The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek)

As they left the prison, the drive to Derek's parents' house was quiet. Evelyn occasionally glanced at Derek, noting the subtle tension in his jaw.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

She reached out to place a reassuring hand on his thigh, and he gave her a small smile.

When they arrived, Samantha's laughter echoed through the house before they even stepped inside. Derek's mother opened the door, beaming at them. "Come in, come in. Samantha's been waiting for you both all day." In the living room, Samantha was perched on Derek's father's lap, giggling as he made silly faces. Her eyes lit up when she saw her parents, and she scrambled down, running toward them.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she squealed, her little legs carrying her as fast as they could.

Seeing Samantha, the remnant of Derek's bad mood evaporated, and he crouched down and scooped her up in one fluid motion, twirling her in the air. "There's my favorite girl!" he said, planting a kiss on her cheek. Samantha giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I missed you, Daddy!"

"I missed you too, sweetheart," Derek said, holding her close

Evelyn raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. "Wait a minute. I

thought I was your favorite girl."

Samantha turned to her mother, her expression serious. "Mommy, you're not a girl. You're a mommy. Daddy's favorite girl is me.

You're his favorite wife."

Evelyn and Derek burst into laughter as Derek's parents joined in the laughter. Derek hugged Samantha tighter. "Well, you've got me there, baby."

Evelyn smiled and kissed Samantha's forehead. "Noted. We missed you so much, darling. Aunt Maya has missed you, too. And guess who else has missed you?" Evelyn asked, and Samantha grinned. "Grandparents Quinn?" She asked, and Evelyn laughed.

"Exactly. And guess what? Your Grandma Claire is waiting for you at home," Derek said, Samantha's eyes widened.

"Really? Is Grandma Claire at our house? Is Grandpa there too?" She asked, and Evelyn nodded.

"They sure are" Evelyn confirmed, smiling at her daughter's excitement.

"So, are you ready to go home?" Derek asked, and Samantha nodded enthusiastically, her hair bouncing.

"Yes! I can't wait!" She said, jumping.

"Don't be too excited to leave, dear. You're breaking my heart,"

Derek's father said, and they all laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm going to fix it," Samantha promised, kissing her palm and placing it on his chest.

Derek's father chuckled. "It feels much better, my little heart doctor," he said, and Samantha giggled.

As Derek and Evelyn sat down, Derek's mother's warm gaze followed Evelyn. "How are you feeling, dear?"

Evelyn smiled. "I'm fine, thank you."

Derek's father chimed in, his tone teasing. "I hope Derek isn't stressing you out too much."

Evelyn laughed, shaking her head. "Quite the opposite. He's been pampering me so much it's starting to stress me out." The room filled with laughter, and Derek rolled his eyes playfully.

"You're welcome," he quipped.

He then turned to Samantha. "Why don't you head to your room for a bit, munchkin? The grown-ups need to talk."

Samantha pouted but nodded. "Okay, Daddy." She skipped off, humming to herself.

"I hope she hasn't been stressing you out and has been on her best behavior?" Evelyn asked, and Derek's mother laughed.

"You ask like I'm supposed to report my granddaughter to you. It's the grandparent's duty to spoil the grandkid," she said, and Evelyn laughed.

As the door to Samantha's room clicked shut, Derek's parents turned to him with expectant expressions.

"Did you hear from the investigator?" his father asked, suspecting that was what Derek wanted to talk about.

Derek nodded, his face serious. "I did. But there's a new development."

His mother frowned. "What kind of development?"

Derek hesitated, his voice low, when he finally spoke. "Do you know a man named Carter Reed?"

His parents exchanged a look, their expressions shifting from confusion to recognition.

"Yes," his father said slowly. "We weren't close, but he was a journalist. A good one."

"Yeah. He was pretty decent. It was a shame how he was brutally murdered with his family," Derek's mother added.

"Why do you ask?" His father asked curiously.

Derek took a deep breath. "Because he was my biological father."

His mother gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "What? How is that possible?"

Derek explained everything Claire had told him, his voice steady despite the emotional weight of the revelation.

When he finished, his mother shook her head in disbelief. "All this time... everything we needed to know was right there, and we didn't see it."

"It's because we weren't looking," Derek's father said, his voice thoughtful. "The universe has a way of bringing things full circle, of putting everything in its rightful place."

Derek's mother exhaled shakily. "I remember how ruthless Victor was. It's no surprise that he was Sandra's father: Do you know he had the audacity to threaten us when we canceled his contract? But we were so focused on our little boy, on making sure he was okay, that we didn't have the energy to pursue it further."

Derek tilted his head. "What do you mean? What happened?" He asked, wanting to know if that was indeed how their son had died.

All these years, he had never been able to bring himself to ask how they had lost their son.

His mother's eyes softened with sadness. "Our little boy was with your father at the site that day. When the building collapsed, he was trapped under the rubble. Some of the rods pierced his chest. He was hospitalized for a while, but he didn't survive."

Derek's father's voice was heavy. "It

was Carter who helped us expose Victor. The collapse was a big deal and we went through a lot while trying to take care of our son and what was happening with him a secret. Without Carter, we wouldn't have gotten justice."

"And now... now, his son is ours. It's unbelievable, Derek's mother said as she reached out, touching Derek's cheek. "Your biological parents. would be so proud of you. And so

1.n

are we. You've become such an

incredible man."

Derek's throat tightened, but he managed a smile. "Thank you.

That means everything."

His mother's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "You've brought so much light to our lives, Derek. No matter where you came from, you're ours. Always."

The room fell silent, the weight of

the past mingling with the hope of the present. Derek glanced at Evelyn, who gave him a reassuring nod. Together, they were piecing their

lives back together, one step at a time.

MS