The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek) novel Chapter 143

Chapter 143

The day dragged on, with Sandra doing her best to get under Evelyn's skin. She hovered around, offering unsolicited advice, acting extra friendly with some of the staff, and throwing Evelyn fake smiles every time their paths crossed. But beneath Sandra's thinly veiled hostility, Evelyn could sense something more: Sandra was looking for an opportunity to steal her phone.

Evelyn kept her phone close all morning, knowing that if she left her phone unattended, Sandra might take the chance to snoop.

She made sure it was either in her pocket or locked securely in her drawer. She even caught Sandra casting glances at her desk when she thought Evelyn wasn't looking. Every time she excused herself from her desk, Evelyn could feel Sandra watching, waiting for her to slip up. But Evelyn wasn't about to give her the satisfaction.

By mid-afternoon, Evelyn needed to use the restroom. Tucking her phone into her pocket, she made her way to the restroom, trying to shake off the growing tension. She couldn't let Sandra control her every move.

Once inside the restroom, Evelyn slipped into a stall, grateful for a moment of peace. She was about to relax when she overheard voices— some of the staff

chatting as they fixed their makeup at the sink.

"Did you hear about Evelyn?" one of them whispered.

"Oh yeah," another replied. "I heard she got fired from Empowered for being incompetent. Imagine, she came back here like nothing happened. Must be good to have the family company to fall back on."

Evelyn rolled her eyes as she listened in silence. She did not doubt that Sandra had sponsored some of these rumors.

The first woman chuckled softly. "That's not even the best part. I heard she leaked those stories about Derek Stone all over the internet because she was jealous of her sister's relationship with him."

"And," the second woman added in a hushed tone, "apparently, she has been away for a long time because she ran away on the morning of her wedding. Can you believe it?"

She was usually not one to enjoy gossip, but there was oddly something satisfying about eavesdropping on a conversation about yourself, especially when the gossipers were clueless gossipmongers.

The first woman gasped. "No way. What a mess."

The gossipers continued to snicker, clearly enjoying themselves, oblivious to the fact that Evelyn could hear every word. But Evelyn wasn't going to hide. She flushed the toilet, and as she stepped out of the stall, the women froze, their faces draining of color.

Evelyn walked to the sink, washed her hands, and smiled at them through the mirror. "You know," she said calmly, "I don't care about the rumors you're peddling, and I certainly don't care where you got them from. What I care about is that you are being paid to stand in the restroom gossiping during work hours."

The two women stammered apologies, avoiding her gaze as they hurriedly grabbed their things and fled from the restroom. Evelyn shook her head, drying her hands before walking back to her office.

Just as she was settling back at her desk, her phone buzzed with a text message. It was from Derek: [I gave my mom your number. She'll probably call you soon.

I'll call you when I'm less busy.]

Evelyn's heart skipped a beat. [Why would you give her my number?] She started typing in response, but before she could send it, her phone lit up with an incoming call from an unknown number. Her heart raced. Was it Derek's mother?

She hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and answered.

"Hello?"

"Evelyn?" came a soft, tentative voice from the other end. "It's Derek's mother. I—I'm sure Derek told you everything already, but I just wanted to... well, I was hoping you'd give me a chance to meet with you. I know I've made mistakes, and I don't expect you to forgive me easily, but I would really like to apologize.

That's all I want."

Evelyn's grip on the phone relaxed. She could hear the nervousness in Mrs. Stone's voice, and despite everything that had happened, Evelyn felt a small sense of empathy for the woman.

"Okay," Evelyn said after a pause. "We can meet during my lunch hour."

Relief flooded Mrs. Stone's voice. "Thank you, Evelyn. You can pick the place."

"How about Café Limca? It's quiet and not far from my office," Evelyn suggested.

"Sounds fine," Mrs Stone replied. "I'll see you then."

When lunch hour arrived, Evelyn left the office and headed to Café Limca. Her mind swirled with thoughts of the meeting with Derek's Mom.