The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek)



Chapter 57

When Michael arrived at the hotel lounge, he walked up to Derek when he found him sitting at a corner table, nursing a drink.

Derek looked up and when he saw Michael approaching, he smiled as he took a sip from his glass, his expression friendly.

As Michael sat down, he tried to gauge Derek's mood. "What's up? Why are you here drinking alone?" he asked, pretending to be concerned.

Derek shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. "I just need to clear my head. It's been a long day," Derek said easily.

"Why were you at my office earlier?" Derek asked, wondering if Michael had gone there to take out the bug.

He had phoned his secretary earlier to find out if Michael had entered his office at any point in his absence the previous week, and she had told him that Michael had been to his to submit some files earlier on the day he told Evelyn about his adoption. That had been the confirmation he needed.

"I wanted to find out if you were still mad at me, considering the way you left the party last night," Michael said, and Derek sighed.

"Last night? I can't believe it was just yesterday. It feels like a week has passed already," Derek said, running his fingers through his hair.

"I'm really sorry I kept everything away from you..."

"I've moved on from that, Michael. I really don't want to hear about it anymore. But I'm curious about something else," Derek said and Michael's heart skipped a beat.

"What?" Michael asked as he looked at him curiously.

"What exactly is going on between Evelyn and Sandra? Why did she treat Sandra that way at the party?" he asked and Michael leaned in, eager to spin his tale.

"Evelyn has always hated Sandra and I think it got worse because she remained friends with me after all this while. Can you believe that she returned after all these years but wouldn't return home to her family because she believes they betrayed her by remaining close to me," he said and Derek's brows pulled together.

"Evelyn is that kind of person?" Derek asked, feeling disgusted by what Michael was saying. Although he didn't know everything about Evelyn, he knew she wasn't that kind of person.

Michael felt a rush of satisfaction as he saw the disgust on Derek's face. He was pleased to see that he was getting through to him.

"Looks can be deceptive you know," Michael said, and Derek nodded.

"But why does she not want them to be friendly with you? What really made her call off your wedding? Did you do something?" Derek asked and Michael scowled at the memory.

"I wish I did. I did nothing but love her and be faithful to her. What did I get in return? Infidelity. Betrayal. Humiliation. While we were all worried and searching everywhere for her, she was busy making love to another man. Do you know what hurts me the most? I saw the signs..."

"What signs?" Derek cut in curiously.

"The cologne. The same male cologne she was reeking of that morning when she came back. I've smelt it on her several times when she went out. There was this guy she claimed was her friend. That was his cologne. I always thought they were just friends but when she returned that morning reeking of him, I knew I had been made a fool of," he said and Derek shook his head in disbelief at the lies.

"Seriously? Evelyn did that? Did you confront the guy?" Derek asked and Michael shook his head.

"I wanted to, but I haven't seen him since then. Who knows? Maybe she eloped with him," Michael said and Derek nodded.

Perhaps if he hadn't been Evelyn's so-called lover, he would have bought the story, but he knew for a fact that he was the one with Evelyn that night and his cologne then was a gift customized specially for him by a friend who made perfumes. That made it impossible to have the smell on someone else.

"If I may ask, did anything happen a day before the wedding? Did you both fight? Did she lose a loved one? It's possible that something might have..." Michael shook his head before Derek could finish.

"No. Nothing of the sort happened. Everything was perfect. We even spoke over the phone and she sounded very fine. I have no idea why she decided to wait until that day to do what she did. Evelyn is a manipulative bitch!"

"I guess she has always been a cheater then?" he asked and Michael nodded.

"It was heartbreaking for me especially since I gave her my all. I loved her so much, Rek," Michael said and gulped his drink, pretending to be feeling hurt just by talking about her.From NôvelDrama.Org.

Everything that Michael told him just confirmed that Michael was indeed a liar. There was more to the story and he was going to find out all about it one way or the other, Derek told himself as he sipped from his drink.

"It's okay. Let's stop talking about her. Why don't you tell me about Sandra instead? I'm sure you must have heard from my Mom that I've agreed to marry her," he said and Michael couldn't help his smile.

Hearing Derek say he was planning to marry Sandra proved to him that Derek was still oblivious to the fact that there was a bug in his office and that he was the one behind everything.

"Speaking about your Mom, why did you ask your parents not to have Evelyn fired? You realize that she doesn't deserve your mercy, don't you?" Michael asked now that he was sure he wasn't a suspect and Derek would answer his question. Derek turned to Michael, his expression unreadable. "Evelyn wasn't responsible for the release of the news," he said and Michael raised a brow.

"If she wasn't, then who was behind it? Did you tell someone else about it?" Michael asked and Derek shook his head.

"I didn't. But I know Evelyn isn't behind it. I'm very sure of it. I know you are still mad at her for what she did to you, but I don't think that's enough reason for us to make her pay for a crime she did not commit," Derek said and Michael frowned. "How can you be so sure she isn't behind it? Mind you I'm not saying this because I want her to pray for a crime she did not commit. I'm just curious to know why you seem so convinced of her innocence," Michael said, and Derek shrugged. "We signed a nondisclosure agreement before we started," Derek said and Michael's heart skipped a beat.

"That doesn't mean she couldn't have..."

"It does. She had been very faithful to every single rule of our agreement even when it wasn't convenient and she didn't want to. She isn't foolish to want to ruin everything and her chances at an exclusive interview over such a secret. And even if she wanted to, she could have waited until after the interview to release it not now," Derek said and Michael paused for a moment.

Perhaps it was best to stop insisting that Evelyn was behind it. It might look suspicious if he continued to make it seem like Evelyn was the culprit, "That sort of makes sense. Who could have done it then?"

"I don't know yet, but I plan to find out. And when I do, I will make sure they pay for all this mess," Derek promised.

"Well, let me know if I can help you in any way," Michael said and Derek smiled.

"Sure, I will. I know I can always count on you. Thank you," Derek said, slapping his on the back.

"So, about Sandra, do you really plan to marry her, or did you just say that to get Evelyn off the hook for the time being?" Michael asked suspiciously.

"Even though we didn't get to talk at the party, she made quite an impression on me. I'm interested in her," he said and Michael smiled.

"She's something, isn't she?" He asked and Derek nodded.

"Yeah. She is," Derek agreed.

"Unlike Evelyn, Sandra is everything you could want in a woman. If I wasn't too heartbroken by what Evelyn did, I would've gone for her but then again, apart from the fact that she's kind and loyal, she has a thing for you," Michael said and Derek raised a brow. "Me?" he asked and Michael nodded.

"How? We aren't close and I think the only time I've seen her apart from at the party was when she came to ask for an interview with me. So, how can she like me?" Derek asked with a confused frown.

"Well, she has heard a lot about you from me. Besides, what lady wouldn't want a man like you?" Michael asked and Derek nodded.

"I guess that means we will get along really well. So, what else can you tell me about her? I mean specifics. Things I need to know to win her heart," Derek said and Michael smiled as he continued to sing Sandra's praises.

Derek listened, occasionally nodding, and at the same time, Evelyn's words about Michael and Sandra working together played in his head as he kept asking himself what their big plan was.

When Michael finished, Derek smiled at him. "Thanks, Mike. I'm already looking forward to seeing her and getting to know her."

From all Michael said, he was certain that he was in cohorts with Sandra but what he couldn't understand was what Michael stood to gain if he indeed married Sandra.

A couple of minutes later, Michael left the lounge, feeling triumphant. He had succeeded in planting more doubt in Derek's mind about Evelyn and had properly watered the ground for Sandra. What he needed to do now was find a way to get the bug out of Derek's office before Derek or anyone else would discover it.