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    As Rayna ended her conversation with Ethan- or "ET" as he had whimsically introduced himself— she found herself smiling at her phone.


    There was something about their exchange that felt both exciting and oddlyforting. She leaned back in her chair, lost in thought for a moment when the door to her office creaked open. "Evie!" Rayna eximed, instantly brightening as her best friend walked in.


    She couldn''t help but notice that there was something different about Evelyn- something Rayna couldn''t quite put her finger on. Evelyn''s smile was radiant, her eyes gleaming with a joy that she had not seen in a while.


    "Ray!" Evelyn eximed in the same tone, mimicking Rayna, and they bothughed.


    "Guess what?" Rayna blurted out, her excitement bubbling over.


    Evelynughed softly, setting her bag down on a nearby chair. "What?"


    "I just got off the phone with the wife ad guy!" Rayna''s voice was a mixture of disbelief and delight. "And get this


    - he seems to like me!"


    Evelyn''s eyes widened, and she let out an amused chuckle. "That''s fantastic, Ray! Congrattions!" She paused, her expression turning slightly sheepish. "I''m sorry I couldn''t look into the guy before I was...you know, let go."


    Rayna waved her hand dismissively, a grin still stered on her face. "Don''t worry about it. From the way he sounded, he seemed like a pretty cool guy. I have a feeling we''re going to get along really well." Evelyn leaned against the edge of Rayna''s desk, crossing her arms. "So, does that mean you''re no longer interested in meeting Ethan to see if he''s your destiny?"


    Rayna giggled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, I''m still interested. It wouldn''t be so bad to go from not having a man to having two men at the same time- and then choose between them. I don''t want to put all my eggs in one basket."


    Evelyn burst outughing, shaking her head. "You''re crazy, you know that?"


    Rayna joined in theughter, "I know that. Don''t you hear Ray when you say crazy?" She asked, and Evelynughed, too.


    "Crayzy. Yeah. I can definitely hear the Ray in it," Evelyn said with a grin.


    Rayna''s gaze soon softened as she looked more closely at Evelyn. There was something about her friend that was different-something that went beyond the usual glow of happiness. "So, what''s up?" Rayna said, tilting her head curiously, "You''re different today."


    Evelyn''s brow furrowed slightly, a smile tugging at her lips. "What do you mean?"


    "You''re glowing, Evie," Rayna said, her voice tinged with awe. "Your eyes are gleaming. Is it because of Derek?"


    Evelynughed, a soft, musical sound that seemed to fill the room with warmth. "It''s because of everything," she admitted, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I''m just really happy now."


    Rayna''s smile widened as she leaned forward, eager to hear more. "Something funny happened this morning," Evelyn continued, her eyes twinkling with amusement.


    But before she could share the story, Rayna cut in.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Wait! How did it gost night with your parents? You never told me."


    Evelyn''s smile softened, a dreamy look crossing her face.


    "Derek was there with me. It was... really good. At first, my father was going to be difficult, but Derek stepped up and handled the situation. He was amazing," Evelyn said and went on to tell Rayna how it had all yed out.


    Rayna leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms with a satisfied nod. "Derek is racking up more and more points with me daily. He''s definitely a keeper."


    Evelyn chuckled, a blush creeping into her cheeks. "He really is. So, as I was going to tell you, you''ll never guess where I just came from."


    Rayna raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Where?"


    "My parents'' house."


    Rayna''s eyes widened in surprise. "What were you doing there? Did you see Sandra?"


    Evelynughed, a hint of mischief in her voice. "Oh, I saw her alright. And I put on quite the show."


    Rayna''s curiosity was piqued, and she leaned forward eagerly. "Tell me everything!"


    Evelyn''s smile turned into a sly grin as she recounted the morning''s events, detailing how she had put her phone on recording as she walked into the house and how it had recorded her conversation with Sandra and yed it back when Sandra tried to put on another performance in front of their parents.


    Rayna listened, her eyes widening with every word, and by the time Evelyn finished, she was pping her hands in delight.


    "That''s my girl!" Rayna eximed, beaming with pride.


    "I''m so proud of you, Evie! You finally stepped up and gave Sandra a taste of her own medicine."


    Evelyn''s smile was radiant as she nodded in agreement.


    "No. I haven''t given her a taste of her own medicine yet.


    This is my medicine. Sandra won''t know what hit her by the time I''m done with her."


    Rayna''s eyes sparkled with approval. "You''re making me feel very proud, Evelyn. You''re finally standing up for yourself."


    Evelyn''s expression softened as she reached out to squeeze Rayna''s hand. "I couldn''t have done it without you, Rayna. I''m so lucky to have a friend like you."


    Rayna waved off thepliment with a grin, though her eyes shone with affection. "It''s nothing, really. I''m sure if the roles were reversed, you would have given me the same advice." Evelyn''s smile grew, "Maybe. Maybe not. Thank you for being a friend I can rely on," Evelyn said, and for a moment, the two friends simply basked in the warmth of their bond. After a while, Rayna raised a brow when she saw Evelyn nce at the time and asked, "Were you heading somewhere?"


    Evelyn nodded, standing up and grabbing her bag. "Yeah, I was going to check out some houses. Derek''s agent sent me some photos, and I need to go see the ces in person." Rayna''s eyes lit up with interest. "Ooh, house hunting! I wish I could go with you, but I''m swamped today."


    Evelyn smiled, shaking her head. "It''s fine. I just wanted to stop by and say hello- and let you know how it went with my parents. And say thank you, and I love you."


    Rayna''s smile softened as she walked Evelyn to the door.


    "I''m really d you did, Evelyn. It''s always good to see you happy like the old times."


    Evelyn turned to her friend, her eyes brimming with gratitude. "Thank you, Ray. For everything."


    Rayna gave her a warm hug, squeezing her tightly before letting go. "Go find your dream house, Evelyn. And when you do, make sure it has a big enough guest room for when Ie to visit." Evelynughed as she waved goodbye, the warmth of their conversation lingering long after she left. As Rayna returned to her desk, she couldn''t help but feel a sense of contentment.


    Life was changing for both of them and for the first time in a long while, the future seemed bright and full of possibilities.


    Rayna''s happy mood was interrupted when her phone suddenly buzzed with a call. She rolled her eyes when she picked it up to see that the call was from Sandra.


    "What does the snake want?" Rayna asked aloud as she received the call.


    "Ray," Sandra called, sobbing.


    Rayna rolled her eyes, "What''s wrong, Sandy? Is everything alright? Why are you crying?"


    "I don''t know what I did to Evelyn. She''s bent on ruining my life," Sandra cried, and Rayna shook her head.


    "What did she do? What''s going on?"


    "She''s trying to turn everyone against me. First, it was my fiancé, Derek. She''s trying to seduce him. Now it''s my parents. She came over to the house this morning and put up a show. She manipted our conversation and made me look like a bad person. I don''t know what to do.


    I''m so hurt and heartbroken," Sandra cried, and Rayna smirked.


    "Sometimes I just can''t believe Evie. How can she do this to you? What can I do to help?" Rayna asked, suspecting that Sandra had a reason for calling.


    "Can we hang out? I need a drink and a friend. Maybeter in the day, we can grab a drink?" Sandra asked, and Rayna nodded.


    "Sure. Let''s do that. Want me to invite Evie over? So, you two can trash your differences?" She offered, even though she knew that wasn''t what Sandra wanted. "No. Please, don''t. I can''t stand her right now," Sandra said with a sniffle.


    "Alright then. I''ll be free by 7 PM. You can let me know when to meet up," Rayna said before hanging up.


    She was very sure that Sandra was up to something, and she couldn''t wait to find out what Sandra nned to do.