The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover - Chapter 230

Chapter 230: The Call He Didn’t Expect
While Evelyn welcomed their family in the living room, Axel stood alone in his study, the calm glow of late afternoon spilling across the floorboards.

He should have been in the living room greeting Evelyn’s family, but instead, he stood by the tall glass window, his reflection looking back at him, face composed but eyes sharp.

He had intended to ignore Ethan’s earlier message.

It was his birthday. He wanted one quiet evening centered only on his wife and son.

But Ethan never reached out unless something had truly gone wrong, and Axel knew better than to dismiss him.

After taking another deep sigh, he pulled the special phone from his desk drawer, the one with a single contact, and dialed without hesitation.

Ethan answered immediately. “Axel, I’m sorry to text you…”

“Why did you text me?”

There was a brief rustle on the other end of the line, as if Ethan was carefully choosing his following words.

“Something has been circulating in the underworld,” Ethan began. “People are saying you married Evelyn Walters.”

The pressure in Axel’s chest tightened instantly.

His entire body froze. He shut his eyes for a moment, jaw clenched.

He had taken every precaution to keep his marriage hidden for a while.

He wanted Evelyn untouched by the dark world, at least before the year changes.

Yet somehow, the truth had leaked.

“Explain,” Axel said, forcing his voice low and steady.

“They have a picture of you and her,” Ethan continued. “And it is not from the charity gala. It looks private, taken somewhere no cameras should have been.”

Axel’s grip tightened so suddenly the phone creaked under pressure. His mind scanned every place he had brought Evelyn.

Every moment alone with her. Every corner where someone could have taken a photo.

Only one stood out.

The time when she visits his office.

He inhaled slowly, the calm on his face disguising the storm building beneath it.

“When did the rumor begin spreading?” Axel asked.

“This afternoon,” Ethan replied. “And it is already considered reliable information. They are spreading it in underground groups.”

Axel stared outside at the fading sky, the slow shift of colors reflecting the rising anger inside him.

“Ethan,” Axel said, “send me the leaked picture.”

“Sending now. Additionally, there are rumors that the Martinez family intends to use this picture to pressure Apex Holding. They are saying you are slipping. That you have become weak because of Evelyn.”

Axel exhaled through his nose. Not in fear. In quiet fury.

“Axel, do you hear me?” Ethan asked again.

But Axel had already checked his phone screen.

The photo filled the display.

A snapshot taken from a dashboard. Evelyn was smiling softly at him, her head leaning slightly closer to him. He recognized the angle instantly.

Maxime’s car, from his dashboard.

He did not blink. He did not move. His anger was so cold it felt like ice spreading through his veins.

Ethan’s voice returned. “Axel, what is your instruction? Do you want me to track who leaked the picture?”

“No need,” Axel said quietly. “I already know.”

A beat of silence. “Who was it?”

“Maxime Knight!”

The silence deepened for several seconds.

Then Ethan cursed under his breath. “That fool has a death wish.”

A humorless smile tugged at Axel’s lips. “It appears so.”

“Do you want him found?” Ethan asked.

“I want him captured. Bring him directly to me.”

“Understood. Should I alert our men to prepare for confrontation with the Martinez family?”

“Yes,” Axel replied. “Tell them no one moves without my signal. Please make sure they report to you anything related to Evelyn’s name or any document with her information. Everything involving her gets cleared immediately.”

“Noted.”

“And Ethan,” Axel continued, voice low, “no one touches my wife’s picture again. The person who receives it next will pay.”

“I will handle it.”

Axel then added several more instructions regarding shutting down information channels and monitoring the Martinez family.

Ethan responded quickly and efficiently, his tone sharpened by urgency.

“Anything else you wanted to report?” Axel asked.

“There is more,” Ethan added. “News from our casino in Grayenfall. One guest suddenly died. The police are investigating. They are already monitoring staff, finances, and connections. Some people are trying to use this to challenge the Wright Group.”

Axel’s eyes narrowed.

“No need to worry about the police. Collins will help you as usual…”

“I understand.”

“Alright! Let me know once you capture that bastard!”

“Yes, boss—”

After the call finally ended, Axel remained in his place.

He stood before the glass window. His reflection stared back, composed and terrifyingly calm.

His mind replayed Maxime’s smiling face. The cousin who always tried to challenge him. The one who envied him. The one he had warned repeatedly.

‘I told you not to test me, Max. I told you not to touch my family.’

But Maxime had crossed that line. He had not just leaked a private moment; he had also exposed one. He has let the underground world know that Evelyn was Axel Knight’s wife. A likely Achilles heel of the mighty Axel Knight.

That alone was unforgivable.

Axel placed the special phone back into the drawer, closing it softly.

Then he loosened the collar of his shirt and rested his hand on the windowpane, breathing slowly. He tries to push his worries aside.

He needs to appear calm. He can’t meet Evelyn and the rest of his family with his emotions, or his smart wife will know something is bothering him.

Axel relaxed his posture fully, straightened his expression, and took one last look at the moon hanging above the hillside.

A silent promise formed in his mind. Whoever wanted to challenge him, whether it was Maxime, the Martinez family, or anyone else, would soon learn how rustless he was at handling things.

He stepped out of the study, closing the door behind him, his composure calm and steady.

It was his birthday. He would deal with the underworld later.

But Maxime’s punishment would be very, very memorable.