The Billionaire's Unexpected Proposal by Samantha

Chapter 171

As they reached the Quinns residence, Derek pulled the car to a stop without looking at her. He barely waited for her to unbuckle her seatbelt before unlocking the doors. His gaze remained fixed forward, expression unreadable.

"Thank you, Derek," Sandra said, her voice low, hoping he would soften.

But Derek didn't respond. Instead, he turned his face away from her and waited. She opened the door, pausing as though she expected him to say something, anything but he only stared straight ahead. With a frustrated sigh, Sandra climbed out of the car and closed the door. The moment it shut, Derek drove away, leaving Sandra staring after him in the dim light of the front porch.

As he pulled away from the house, Derek felt a wave of relief wash over him. She was finally out of the car, and he could breathe again.

He reached for his phone, dialing Evelyn's number as he turned onto the empty street leading back toward Rayna's bakery.

The phone rang twice before Evelyn picked up, her voice a little calm and warm. "D? Has she left?" Evelyn asked as she excused herself from the group of ladies she had been chatting with.

"Yeah, I dropped her off,' he said, feeling a smile tug at the corner of his lips as he thought about the exchange between Evelyn and Sandra at the bakery. "You handled her really well earlier, by the way. That was impressive."

Evelyn chuckled softly. "I was just hoping I didn't go too far and embarrass you."

Derek's smile softened. "Oh, trust me, I had fun. Honestly, I was probably just as entertained as everyone else in there. You were fire."

drifted through the line, light and genuine. "Glad I could amuse you. I had fun, too... but I don't know, I feel a bit anxious about everything now that I've

her anxiety. "Hey, don't worry. I'm not going to leave you alone in this, okay? Im actually planning to hang around until the reunion is

That makes me feel a lot better." She paused before adding, "By the way, do

plan. She told the hitman to call from Michael's phone to make it look like he was the last person you heard from before you... disappeared." Evelyn shuddered involuntarily and took a slow breath, processing his words.

I'm done. And actually, I have something to tell you," Evelyn said, her voice laced with a

What is it?" Derek asked, his

out when I see

He asked, wondering if it had anything to do with her behavior at home earlier. She chuckled softly. "It's not exactly something bad... but I suppose it will be up to you to decide how you feel about it." "What does that even mean?" He asked

you now. It's

if I just pop in there and pretend I'm mad at you

any sense at all. You can wait a little while. I'll be out soon,

soon?" Derek asked, a hint of impatience in his

hour" she replied, sounding a bit

echoed, pretending

on the phone

guys flirting with you in there?"

"You must think everyone is