The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover - Chapter 193

Chapter 193: He Wasn’t Ready!
Oliver squealed, tugging at Axel’s leg.

“Daddy, let’s play bubble…”

Axel lowers himself, effortlessly lifting his son into his arms.

“You’ve got bubbles all over your face, Buddy,” he teased, brushing a bit of foam from Oliver’s cheek.

Oliver laughed again, the sound pure and bright.

Evelyn’s eyes softened as she watched them. For a few seconds, everything felt right. Peaceful.

But his phone buzzed again, breaking the calm.

She glanced at it, curiosity flickering across her face. “You’re popular today,” she joked lightly.

Axel tucked the phone deeper into his pocket. “Nothing important.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, tilting her head. “You look like you’re about to throw it into the lake…”

He laughs, “Tempting idea.”

Evelyn smiled knowingly but didn’t press. She had learned not to push him when he looked that way; calm on the surface but storming underneath.

He watched her for a moment, her eyes sparkling as she took Oliver from his arms.

“Oliver, go play with Cloud and Browny…” she said gently.

“Hmmm.” Oliver agrees immediately. Then he turned to Axel, “Bye, Daddy…” He hugged him before running to the barn.

Axel smiled, looking at his son. He wanted to stay, to let this morning last forever, untouched by the chaos outside their walls. But his father’s text message still echoed in his mind.

“This is related to your mother.”

Something about that line refused to leave him. He didn’t believe it easily, especially when it came from Alexander. Yet, the mention of his mother made him uneasy.

‘Could it be true? Could there really be something linking his mother to Evelyn’s family?’

He shook the thought away.

It sounded absurd. The Walters and the Knights might have history, but Evelyn had nothing to do with whatever happened back then. She was his wife. His family.

Still, the weight of the unknown pressed against him.

Evelyn turned back to him, her smile soft. “Axel, don’t forget to have lunch before your meeting, okay?”

He nodded automatically. “I will.”

She studied him for a moment longer. “You seem distracted. Is everything alright?”

“Everything’s fine,” Axel answered while forced to wear a reassuring smile.

Evelyn didn’t quite believe him, but once again, she decided to let it go. “Alright. Don’t overwork yourself.”

“Hmm… I will listen to my wife,” he said while wrapping his arm around Evelyn’s waist and kissing the top of her head.

…

Axel walked toward the front yard. He slipped his phone out once more, his thumb hovering over his father’s message.

He typed a short reply.

“I’ll come by later.”

Then he stared at the screen for a few seconds before deleting it instead.

No.

Not yet.

Whatever Alexander wanted to say could wait.

For now, he wanted to hold on to this moment, to the laughter of his son and the warmth of his wife’s presence.

Even if the truth was waiting, heavy and inevitable, he wasn’t ready to face it just yet.

The morning air was crisp as Axel stepped out of the house, phone already pressed to his ear.

The moment Collins picked up, a groggy voice answered, “Bo-Boss? You do realize it’s barely sunrise, right?”

“Then wake up,” Axel said flatly as he walked down the front steps. “I need you to check something. My father somehow found out that I’m married to Evelyn.”

There was a long yawn on the other end.

“He what? Wait… give me a second. Are we talking about the same father who still uses his phone only to read financial news?”

“The same one,” Axel replied, his tone sharp. “I want to know how he found out. Check if he received any messages or calls that mentioned Evelyn or me. I want answers fast.”

Collins sighed, clearly still half asleep.

“You know, normal people call their ‘IT’ guys during working hours, not while they’re brushing their teeth. But fine, I’m on it. Just don’t expect me to sound cheerful before coffee.”

“Then drink two cups,” Axel said before ending the call.

Liam was already waiting beside the black Maybach. He opened the rear door with his usual calm.

“Good morning, Boss.”

Axel gave him a slight nod as he slid into the back seat.

“Morning. How’s your new position?”

Liam let out a nervous chuckle and sat behind the wheel.

“You mean my old position. Back to being your driver instead of Madam’s.”

“Don’t blame me. Is it all because of the netizens?” Axel asked with faint amusement.

“Because of the netizens,” Liam sighed. “They made it look like Madam and I were having a secret affair just because I opened her car door a few too many times. I swear, one gossip post, and suddenly I’m the villain.”

Axel smirked slightly. “You do have a suspiciously photogenic face. Maybe that’s the problem.”

“Hahaha. Boss, please tell that to my mother. She thinks I ruined my career. Now I’m banned from even looking at Madam’s direction. The world’s unfair.”

“Stop complaining and drive,” Axel said dryly, though there was a hint of humor in his voice.

They drove in silence for a while, city streets slowly filling with morning traffic.

Axel’s mind, however, was already spinning around his father’s strange message.

‘How did he know?’

Only a few trusted people knew about his marriage, none of whom would dare betray his confidence.

His phone buzzed again.

It was Collins.

Axel answered immediately. “Talk.”

“Alright, so here’s what I’ve got,” Collins said briskly. “I checked all of your father’s devices. There’s no trace… no emails, no text messages, no encrypted communications. Nothing about you or Evelyn. It’s clean.”

Axel frowned.

“That doesn’t make sense. How did he find out about it?”

“I thought so too,” Collins continued. “I double-checked his assistants’ phones, his secretary’s, even the security system logs at his mansion. Still clean.”

“So he’s guessing,” Axel muttered, annoyed. “And I fell right into his trap by replying to him.”

“Maybe,” Collins said, his voice thoughtful. “But there’s one more thing. According to the gate logs from this morning, Maxime visited your father’s house. Around eight…and I guess he was the one who exposed you.”

The air in the car seemed to freeze.

Axel’s jaw tightened.