Evelyn gasped when she heard him. "Outside my house—or my office? I must have misheard," she muttered, glancing toward the window. Her mind raced. "I'm not at the office," she replied, her voice trembling slightly. She prayed she was wrong.
"I know," Tim said, his tone urgent. "I'm outside your house, not your office, Derek. I need to talk to you. Please come out, or I'll come to the door. I promised not to barge in, so consider this a courtesy call."
Evelyn's heart pounded. How did he know where she lived? Why was he there? What about Samantha? What if he saw her? Panic surged. She couldn't let him in, or even stay outside. She couldn't risk him seeing Samantha.
"I'll be right out. Give me a moment," she said quickly, ending the call.
She rushed from her room, finding Maya and Samantha in the living room. "Maya, keep Samantha inside until I return. I need to go out."
"Is there a problem?" Maya asked, noticing Evelyn's pale face and urgent tone.
Evelyn shook her head. "No. Just stay inside. I'll be back soon." Maya nodded, concern etched on her face as Evelyn kissed Samantha's forehead before hurrying out.
As Evelyn stepped outside, she gasped at the sight of Derek's car parked at the curb. What if she'd been outside with Samantha? She took a deep breath, calming herself before approaching him.
Derek opened the car door. As Evelyn slid inside, she forced herself to remain calm, determined not to act suspiciously. "Thank you for coming out—"
"How did you find me?" she interrupted irritably.
Derek's gaze met hers, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "Did you really think, after losing you six years ago, that I wouldn't find out where you lived, in case you disappeared again?"
His words hung heavy between them. Evelyn swallowed hard, gripping the edge of her seat.
"You knew where I've been all this time?" she asked, fear coloring her voice. Derek mistook it for surprise.
"Yes," he shrugged. "I wasn't taking any chances." Evelyn's mind raced. Had he followed her? Had he seen Samantha? He hadn't asked about her. She decided to focus on getting him to leave.
"What do you want, Mr. Stone?" she asked.
Derek sighed. "We're back to formalities, I see."
"Yes," she said. "Only friends who understand and trust each other should be informal. So, I ask again: what do you want?"
"To talk," he replied earnestly. "Can we go inside?"
"No," Evelyn said, harsher than intended, but she didn't care. He deserved it—for showing up uninvited and for not believing her.
Derek nodded, understanding her refusal. "Somewhere else, then?"
"There's a park around the block," Evelyn offered.
They drove in silence to the small, shaded park. Evelyn sat on a bench, arms crossed defensively.
"I know you're angry, and I deserve it. I doubted you, said things I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. I'm ashamed that I claimed to trust you when I didn't. I regret it," he said sincerely. Evelyn blinked back tears as memories flooded her mind.
"Your apology doesn't change anything, Mr. Stone. But I appreciate you saving my job. I wouldn't have been at risk if your family hadn't wrongly accused me," she said.
Derek sighed. He knew she was right. Michael's actions had led to her near dismissal.
"I want to make things right, Evelyn. No more misunderstandings. Can you forgive me?" he asked. She sighed, wrestling with her emotions. She had forgiven him, but she was still disappointed.
"Why do you believe me now? The culprit wasn't caught," Evelyn asked curiously.
"I was too upset to think straight. When I calmed down, what you said didn't make sense. You wouldn't release that news after signing an agreement with me," Derek explained. Evelyn nodded. His reaction had hurt, but his logic made sense.
"I'm sorry it got out. I don't know how," she said.
"I do," Derek admitted, watching her carefully. "And I think I know who's behind it."
Evelyn narrowed her eyes. "I thought you only told me. Did you tell anyone else?"
"No," Derek shook his head. "Only you."
"Then how do you know? Who do you suspect?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. She wondered if he suspected Michael, and why.