Chapter 97: Good Night?
"Oh, he would," Oscar said grimly.
Evelyn opened her mouth, tried to say something, but Oscar kept talking instead.
"Well, that secret’s been under lock and key for years. Lana’s been his shadow mistress, quietly pulling strings. And guess what?"
A smile appeared on his lips, only increasing the tension in Evelyn’s heart.
"Heaven! Can you stop? Please stop trying to raise my blood pressure, Oscar. Spit it now..."
"Chill..." He chuckled. "Well, that woman, Lana, is the reason your father threw you out of the family. She wanted you gone, Eve. You were the rightful heir, the only obstacle in her way. Removing you was her plan, and William foolishly went along with it..."
Her chest tightened until breathing felt painful.
Oscar didn’t stop.
"And one more thing. Remember your second uncle? The old CFO who ’retired suddenly’? He didn’t retire. Lana forced him out, pushed him into early silence so that she could slide right into his seat at the boardroom table."
He paused to take a deep sigh before wrapping up his report, "My friend... every oddity, every gut feeling you had... It’s all connected."
Evelyn sat frozen, her entire body trembling.
The puzzle pieces she’d been trying to jam together suddenly aligned into a picture so painful she wished she could unsee it; Alicia’s decision to put Stella in the company, Lana’s hatred toward Stella, and her father’s distance all made sense now.
Her voice was barely a whisper. "So it’s all true. All of it. William Walters’ stupidity and Lana’s greed... that’s the reason I lost everything!?"
Oscar’s face softened, his usual teasing stripped away.
"Eve, I know this is brutal. But now you know the truth. No more shadows. No more guessing." He hesitated, then asked gently, "My friend... what do you want me to do now?"
The question hung heavy in the air.
Evelyn opened her mouth, ready to respond, but before she could, a knock sounded at the door.
Axel’s deep voice carried through the woods, firm yet gentle. "Eve?"
She gestured quickly for Oscar to disconnect the video call before shouting toward the door, "Yes?"
"May I come in?"
Evelyn’s pulse raced. She snapped her laptop shut, pressing her palm against the lid as if she could lock away her secrets inside it.
Then she rushed to the door, pulling it open before Axel could grow suspicious.
"Are you done?" he asked immediately, eyes narrowing like he already doubted her.
She forced a small smile.
"Hmm, I’m done. Sorry. That took longer than I thought. I had to settle a few things."
A lie. A bold one, given that the man standing before her had a talent for tearing apart lies with just a glance.
She still hadn’t asked Oscar to dig into the backgrounds of the reporters who recognized her.
Still, she couldn’t risk Axel finding out she was calling her hacker friend in the middle of the night.
Especially not when Axel already bristled at the mere mention of Oscar. Thanks to her ridiculous mistake of saving Oscar’s number in her phone with a heart emoji, only to cause her husband to be jealous.
Axel’s brow slightly raised.
"Are you sure you’re done? I can stay with you while you finish your work. I don’t mind."
Evelyn’s stomach stirred.
Bad idea. Very, very bad idea. Work with Oscar while Axel lounged a few feet away? Oscar would probably tease her about Axel in that smug tone of his, and Axel’s patience would detonate. No, thank you.
She shook her head quickly.
"I’m really done. There are still a few things left, but nothing urgent. I’ll handle them tomorrow."
For a moment, he studied her in silence, and she swore he could see straight through her.
Then, finally, his lips curved into a smile. The kind of smile that made her knees weak and her heartbeat race in her chest.
"Alright. Let’s sleep then." He turned and walked toward their bedroom, leaving her to trail after him like a reluctant shadow.
She followed in silence.
The thought of sharing a bed with him again made her blood heat and her stomach flutter with nerves. She was excited. Thrilled. Terrified.
Her mind screamed a hundred warnings while her heart whispered a hundred reckless desires.
But all of those feelings came crashing into disappointment when Axel stretched out on the bed, pulled the blanket over himself, and murmured, "Good night, Eve."
Just like that.
He only says good night? That was it? No teasing? No shameless smirks or stolen touches? Not even one of his infamous lines asking for a kiss?
He was... sleeping.
Sleeping!
Evelyn blinked at him in disbelief.
"Good night..."
She stared at him in the dark, her frustration mounting until her jaw ached from clenching it.
’What the hell, Axel Knight? You didn’t even try to tease me with your usual shamelessness?’
She silently took a deep breath and turned to the ceiling. She kept ranting about her frustration.
’Oh, God, look at him...sleeping like a saint when I know he’s anything but! Couldn’t you at least kiss me goodnight? A simple forehead kiss? Or, why not drag me into your arms and hold me until I stop overthinking everything? No? Nothing?’
Evelyn buried her face in her pillow.
Her chest heaved, her mind replaying every stupid little detail: the warmth of his embrace earlier, the way he’d looked at her like she was his entire world, the soft timbre of his voice when he said "Eve."
And now, she had to lie here. In the same bed. Only inches away from the man who has teased her body and soul. Pretending she wasn’t awake all night, fighting the urge to throw herself into his arms and confess everything.
She peeked at him through her lashes, squinting in the faint glow from the window.
He looked peaceful. One arm tucked under the pillow, his chest rising and falling in that steady rhythm, his jaw relaxed in sleep.
Then she feels her mind freeze as she realizes something.
’Eve! You’re really in trouble now. You’ve fallen for him...’