Billionaire’s

Chapter 129

The following day, Derek arrived at Evelyn’s home with a bouquet of bright pink roses in his hand.

He was excited about spending the day with Samantha, and he stood on the front porch for a moment, taking a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

After a few seconds, Maya opened the door with a warm smile and greeted him with a polite nod. “Good morning, sir. Please come in. Samantha is almost ready,” she said, heading toward the hallway. I’ll go get her.”

Derek stepped inside, his eyes sweeping the cozy living room as he settled himself onto the couch. The soft hum of quiet household noises filled the air, and Evelyn joined him just a few moments later.

“Good morning, D. You’re right on time,” she said with a bright smile as Derek rose to kiss her.

“How is my Queen doing? And where is my princess?” He asked, and Evelyn grinned.

“I’m fine. Your princess wanted to make a grand entrance,” Evelyn said, jerking her head down the hallway.

Derek turned as he heard light footsteps running down the hall. Samantha appeared in the doorway, her face glowing with excitement. She was dressed in a lovely pink dress that flowed around her knees. Her hair was tied in a neat bow that matched the color of her dress, and her smile was as wide as could be.

“Daddy! Look at my dress!” Samantha twirled, proudly showing off her outfit.

Derek clutched his chest dramatically and gasped, his expression full of mock pain. “Oh no! Princess, your beauty is too much for my heart! I don’t know if I can survive!”

Both Evelyn and Samantha giggled at Derek’s playful reaction, and even Maya, who had been quietly watching from her corner, smiled to herself. Derek grinned, kneeling down to meet Samantha at eye level. He handed her a small flower from the bouquet and asked, “So, are you ready for our first date, Miss Samantha?”

Samantha beamed, clutching the flower tightly. “Yes! I’m ready!”

Derek stood up and turned to Evelyn, handing her the rest of the flowers. “For you. Don’t worry, I’ll bring her back early.”

Evelyn took the flowers with a small smile and waved a hand dismissively. “Take your time, Derek. Maya and I will be busy at the new house, so there’s no rush.”

Evelyn leaned down and kissed Samantha on the forehead. “Be a good girl, okay?”

Samantha nodded eagerly, and Derek led her to the door. After helping her into the back seat of his car, he got into the driver’s seat and looked at her through the rearview mirror. “Alright, Sam,” he said with a smile. “We’re going to have lots of fun today. And I’m going to get you lots of nice things, just you wait.”

Samantha giggled with excitement as Derek started the car. They spent the morning together, going to a toy store, visiting an ice cream parlor, and playing games at a local park. Laughter filled the air as Derek pushed her on the swings, and they took silly photos together.

After a while, as they sat on a bench with Samantha eating a second scoop of ice cream, Derek turned to her with a more serious expression. “Hey, Sam, there’s something I want to ask you.”

Samantha looked up at him curiously, licking her ice cream. “What is it, Daddy?”

Derek leaned in slightly and asked in a hushed tone, “Can you keep a secret?”

Samantha nodded eagerly, her eyes wide with intrigue. “Yes! I can keep a secret!”

Derek smiled and continued, “Alright, so here’s the deal. I want to take you to meet my parents today. But there’s something important. I want to keep it a surprise that I’m your daddy, okay? So when we get there, you should just call me Rek, like you used to. It’s not because I’m scared or ashamed, but I want to reveal it to them later as a big surprise. Can you do that for me?”

Samantha’s eyes sparkled, and she nodded enthusiastically. “I can do it! I’ll keep the secret!”

“Good girl,” Derek said, kissing her forehead. “You’re the best.”

“What do I call them?” Samantha asked curiously.

“You can call them Mr and Mrs Stone unless they ask you to refer to them otherwise,” Derek said, and with that, Derek drove them to his parents‘ house since his father was expecting them for lunch. When they arrived, he parked the car and helped Samantha out. Holding her hand as they walked up to the front door.

173

Chapter 129

Derek’s father welcomed them at the door, having been watching the security camera to see when they would pass through the gate.

“Hello, angel. You’re Samantha, right?” Derek’s father asked, completely ignoring Derek as he focused on the little girl.

Samantha bobbed her head, “Hello, Mr Stone. You can also call me Sammy or Sam. I’m Rek’s friend.”

Mr. Stone’s face softened as he looked at Samantha. “Well, aren’t you a sweet little thing? Come in, come in!”

“Darling, who is at the door?” Derek’s mom asked, and then she paused when she saw Derek and her eyes widened when she saw Samantha.

“Hello, Mom,” Derek greeted, even though they were yet to make up since their last argument.

Mrs Stone didn’t say anything as her gaze remained fixed on Samantha. The resemblance between her and Derek when he was a little was striking. Who was the kid? Was this Derek’s kid? When did Derek have a child this grown up? Was it possible that Derek would have a child and not tell her?

She seemed a bit taken aback but said nothing as Derek introduced them. “Sam, when we first met, you asked if I had a mommy and daddy. This is my mommy and daddy, and this is our house.”

Samantha greeted them politely, her manners impeccable. “Hello, Mrs Stone. It is nice to meet you!” she said, looking at Derek’s mom with a bright smile, which Derek’s mom returned. Still, she said nothing.

Derek’s child would definitely not refer to her as Mrs. Stone, she thought as she glanced at her husband to see if he was thinking the same thing.

Oblivious to what his wife was thinking, Mr Stone smiled warmly at Samantha and gestured toward the table. “Why don’t you come sit with us, Sammy, and tell us all about yourself?”

Samantha wasn’t shy at all. She walked over and sat down at the dining table, chatting easily with Derek’s father as his mother served her a plate while Derek served himself.

“So, you just started school. Tell me about school,” Derek’s father urged her, and Samantha went on to tell them all about school and her teacher.

As the meal went on, Mrs. Stone noticed something— Samantha had the same food preferences as Derek did growing up. She glanced at her husband but said nothing, though her curiosity was clearly piqued.

With her sweet voice and charming questions, Samantha quickly won over Derek’s parents.

After listening to the little girl for some time, Mrs. Stone leaned forward and looked at Samantha, “So, how did you meet Derek?”

Samantha smiled as she looked up at Derek and then told them about how she had met him. Derek chuckled as he added that they had met again at the playground after losing contact.

After the meal, Mrs Stone stacked the dishes before the housekeepers could, and the moment she walked into the kitchen, she took out Samantha’s and Derek’s spoons and placed them in a storage bag before hiding them away.

Apart from the striking resemblance and similarities between Derek and the kid, she didn’t think Derek would bring any random kid into their home in the name of friendship. And she didn’t buy the act her husband and Derek were putting up either.

As Derek’s parents saw them off a short while later, Derek’s father smiled at Samantha and said, “I hope we’ll see you again soon, Sam. You’re so much fun. And maybe you can call me Grandpa instead of Mr Stone. Can you do that?”

Samantha looked at Derek, waiting for his approval. When he nodded, she grinned and said, “Okay, Grandpa!” before hugging him.

Mrs. Stone, not wanting to be left out, added, “And if you’re going to call him Grandpa, then you’d better call me Grandma–too!”

Samantha giggled and hugged her as well. “Okay, Grandma!” She said and kissed her cheek.

Derek looked at his mother, contemplating giving her a hug, and after a moment’s hesitation, he did, “I’m not fighting with you. You should stop fighting with me.”

“If you don’t want to fight, then you should listen to me. And you should bring Sam around more often. She’s such a wonderful little girl.”

“I will listen to you when you start listening to me,” Derek said before walking away with Samantha.

Watching Derek drive off with Samantha, Mr. Stone sighed contentedly and said, “You know, I feel like a real grandfather now.”

His wife turned to him with her arms crossed. “If only that little girl were Derek’s,” she said with a hint of curiosity,

He raised an eyebrow at her. “And you wouldn’t be upset if Derek had a child outside of wedlock?”

She shook her head. “What’s done is done. If the child is his, we will have to make sure he marries the mother immediately.”

273

11:03 AM

Chapter 129

He chuckled. “And what about your beloved Sandra?”

“Sandra’s a good girl,” Mrs. Stone replied with a shrug. “But she’s not the only girl in the world. Derek doesn’t have to marry only her, especially if a kid is in the picture,” she said as they walked back into the house.

He laughed. “Well, let’s just wait and see what happens.”

“Yeah. Let’s wait and see,” she said, thinking of the DNA test she planned to do.

She intended to find out if the kid was Derek’s, and if she was, then she was going to have to look into it and find out more.