The following day, Derek arrived at Evelyn's home with a bouquet of bright pink roses. He was excited about spending the day with Samantha and paused on the front porch, taking a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

After a few seconds, Maya opened the door with a warm smile and polite nod. "Good morning, sir. Please come in. Samantha is almost ready," she said, heading toward the hallway. "I'll go get her." Inside, his eyes swept the cozy living room as he settled onto the couch. The soft hum of quiet household noises filled the air. Evelyn joined him a few moments later. "How is my Queen doing? And where is my princess?" he asked. Evelyn grinned. "You're right on time," she said, smiling brightly as Derek rose to kiss her.

"I'm fine. Your princess wanted to make a grand entrance," Evelyn said, jerking her head down the hallway. Samantha appeared in the doorway, her face glowing with excitement. She wore a lovely pink dress that fell around her knees. Her hair was tied in a neat bow matching her dress, and her smile was wide. Derek dramatically clutched his chest and gasped, his expression full of mock pain. "Oh no! Princess, your beauty is too much for my heart! I don't know if I can survive!"

"Daddy! Look at my dress!" Samantha twirled.

Both Evelyn and Samantha giggled at Derek's playful reaction, and even Maya, quietly watching from a corner, smiled. Derek grinned, kneeling to meet Samantha's gaze. He handed her a small flower from the bouquet and asked, "So, are you ready for our first date, Miss Samantha?"

Samantha beamed, clutching the flower tightly. "Yes! I'm ready!"

Derek stood, handing the remaining flowers to Evelyn. "For you. Don't worry, I'll bring her back early."

Evelyn took the flowers with a small smile and waved dismissively. "Take your time, Derek. Maya and I will be busy at the new house, so there's no rush." She leaned down and kissed Samantha's forehead. "Be a good girl, okay?"

Samantha nodded eagerly, and Derek led her to the car. After helping her into the back seat, he got in and looked at her through the rearview mirror. "Alright, Sam," he said, smiling. "We're going to have lots of fun today. And I'm going to get you lots of nice things, just you wait."

Samantha giggled with excitement as Derek started the car. They spent the morning at a toy store, an ice cream parlor, and a local park, playing games and taking silly photos. Later, as they sat on a bench, Samantha eating a second scoop of ice cream, Derek turned to her with a more serious expression. "Hey, Sam, there's something I want to ask you."

Samantha looked up curiously, licking her ice cream. "What is it, Daddy?"

Derek leaned in, whispering, "Can you keep a secret?"

Samantha nodded eagerly, her eyes wide. "Yes! I can keep a secret!"

Derek smiled. "Alright, so here's the deal. I want to take you to meet my parents today. But I want to keep it a surprise that I'm your daddy, okay? So, when we get there, call me 'Rek,' like you used to. It's not because I'm scared or ashamed, but I want to reveal it later as a big surprise. Can you do that for me?" Samantha's eyes sparkled; she nodded enthusiastically. "I can do it! I'll keep the secret!" "Good girl," Derek said, kissing her forehead. "You're the best."

"What do I call them?" Samantha asked.

"You can call them Mr. and Mrs. Stone unless they ask you to call them something else," Derek replied. He then drove them to his parents' house, his father expecting them for lunch. He parked and helped Samantha out, holding her hand as they walked to the door.

Derek's father welcomed them, having watched their arrival on the security camera. "Hello, angel. You're Samantha, right?" he asked, ignoring Derek and focusing on the little girl. Samantha bobbed her head. "Hello, Mr. Stone. You can call me Sammy or Sam. I'm Rek's friend."

Mr. Stone's face softened. "Well, aren't you a sweet little thing? Come in, come in!"

"Darling, who's at the door?" Derek's mother asked, pausing as she saw Derek and then Samantha. Her eyes widened.

"Hello, Mom," Derek greeted, though they were still estranged from a recent argument.

Mrs. Stone said nothing, her gaze fixed on Samantha. The resemblance between her and a younger Derek was striking. She seemed taken aback but said nothing as Derek introduced them. "Sam, this is my mom and dad, and this is our house."

Samantha greeted them politely. "Hello, Mrs. Stone. It's nice to meet you!" she said, smiling brightly. Mrs. Stone returned the smile but remained silent, thinking, Derek's child wouldn't call me Mrs. Stone. She glanced at her husband, wondering if he noticed the same thing.

Oblivious to his wife's thoughts, Mr. Stone smiled warmly at Samantha and gestured to the table. "Why don't you sit with us, Sammy, and tell us all about yourself?" Samantha, not shy, sat down, chatting easily with Derek's father while his mother served her a plate. Derek served himself. "So, you just started school. Tell me about it," Derek's father urged. Samantha happily recounted her school experiences.

As the meal progressed, Mrs. Stone noticed Samantha's food preferences mirrored Derek's childhood tastes. She glanced at her husband but remained silent, her curiosity piqued. With her sweet voice and charming questions, Samantha quickly won over Derek's parents.

After the meal, Mrs. Stone stacked the dishes before the housekeepers could, secretly pocketing Samantha's and Derek's spoons. Beyond the resemblance and similarities, she doubted Derek would bring a random child home under the guise of friendship. She didn't believe her husband or Derek's charade either.

As Derek's parents saw them off, Derek's father smiled at Samantha. "I hope we'll see you again soon, Sam. You're so much fun. Maybe you can call me Grandpa instead of Mr. Stone?" Samantha looked at Derek for approval. He nodded. She grinned. "Okay, Grandpa!" she said, hugging him.

Mrs. Stone added, "And if you're going to call him Grandpa, you'd better call me Grandma too!" She kissed Samantha's cheek.

Samantha giggled and hugged her. "Okay, Grandma!"

Derek looked at his mother, hesitated, then hugged her. "I'm not fighting with you. You should stop fighting with me."

"If you don't want to fight, then listen to me. And you should bring—"

"I will listen to you when you start listening to me," Derek said, walking away with Samantha.

As Derek drove off, Mr. Stone sighed contentedly. "You know, I feel like a real grandfather now."

His wife, arms crossed, turned to him. "If only that little girl were Derek's," she said, curious.

He raised an eyebrow. "And you wouldn't be upset if Derek had a child out of wedlock?"

She shook her head. "What's done is done. If the child is his, we will have to make sure he marries the mother immediately."

He chuckled. "And what about your beloved Sandra?"

"Sandra's a good girl," Mrs. Stone replied with a shrug. "But she's not the only girl in the world. Derek doesn't have to marry only her, especially if a kid is in the picture."

He laughed. "Well, let's just wait and see what happens."

"Yeah. Let's wait and see," she said, thinking of the DNA test she planned. She intended to find out if the child was Derek's; if so, she would investigate further.