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?"

beer bottle tightened, and for a moment, Derek thought 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 on the table, the screen lighting up with a message notification. He glanced down, his brow furrowing when he saw the

on it to see

pocket and connecting it to

It was Sandra.

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

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 want it to

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

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

Ethan asked,

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

further into the recording he got, the more his face mirrored

voice low. "She is really doing this? She's planning to murder Evelyn...and Michael? I thought Michael was supposed to be her partner?" Derek ran a hand through his hair, still reeling

you going to do?" he

racing. What was he going to do? He couldn't just sit on this information. Evelyn was in danger, and so was

Michael had

he would rather Michael face the punishment for his

was he