Derek arrived at the Quinn house, pulling into the driveway with steady resolve. He knew tonight would be a test of his patience and control.

As he approached the front door, it swung open, revealing Sandra, who beamed at him, her face lighting up with enthusiasm. She seemed to have been waiting for him. "Derek! You're here!" she exclaimed, stepping forward as if to hug him. He subtly shifted, pretending to appraise her.

"You look good, Sandra," he said, making her flush with pleasure; she didn't realize he'd avoided her hug.

"You're always so full of compliments. Thank you," she said with a wide smile, ushering him inside. "Come in, come in! My parents are so eager to see you."

Claire and Eric, seated in the living room watching television, looked up as Derek followed Sandra inside. They maintained carefully neutral expressions, concealing their familiarity with him.

"Dad, Mom, this is Derek, CEO of Stone Corp. Derek, my parents," Sandra said with a beaming smile, making the introductions. Claire and Eric greeted him warmly, extending their hands with practiced cordiality.

"Hello, Derek," Claire said, her tone deliberately neutral.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Quinn," Derek replied, giving them a polite nod.

They exchanged pleasantries, keeping the conversation light and cordial while Sandra went to finish her makeup and get her purse. All three, except Sandra (who was unaware of their awareness of her plans), sensed the tension in the room.

After a few minutes, Sandra reappeared, her makeup finished, her excitement apparent. "Alright, ready to go!" she announced, glancing at her parents. "I'll be back late. Or not. Don't wait up," she said, reaching for Derek's arm. He subtly stepped aside, gesturing toward the door.

"We'll be leaving now. I'll bring her back early," Derek promised. Sandra pouted briefly, quickly masking it with a smile to avoid seeming clingy.

"Our reds don't match," she observed as they walked outside. "Mine looks sharper, while yours is deep."

"You told me red. You didn't specify a shade," he pointed out, glad the colors didn't match.

"You're right. I suppose red is red. It doesn't matter," she said, and Derek hoped she'd think so when she saw Evelyn's outfit.

He opened the car door for her, then took his place behind the wheel. As he drove, she made small talk about her week, work, and her excitement for the evening, but he offered only brief responses, his thoughts elsewhere.

He replayed his last conversation with Evelyn before Ethan's call. He was concerned about the tension he'd sensed earlier and wondered if she'd been okay. Had something else happened that she wasn't telling him? Why had she claimed a kitchen delivery but emerged from the guest room? Something felt off; he couldn't shake the feeling she was hiding something. "Derek?" Sandra's voice broke into his thoughts. "Hmm?" he murmured, barely glancing at her.

"You seem distracted," she observed, trying to mask her annoyance. "Thinking about the reunion?"

"Yeah something like that. I don't attend such events, so I'm wondering what I'll say and how I'll fit in," he replied, giving her a half-smile.

"Oh, you don't have to fit in. I'm not exactly friendly with them. Besides, I'm sure when they know who you are, they'll be the ones trying to entertain you," she said with a smirk, proud of securing a man like Derek.

She was certain Evelyn had lost Derek and stood no chance, especially as a single mother. All she had to do was get Evelyn and Michael out of the picture to secure her triumph. In a couple of hours, that would be done.

Thinking this, Sandra pulled out her phone, remembering an important message to send to the hitman: “[Also, when you get Michael, don't forget to use his phone to call Evelyn several times. Send some crazy texts to make it seem like he's obsessed with her. Make it believable.]” Satisfied, she put her phone away. "What are you up to?" Derek asked, catching her movement.

"Oh, I'm just checking the group chat to see if everyone has arrived," she replied breezily, flashing a casual smile.

Arriving at Rayna's bakery, the venue, Derek parked and went around to get Sandra's door. As they stepped inside side-by-side, Derek immediately scanned the room for Evelyn. His gaze landed on her across the room.

She looked stunning in her red jumpsuit, and he felt his chest tighten. The red matched his perfectly; he resisted smiling, maintaining his composure so Sandra wouldn't notice.

Across the room, Evelyn felt Derek's gaze. When she turned and saw him, she pressed her lips together to keep from grinning as he winked.

Sandra's face fell when she saw Evelyn. She glared at Evelyn's deep red jumpsuit, which complemented Derek's and made her own attire seem too sharp and out of place. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought they'd planned it. She glanced from Evelyn to Derek to see if he'd noticed Evelyn looking at him, but to her relief, he was smiling at her. "Let's join the others."

As they approached the long banquet table, Sandra noticed, to her frustration, that the only available seats were next to and across from Evelyn.

They were greeted with polite nods and waves from former classmates. Sandra wasn't exactly friendly with others, unlike Evelyn, who was well-liked.

"Is there a way we can adjust the seats so I can sit next to my boyfriend?" Sandra asked hopefully, wanting to avoid sitting near Evelyn.

"No, Sandy. The seats were arranged to encourage mingling. No one is to sit beside their partner; they'd be too distracted," Rayna said sweetly, and Evelyn resisted giggling. She hadn't noticed Rayna's arrangement until then; it warmed her heart to see Rayna looking out for her.

"That doesn't even make sense. Why do I have to sit separately from my boyfriend?"

"Calm down. Don't make a scene," Derek whispered, and Sandra stopped.

"I'm sure you have all the time in the world to spend with your fine-looking boyfriend. A couple of minutes away from him won't be the end of your relationship," someone said dryly, and the others laughed.

"And maybe you should let your boyfriend sit beside Evelyn, seeing as you both don't get along. I don't want any fighting in my bakery," Rayna said. Sandra scowled while the others murmured with interest.

"I thought I was imagining things. What possibly could have torn you both apart?" someone asked curiously.

Seizing the opportunity, Derek said quickly, "She's right. I'll sit beside Evelyn, and you can sit here. It's only a couple of hours. It's not a big deal," guiding Sandra to the seat opposite Evelyn.

Reluctantly, Sandra sat opposite Evelyn as Derek took the seat beside her. The moment he sat down, Evelyn greeted him with a soft smile.

"Hello, Derek. It's good to see you again," she murmured, meeting his gaze.

Knowing Sandra was watching, Derek spared Evelyn a brief glance. "Same here. You look gorgeous," he said flatly, but Evelyn knew it was a genuine compliment from the look in his eyes.

He feigned disinterest, but under the table, he reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. She felt butterflies and held back a smile, comforted by his touch.

"You both know each other?" someone asked. Evelyn smiled.

"Of course. This is Derek"

Sandra fumed, her irritation barely concealed. "He is Derek Stone, my boyfriend."

Rayna smirked. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say Evelyn and Derek are the couple here, matching and all."

Sandra glared. "Derek is my boyfriend, not Evelyn's," she snapped. "Don't joke about that."

"Relax, Sandra," Rayna laughed. "No one's going to steal your man tonight." Everyone watched with amusement.

Evelyn chuckled, giving Sandra a teasing smile. "No worries, sis. I've got my own man."

Rayna giggled. "Oh, I wish he had come with you tonight, Evie. A total package, that guy is."

Derek struggled to keep a straight face, gesturing for Sandra to calm down. Sandra did her best, glaring at Evelyn.

"No one will be stealing anyone's man tonight. Besides, you can't steal a full-grown man who doesn't want to be stolen. I have no desire to be stolen from the love of my life," Derek assured them. Sandra blushed, thinking he referred to her, while Evelyn and the others uttered a collective "aww."

"You're so sweet. Makes me think of Evie's boyfriend," Rayna said, winking at Evelyn. Evelyn giggled.

"Tell us about this charming boyfriend of yours, Evie," a lady said.

"Yeah, tell us. Ray is making me really curious," another said.

"I don't know where to start," she said with a grin. "He's so charming, romantic, and sweet"

"He's handsome and financially loaded, too," Rayna added enthusiastically, and Sandra huffed.

Determined to disgrace Evelyn, Sandra said, with an exaggerated smile, "By the way, Evie, how is your daughter? Why haven't I met my niece?" "Daughter? Evie, you have a kid?" a guy asked. "Yeah. I was surprised to find out, too. She kept it hidden, probably because she was too embarrassed about being a single mom," Sandra said, and the room grew quiet.

Derek looked at Sandra with disapproval. She gave him an apologetic smile, sensing his displeasure.

A few people turned to Evelyn in surprise. Unruffled, Evelyn laughed softly. "Why would I be embarrassed? I have the most adorable little girl."

Rayna jumped in, "Oh, Samantha's the sweetest, smartest kid! Evie, you should show everyone a picture!"

Evelyn showed photos of Samantha, earning compliments. Sandra clenched her fists in anger.

Rayna continued, "Do you guys know what the sweetest thing is? Her man adores them both so much. He even bought them both cars recently. Evelyn got herself the absolute best."

Frustrated, Sandra sighed and exclaimed, "Poor Michael. I can't imagine how he must feel to know that Evelyn dumped him on their wedding day for someone more successful." Everyone fell silent. Under the table, Evelyn felt Derek's fist clench, but she placed her hand over it to calm him and laughed, calm and unbothered. "Well, anyone in my shoes would do the same after finding their fiancé in bed with their stepsister a day before their wedding. Am I wrong?" Evelyn asked with a sweet smile.