The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek)

Evelyn sat in the backseat of the cab, a wide smile spreading across her face as she gazed out the window, replaying the events of the previous night in her mind.

After leaving Sandra passed out with Michael, Derek had whisked her and Rayna away to a different lounge for drinks. The memory of the night brought a sense of satisfaction. She was glad that they had outsmarted Michael and Sandra, and they now had enough evidence to expose Michael and Sandra's schemes.

She let out a soft chuckle, remembering how shocked Sandra had looked when she told her she switched their drinks before she passed out cold.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone buzzed, pulling her from her reverie. When she saw Derek's name flashed on the screen, she answered quickly, still smiling. "Hey," she greeted cheerfully, even though they had spoken earlier that morning when he called to say good morning to Samantha.

"How's the most beautiful woman in the world doing?" Derek asked, and Evelyn giggled.

"That's quite a stretch, don't you think?" She asked, still laughing.

"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and if I say you're the most beautiful woman in the world, then you are to me. I don't care what anyone else thinks about it. Not even you," he said, and she laughed, though his words made her feel warm.

"Noted. What are you up to? Have you gotten to the office yet?" She asked with interest.

"Yeah. I walked in a moment ago. What are you up to now?"

"I just dropped Samantha off at school. I'm heading back home now. I'm going to wait until the realtor calls me, then I'll step out to continue the house hunting," she said, and Derek nodded.

"Good," Derek responded, his voice calm but focused. "If I have the time, I will join you. Also, I got an interesting call from the receptionist at the hotel"

Evelyn raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Why did the receptionist call you?" she asked, curiosity piqued.

Derek chuckled lightly. "Last night, I had a little chat with him while you were dropping Sandra off. Since you were being careful and didn't want us to step into the suite with you, Figured we should cover all the bases, you know? So, I asked him not to mention that he saw Rayna and me if anyone was to ask and to let me know if they do ask," Derek explained. Evelyn grinned, impressed by his foresight. "Wow! You sure do think ahead. Why didn't you tell me you did that?"

"I didn't want to overwhelm you, and I wasn't sure they would actually ask that." His tone was casual, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I'm guessing he called you because they asked him?"

Evelyn asked curiously.

"Yes. He said Michael and Sandra asked him this morning if he saw the lady who brought Sandra into the suite last night and if she was alone."

Evelyn laughed softly. "Oh, so they're already trying to cover their tracks, huh? What did he tell them?"

Derek's voice turned sly. "Well, he told them you escorted Sandra in because she was too drunk, and you asked him for directions to the suite," Derek said, and Evelyn laughed softly.

"I guess you told him to say that?" Evelyn asked, amused.

She might have taken the photos, but the true masterstroke was the setup Derek had orchestrated behind the scenes.

"Yeah. But that's not all. So, Michael tried to pay him off to change the name on the reservation from his to yours," Derek said, and Evelyn smirked.

"I think they must have seen me taking pictures and figured I'm onto them. They're trying to shift the blame now. But it still doesn't make sense that Michael was knocked out on the bed, Evelyn said thoughtfully, wondering if that was also part of their plan.

"I think it's a good idea that you didn't let Rayna and me go in with you. I'm sure they are doing this because they think you were alone, and they can get away by tampering with things," Derek said, and Evelyn's laughter bubbled up.

"I'm guessing that they think pinning everything on me is better than trying to get the pictures from me. What do we do now?" Evelyn asked curiously.

"I told the receptionist to take the money from them and play along. Let them think they've got the upper hand. I want to see what they try next," Derek said, and Evelyn giggled.

Just as Evelyn was about to respond, her phone buzzed again - this time with a call from Sandra. She glanced at the screen and smirked. "Speak of the devil. Sandra's calling me right now."

Derek chuckled. "Don't admit to anything. And do not say you took her to the suite," Derek advised.

"But the receptionist already said..."

"Yes, that is what the receptionist told them, but that won't be the story the receptionist will say if someone like my Mom should ask him. Don't worry," Derek said, and Evelyn giggled.

"You have this all figured out, don't you?" She asked, and Derek grinned.

"Yeah. Let's let them make a spectacle of themself. Let me know how it goes with her. I'll catch up with you after my meeting." Derek said, and as soon as Derek hung up, Evelyn accepted the call, her voice light and teasing. "Morning, Sandy! How was your night? Did you sleep well?" She asked pleasantly.

There was a pause on the other end before Sandra's sharp tone cut through. "Why did you put me in bed with Michael and take pictures of us?"Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Evelyn grinned, keeping her voice innocent. "What are you talking about, Sandy?"

"Don't act cute with me!" Sandra snapped. "I know you set me up. You put me in that bed with Michael and took pictures to make it look like something happened. How could you? I apologized last night! I tried to make peace, and you... you blackmail me instead?" Evelyn rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but be entertained. "Sandra, I have no idea what you're going on about. I remember accepting your apology and having drinks with you; we both got pretty wasted, and that's it.

The rest is a blur," Evelyn said, wanting to see if Sandra would bring up the issue of the switched drink.

"Don't lie to me! I know you drugged me and took me to the hotel." Sandra's voice was growing more frantic now.

"I have evidence! I know what you did. Was it because you want Derek for yourself? Is that why you're doing this?" She asked, oblivious to the web they had spun around her and Michael.

Evelyn burst out laughing. "Sandra, you're so unbelievably delusional," Evelyn said, unable to believe that Sandra was making it seem like she was the one who had drugged her.

"Did you ask Rayna to set up a meeting with me just so you can accuse me of something so vile?" Evelyn asked, her disbelief echoing in her voice.

"Just tell me why!" Sandra's voice was rose. "Why would you put me in such a position?" She asked, glad that the phone wasn't on speaker so Michael didn't hear that she had asked Rayna to set up a meeting with Evelyn.

Evelyn's laughter faded, replaced by a calm, calculated tone. "Sandra, I don't know what you think you saw, but I don't have any pictures of you with Michael. As a matter of fact, I left before you. I don't know how you got to your suite or wherever. And if you have some kind of evidence to prove I did whatever you're accusing me of, feel free to show it. I'm curious to see what you've got." There was silence on the other end. Evelyn smirked to herself, knowing full well that Michael and Sandra would never dare produce any video evidence- especially not when they were trying to pin the whole thing on her.

With a final satisfied sigh, Evelyn added, "I guess there's nothing. With this stunt you just pulled, I guess you didn't mean anything you said, and we are back to normal. Good luck with pinning this on me, Sandy," Evelyn said before hanging up.

She leaned back in her seat as the cab continued to glide through the city streets. They had Michael and Sandra exactly where they wanted them. The next move was theirs, and she couldn't wait to see what they would do. Evelyn felt confident they would stumble right into the trap she and Derek had so carefully laid. Now she was enjoying the show.