The next day, Evelyn found herself with an unexpected lunch break—Derek had left for a conference, needing no assistance from her. This meant a rare moment of freedom during office hours. Deciding to take advantage, she stepped out of Derek's office, her mind already drifting toward a quiet café where she could decompress.

As she closed the door, she heard a familiar voice. Her steps slowed; her heart clenched. Sandra was standing there, talking to Derek's secretary. A mix of surprise and dread tightened Evelyn's stomach.

Although Evelyn had expected Sandra's visit since encountering Michael, and had braced herself for this inevitable meeting, seeing Sandra now, she couldn't control her feelings.

Sandra's voice, warm and lilting, carried to Evelyn. "I was hoping to catch up with Evelyn. Is she in?"

Evelyn's eyes met the secretary's, who glanced her way. Before Evelyn could respond, Sandra followed the secretary's gaze and turned, her face lighting up.

"Ah, there she is! Evie!" she exclaimed, her smile broadening as she hurried over.

As Evelyn watched Sandra approach with that pretentious smile, she longed to push her away, but couldn't. She had to control her emotions. She wanted to turn away, to ignore Sandra as she had Michael, but she couldn't. She needed to see how far this woman would pretend, and gather evidence to expose them eventually.

As Sandra enveloped her in a hug, Evelyn stood rigid, her arms hanging uselessly at her sides. The embrace felt like an unwanted intrusion, a forced act reopening wounds she'd worked hard to close. Her body stiffened; her hands clenched into fists. Buried memories and emotions surged. Thoughts from six years ago—Sandra's mocking voice, Michael's laughter, her own naiveté—stirred intense negative emotions. Although she desperately wanted to slap Sandra and reveal everything, she stood still.

Sandra pulled back, her smile faltering slightly at Evelyn's cold response. "I was just asking about you. I've missed you so much, Evie."

Evelyn forced a tight smile. "Sandra," she acknowledged, her voice clipped. "I've been expecting to see you," she added, ignoring Sandra's previous comment.

"Really?" Sandra asked, her doubt evident. "If so, why didn't you reach out? It's been six years, Evie. Why did you cut me off? If not for Michael, I wouldn't have known you were back and working here." Sandra pretended hurt, knowing Evelyn, while naive, wasn't a fool and would realize Michael had told her about her job at Stone Corp.

"I was trying to settle in first. You look good," Evelyn said, putting distance between them.

Sandra's eyes searched Evelyn's face for any sign of welcome. "Yet you visited Rayna and not me," Sandra said. Evelyn's surprise at Sandra's knowledge elicited a shrug from Sandra.

"Don't look so surprised. I called Rayna, and she said you'd just left," Sandra explained. Evelyn said nothing, wondering if Sandra and Michael were following her. "Can we talk? I was hoping we could catch up over lunch," Sandra said softly, her tone hopeful.

Evelyn's heart pounded; conflicting emotions threatened to overwhelm her. She swallowed hard. "I don't see why not, seeing as you've come all this way," she said, and Sandra nodded.

Sandra linked her arm through Evelyn's, guiding her toward the elevator. "Thank you. I can't wait to catch up!" Sandra said excitedly, while Evelyn remained tense.

As they descended, Sandra chattered endlessly about work. Evelyn stared at the descending numbers, feeling trapped. She longed for the doors to open.

They found a nearby café. Sandra chose a quiet table, and they sat. Evelyn felt the tension in her body, every minute tinged with unease.

11:28 AM

Although Evelyn had been hungry, she had no appetite in Sandra's presence. She ordered iced coffee; Sandra ordered a burger and Coke.

"So, where are you staying? And why aren't you coming home?" Sandra asked after they received their orders.

"Because I have no plans of coming home. I guess you're still close to Michael," Evelyn said, watching Sandra closely. She'd mentioned Michael deliberately, wanting to see how well Sandra could hide her true feelings.

"Yeah. Michael was really heartbroken when you called things off. We just couldn't cut him off, you know? What happened, Evie? You were excited about marrying him. What changed?" Sandra asked. Evelyn snorted, unable to contain herself.

Sandra frowned. "Did he do something?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Let's talk about something else," Evelyn said.

"Okay. So, what's this I hear about you working at Empowered and interviewing Derek Stone?" Sandra asked. Evelyn smiled.

"It's exactly as you heard," she said, suspecting this was the reason for Sandra's visit.

"I'm curious. How did you convince Derek to do the interview?" Sandra asked. Evelyn smirked.

"I don't think that's something I should be telling my rival, don't you think?" Evelyn said. Sandra's heart skipped a beat.