The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover-Chapter 269: A Quiet Night After The Storm
Evelyn blinked in surprise.
The exhaustion in his eyes had faded. The heaviness she expected to see was gone.
Instead, his gaze looked calm, almost content. Relief bloomed inside her chest like a small flower. At least he looked lighter now than before.
"No need to cook. I do not want to tire my pregnant wife," Axel said. His hand gently cupped her jaw, sliding upward before his thumb brushed her lips in a teasing stroke. His eyes were soft when they met hers again.
"Mr. Knight, can you stop thinking your wife is weak?" Evelyn narrowed her eyes at him. "I am only cooking dinner, not lifting weights."
"Eve." His voice dropped to a soft tone as he leaned in for a kiss. Evelyn leaned back slightly, and Axel chuckled under his breath. "Do you know how cute you are when you pout like that?"
Her lips broke into a reluctant laugh.
"No cooking tonight." His teasing slowly faded as his face returned to something more serious. "I will ask someone to prepare dinner. You only need to come and eat with me. How does that sound?"
She nodded. "Sounds like a good plan, sir."
"But I need to shower," he added, tapping her nose in a playful gesture. "Meeting so many people today makes me feel dirty."
She laughed softly. "Yes, you definitely need a shower. Let’s go, then."
They walked downstairs hand in hand.
Axel’s grip was warm and steady, as if he were quietly telling her he did not want to let go. Not now, not after the day he had been through.
As they descended the stairs, Evelyn voiced the question that had been heavy in her thoughts. "Axel, how did Maxime suddenly die? Does he really have a heart problem?"
Axel shrugged. He looked far too casual for the topic, almost relaxed.
"I do not know. Maybe it was the right time for him to meet our ancestors."
Evelyn stopped walking and stared at him, disbelief and bafflement mingling. She slightly opened her mouth, but then quickly sealed it tight again. There were too many questions in her head.
Eventually, she simply shook her head. He was grieving. He was strange. She would let this one pass.
"Alright, go wash up. Do not keep me waiting too long, or I might fall asleep."
Axel laughed and dashed into the bathroom.
... 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
When they finally sat at the dining table, Evelyn was surprised to see the warm food already arranged neatly on the table.
It was a surprisingly comforting spread for a cold evening.
There was chicken soup, a plate of ginger-garlic stir-fried vegetables, steamed salmon with lemon, and a small bowl of warm sweet potato porridge made especially for pregnant women.
Evelyn hadn’t felt hungry earlier, but as soon as she smelled the food, her appetite came back strong. She picked up her spoon and started eating almost immediately.
Axel joined her, eating quietly at first.
When she brought up her earlier question again, he no longer avoided it.
He answered everything patiently, as if the shower had washed away the last bits of heaviness.
But then Evelyn brought up the comments she had seen online. Comments from netizens who speculated that Maxime had died because of drugs, and not a heart attack.
Axel’s hand froze midway to his mouth. His gaze shifted to her, steady and calm, but sharper than before.
"They are not wrong about that."
Evelyn’s spoon slipped, clattering softly against the bowl as she stared at him.
"For real?"
Axel placed his fork down.
"You know Maxime’s father is a respected military general, right?" He asked.
"Yes," she replied quietly.
Everyone in the country knew that Andrew Knight had three sons. Axel’s father was now the CEO of Knight Group. Henry Knight was a military general with a firm reputation. Erick Knight was the youngest; despite his age, he was a bright and popular politician, elected to parliament twice by the people, and is serving his second term.
"My uncle decided not to do an autopsy," Axel explained. "But it was obvious he died because of drugs. To prevent suspicion and avoid embarrassing the family, they made an official announcement saying it was a heart attack."
Silence hung between them for a moment.
Evelyn was shocked. There were no words to describe her feelings. All she could do was feel a surge of sympathy for Maxime’s parents. Losing a child in such a way was a wound that would never heal.
Axel saw the look on her face and gently rubbed her back.
"No need to feel bad. This is the best for Maxime. He did many things that eventually led him to his death."
Evelyn allowed out a soft sigh. She said nothing. She remembered the reports Oscar had shown her. Maxime was a walking red flag. Everything about him screamed trouble. At least now, things had come to a quiet end.
"Alright," Axel said, brushing aside the heavy mood. "Let us stop talking about him."
"Agreed," Evelyn nodded, reaching for her dessert, a delicious slice of cheesecake.
However, before she could take a bite, Axel spoke again.
"You need to come to the funeral. It is the day after tomorrow."
Her fork froze in the air. Again. She was stunned. She turned to him with widened eyes.
"You will come as my wife," Axel continued.
Evelyn gasped, utterly shocked.
"Axel... you..."
She blinked rapidly, shocked to her core. If she went to Maxime’s funeral, everyone would see her: the entire Knight family, their relatives, their high-society guests, reporters, and half the country.
"Did... did you plan to reveal our marriage in public?" She asked worriedly.
"Yes." Axel’s answer came without any hesitation. "There is no reason to hide it anymore. I want everyone to see who my wife is."
Evelyn stared at him as her heart flipped and twisted. Shock. Panic. Curiosity. A tiny bit of excitement. All of it blended into a confusing whirl in her mind.
Axel leaned back slightly, his eyes glinting with confidence. There was one more thing he did not voice aloud, although his thoughts shouted it clearly.
The underground world already knew Evelyn Walters was his wife.
He can’t hide it from them.
So there was no point keeping her anonymous to the public.
In fact, revealing her would make things easier.
