The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover - Chapter 156
Chapter 156: Honest
Axel’s gaze softened, but there was a shadow behind his eyes, something unreadable, something tense.
He didn’t respond right away.
Instead, he brushed his thumb gently along her jawline, as though trying to soothe her before saying something she wouldn’t want to hear.
“I’ll tell you,” he said at last, his voice low and careful.
Her stomach tightened. “Axel…”
“Eve,” he interrupted quietly, his tone steady but weighted with unspoken emotion. “Last night, I overheard your conversation in your office. I would be lying to you and to myself if I thought what I overheard didn’t bug me.”
The world seems to be spinning around her.
“That’s why I asked if you had a secret I didn’t know about.”
Evelyn’s heart skipped. Her mind flashed back to her slightly open office door and the call with Oscar.
‘Oh my God. He heard me asking Oscar to investigate his cousin. Wait… how much did he actually hear?’
A rush of nervous laughter almost escaped her lips. Instead, she forced herself to stay calm.
She stood before him, took his hands in hers, and smiled faintly, even though her pulse was racing.
That small smile caught him off guard. He crouched down so their eyes were level.
“Eve…” His voice dropped lower, a tremor of uncertainty slipping through. “You’re not angry? Not upset that I overheard your conversation?”
A soft chuckle escaped her lips. She shook her head slowly, a serene confidence radiating from her.
Axel frowned. He didn’t buy it. His grip on her hand tightened, his tone deepening. “Seriously?”
“Why should I be upset?” she teased lightly. “If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I wasn’t exactly honest with you either.”
Relief flickered across his face, a quiet exhale breaking through the tension that had been building in the air.
“Axel,” she continued, meeting his gaze without flinching, “I lied to you, too. I asked my friend to investigate your cousin.”
His eyes widened slightly, the faintest trace of surprise cutting through his composure.
Before he could speak, she continued.
“Last night…I can feel your emotions, Axel. You were angry with him, even if you tried to hide it from me. I saw your jaw tighten. You looked like you wanted to punch him right there.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. Lowering his gaze, he watched their hands intertwined on her lap. “So you noticed that…”
“Of course,” she said, smiling softly. “You think I wouldn’t notice? You’re not as entirely unreadable as many people think, Axel. For them, maybe, not to me. One look at you, and I knew your mood was gone after meeting him.”
He lifted his head again, amusement dancing behind his dark eyes.
“I couldn’t just stay still,” she continued, “I wanted to know why he bothers you so much. Maybe I could help.”
It was only half true.
In reality, she hadn’t done it to help him… she’d done it because she needed to know what kind of enemy her husband was hiding.
Evelyn knew a man like Axel Knight didn’t survive in his world without his own network of eyes and hackers. But still, she couldn’t bring herself to wait for him to tell her.
Axel smiled, the corners of his lips curving into something warm and teasing. “Oh, my wife… you’re too kind.”
He lifted his hand and rested it on her cheek, his thumb tracing her skin in slow, deliberate circles. His touch carried heat, the kind that made her heart flutter.
“But you don’t have to worry about your husband,” he murmured. “I’ll be fine. That Maxime is nothing for me to fear. He’s just ruining my mood with his eyesore.”
Evelyn blinked and then laughed. “Eyesore? Really?”
He shrugged, though the glint in his eyes betrayed him. “What? I’m only being honest.”
“You sound jealous…” She smiles.
“Jealous?” He pretended to be surprised. “Of him? He didn’t even have the chance to make me jealous.”
“Hmm.” Evelyn tilted her head playfully. “You sure? Because that glare you gave him last night looked pretty territorial.”
He laughed under his breath and leaned closer, his nose brushing hers.
“Maybe I am a little possessive. But can you blame me?”
Her lips curved, heat blooming in her chest. “You really have no shame, do you?” he playfully teased him.
“Not when it comes to you.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper, and for a moment, the air between them thickened.
Then,
Axel’s thumb grazed her lower lip, and she instinctively parted her lips just slightly.
She could feel her heartbeat against his palm when he finally leaned in and kissed her.
Not wild like the night before, but steady, grounding. A kiss that said ‘you’re mine, Evelyn!’ without needing the words.
When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers.
“You know,” he murmured, his tone soft but teasing, “if you wanted to know more about Maxime, you could’ve just asked me.”
“I doubt you’d tell me the truth,” she countered.
He chuckled.
She smiled faintly, brushing her fingers through his hair, still damp from his earlier shower.
“You hide a lot behind that calm face, Axel. Sometimes, I can’t tell where the truth ends and your secrets begin.”
He smiled faintly but said nothing. His silence stretched just long enough for her to sense the shift in his energy.
Evelyn’s smile faded as she caught that his expression had changed; his eyes were darker now, his jaw tightening slightly.
“Axel?” she asked quietly. “Did I say something wrong?”
He smiled. But his smile clearly didn’t reach his eyes.
Her chest tightened. Something was off. Again.
‘Gosh! Why does his mood swing like a roller coaster? Is he on his period? Wait… But he’s a man.’ Evelyn shook her head, trying to dismiss her hilarious thoughts.
“Axel,” she said again, her tone firmer this time. “Something’s bothering you. What is it?”
“Eve,” Axel said quietly, “who’s your friend who’s been investigating Maxime? Did your friend manage to find anything about him?”
For the briefest second, Evelyn’s calm expression faltered.