Following Sandra's arrest, Evelyn assumed Sandra's position and office at the company. Consequently, she became busier than ever.

For the past couple of days, Derek had made a habit of ensuring she had breakfast before dropping her off at work, and he also arranged for lunch to be delivered to her office so she wouldn't skip meals.

As lunchtime approached, Evelyn glanced at the clock. She had instructed the chef not to bring her lunch; she had other plans.

Seeing it was noon, Evelyn grabbed her purse, straightened her blouse, and left the office with a smile, imagining Derek's surprise when she showed up for lunch.

The cab ride to Derek's office was quick, though it felt long; she couldn't wait to see him. She hadn't visited him at work in a while. Her last visit had been the day she revealed everything to him, and since then, she'd been too busy.

As she exited the cab, a tremor of nervousness ran through her. She wasn't sure why she felt so anxious. Perhaps it was seeing Derek in his professional element, surrounded by people who respected him. Or maybe it was the lingering weight of their shared past and how their reconciliation had begun at this very company.

Walking into the building, she smiled, remembering Derek's attempts to seduce her—it felt like ages ago.

In the lobby of his office, the secretary greeted her warmly. "Evelyn! It's been ages since you last visited," she said, genuinely excited. "I was starting to think you'd given up on that interview idea because of all the trouble."

Evelyn laughed. "No, not at all. That's actually why I'm here. I wanted to confirm the interview for next Friday."

The secretary's smile widened. "Oh, don't worry about that. Mr. Stone gave me strict instructions—he said to cancel anything he has scheduled on any day you choose. So, if you say next Friday, then next Friday it is."

Evelyn raised a playful eyebrow. "Did he really?"

"Absolutely," the secretary said, nodding firmly.

"Well, thank you. Is he in his office?" Evelyn asked softly.

The secretary checked her monitor. "He's in a meeting at the conference hall, but you're welcome to wait."

Evelyn nodded. "I will wait. Thank you."

The receptionist waved as Evelyn settled into a plush chair. She watched employees pass by, chatting quietly.

About thirty minutes later, Derek approached. His tall frame commanded attention, but the surprise on his face softened his expression.

"Babe? How long have you been here?" he asked, concern and curiosity in his voice.

"Not too long," she replied, smiling. "I didn't mind waiting."

Derek frowned. "You should have called. And why are you out here?" He turned to his secretary, who was standing behind her desk. "From now on, if Evelyn comes to see me, no matter where I am, you let me know immediately. And she doesn't wait here—she waits in my office. Understood?"

The secretary tried to suppress a smile. "Of course, sir. Congratulations, by the way."

"Congratulations?" Evelyn asked, confused, exchanging a look with Derek.

The secretary grinned. "Oh, come on. It's about time you two made it official. The tension between you was killing me!"

Evelyn giggled while Derek raised a surprised eyebrow. Seeing Evelyn didn't mind, he let it go.

"Come with me, babe," he said, gesturing for her to follow him into his office.

Inside, Evelyn laughed softly. "You didn't have to be so dramatic."

"Dramatic? You're my wife"

"Girlfriend," she corrected.

"You're not just my girlfriend. You're the mother of my kids, and you're going to be my wife. You shouldn't be waiting in the lobby like a stranger," Derek said, his voice firm but warm.

"Then what was I supposed to say? It's not like our relationship is known to everyone. I could hardly say, 'I'm Mr. Stone's baby mama, so let me into his office'," she said, and Derek nodded.

"I get that. Still, you could have called. You know I would have ended that meeting immediately, and you wouldn't have had to wait," he said. Evelyn tilted her head, studying him.

"You're something else, you know that?"

He smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment. So, what brings you here today?"

"Apart from discussing the interview with your secretary as you asked," she said, and he chuckled.

"You didn't have to come to do that. You could have called her," he pointed out.

"Well, apart from that, I was hoping we could grab lunch together," she said, sitting on his desk.

Derek leaned against the door, crossing his arms. "You mean the chef didn't deliver your lunch as I asked?"

"Nope. I asked him not to because I wanted to eat with you."

"Then let's go," he said immediately.

"What about your meeting? How did it go?" she asked.

He waved a hand dismissively. "I don't want to talk about work. I want to talk about you. How are you doing?"

She smiled softly. "I'm fine. Oh, and I decided the interview will be next Friday."

"Your wish is my command, ma'am," he said with a slight bow.

Leaving his office, Derek put his arm around her waist. Evelyn raised an eyebrow at the attention they were drawing. "What are you doing?"

"Subtly announcing that you're mine," he said with a shrug.

"There's nothing subtle about this," she laughed.

"This is as subtle as I can be without embarrassing you. If you complain, I'll tap your ass or kiss you right here and carry you out in my arms," he teased.

She laughed harder. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me."

Her laughter softened as he looked at her, his gaze warm. "Have I told you that I love the sound of your laughter?" he said, brushing her hair from her face.

"Derek"

"And your eyes," he continued. "That green shade is beautiful. I hope our boy has your beautiful eyes."

Evelyn's cheeks turned pink. "Stop it," she giggled.

"What am I supposed to stop?"

"You're making me feel self-conscious."

"Why? You should know how amazing you are," he said, and she rolled her eyes.

"We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl. Besides, you said you didn't care," she reminded him.

"Yes, I don't. But I had a dream that we had a boy. So, I think it's a boy," he said, and she laughed as they stepped outside.

"When do you think we should tell Sam about the baby?" Evelyn asked as they approached the car.

Derek grinned. "After our appointment with the obstetrician this weekend, I guess," he said, opening the car door for her.

"She's going to be so excited," Evelyn said, giggling.

"I can only imagine," he said, smiling.

As they drove, Derek's phone rang. His expression darkened when he saw the caller ID. He put the call on speaker. "Mr. Stone, this is Detective Greene. Sandra wants to meet with Evelyn."

"No," Derek said sharply.

Evelyn placed a hand on his arm. "I want to see her."

Derek glanced at her, his jaw tightening. "I don't want it. I don't like it."

"We can go together," she said gently. "I just want to close that chapter."

After a long pause, he sighed. "Fine. But you're not going within ten feet of her."

"That's fine by me," Evelyn said. After agreeing on a date, Derek ended the call.

Moments later, Evelyn's phone buzzed. She answered quickly. Her expression changed as she listened.

"We've traced the woman who dropped the boy off at the orphanage," the voice said. "But she's dead. However, we found out she has a daughter, and we are working on finding her."

Evelyn exhaled in relief. "Thank you. Please keep me updated."

Hanging up, she turned to Derek. "They're close to finding her," she said, giving him the details.

He sighed softly. "Although I don't know what I'm going to say or do when I see her, I hope they find her soon."

"Me too," Evelyn said, squeezing his hand. All the chaos faded for a moment, leaving only the warmth between them.