. It's also old man Richard Morrison's eightieth birthday. The whole Morrison family is celebrating right now. Drinking champagne, dancing, having the time of their lives. As Claire's ex-husband, you should go congratulate them. After all, the Morrison family owes everything they have to your generous sacrifice."

Derek's heart pounded. "Morrison Corp is going public? Tonight?"

Emily's smile was mocking. "Nathan Morrison. Claire Morrison. If today's such a special occasion, maybe you should crash the party."

"Crash the party?"

Emily sneered. "Who do you think you are? The Morrison family isn't what it used to be. They're powerful now. Rich. Connected. If you go there, you'll die. Or did you forget how they beat you down and humiliated you before? How they threw you in prison like garbage?"

Her voice turned ice-cold.

"I don't need your help getting revenge. I've accepted my life."

She paused, staring at him.

"But Megan was invited to the party too. That bitch Claire personally invited her. And the Bushman family—those cowards they knew Megan would be tortured, humiliated, destroyed, but they forced her to go anyway. They didn't care. They just wanted to stay on the Morrisons' good side."

Emily's voice dropped, quiet and sharp.

"You owe Megan everything, Derek. You'll never be able to repay her. If you stand by tonight and let her get humiliated, tortured, broken... then you're not even human. You're less than nothing."

Derek's whole body went rigid. His fists shook. "Megan's going to the party?"

Emily's laugh was bitter. "Do you think Claire would pass up the chance to torture her? To make her suffer in front of everyone?"

Derek stood. His voice was steady, each word a vow carved into stone.

"Emily, I swear to you on my life. I will heal your legs. I will make you walk again. And for everything you've suffered, every tear, every moment of pain, I will make Nathan Morrison pay back a thousand times over. I will bring Megan home safely. I promise you."