The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek)

Chapter

189

As Derek drove the car home, Evelyn turned in her seat to look at him, "Are you okay?" She asked curiously. "Huh?" He asked as he turned to spare her a glance.

"You have been sort of distant, or should I say distracted, since you came back earlier? It's like you're thinking about something. What's wrong?" She asked, and he sighed.

"It's just something Michael said," he said, and Evelyn frowned.

"What could Michael have said to make you so worried?" She asked, wondering if it was something about her.

As if sensing her thoughts, Derek reached out and took her hand,

"It's not about you," he assured her, but that didn't relax her.

"Then what is it about?" She pressed, wanting to know exactly what it was since Michael was involved.

"Why don't I tell you about it when we get home?" Derek suggested, and Evelyn nodded.

"Alright. Let's do that" she said and relaxed in her seat. It didn't take long before she dozed off.

As Derek drove in silence, he thought about the flash drive he had found at Michael's place. He couldn't help wondering what he would find inside when he eventually accessed it.

What was he going to do if it was confirmed that he had a sister?

Find her? How were his parents going to feel about that?

Especially his mother, whom he knew was very sensitive to issues regarding his adoption.

But if indeed he had a sister, he couldn't just ignore it and pretend that he didn't, right? It would be nice to know that he had someone who shared the same blood with him.

But would his sister want to see him? Or would she rather be left alone to her life as she knew it to be? Derek sighed deeply.

He had never once considered the possibility that he had family somewhere, and now that Michael had brought it up, he couldn't just shake off the feeling that he had disappointed someone, especially considering the fact that Michael had said she was his younger sister.

What kind of elder brother forgot his own sister? Regardless of the trauma, how could he have forgotten that he had a baby sister? He could only hope that she was alive and living well wherever she was. It would hurt him to know he had been living in comfort all these years while his younger sister was not.

The moment they arrived at their estate and he parked the car in front of the house, Evelyn woke up. She smiled at him, "I can't believe I dozed off, she said, and he smiled.

"You have been stressed a lot lately. You need to rest every chance you get," Derek said as he got out of the car and went to get her door.

As he opened the door, Evelyn looked at him and cupped his face in her hands, "I'm not sure what that bastard, Michael, told you, but I don't like the worry lines I see here. For all you know he lied," she said, tracing the crease on his forehead.

Derek smiled involuntarily, "You don't even know what he said yet.

What if he said you're the most beautiful woman in the world?"

Derek asked, and Evelyn laughed.

"That would be one of the few truths in his mouth," she said, and when Derek chuckled, she smiled, "But I doubt that would make you frown this way. If anything, it would make you raise your shoulders like a peacock, she said, and he laughed again.

"I know you're trying to make me laugh. Thank you. Let's go in now, and I'll tell you what he said, Derek said. Evelyn let him help her out of the car, and together, they made their way inside.

As they walked into the house, Evelyn looked around, "I don't think Maya is home," she said, and Derek smiled.

"How would you know? She might be sleeping," Derek said, and she glanced upstairs.

"I'm not sure. I'll check in on her to see if she's in and okay," Evelyn said, and Derek nodded.

"I will be in the bedroom," he said, and together they climbed the stairs, and while Evelyn went to check on Maya, Derek went into their bedroom.

The moment Derek walked into the room, he took out the flash drive from his jacket, took it off, and picked up his laptop.

He sat on the edge of the bed, his heart racing as he connected the flash drive to the laptop. It didn't take too long before it all came up on the screen.

As he looked at it, Evelyn walked into the bedroom. "I told you.

Maya isn't in," she said, and when he didn't respond and she saw him busy on his laptop, she assumed he was busy with something work related and proceeded to take off her clothes, not wanting to distract him.

She turned when she caught his reflection in the mirror and saw his face buried in his hands. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked, drawing closer to him in her undies, her expression concerned.

Derek didn't say a word. He didn't know what to say now that he had confirmed what Michael had said.

How could he tell her that all these years, he had not even remembered that he had a younger sister? How could he tell her that he had failed as an older brother, and it took someone like Michael to remind him of his own blood? His sister.

"Whatever it is, everything will be fine," Evelyn said as she stood in front of him and hugged him to herself, his head resting on her flat abdomen.

Derek wrapped his arms around her and stayed in that position for a while as he thought about what to do now with this information.

He knew that whatever he did, he had to inform and involve his parents so that their feelings wouldn't get hurt if they found out what he was up to.

After a while, Derek pulled back and looked up into her face,

"Thank you," he murmured softly as he pulled her down so that she could sit beside him on the bed.

"What is the matter?" She asked softly, searching his eyes.

Derek turned the laptop so that she could see, and Evelyn's brows pulled together when she saw it was some sort of report on him.

"Where did you get this?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Michael's place. He told me about it. He had someone investigate my biological family," he explained.

Evelyn's heart skipped a beat, and she swallowed. "Why?" She asked, since she could understand her reason for wanting to look into his biological family but not Michael's.

She sighed after Derek explained his conversation with Michael, and then she looked back at the screen again.

She contemplated for a moment whether or not to tell him that she had also been planning to help him find his biological family.

"You are not happy about this?" She asked, watching him closely.

"How can I be happy to know that I have a younger sister I didn't even remember all these years?" He asked, and she nodded thoughtfully.

"I guess it never occurred to you that you might have siblings" she said softly, taking his hand.

"You shouldn't blame yourself for forgetting about her. You were only a kid, and God alone knows what kind of trauma you experienced to have completely lost your memory. And if I'm being honest, I was going to look into it too," she said, and Derek's brows pulled together. "You were? Why?" He asked, confused.

"For several reasons. First, because I'd like to know your name.

Not Derek Stone. Your given name at birth. You told me how you didn't like being Derek Stone," she explained softly.

"I don't mind that now. As long as I have you and Samantha and the other kids to come, I'm okay," he said, and she smiled.

"I know that. I'm just explaining my reasons, okay? Also, I think your biological parents deserve to be remembered by you. You were about Samantha's age or a little older when you were adopted, right? Can you imagine Samantha forgetting everything about us?" She asked, and Derek frowned, not liking the thought of it.

"I guess you have a point. I never thought of it that way," he admitted softly.

"I think you should remember them for your sake and theirs. And find your sister, too. As a parent, I wouldn't want my kids to be separated because I'm no more," Evelyn said softly, and Derek sighed. "What if life has been tough on her, and she has been struggling while I've been living this way?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Then she will be happy you found her now. And it's even possible she's living well wherever she is, too. However, she might be living now is not your fault, so don't blame yourself..."

"How can I not? I should have looked into it," Derek said, but Evelyn shook her head. "Let's not go down that path, love. Let's focus on the way forward," Evelyn said softly.

"I'll discuss this with my Dad. I don't want to hurt their feelings," he said, and Evelyn nodded.

"Sure. Let me know if you need my help, and I'll be happy to do it," she said, and he smiled.

"I'd rather you don't stress yourself..."

"A phone call is hardly any stress, Derek. I know people who can get it done really quickly," she said, and he held her gaze for a moment.

"I'm glad you didn't do this without my knowledge," he said, and she raised a brow.

"Would you have been mad?" She asked, and he shrugged.

"Maybe not me. I will always do my best to understand you. But my Mom, on the other hand, is very sensitive, and I don't want anything that would cause any sort of friction between you two.

So, I want you to stay out of this, okay? You can give me the contacts you have, and I will make the calls myself," he said, and she nodded.

"Alright. Sure. That works, too"" she said, and Derek kissed her palm.

"Now, Mr. Stone, we need to reschedule the date of our interview..."

"You will have to discuss with my secretary, Ms Quinn," he cut in with a grin and chuckled when she playfully bit his arm.

"Didn't you just say I shouldn't stress myself?" She asked, and he grinned.

"We can have the interview in here, right here and now," he offered, and she leaned forward and kissed him. "We will do it next week. For now, don't worry about anything, okay?" She said, and he shook his head.

"I'm going to worry about you. For instance, you haven't had lunch," he said, and she giggled.

"Yeah. You can worry about that. Only worry about me," she said, and they both laughed as he kissed her.

"Take a nap while I fix you lunch," he said before heading for the door.

As Derek shut the door behind him, Evelyn sighed contentedly. She pulled his jacket to herself and snuggled against the pillow.

She sat up when her phone rang and saw it was her father, "Dad..."

"She's dead, Evelyn. Claire is dead."