Chapter 48: Congratulations, Mrs. Knight
Axel leaned down and whispered to Oliver, "Buddy... Would you mind waiting with Dylan on the sofa?"
"Not at all, Dad." Oliver nodded without hesitation. But before leaving, he turned to Evelyn with his brightest grin. "Mom... smile."
Evelyn blinked, completely surprised.
’Excuse me? Did my three-year-old just order me to smile like he’s my life coach?’ Her lips twitched upward despite herself, though it resembled more of a grimace than a smile. ’God help me. Even my kid is playing cupid...’
She feels her heart warm. But the moment of warmth faded when Axel’s hand tightened around hers.
Evelyn tried to pull her hand away, but there was no luck. His grip only tightened, as if he knew she might try to run at any moment.
Before she could ask him to let go of her hand, one of the officials cleared his throat and politely said, "Mr. Knight. Mrs. Knight. Shall we begin?"
’Mrs. Knight...’ Evelyn’s entire spine is tense.
Still, she let Axel guide her to the seat beside him, her pulse thundering in her ears.
She tried to appear composed, her eyes fixed on the official across the table, but inside, a hurricane raged.
The man began speaking; procedures, legal jargon, vows wrapped in polite phrases.
Evelyn nodded along, barely processing any of it. Her mind was screaming: ’Breathe, Evelyn. This is fine. Totally fine. People get married every day. It’s just... paperwork with extra trauma attached.’
And then came the pen.
"Mrs. Knight, your signature, please."
Her fingers trembled as she reached for it. The official’s polite smile didn’t help. Axel’s calm presence at her side also didn’t help. Nothing helped.
She scrawled her name anyway, her breath shallow when the new surname stared back at her.
Evelyn Knight.
She silently swallows.
’Knight. Oh, fantastic. That name alone could flatten nations, and now it’s stapled to mine like some cursed brand logo.’
Her hilarious sarcasm in her mind didn’t help ease her chest as usual. It feels even more tightened.
’Goodbye, Evelyn Taylor. You had a decent run. Hello, Evelyn Knight, an accidental member of the Axel Knight family!’
"Congratulations, Mr. Knight. Mrs. Knight," the official announced warmly.
"Thank you," Axel said smoothly, his voice the very definition of composed victory.
Evelyn turned her gaze toward him. And she was surprised to see him smiling. Not a mocking smirk this time, but something softer, almost triumphant. The kind of smile that said, ’You’re mine now... Evelyn!’
"Th-thank you, sir," she stammered quickly, shaking the official’s hand gently.
Inside, her thoughts spun in circles. ’This isn’t love. We’re doing this for Oliver. Just Oliver. It’s not a romance. It’s not real. It’s...’
Her eyes flicked sideways to Axel, who was still watching her, still holding her hand like he had no plans to ever let go.
’My Lord... why does it feel real?’
That question lodged itself in her chest. The truth was unsettling: Axel Knight hadn’t asked for a fake marriage. He hadn’t offered a contract with loopholes or an escape hatch. He wanted this to be genuine. Binding. Absolute.
And that terrified her more than anything because she wasn’t sure what scared her most, being Axel Knight’s wife.
...
Evelyn thought that once they signed the documents, everything would be settled, but she was mistaken.
She took a deep sigh of relief after the two officials left the room, and Axel was nowhere to be seen. She cuddled her son on the couch, enjoying the kisses and hugs he gave her.
"No, mom, stop tickling me..." Oliver giggled while trying to escape from her. But how could she release him? She tightened her hold while lowering her head to kiss his cheek.
Oliver stopped trying to escape; instead, he hugged her and said, "Congrats, Mommy... I love you." He wrapped his arms around her neck. "I hope Daddy will be moving with us soon..."
Evelyn’s face suddenly grew warm.
Before she could speak, Axel interrupted her, already standing in front of them. He extended his hand to Oliver.
"Come, follow me, Eve, Oliver..." he said.
Her brows knitted. "Where are we going?"
But of course, he didn’t answer. By now, Evelyn realized he only answered when he wanted to answer, not when she wanted him to.
For a moment, Evelyn only saw him holding Oliver’s hand. When she thought he would walk away, leaving her behind, he surprised her again. This time, he took her hand without asking.
She wanted to say something like, "Can you stop holding my hand without asking for my permission?" But when she saw Oliver trotting happily beside him, holding Axel’s other hand as if this was the best adventure of his little life, it made her set aside the words.
’What now, Axel? Don’t tell me he’s dragging me to a press conference. Or worse... a public reception. Oh God, if he pulls out a microphone, I’m jumping out of this elevator.’ She wonders.
When the doors opened, he didn’t take them to the elevator. Instead, he led them to Emergency Stairs, and Evelyn froze.
’The rooftop...?’
Evelyn nearly tripped over her step when she saw the rooftop. Now, it was completely different from the rooftop she knew.
Somehow, overnight, or maybe in just a few hours, Axel had turned the rooftop into something out of a dream.
Soft lights strung across the open air. A flower arch stands proudly against the skyline, petals catching the sun, and a little garden arranged with perfect precision, with seats placed neatly to one side.
It wasn’t crowded. No swarms of people, no flashing media cameras. Just Dylan and Liam, waiting quietly, cameras already in hand.
"You’ve got to be kidding me..." Evelyn gasped, pulling Axel’s hand to get his attention.
Axel didn’t answer. Of course, he didn’t.
But Dylan, without even waiting for instructions, lifted his camera and began snapping photos.
Evelyn’s first instinct was to scold Axel for not complying with her request; no wedding ceremony was a surprise.
But then she remembered she was wearing a gown. She had makeup on, and her handsome little son was with them. A camera was pointed directly at them. So instead of protesting, she smiled and posed like a perfectly composed bride.
"Mrs. Knight," Axel finally said something.