Part Time Romance

They travelled to work together, went shopping after work, cooked, went on dates. There was a harmony surrounding them. They were in paradise with no idea of the trouble brewing back home. Derick Damien paid a visit to his old pal, Manick.

" Do you realise that your daughter is currently dating my son?" spat Derrick venomously. He despised Manick, his old time friend and his ex business partner. He wished that his son had chosen any other woman without the surname Manick.

" I am aware and I don't see an issue with it," answered Manick as he continued to browse through the documents requiring his attention. " Do not act callously Manick! I know who Maya really is and it would be best if you kept her far away from my son!" bellowed Derick as he slapped his palm on the desk.

The ever calm Manick, stood up suddenly with uncontrollable rage in his eyes and shouted, " Don't you dare talk about my child that way, you bastard!"

Irene hearing the commotion in the home office, dashed in to see both the elderly gentleman in a stare down, an inch away from an actual fist fight. She ran in between to neutralise the situation. " Derick what are you doing here? Why are you even here? As I recall, our partnership ended 25 years ago," stated Irene as she kept an arm around her husband.

" You know why I am here so stop pretending!" shouted Derick at Irene. " Watch your tone Derick, this is my house and you are talking to my wife!" warned Manick with a glare. " I want you to keep your daughter away from my son," spat Derick. Irene frowned as she replied, " As we all know, it was not our daughter who went behind your son but rather your son who pursued our daughter. He even followed her all the way to Germany. Maya is a grown adult and we are not going to stop her from doing whatever she pleases. She is smart and she knows how to think for herself. If you are so concerned about their relationship, why not advise your son instead"

" I did, but he makes it a point in life to constantly challenge me!" responded Derick in frustration. " Does Lucas know the truth about Maya?" asked Derick wishfully, he hoped that when his son found out,he would break off this relationship and prevent any contact between the Manicks and the Damiens.

Irene looked at Manick with a melancholic expression. " Yes he does. He came to see us when he couldn't find her and we told him the truth. He was stunned at first but still pursued her. We warned him that if this was just a fling, he had better end it. We do not want to see our daughter hurt," elaborated Irene with a sigh.

" What kind of an idiot would still pursue her even after knowing the truth?! Has he no sense? Does he not realise the bad blood and the complications that would arise?" responded Derick whilst he wished to pull his hair off in frustration. Why would his own flesh and blood do such a thing? Why would he have such a stubborn streak to him?

" Lucas is an adult and so is Maya, we have told him that once they get serious, we would inform her of part of the situation, withholding certain information that would upset her," elaborated Irene further on, emphasising on the point to make it clear that by no means should Maya ever come to know the whole truth.

Derick just rolled his eyes at the subtle warning from Irene. He thought back to decades ago when he treated Irene as his own sister. They grew up together and they were so close. The bond between Derick and Manick were stronger than brothers. They started their company together and were a huge success due to the compatibility between the two men.

All hell broke loose that fateful night, which changed all their lives. Their relationship broke and Derick hated the Manicks with a vengeance. He swore to bring them to their knees and has been constantly against them for the past 2 decades. The children never knew of the past and they grew up oblivious to the consequences it would have in their lives.

" I am putting a stop to this nonsense once and for all, by any means necessary," rebutted Derick, he was sick and tired of constantly being in the shadow of the Manicks in the business world. The last thing he needed in his life was his only child marrying a Manick. The top it all it was Maya Manick, the mere thought of that child made his blood boil.

" You are not to let Maya know about the past, if you can't stop your son that's your issue but don't drag and ruin our daughter's life," said Manick through gritted teeth. The last thing he wanted was for someone to hurt his precious child. He and Irene made sure she never faced any hardship in her life, she was spoilt to the bone but to their surprise grew up with a rational head and an independent streak.

No one in the Manick household questioned Maya as they would face the wrath not only from Manick himself but also from her overprotective brothers. Subconsciously Manick knew that his actions were influenced by his own guilty conscience. He wished she was spared and lived her life with no knowledge of the past.

Derick was fuming and retorted, "You keep mentioning my daughter, she is not even your blood so with what jurisdiction are you stating your claim? Maya is an orphan and no Derick will ever marry an adulterer's child! I will stop this relationship if it's the last thing I do!"

Irene slumped to the ground, she couldn't take the harsh words. After burying the truth for so long, she forgot that Maya was not her child. She couldn't stop the tears pouring from her eyes. Manick slammed the table as he shouted, " How dare you?! Get out from my house right this instant!"