The Billionaire's Unexpected Proposal by Samantha

Billionaire’s 157

Billionaire’s 157

Chapter 157

Derek leaned back in his chair as he sipped his whiskey. Ethan sat across from him, nursing a beer, his gaze distant as he stared at the wall behind Derek's shoulder. The lounge was their usual hangout spot, cozy and familiar, but tonight was different. Ethan was not his usual funny and chatty self, and it was glaring.

Derek studied Ethan for a moment, watching his friend's face for any sign of emotion. "So, what's going on with you, man? How are you really feeling about the whole situation with Rayna?" Derek asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them after their pleasantries and small talk about work. Ethan took a slow sip of his beer, his expression unreadable. "I'm fine," he said flatly. "I've moved on."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Really? Just like that?"

Ethan shrugged. "Yeah. Just like that."

Derek set his glass down on the table with a soft thud, leaning forward. You don't just move on from someone you claimed to love, Ethan. You don't just flip a switch and pretend everything's fine." Ethan's jaw tightened, but he said nothing, his eyes still fixed on the wall.

"Come on, man," Derek pressed, his voice quieter now. "You're holding on to this grudge like it's going to fix things. She's apologized, Ethan. More than once, to the best of my knowledge.

Is losing your golden sun over that misunderstanding really worth it?"

about something else?" Before Derek could respond, his phone buzzed on the table, the screen lighting up with a message notification. He glanced down, his brow furrowing when he saw the message was from his source, and

it to see it had an

a second," Derek muttered, grabbing his earbud from his pocket and connecting it to his phone. He played the recording, his

It was Sandra.

for you to get the job done, Sandra's voice said coldly through the recording. "Make

gets to her car. She seems to have a bodyguard, so find a way to distract him. But don't make it obvious. We need to make sure no one suspects foul play. I

and his blood ran cold as he listened to Sandra give more instructions. She wanted Michael kidnapped and then Evelyn. The plan was to make it appear as though they had eloped and something tragic had happened. Or better yet, they should make it look like Michael had kidnapped Evelyn out of anger and jealousy because he was still obsessed with her and then killed her and then committed suicide. It was a twisted, calculated plot, and the more Derek listened, the more his

mind raced, trying to process everything he was hearing. This wasn't just about her wanting Evelyn out of the picture- this was

Ethan asked, noticing Derek's

head, trying to clear his thoughts, but the gravity of the situation made it impossible. He yanked out his earbud and handed it to Ethan. "Listen to this," he said, his

as he played the recording. The further into the recording he got, the more his

asked, his voice low. "She is really doing this? She's planning to murder Evelyn...and Michael? I thought Michael was supposed to be her

"What are you going to do?" he asked, his

going to do? He couldn't just sit

had

and he would rather Michael face the punishment

this might be his opportunity to catch Sandra red-handed. But how was he going to do this without putting Evelyn's life in danger? Could he afford to do it when