Billionaire’s 138
Chapter 138
Derek narrowed his eyes at Michael. "You went to her place? Did you go to see Evelyn because of the Hotel incident? I hope you confronted her about drugging you?" he asked, his voice laced with hope. "Why are you bringing that up right now?" Michael asked in dismay, annoyed that Derek was talking about it in front of his Mom even though he had told him that he didn't want their mothers to know.
Derek leaned forward, his voice tense. "You are the one who brought Evelyn up. I'm just asking a question. By the way, Sandra, why didn't you tell me what Evelyn did to you?" Derek asked with a concerned frown, startling Sandra, who had not expected that subject to be brought up. Mrs. Stone looked between them, confused. "What are you talking about, Derek?" She asked, wondering what game Derek was playing. "It's nothing, Aunt," Michael said, not wanting Derek to talk about it.
Derek didn't hesitate. "You won't believe that Evelyn drugged Sandra and Michael. She took pictures of them together in bed to frame them. And Michael's refusing to do anything about it."
Michael cler clenched his fists, glaring at at Derek. "Why are you bringing this up?"
"You brought her up first. I thought you were ready to talk about it," Derek snapped. "Didn't I tell you that if you were not going to do anything about it, I would?"
Mrs. Stone turned her gaze to Michael, her expression serious. "Is that true? Did Evelyn do that to you?" she asked, looking from Michael to Sandra and then back again.
Michael shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't want to talk about it, but Derek spoke up again, explaining the situation in detail to their mother as Michael had told him.
Sandra couldn't help feeling trapped. She looked down at her plate as Derek spoke, wondering how to approach this without exposing herself.
Mrs. Stone's eyes widened when Derek was done. "And you're not arresting her, Michael? Why?" She asked, even though she still couldn't understand why Derek was doing this when she knew he cared about Evelyn.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
No. This is
is completely unacceptable. She has to be arrested. It was one thing for her to go scot-free after tarnishing Derek's image, but this? We have to arrest her!" Mr Stone said, and both Derek and his mother nodded in agreement. Sandra, her voice soft and hesitant, spoke up. "Evelyn is my sister.
I don't want to do anything that might upset my parents further.
Besides, I have to think about my niece. I don't want to think about what her little girl will go through if Evelyn is arrested."
"Nonsense," Mr. Stone interrupted, his voice firm. "Evelyn should have thought about that before doing such a thing. She needs to be held accountable. Honey, make sure you get her arrested."
"I agree. I'm not going to let this slide. First, she embarrassed our family, and then she tried to seduce Derek and exposed our family business without authorization, and now she tries to blackmail you two? I'm not going to let her get away with it this time," Mrs Stone said firmly.
"My friend owns that hotel. Let's talk to the receptionist tomorrow, and once he gives us the evidence we need to prove that Evelyn paid for the suite and took Sandra into the room, we will get her arrested," Mr Stone suggested.
"Yes, let's do that," his wife said with a nod while Sandra shifted uncomfortably in her seat, worried that Evelyn might present the video she had.
Hopefully, no one would listen to whatever she had to say if the receptionist testified against Evelyn, Sandra thought.
Or maybe she could find a way to get her hands on Evelyn's phone and delete the video from the club? Perhaps she could convince Rayna to help her do that.
"It's funny that somehow we've made dinner all about Evelyn. Can we talk about something else now?" Derek asked, but everyone was too lost in their thoughts now to talk about anything else. Dinner continued awkwardly, with Mrs. Stone growing more silent by the minute as she wondered what her husband and son were up to.
After dinner, they all rose to leave, and Sandra smiled at Derek,
"Can
you
drop me off on your way? I didn't bring my car," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"I'm sorry, darling, Derek won't be able to do that. I need to speak with him," Mrs Stone said, and Sandra's smile fell. She had deliberately left her car so she could have Derek take her home or hotel.
to his hote
Mr Stone turned to Michael, "Mike, why don't you take her home," he suggested, and Michael gave him a nod.
Once Michael and Sandra left, Mrs. Stone turned to Derek and her husband, who were sitting in the living room with her.
After a long pause, she let out a deep sigh. "What is going on?" She asked, looking from one to the other.
"What do you mean?" Her husband asked innocently.
"Why are you both lying to me?" she asked, her voice firm. "I know it's not a coincidence that the little girl you brought home yesterday is called Samantha, and Evelyn's daughter is Samantha, too. I want to know what is going on. And I want to know why you put up that show earlier about about getting Evelyn arrested." Derek sighed, exchanging a glance with his father. "The only people putting up a show are Michael and Sandra. But you're too blind to see it, Derek said, his tone bitter.
His mother's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"
"If you really want to know the truth, investigate the hotel incident, and you will find out what you need to know," Derek said simply.
She turned to her husband, her face filled with confusion. "What is he talking about?"
Mr. Stone leaned back in his chair, his expression serious. "You've always been a smart woman, but lately, you've been disappointing me, honey. You need to start listening to Derek. Michael isn't who he says he is."
"I still don't understand what you're both saying. Derek, is that little girl your daughter? Did you impregnate your cousin's ex-fiancée?" She asked, and Derek nodded.
"Yes, Mom. Samantha is my daughter, and my cousin's ex-fiancée is going to be my wife. You can either give us your blessing and be a part of our lives or not, but my mind is made up," Derek said firmly.
"Derek..."
"You think you know so much about Michael? For your information, Michael has been having an affair with Sandra all these years. That was the reason Evelyn called off the wedding!
Michael wants me to marry Sandra so they can rip us off! That was the reason he was to marry Evelyn, too. Because of her inheritance. Do you know Michael was the one who let out the news of my private discussion with Evelyn?" Derek asked his mother, who sat in stunned silence as he laid out all the accusations.
While his mother was still processing all he was saying, Derek dropped a phone containing all the evidence he had gathered thus far on Michael and all that Evelyn had gathered on Sandra. It included the CCTV footage from his office showing Michael taking out the bug, the recordings of phone conversations and texts, and the video of Sandra trying to drug Evelyn.
"Everything I've gathered until now is in there. You can take a look at it if you care about knowing the truth. But if you'd rather keep blaming Evelyn for crimes she didn't commit just so your nephew can keep looking good in your sight, then don't bother. I have no idea why you hate her so much when you haven't even heard her side of the story. And just so you know, Evelyn has reconciled with her parents, and they know all about Sandra's schemes now. Think carefully about whose side you are on. Mine or Michael's. You can either choose to join us and expose them together or not, but you should keep in mind that Evelyn WILL be my wife with or without your permission." With that, Derek walked away, leaving his mother staring at the table in disbelief. Mrs Stone turned to her husband, "Do you believe him?" She asked, and he nodded as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Derek is right. You will find all the evidence in there. I also looked into his activities in the company after Derek came to me. Michael has been stealing from the company. You need to make up your mind about Evelyn and Samantha because they are going to be part of this family."
Mrs. Stone sat in stunned silence, the weight of the truth pressing down on her. She knew her husband and trusted him without a doubt. If he said Michael was guilty, then she believed him.
It seemed like everything she thought she knew about Michael was a lie, and now, she had to face the reality of who he really was.
With a deep sigh, she rose from her seat and picked up the phone which Derek had left on the table. Without another word to her husband, she walked away, determined to find out the truth for herself.