Billionaire’s

During the drive, Evelyn stared out of the window, her mind racing. How do I tell him about Samantha?

She knew she had to tell Derek the truth, but the words seemed too big, too overwhelming. Perhaps she could invite him over to her place and reveal everything there.

That way, Samantha wouldn’t just be a story–she would be real, standing in front of him. But was she ready for that? Ready to open the door to the pust she had kept hidden?

UR

I must say, Fen really happy to see you.” Derek said, turning to glance at her

Evelyn smiled, “You looked really surprised earlier.

“You’d be surprised if you were in my shoes, considering how you’ve kept trying to push me away up until yesterday,” he said, and she nodded. “So, you missed me?” He asked with a grin and she smiled.

“Yeah, she admitted, shocking him.

“I’m struggling not to ask you what brought about this change, Derek said, and Evelyn laughed sofily Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

k could respond, they were interrupted by the sound of Derek’s phone

“You’d find out soon enough when we talk,” she said, and before Derek a ringing

Evelyn glanced at him as he picked it up from the console, glancing at the caller ID. “It’s Sandra, Derek told her. Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat, her pulse quickening Without thinking she reached out, “Can I take that?”

what that meant.

Derek hesitated, his brow furrowing. “You want to take it?” He asked, wondering if she knew

“Yes,” Evelyn said with a nod, and he seemed to consider it for a moment before landing her the phone

“Go ahead”

Although he wanted to keep up with their plan so he would find out what Sandra was up to, but Evelyn knew about the plan, and if she wanted to take the call then he was going to let her

Evelyn smirked as she swiped the screen and received the call, bringing the phone to her ear. “Hello, Sandra,” she greeted pleasantly.

There was a stunned silence on the other end before Sandra’s voice came through, sharp and demanding. “Who is this” She asked despite recognizing Evelyn’s voice.

“I’m sure you haven’t forgotten m

my voice already. Derek is busy,” Evelyn said in a soft, suggestive tone that made her stomach twist with satisfaction. “Evelyn what ar

are you..”

Evelyn didn’t give her the chance to continue. With a deliberate, almost lazy drawl, she said, “He will call you back,” before ending the call and tossing the phone back to Derek, a wicked smile tugging at her lips,

Derek stared at her for a moment, his eyes wide in disbelief, before he burst out laughing. “What was that?”

Evelyn shrugged, her heart pounding but her smile unwavering. “Just giving her a taste of her own medicine.”

Derek shook his head, still chuckling as he placed the phone back in its holder. “You really have changed, haven’t you?”

Evelyn looked out of the window, her expression softening as

as the

city blurred past them. “I guess I have. She glanced at him then, feeling a surge of

determination. “And I’m not done yer

For the first time in years, she felt like she was finally in control of her life again. And it felt good.

Derek’s gare flickered with curiosity, but he didn’t press ber further since she had said he would find out about it when they talked.

Instead of asking any questions, be changed the subject, asking about the interview

Once they armed at the hotel, they both rode the elevator up to the penthouse, and Evelyn smiled as she remembered that day six years ago,

At the time she had thought she was going to die. Her perfect worldview had been shattered and she had thought she was never going to recover fren it then, but here she was now.

Time, as they said, truly did heal woundh

“You’re welcome to my abode,” Derek said with a wide smile as they walked into his suite,

“Thank you” she said, looking around the place. “I didn’t really take note of how beautiful this place was,” she said, and Derek nodded.

“You were 100

were too busy crying to do that. Make yourself comfortable. Do you want something to drink?” He asked, and she looked at him for a

“You might want to drink something strong when I’m done,” she suggested as she sat down

Derek raised a brow, wondering just what she wanted to say to him that would make him need a drink.

“You keep arousing my interest,” Derek said as he walked over to the bar in his room and poured wine into two glasses.

He returned to join her in the living room, and after setting the glass in front of her, he took the seat opposite her.

“I’m ready to hear what you

you have to say,” Derek said, and Evelyn took a deep breath.

Unable to stay still because she was feeling very nervous, she rose, “I don’t know how to begin.”

“Maybe you should start by telling me what you want to talk about. Like an intro or maybe the heading.” Derek suggested.

“I want to talk aboun

about everything. I want to tell you everything. What happened six years ago. Why I called off the wedding. Why I’ve been trying to keep you away even though I really like you too. Everything,” she said, and Derek grinned.

“I like the last part you mentioned. Did you just admit that you really like me?” He asked, and despite her anxiety, Evelyn smiled.

“I don’t think that’s the most

important thing you should be curious about,” Evelyn said with a sigh, and then returned to sit down again.

That day. The day we met…

Evelyn went on to tell Derek what truly happened and how she ran off after seeing Michael and Sandra in bed and hearing their conversation about

her

As Evelyn spoke, the tension in the air thickened. She recounted every painful detail–walking into the room that day and seeing Michael with Sandra. Her voice wavered as she described the shock, the betrayal that had hit her like a tidal wave, the way her world had crumbled right before her eyes

Derek sat across from her, silent but attentive, his hands gripping his glass. His expression was calm, though his jaw tensed ever so slightly, a clear sign of the anger simmering beneath has composed exterior. Derek didn’t interrupt. He waited for her to pour out all that was in her heart.

The room fell into silence after her revelation and her words hung thick in the air between them

Derek set his glass down, leaning forward slightly. “Why didn’t you expose them? Why did you keep quiet this whole time and let them make you out to be the villain when you were the victim? Why did you run off that way?”

Evelyn shook her head as tears gathered in her eyes. “I didn’t know what to do,” she confessed, her voice raw. “I was hurt, Derek. And I hate to admit it, but I was scared. The two people I trusted most apart from my parents turned out to be strangers. I left because I couldn’t face them and I was so angry at my father. I couldn’t stand any of it.”

“You could’ve taken them down, Evelyn. They wouldn’t have had the power to hurt you if you had just fought back. You should have confronted them right there and let them know you saw them. You should have told your parents the truth. You should have told me, damn it Derek said, raising his voice in frustration.

“How could you have kept this to yourself for so long? You are always so stubborn and sharp–tongued when it comes to me, yet you’ve been hiding away so cowardly from the people you truly need to confront, Derek said, unable to hide his displeasure.

“I didn’t have any proof. And I wasn’t emotionally strong enough to stand up to them. I just wanted to disappear. To leave it all behind for sometime. I wanted to go lick my wound quietly

did you wait for six years to return?” He asked, and her heart skipped a beat.

This was the moment of truth. She was going to have to come clear with him. It was now or never.