Instead of confronting Michael, as Derek had intended, he called Evelyn. He couldn't believe how badly he'd messed up. He'd wronged Evelyn, falsely accusing her and ignoring her repeated denials.

Remembering her hurt and confusion, he knew he needed to apologize and assure her of his belief in her innocence. When she didn't answer, he rushed to her office. He didn't know her address, but he knew where she worked and assumed she'd be there, trying to discover the source of the news.

Reaching the Empowered building, he was directed to Evelyn's office. He knocked, then entered. The sight that greeted him made his heart leap: Evelyn sat at her desk, sobbing uncontrollably, her head bowed, shoulders shaking. Her usual composure was gone; she looked utterly vulnerable and broken.

Derek's eyes widened in shock and regret. He saw the extent of his actions' pain and felt a pang of guilt and remorse for his false accusations and disbelief. He approached slowly, cleared his throat, and announced his presence. Evelyn looked up, her eyes red and puffy. Their gazes met.

He started to speak, but Evelyn interrupted, her eyes blazing with anger and hurt. "What do you want? Are you here to accuse me more? To tell me how untrustworthy I am?" she demanded, rising, embarrassed and angry at being seen in such a state.

"No, Eve, I'm sorry—"

"Get out! Leave my office, now. I don't want to see you," she cut him off.

"Evelyn, I'm sorry for how I handled everything. Please listen—"

"No!" she shouted. "I don't want to hear anything. You've made your feelings clear. I have nothing to say. I can't prove my innocence, so it doesn't matter if you believe I leaked the information. Just leave."

"Eve, I believe you're innocent—"

Evelyn cut him off again, her anger pouring out despite knowing he didn't entirely deserve it. "I don't care what you think! I don't want apologies or excuses. Leave me alone. If you have a problem, send your lawyer. Get out of my office, get out of my life!"

Derek's face fell. He saw the depth of her pain and anger, understood her refusal to listen, and didn't blame her. Taking a deep breath, he left, hoping to give her time to calm down.

Back in his office, he considered the bug. While tempted to confront Michael, he decided against rash action. He needed to understand the situation, starting with Evelyn. He couldn't trust Michael, his cousin, who he felt was being dishonest. Even though Evelyn had dumped Michael on their wedding day, Derek knew there was more to the story than Michael had revealed to the family; he'd seen Evelyn's distress the day before the wedding. He could understand her concealing their relationship, but not Michael's betrayal. Michael had betrayed him twice, not over trivialities, but major issues. Trust was impossible.

Hiding their relationship was one thing; exposing a family secret to the press to hurt Evelyn was another. While there was a slim chance Michael wasn't responsible for the bug, the likelihood was far higher. Michael, whose father was a private investigator, had the knowledge and access to such devices.

As Derek entered his office, his phone rang—Susan, Evelyn's boss. He answered.

"Have you found the culprit?" Derek asked.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stone. The information came from an anonymous source," Susan replied apologetically. Derek knew Michael would have covered his tracks.

"It's okay. Tell Ms. Quinn the arrangement still stands; she can return tomorrow," Derek said, planning to use Susan to get Evelyn back to work.

"That won't be possible, Mr. Stone."

"Why not?"

"We're sending someone else—"

"Didn't I make it clear it's Evelyn Quinn or no one else?" Derek interrupted. Susan sighed.

"You did, but your parents threatened legal action if we didn't fire her. The board decided to let her go," Susan said. Derek's heart skipped a beat. Was this why she'd been crying?

"How can you do that when she's innocent? Shouldn't you protect your employees?" Derek demanded.

"We can't afford a lawsuit," Susan replied.

"Have you terminated her already?" Derek asked, hoping not.

"No. Not yet. I wanted to speak to you first," Susan said. Derek breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't fire her. She's innocent. I'll talk to my parents. Please convince the board," Derek said, ending the call, determined to resolve things with his parents. He wouldn't let her lose her job because of Michael. It was too unfair.