The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek)

Derek's mother sat in her bedroom, staring at the phone in her hand. Her heart pounded in her chest as she scrolled through the countless files and messages Derek had left her. Everything was there- recordings, texts, videos- each one unraveling the lies she had believed for so long. It felt like a nightmare, one she couldn't wake up from.

She had trusted Michael and loved him like her own son, but now she felt like a fool.

Unable to

stay still, she rose and paced the length of her room, her fury growing with every step.

How had she been so blind? How had she let Michael manipulate her for so many years? How had she been so gullible to not see through Sandra? Every conversation, every lie they had spun now felt like daggers piercing through her. As she walked, her thoughts raced. How could she have been so cruel to Evelyn? How could she have pushed away her own son, siding with Michael at every turn, while Evelyn- the mother of her granddaughter suffered the consequences? Just then, the door to the bedroom creaked open, and her husband walked in, concern etched on his face. "I guess you've seen everything," he said, his voice steady, but his but his eyes scanned her tense figure.

She

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pacing, her eyes wild with disbelief. "I can't believe it," she said, her voice trembling. "I can't believe Michael has been playing me for years! How could I have been so blind? How could I have let this go on right under my nose?" Her husband sighed and walked toward her, his hands outstretched as if to calm her down. "Relax, dear. He fooled us all. Don't let this get the better of you. Well figure it out," he said softly. "Relax?" she almost screamed, stepping back from him, her voice shaking with anger. "How can I relax when I've been an idiot? I've been fighting with Derek my own because of Michael! I believed everything Michael and Sandra told me. And now look where we are. I almost forced Derek into marrying that... that witch!" Her husband nodded patiently. "I get it. I know you feel betrayed. You believed Michael because he's your nephew. You've loved him like your own child."

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Mrs. Stone shook her head violently. "No! No, that's not an excuse! I should have seen through him. I should have known!" She threw her hands up, pacing again. "I'm not going to let this slide. I'm going to deal with him! I'm going to deal with those two shameless animals! I'm going to confront him him tonight!" Her husband quickly moved to her side, gently taking her arm. "No. You can't do that."

She whipped her head around to him, her brows furrowed. "Why not? What are we waiting for?"

"I don't think it's time yet," he said quietly. "Let's think this through. If you confront him now, you'll only tip him off. We need to be smart about this. We don't know how far they are willing to go." Taon! "So, what? We should let them continue? For how long? I am not interested in playing games. I want to handle this right now!"

Before he could respond, her phone rang. The shrill sound cut through the tension in the room. She looked down at the screen, and her face twisted with anger when she saw it was Michael. "Answer it calmly," her husband urged. "We need to be careful."

She hesitated, then took a deep, calming breath as she accepted the call and placed it on loudspeaker for her husband's benefit.

"Hello, Aunt," Michael's smooth voice came through the line. "I just wanted to thank you again for the lovely dinner. And I wanted to let you know I've dropped Sandra off, and I just got home." Mrs. Stone clenched her jaw. "That's good," "she forced out, trying to keep her tone even.

Michael continued, his voice sounding casual, almost t too casual. "Also, I hope you will forget everything we discussed at dinner. I really don't want to get Evelyn arrested, Aunt. I know she hurt me, but she's not worth it." Mrs.

"Why not? not?"

Stone asked, her voice barely hiding the edge in her tone.

There was a brief pause on the line, and then Michael spoke again, this time with a tone of false humility.

"I'm ashamed to admit it, but I still have feelings for her. I just want to move on now that I understand why she did what she did. Let's just leave it in the past. I want her out of our lives for good. That way, I can really move on." Mrs. Stone shot a glance at her husband, who nodded subtly, encouraging her to agree.

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. "If that's what you want, I'll let it go. But I'm only doing this for your sake, you know that."All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

Michael let out a breath, seemingly relieved. "Thank you, Aunt. I appreciate it."

And with that, the call ended. The room fell into a heavy silence, and Mrs. Stone lowered the phone, her hands shaking.

Had she not seen all the evidence Derek had left her, she would have fallen for Michael's lies once again.

How? How could Michael be so deceptive?

Her husband stepped closer, watching her intently. "I know you're upset, but you need to calm down.

Michael is family, and for that reason, we can't act rashly."

As her husband spoke, her thoughts were elsewhere.

She turned to him, "Why doesn't he want me to investigate what happened?"

"That's because he's worried that the truth might be revealed if you look too deep. Do you see now?" he asked softly.

She stared at the phone in her hand, her mind racing.

"First thing in the morning, I'm going to visit the hotel and look into this," she said firmly.

Her husband frowned. "Are you sure? You don't need to get involved in this mess. Derek and I will handle it."

But she shook her head. "No. I've let Michael make a fool of me for long enough. I need to see the truth for myself,' she said in a determined voice.

The next morning, having gotten all the necessary information from the evidence on the phone, Mrs.

Stone found herself standing in front of the hotel where the incident had taken place.

The receptionist looked up as she approached. "Good morning, ma'am. How can I help you?"

"I need to speak with the person who was working here last Thursday night," she said, her voice cool but firm.

The receptionist nodded, motioning for her to wait. A moment later, a young man emerged from the back, his expression cautious.

"Yes, ma'am? You wanted to speak to me?"

Mrs. Stone studied him for a moment before speaking. "I'd like to confirm a certain incident that took place on your watch," she said, and after narrating what Derek had said about a lady taking an unconscious woman to the suite, the receptionist nodded. "Yes, I remember." "Can you tell me the name of the person who booked that particular suite? Was it a male or female?" She asked, and the man hesitated.

"Actually, a man booked the suite," he said, and she nodded.

"What about the lady who brought in the unconscious lady?" She asked, and he shook his head.

"I don't know her. But I do know that the unconscious lady she brought it in was with the man. She arrived before him and took the key," he explained.

"So, it wasn't Evelyn who booked the suite," she said, and he shook his head.

"No, ma'am. It was the man who booked the suite. But they both paid me some money and asked me to put the name of the lady who brought in his unconscious friend."

Mrs. Stone's breath caught in her throat. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," he replied. "You can check the CCTV if you want. I made sure the CCTV caught it."

Her heart pounded in her chest as she processed the information. "Why did you do that? Did Evelyn ask you to do this?"

"No, ma'am. The person I spoke with was Mr Derek Stone. He was here, and he helped her carry the unconscious lady inside. He said someone might come to ask questions, and I should tell you he was here and show you all the evidence if need be," the receptionist admitted.

Mrs. Stone's stomach turned at the thought, and she quickly thanked the receptionist before leaving the hotel.

As she stepped out into the morning light, her phone buzzed in her hand. It was the lab.

"Hello?"

she answered, her voice shaky.

"Mrs. Stone, the results are out," the voice on the other end said.

"And? What does it say?" She asked, even though she knew the answer already.

It's a match."

Even though she knew the answer before it was said, it didn't stop her from freezing in place as the weight of the truth crashed down on her.

This confirmed everything. Her husband had told her how Evelyn and Derek had met, and how she had been crying that day because she had seen Michael in bed with Sandra.

In the same way that the test result confirmed Derek's story, everything else she had seen on the phone and heard from the receptionist confirmed that Michael was a pathological liar. Nephew or not, she would deal with him. She had to.

But first, she needed to meet with Evelyn.