Chapter 14. Rumors

Elena's POV.

"He's an illegitimate child, remember?" Mercy said, her voice tinged with a hint of surprise that I didn't already know this information.

I shut my eyes, opening them to stare at her with a mixture of confusion and urgency. "What do you mean?" I asked, my mind racing to understand the implications.

Mercy sat up straight, facing me directly. "Don't tell me you don't know," she said, her tone incredulous. "You have a phone, don't you? You can't be oblivious to the trending topics on social media."

I shook my head, feeling overwhelmed. "Mercy, please, just forget all this and speak plainly to me," I begged, my patience wearing thin.

She raised her hands, wiggling her two fingers at me. "Well, your crush, Derek, is an illegitimate child," she said, as if this revelation should have been obvious to me all along.

"What?!" I exclaimed, my