The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover - Chapter 197
Chapter 197: The Scandal
Oliver tapped his chin thoughtfully, his expression amusingly reminiscent of his father.
Evelyn found it so funny that she struggled to keep her laughter in.
Then, Oliver’s eyes widen as he looks at her excitedly, “Mommy… I got an idea.”
“Really? What is it?”
“We can make him the most delicious cake ever. And all his favorite food. Then we can surprise him at the cabin. How?”
Evelyn’s smile widened.
“Wow, that sounds perfect, sweetheart. He loves your cooking…”
Oliver nods proudly.
“Then I’ll cook for daddy. But you have to help me, Mommy.”
“Deal,” she said, holding out her pinky finger.
He grinned and hooked his tiny pinky with hers.
“Promise we won’t tell Daddy?”
“Promise,” she said softly.
They sealed their pinky promise, giggling together like co-conspirators.
Evelyn looked at her son and experienced an intense wave of love and gratitude that slowly pushed William Walters from her mind.
Regardless of her father’s schemes or the hidden secrets between the Walters and the Knights, they no longer mattered.
All that mattered now was her perfect life and her little boy, her true peace.
The afternoon sun shone through the window, casting a golden glow across the room.
…
When Oliver finally drifted off to sleep for his afternoon nap, Evelyn tiptoed out of the second floor, relieved to finally have a few moments of peace.
The house was quiet, bathed in the soft glow of the late afternoon sun.
She planned to rest in her bedroom, spend the rest of the day relaxing, maybe watching a light drama before Axel came home.
Kicking off her slippers, she stretched out on the sofa. Her plan was simple: lie back, sip her latte, and forget the chaos of the outside world.
Unfortunately, fate and the internet had other ideas.
She picked up her phone absentmindedly, scrolling through notifications.
But the moment she saw the trending news, her stomach felt twisted in knots. Not because of her news and Axel this time, but because of someone else.
Her thumb paused on an article flashing across multiple news sites. The headline read:
[ Supermodel & Rising Movie Star Irina Hunter Caught in a Secret Affair with Business Heir Maxime Knight! ]
Evelyn blinked, sat up straighter, and clicked on it.
The article was full of scandalous photos; Maxime and Irina walking hand-in-hand along a private beach, sharing a kiss under the sun, sipping champagne in swimwear that left little to the imagination.
“Oh my god…” Evelyn muttered, covering her mouth to hide her playful smile.
The article described how Maxime Knight, heir to the Knight Corporation’s luxury division, had secretly sponsored Irina’s career for years, funding her rise in the modeling world.
Their relationship, it claimed, wasn’t just professional… it was deeply personal.
The problem? Maxime was engaged with someone else. And Irina already had a fiancé.
The media had a feast with it. The scandal had spread like wildfire, dragging both their names through the mud.
“Wah… This could really distract Netizen from me and Axel,” Evelyn giggled happily.
Then she scrolled further down to the comment section, where netizens were already sharpening their claws.
“So THAT’S how she got all those high-end deals. Not talent… just Maxime Knight’s wallet!”
“Imagine cheating on your fiancé with a man who’s cheating on his fiancée. That’s some Olympic-level scandal.”
“Poor Sean. He deserves better than this runway disaster!”
“Maxime, buddy, you just nuked your family name. Congrats!”
“Irina Hunter? More like Irina Hunter-for-Rich-Men.”
Evelyn chuckled as she read all the comments from netizens. The internet can be both ruthless and hilarious when it chooses to be.
She scrolled to another headline that made her eyes widen even more.
[ Pop Singer Sean Arthur Breaks Silence: ‘Irina and I Are Still Engaged!’]
Apparently, Sean… the handsome pop star known for his romantic ballads, had been blindsided by the news. His statement made things even worse for Irina.
“I was as shocked as everyone else. I had no idea about any involvement between my fiancée and Maxime Knight. I believed we were still planning our wedding.”
Below the article, the comments were a storm of sympathy and chaos.
“Protect Sean at all costs!”
“Sean writing a breakup album about this will be the end of me.”
“Hey, can someone check on Sean’s publicist? They must be freaking out.”
“Maxime and Irina just ended both their careers. Bold move.”
Evelyn shook her head in disbelief. She didn’t know whether to laugh or feel bad.
But as she set her phone down, a realization slowly formed in her mind.
She recalled visiting Knight’s mansion a few days ago, where Maxime had been present, flashing his smug grin and clearly believing he owned the world.
And now? It was the world that had taken control of him.
“Wait, Wait…” Evelyn murmured, narrowing her eyes when something crossed her mind. “Is this Axel’s doing? I remember he clearly didn’t like Maxime.”
It wasn’t impossible. She’d seen Axel handle scandals before, and she knew how sharp his instincts were. When it came to controlling the media, he was a strategist.
And, the timing was suspicious.
The scandal about her and Axel had just started to fade, and suddenly, Maxime and Irina’s story exploded everywhere, preoccupying nearly every publicly known news stream.
“Did he really just throw his cousin to the wolves?” Evelyn said to herself, torn between admiration and shock.
It was precisely the kind of maneuver she and Oscar often used: bury bad publicity under an even hotter headline.
Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh.
“That man…” she shook her head while laughing.
After enjoying herself by reading the hilarious comments from netizens, she closed the article. She wanted to call Axel and ask him about it.
But she debated whether to call Axel or text him.
Calling might interrupt him at work, and she didn’t want to sound like she was accusing him.
She began typing instead.
“Axel, finally, netizens forgot us. Now your cousin’s trending.”
She chuckled at her own message and hit send. Then she added another.
“Did you do that?”
Satisfied, she put the phone down and turned on the television, scrolling through channels.
She tried to find a drama, something romantic, maybe even silly, but her mind refused to focus.
But, before she could settle, her phone vibrated again. The name on the screen instantly softened her expression.
“Hubby.”