Thinking east, Evelyn quickly activated the recording app on her phone with a swipe of her finger. She placed the phone on her desk before looking at her secretary, who had entered with Sandra.

Evelyn's secretary, looking flustered, stepped forward. "Ms. Evelyn, I'm so sorry. I tried to stop her, but she just barged in—"

Evelyn raised a hand to stop her. "It's fine," she said calmly, her expression composed. "You can go now."

The secretary hesitated. Although relieved, she was still worried. She had only just begun working with Evelyn and didn't want to appear incompetent. She nodded and hurried out, softly closing the door.

Evelyn leaned back in her chair and turned to Sandra, who stood before her with arms crossed tightly across her chest and eyes blazing with fury. Evelyn sensed Sandra's anger was impulsive, not calculated. Sandra was clearly livid, but Evelyn remained calm and collected.

"Sandy," Evelyn greeted with an annoyingly pleasant smile, "what brings you to my office today?"

Sandra's nostrils flared, her fists clenched. "Cut the crap, Evelyn. What are you smiling about? You know exactly why I'm here," Sandra said sharply, her voice laced with bitterness.

"Oh?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance as she adjusted her posture, her smile unwavering. "Do enlighten me," she said, secretly disbelieving Sandra had the nerve to confront her about taking Derek's phone call, given Sandra's own shameless affair with Michael.

Sandra took a step closer, her eyes narrowing. "What the hell was that earlier? Don't you have any shame!" Her voice was sharp, dripping with contempt.

Evelyn arched a brow, then threw her head back and laughed—a deep, genuine laugh that filled the room, catching Sandra off guard. "Shame! Do you really think you should be asking me that?"

Sandra shot Evelyn a disdainful look, clearly irritated by her calm demeanor. "What do you think you're playing at? Why were you with Derek!"

"Did you barge into my office just to ask that? Sandy, surely you have more important things to do than waste your time on questions that don't concern you."

Sandra's face twisted with anger. "You think this is funny? I'm here to tell you to back off. Derek is my man. I don't care what you think you're doing, but you'd better stay away from him! He is mine!"

Evelyn's lips curled into a smirk, her eyes gleaming with amusement as she leaned forward and locked eyes with Sandra. "Oh, Sandra, that's a shame," she said, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. "Unfortunately for you, that won't be happening because I've decided I want Derek for myself." She spoke casually, as if discussing a TV show.

Sandra's eyes widened, her lips parting in shock. "What?" she spat, her voice shaking with disbelief. She had expected a denial, not this admission. "Youyou can't be serious," she stammered, unable to believe Evelyn's confession.

Seeing Sandra's shock, Evelyn smirked and leaned forward, her tone light and playful. "Oh, I'm very serious. You can have Michael—I left him for you, after all. But Derek? He's mine now." The shock on Sandra's face morphed into pure rage. Her fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms. "You bitch! You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. You're about to bite off more than you can chew!"

Evelyn's smile widened, but her eyes hardened. "Oh, sweetheart, you already bit off more than you could chew when you came after me first," Evelyn said, her voice low and sharp.

Sandra's jaw clenched, and she took a step forward, but Evelyn didn't back down. She rose, her confidence radiating as she squared her shoulders and met Sandra's gaze head-on.

"When I returned to the country, I planned to keep to myself and mind my business. All I wanted was to forget the past, do my job, and live a quiet life. But you and Michael—you two just couldn't let me be, could you? You provoked me, you pushed me, Sandra. And now, I won't just sit back and watch anymore," Evelyn continued, her tone laced with icy calmness.

Evelyn's eyes flashed dangerously. "You saw that stunt you pulled at the anniversary party! You brought out the bitch in me, and I've only just begun. You wanted a fight, Sandra? Well, congratulations. You've got one. So sit back and enjoy the show because I'm about to become your worst nightmare."

Sandra's face paled momentarily, but she quickly regained her composure. "Do you really think you can take Derek from me? You're delusional!"

Evelyn felt a cold shiver at the mention of Derek's mother. Refusing to show weakness, she masked her fear behind a confident smirk. "Is that so?" She arched a brow, crossing her arms. "Want to bet on that?"

Sandra narrowed her eyes, taking a deep breath to control her temper. "You're making a huge mistake, Evelyn. And you'll regret it. Trust me."

Evelyn's smirk widened. "Trust you? Why would I ever trust an evil bitch like you? Don't you want Michael anymore? Or did you only want him because I had him? Does he even know you're here, fighting over another man? Or wait—your relationship with him is open, isn't it? Seeing as you were willing to share him with me, it must be. I guess it's his turn to share you with Derek. What a dirty pair you are."

Sandra's face flushed with humiliation and anger, her fists clenching until her knuckles turned white. "You'll pay for this, Evelyn," she hissed through gritted teeth.

Evelyn didn't flinch. "We'll see."

Without another word, Sandra spun on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door.

The moment the door closed, Evelyn released a held breath. She quickly turned off the recording on her phone, her hands shaking slightly.

She sat back down, her heart racing as she stared at the door. The encounter had shaken her more than she cared to admit, but she wouldn't let Sandra know that.

It didn't matter that Sandra hadn't admitted to her relationship with Michael; she hadn't denied it either, and that was enough for Evelyn.

It had begun. The battle lines were drawn, and Evelyn knew there was no turning back.