The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover - Chapter 206
Chapter 206: Master?
Suddenly, William Walters’s cold voice echoed from behind.
“You think… You can leave just like that?”
Evelyn took a deep sigh as she turned toward William Walters, who was standing in his place, a malicious smile flashing on his lips.
She couldn’t believe this man still had the nerve to hold her back after what she did to six of his bodyguards.
“Now what? You still have more idiot bodyguards hidden somewhere? Maybe in the pantry—” Her voice trailed off abruptly. Her gaze froze, and her heart stuttered to a halt.
From the hallway, a familiar figure emerged. The sight of him made her breath seem to stop and her mind whirl.
The world seemed to shrink, sound fading into a distant hum.
Her baton nearly slipped from her grasp.
Walking toward her, with his usual calm stride, was him… Nolan Palmer.
Her martial arts master.
Evelyn blinked rapidly, certain her eyes were playing tricks on her.
‘What is he doing here?’ she thought wildly. ‘He never leaves his home in the mountains. He hates crowded cities. Why would he come here? Why now?’
For the first time that day, Evelyn’s fierce, untouchable demeanor crumbled.
Her sharp eyes softened, her spine straightened, and the fearless woman who had taken down six men without breaking a sweat suddenly looked like a nervous student again.
She swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly as she bowed her head.
“M-Master…” Her throat felt tight. “H-how is your health?”
Nolan Palmer stopped a few steps away from her.
At first glance, he appeared frail; a man in his mid-sixties, slim and composed, his short white hair gleaming under the chandelier’s light.
However, the quiet strength in his posture and the sharpness of his gaze told a different story.
His face remained expressionless, as always, but his eyes—warm, tired, and knowing—rested on her with something that looked like pride mixed with sorrow.
“Eve,” he greeted softly, his deep voice steady and calm. “You’ve grown so much stronger and much more skillful in combat than the last time we sparred.”
Evelyn smiled faintly, though her heart felt heavier by the second.
“You taught me well, Master.”
Nolan’s gaze shifted to the unconscious men littering the floor.
He sighed quietly, his brows furrowing. “It seems I taught you too well.”
Evelyn winced slightly, half embarrassed, half defensive.
“They started it,” she muttered. “Besides, I only used twenty percent of what you taught me.”
A faint twitch darted across Nolan’s lips, almost forming a smile but not quite.
“I can see that.”
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Evelyn’s chest ached. She wanted to run up to him and hug him, just as she used to when she was a child, after long training sessions.
But something in his eyes stopped her. Something serious, hesitant, heavy.
Then he spoke, “Eve… don’t resist your father. Can you just follow what he asks for?”
Evelyn froze.
The words hit her like a slap.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. She stared at Nolan, as if trying to confirm she hadn’t misheard.
But his gaze didn’t waver.
“What?” she whispered.
Nolan sighed, the faint sadness in his eyes deepening.
“You know how stubborn your father is. You’ll only get hurt if you keep defying him. I came here to make sure you don’t.”
For a moment, Evelyn feels her words around her freeze. She can feel the blood draining from her face.
So that was it.
Her father, William Walters, had brought him here, too. Her mentor. The only man she’d ever respected like a second father.
‘He used him…!’
Evelyn’s mind burned with fury.
‘That devil actually used my Master to pressure me? How low can this man sink?’
Her fists clenched at her sides. She wanted to scream. To throw something, anything, to William Walters.
But, she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, forcing herself to stay composed.
She turned back to Nolan, her voice trembling but controlled.
“I’m sorry, Master. I can’t.”
Nolan’s brow furrowed. “Eve, please. You don’t understand what—”
Evelyn raised her hand, stopping him. “No. You don’t understand, Master—”
Her voice cracked slightly, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“I’ve respected you since I was five years old, Master. You taught me everything I know… discipline, patience, kindness. You taught me to fight not out of anger, but to protect what’s right. And now?”
She took a deep breath, feeling her chest grow heavy.
“Now you’re asking me to do the opposite. To obey the man who’s done nothing but hurt the people I love.”
Nolan’s face remained calm, but his eyes flickered with guilt.
“What my father did to me, to Stella, and to my mother… is nothing close to what you taught me about honor and family…”
She continued, her voice rising with emotion.
“You once told me that strength without morality is pointless. So why, Master? Why are you asking me to bow to him now? That man beside you has no morals left in him.”
A single tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it.
“Master… You were the last person I thought would ever stand beside him.”
Nolan’s lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out.
Evelyn clenched her trembling hands, trying to steady her voice.
“I… I thought you were different. You were my role model. The only man I ever saw as truly good. But now…” She shook her head, her shoulders trembling. “Now you’re standing with him? With that man?”
Nolan took a step forward, guilt written plainly across his usually unreadable face. “Eve…”
“No,” Evelyn interrupted, her voice soft but firm. “Please, just hear me out.”
Her tears fell freely now.
“You don’t know what he did to me years ago, what he’s asking me to do now. He’s asking me to betray myself… to erase everything I’ve fought for. To let him ruin lives again.”
Nolan’s expression softened.
“Evelyn, I just want to keep you safe. You’ve been through too much—”
“Safe?” Evelyn’s laugh was bitter. “From what, Master? From him? The man who ruined my life and called it for my sake? You want me to be safe under his control again?”