The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover - Chapter 172

Chapter 172: The Emotions She Couldn’t Name!
Axel froze for a beat before forcing a nervous smile.

“Yes. Just a little.”

Her brow arched.

“And you still drove home?”

That one caught him off guard. He hadn’t expected that to be her concern.

“Eve, relax… I didn’t drive on the public street,” he said quickly, “Only within our property area. Also, I’m using some of the off-road ones, too.”

Evelyn slightly shook her head, clearly unconvinced.

“You’re unbelievable, Axel. You think the rules don’t apply just because the property’s yours?”

He chuckled softly, his tone teasing. “Exactly. I own the road, no one can arrest me, right?”

Before she could speak, he quickly said, “Well, technically, no one is passing the street, so I’m safe.”

Axel laughs nervously, worried his wife will keep sulking.

“Not funny. What if you hit a wild deer or a bear?” she said seriously, though her lips twitched into a faint smile despite her best effort.

Axel held his laugh inwardly, hearing her hilarious words. He leaned closer, lowering his voice, “Then you’ll have to punish me later.”

Her cheeks warmed instantly, and she turned toward the hallway, pretending to ignore him.

“You’d better wash up before dinner, Mr. Knight. Or your smart son will ask about it…”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a grin, watching her walk inside.

As Axel stepped inside, the warmth of the house wrapped around him.

The faint sound of Oliver’s laughter came from the living room, followed by Oscar’s voice.

He didn’t join them. He hurried to the master bedroom to clean up.

But as he headed to the bedroom, his mind flickered back to Ethan’s words and the photos that no longer existed: Maxime and the Martinez family.

The fire might have burned the evidence, but the truth was still alive somewhere in the city.

Axel glanced once more toward the hallway where Evelyn had disappeared, then whispered to himself, ‘No one’s touching my family.’

Then, he rushed to the master bedroom.

…

Three days later.

Three days had passed since Oliver’s fourth birthday, and the house had finally returned to its usual rhythm.

Evelyn’s mornings started early again, the scent of freshly brewed coffee filling her office as she scrolled through her work emails.

Between work, she made sure to accompany her son to his lessons.

Oliver was now enrolled in piano and horse-riding classes.

Every day, his schedule seemed fuller than hers.

She often laughed at the irony. Her four-year-old was already busier than most adults.

It wasn’t just about talent; Axel wanted their son to grow into someone capable, disciplined, and ready to inherit the empire one day.

Evelyn sometimes teased that Oliver was being “groomed like a little CEO.”

But deep down, she admired her husband’s foresight.

Axel himself had become busier these days. He left after breakfast and only returned home at night for dinner.

Yet, no matter how exhausted he looked, he always spent at least half an hour with their son before bed.

Reading him stories or listening to him play a few hesitant piano notes, or talking about his horse and pony.

Those moments were what Evelyn cherished most.

But today wasn’t like other days.

Evelyn had something else planned.

A lunch meeting with her sister, Stella.

It wasn’t just another meal together. She had a surprise for her, one that had been hard to keep secret all week.

Evelyn wanted to tell Stella in person, so she arranged to meet her at their favorite private Japanese restaurant downtown.

It was the same place where they met the last time for quiet talks, away from curious eyes and meddling reporters.

Liam, her ever-reliable driver and bodyguard, was waiting by the car when she stepped outside.

“Lady Boss,” Liam greeted politely, opening the car door for her.

“Thanks, Liam,” she said, settling in. “By the way, please don’t close the restaurant today. It would be troublesome for the manager, and I don’t want my husband to waste money on that.”

Liam, expressionless as usual, gave a slight nod. “Understood, Ma’am. I won’t…”

Evelyn smiled, satisfied. “Good.”

He didn’t say anything more.

Of course, he couldn’t tell her that the restaurant was already closed to the public.

But it wasn’t Liam who did that. When Axel found out about her lunch plan, he made a quiet call to the restaurant’s manager that morning.

No paparazzi, no guests, no interruptions.

Only Evelyn and whoever she wanted to meet.

Liam respected orders. And some truths were better left unspoken.

The drive was peaceful, the city flashing by in muted colors.

When they arrived, the restaurant’s wide glass doors reflected the quiet elegance of the place.

Evelyn stepped out and glanced around. It looked unusually empty.

She tilted her head slightly.

“Strange. Did you just open?” she asked the staff.

“Yes, Madam,” the staff member responded with a bow at the entrance.

Evelyn kept walking through the empty hall toward the VIP room area.

The manager led her toward the room where Stella was supposedly waiting.

But when the sliding door opened, Evelyn froze mid-step.

Inside, Stella was there, smiling nervously. But beside her sat two familiar figures she hadn’t expected to see again so soon.

Her grandparents.

Samuel Walters and Lucy Walters.

Her throat tightened instantly.

For a moment, her feet refused to move.

The sight of her grandmother’s soft, aging face and her grandfather’s dignified posture sent a rush of emotions she couldn’t name.

She had often imagined meeting them again, but never in this way.

“Sister, come in…” Stella said softly, rising from her seat.

She took Evelyn’s hand gently and pulled her inside, closing the door behind them before Evelyn could even think to escape.

Lucy Walters stood up immediately.

“Oh, my dear, Eve…” Her voice trembled, breaking the fragile silence of the room.

Before Evelyn could react, her grandmother wrapped her arms around her tightly.

“I’m so sorry, my sweet girl,” she whispered, her tears soaking Evelyn’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry for what happened. You’ve been through too much.”

Evelyn froze at first, then slowly hugged her back.

Her chest ached.

She hadn’t felt this warmth in years.

“Gr-Grandma,” she whispered.

Lucy pulled back just enough to look at Evelyn, her wrinkled hand brushing her granddaughter’s cheek.

“Eve, you’ve grown more beautiful than ever. Just like your mother…”

The mention of her late mother made Evelyn’s eyes feel blurry.