The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover-Chapter 413: What Happened That Night? (2)

Axel’s jaw tightened just a bit when Joseph was mentioned.

Evelyn noticed.

"Hubby, why do you still feel jealous of him?" She asked, her tone deliberately light, with a faint smile. "Relax, Mr. Knight. I only went there for a work-related meeting, not as a couple."

Axel lowered his gaze, staring at their entangled hands as though the answer might be hidden somewhere between their fingers.

"I’m not jealous," he replied calmly. "But I dislike him—"

Evelyn’s lips curved upward despite herself.

"That sounds jealous," she teased gently.

She knew Axel far too well. He had never trusted Joseph since the day he learned how close Joseph had been to her during her time at Walters Group. Axel might deny it endlessly, but her instincts tell her otherwise.

"That sounds accurate," Axel admitted with a quiet sigh.

Despite the underlying tension, amusement flickered briefly between them, softening the air in the room.

Then Evelyn continued, her voice drifting into thoughtfulness.

"That night, I remember the ballroom," she said slowly. "The crowd, the music, the endless speeches that made everyone pretend to be fascinated."

Axel nodded. "That sounds like every gala dinner."

Evelyn smiled faintly before turning to look directly into his eyes.

"You were also there. Did you perhaps leave the ballroom?"

Axel’s brow lifted slightly.

"Wife," he replied playfully, though something heavier lingered beneath his tone, "you are the one who should answer me now."

His thumb brushed absently over her hand.

He continued, "I need to hear what happened to you before I conclude my investigation."

The word investigation was delivered lightly, yet Evelyn could sense the seriousness behind it. Axel Knight rarely asked about the past without purpose.

Despite her confusion, Evelyn took a slow breath and continued recounting what she remembered.

"During the event, I started feeling a heavy sensation in my head," she began. "At first, I thought it was just exhaustion. I tried to ignore it."

Her brows furrowed slightly as fragments resurfaced.

"But a few minutes later, my entire body began to feel... strange."

Axel’s expression shifted. ’Strange!?’ He thought, did not interrupt.

"I decided to leave the ballroom," Evelyn continued quietly. "I went upstairs to my hotel room to find something to ease the headache and whatever that odd sensation was."

Axel frowned.

"I remember some guests having private rooms," he murmured thoughtfully.

"Yes," Evelyn nodded. "I booked one."

Axel’s eyes flickered with curiosity.

"For convenience?"

"For survival," Evelyn replied dryly.

That earned a faint smirk from him.

"I didn’t have time to visit a salon that day," she explained. "So I hired a stylist and makeup artist instead. The room was meant for preparation."

A small smile appeared on her lips as the memory softened.

"I remember feeling rushed, stressed, and overwhelmed."

Axel’s gaze softened briefly. That version of Evelyn — burdened by expectations, trapped under her father’s rigid control — was not one he enjoyed imagining.

"When I got to the elevator," Evelyn kept going, her voice slowing down a bit as she wasn’t sure, "my headache got worse."

She swallowed faintly.

"Even walking became difficult. I remember bumping into someone."

Axel’s eyes sharpened instantly.

"Someone?"

"Yes," she nodded slowly. "I don’t remember who it was, only that the person was a man."

Silence settled heavily between them.

"I remember entering the elevator," Evelyn whispered. "Then entering my room..."

Her voice faltered.

Because the ending did not match.

Because she had not awakened in her own bedroom.

Because she had awakened in Axel’s.

Axel watched her carefully, his expression unreadable.

After a brief pause, he said calmly, "You entered my room."

Evelyn’s pulse skipped.

"So... I suppose the person you met brought you there." He asked. The conclusion sounded logical.

Evelyn’s mind spiraled backward once more, desperately searching for clarity.

But there was nothing. Only fog. Only fragments. Only that haunting absence of memory.

Inwardly, regret tightened her heart. She should never have asked Oscar to delete the CCTV footage.

At the time, fear had governed every decision. Waking beside Axel Knight, a man whose reputation preceded him like a storm cloud, had terrified her. Panic had driven her to eliminate evidence rather than seek understanding.

She had believed Axel would never trace her presence. After all, he only knew it was her because she encountered Dylan that morning.

That chance meeting. That impossible coincidence.

After a prolonged silence, Evelyn slowly shook her head.

"I don’t remember," she admitted softly. "I truly don’t know whether that person brought me to your room... or whether I walked there myself."

Axel leaned back slightly.

His gaze drifted. His mind is clearly spinning.

Evelyn watched him closely.

She could see it.

That distant, calculating look.

The one that meant Axel Knight was reconstructing possibilities.

Before he could speak, Evelyn broke the silence.

"Axel," she asked quietly, "why are you asking about this now?"

Her brows knitted faintly.

"I thought you wanted to explain your relationship with Harper Cooper."

The question struck him like a sudden interruption.

Axel’s eyes snapped back to her. For a brief moment, something flickered across his expression.

Then—

Darkness. Subtle. Controlled. But unmistakable.

Evelyn’s heart tightened. Confusion twisted sharply inside her chest. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

’Is he angry? Why is he angry about that?’ Her thoughts spiraled rapidly, logic struggling against fear. ’Are they really sleeping together? My God... Does he truly have a son with that woman?’

The questions erupted uncontrollably, each one tightening painfully around her heart.

For a fleeting moment, Evelyn’s composure wavered.

Not outwardly. But inside, a storm gathered. The image surfaced uninvited; Axel is standing beside another woman. Axel is holding another child. Oliver had to share his father with other children from a different mother. And that woman’s children share Axel’s world, which belongs to Oliver.

’No!’ She screamed in her mind.

The thought alone sent an unfamiliar ache through her chest.

She could tolerate many things. Uncertainty. Mystery. Even the ghosts of Axel’s past.

But sharing him?

Sharing her family with other women?

That was a boundary her heart refused to negotiate.

Axel noticed the subtle shift immediately. He leaned forward, his voice lowering. "Eve."

She did not respond.

Her gaze had drifted, lost somewhere between imagination and dread.