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?"

he was going to answer. But instead, Ethan sighed and shook his head. "Can you stop calling her that? Or better still, can we just talk about something else?" Before Derek could respond, his phone buzzed

to see it had an attachment:

connecting

It was Sandra.

time for you to get the job done, Sandra's voice said coldly through

find a way to distract him. But don't make it obvious. We need to make sure no

heart pounded in his chest, 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 blood boiled. "What the hell..." Derek whispered under his breath, still listening to the details of

out of the picture- this was a murder plot- a carefully crafted scheme to destroy both Evelyn

wrong?" Ethan asked, noticing

made it impossible. He yanked out his earbud and handed it

The further into the recording

murder Evelyn...and Michael? I thought Michael was supposed to be her partner?" Derek ran a hand through his hair, still reeling from what he had heard. "I can't believe this. She's gone completely off the rails. This isn't just about some petty jealousy or ambition- this is a full-blown criminal

to do?" he asked,

was he going to do? He couldn't just sit on

matter that Michael had betrayed him and

he would rather Michael face the punishment for his crimes than he

didn't want to report to the authorities yet since 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