The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek)

After the close of work the following day, Derek and Evelyn headed for Ethan's house. They stopped by a wine shop on their way for a bottle of wine to celebrate his discharge and recovery.

With the bottle in hand, they headed to Ethan's house, and when they arrived, Derek knocked lightly.

Moments later, Rayna swung the door open. "Evie!" Rayna exclaimed, pulling her friend into a warm hug. "It feels like forever since I've seen you properly."

"It really does"" Evelyn replied, her voice tinged with guilt. "We need to catch up."

Rayna stepped aside to let them in. "We definitely do. Come in, both of you."

Inside, the house was cozy and inviting, with soft lighting and the faint aroma of freshly baked bread wafting from the kitchen. Ethan was seated on the couch, his injured arm still in its sling, but his face lit up when he saw them. "Look who decided to show up!" he teased, his grin wide.

Derek raised the bottle. "Bearing your favorite wine. Thought you'd appreciate it."

Ethan chuckled. "You know me too well. Thanks, man," Ethan said and then smiled at Evelyn.

"Hello, Evelyn. It's always good to see you," he said, and Evelyn smiled.

"It's good to see you, too. How are you feeling? I hope my girl is taking good care of you?" She asked, and Ethan glanced at Rayna, his eyes filled with love for her.

"She's the absolute best," he said, and Rayna grinned.

Before Evelyn could sit down, Rayna looped her arm through Evelyn's. "I'm stealing her, she declared, giving Ethan a pointed look. "You boys can talk about whatever it is men talk about. Evelyn and I need some girl time" she said as Derek sat down across from Ethan.

Ethan waved them off. "Go ahead. Derek and I can handle ourselves."

Evelyn laughed softly as Rayna led her toward the kitchen. Once they were out of earshot, Rayna poured two glasses of juice and motioned for Evelyn to sit at the small dining table.

"So," Rayna began, sliding a glass toward Evelyn. "What's been going on with you? You've been so busy lately."

Evelyn sipped her water, buying herself a moment. "I'll tell you everything," she promised, "but only after you tell me how you're doing. It shouldn't always be about me. How's everything with Ethan? And the business?"

Rayna sighed, her gaze softening. "It's been a lot, honestly. Taking care of Ethan while running my business has been... challenging, to say the least. But now that he's out of the hospital, I think things will get a bit easier. Or at least, I hope so."

Evelyn studied her friend's face, noticing the faint lines of worry etched at the corners of her eyes. "Is there something bothering you?" she asked gently.Text © owned by NôvelDrama.Org.

Rayna hesitated, then shrugged. "Not exactly. It's just that moving in with Ethan feels like such a big step. I love him, I really do, but I didn't think it would happen so fast. I guess I'm still adjusting to the idea. I love my house, and I didn't think I'd feel so attached or sad about leaving it."

"Have you talked to him about how you're feeling?" Evelyn asked, leaning forward.

Rayna shook her head. "No. I don't want to sound selfish, especially when he's considering giving up his job to be closer to me."

"He said that?" Evelyn asked, surprised, and Rayna nodded.

"Yeah. His family owns a shipbuilding company. He thinks maybe it's time he joined the family business so he could focus on starting a family. I had been hoping that when he recovered and returned to work, I could go back to my place. I know this probably doesn't make sense, but it's just how I feel," she said with a soft sigh.

Evelyn reached across the table, taking Rayna's hand. "Ray, relationships are all about communication. You have to tell him how you feel just as you re telling me about it. Otherwise, he won't know, and you'll keep carrying this on your own. Trust me, he'd want to know." Rayna sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You re right. I'll talk to him. I just don't want to make it seem like I'm not willing to

put in any effort or make any sacrifices."

"I don't think Ethan will think about it that way," Evelyn reassured her. "You re in this together. I'm sure he will appreciate your openness and honesty."

Rayna nodded, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "Thanks, Evie. I needed to hear that."

"Anytime," Evelyn said warmly.

"Now, your turn. What's been going on with you?" Rayna asked, and Evelyn took a deep breath, her expression growing serious.

"A lot, actually. We found Derek's sister and also found out some... shocking things about his family."

Rayna's brow furrowed in concern. "What kind of things?"

Evelyn explained everything- the connection between Derek and Maya, the revelation about their parents' murder, and the role Sandra's father had played in it all. By the time she finished, Rayna was staring at her wide-eyed. "That's... unbelievable," Rayna whispered. "How's Derek handling all of this?"

"It's been hard on him," Evelyn admitted. "But he's strong. He's coping."

Rayna shook her head, a smile breaking through her astonishment. "And Maya's his sister? That's amazing."

"It is""" Evelyn agreed. "She's been a blessing through all of this."

Rayna's eyes lit up. "I always liked her but thought she'd be uncomfortable if I got close since she was working for you. Maybe we can all hang out one of these days."

Evelyn smiled. "That sounds like a great idea. I think she would like that."

"It's crazy, though, how Sandra's father is involved in this," Rayna said with a shake of her head.

"When I told her about it..."

"You told her about it? When? Did you go to see her?" Rayna asked, and Evelyn nodded and told her about the visit over the weekend.

"I don't feel sorry for her. And I am not going to forgive her either. I didn't make any promise to anyone to forgive her. I hope she rots in there," Rayna hissed, and Evelyn smiled.

"I understand how you feel, Ray. And I'm not asking you to forgive her," Evelyn said softly.

"You'd better not. So, what's the plan? Now that all of this has been settled, when are you two getting married?" Rayna asked curiously.

Evelyn smiled, "When he proposes to me, we will get married."

"Or maybe you can just propose since he's taking too long," Rayna suggested.

"No. I'm not doing that. I'm going to wait, even if it takes him a year. I believed deserve a proper proposal. And I'm not sophisticated enough to want to propose to a man," she said, and Rayna rolled her eyes.

"Obviously," she said dryly, and they both laughed.

Rayna sighed after a while, "Life's strange, though- full of coincidences and twists."

Evelyn nodded. "Life really is. But I'm beginning to think that it's those twists and turns that make it interesting, don't you think?"

Rayna smiled. "I couldn't agree more."

After chatting for a while, they returned to join their men in the living room, and the moment the men heard them approaching, they stopped talking. "Why did you two stop talking?" Rayna asked curiously when she noticed the sudden silence.

"We were giving a moment of silence in respect to the arrival of our beautiful ladies," Derek joked, and both Evelyn and Rayna laughed.

"That was a good one," Ethan said with a chuckle.

They all chatted for a while, and then Derek and Evelyn left since they wanted to get home in time to have dinner with Samantha and the rest of the family. After seeing them off, Ethan and Rayna returned inside. As they

settled on the couch, Rayna decided to talk to Ethan about her worries.

"Ethan?" She called softly as he scrolled through Netflix in search of a movie they could see.

"Yes, sugar," he said, turning to look at her.

"There's something I want to talk to you about" she said hesitantly, and his gaze roamed over her face before he gave her a nod.

"Sure. Go ahead," he urged her softly.

"It's about my apartment," she said, pausing as she tried to find the right words to express herself.

"What about it?" Ethan asked, judging from her expression that it was something serious to her.

She remembered that Evelyn had suggested she talk to Ethan the same way she had confided in her, so she took a deep breath and plunged on.

"I'm attached to my place. I've been living there for such a long time, and now it's just really hard to move out so suddenly.."

"You don't want to stay here? Do you want to move back there?

Don't you like this place?" He asked, trying to understand what she was saying.

Rayna shook her head, "It's not that. Here is lovely and way more spacious and conducive for indoor baking than my place. I'm just having a hard time letting go of the apartment," she said, and Ethan stayed silent for a moment, searching her face.

When he didn't say anything for a

moment, she rushed to assure him, "It has nothing to do with our relationship, and I don't want you to think I'm selfish or I don't appreciate I your thoughtful decision to quit your job so that you can be more

committed to us.

It doesn't change anything. I just wanted you to know how I'm feeling. We don't have to do anything about it. I'm sure I will adjust soon enough," she babbled on. "What do you think we can do about it?" Ethan finally asked, and she shook her head.

"Nothing. You don't have to..."

"I would have offered to move in

with you, but like you just pointed out, my place is more spacious and conducive, and it's logical you move in with me. But what if when my hand feels better, you return to your

place, and we date for a few your

months? Do you think doing that will help you feel better and slowly get accustomed to the idea of moving out?"

"But you want to get married soon..."

"Yes. I want to. But don't forget that was also because of my job.

But now that I'm considering quitting, it means I have more time.

And giving you a couple of months to make up your mind wouldn't be too much of a sacrifice for our future together," he said, and Rayna smiled

"You're sure about that?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Absolutely. And I'm happy you talked to me about it. I hope you will always do that, he said as he kissed her forehead.

"I will she promised softly as she leaned her head against his shoulder. I'm so relieved now. Thank you."