The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover - Chapter 281

Chapter 281: Finally, Meeting Alexander Knight
“Oh dear… You’re doing more than alright. You’re doing great,” Eleanor whispered. “Everyone is looking because you’re new, not because they dislike you.”

Evelyn nodded slowly, though she didn’t entirely agree.

Because she still heard a faint whisper from Axel’s family members sitting in the back row, as they started gossiping about her.

She straightened her coat and took a slow breath.

But her fragile calm was shattered the moment someone else arrived.

Heavy footsteps stopped near the front row.

A cold aura swept in like a winter breeze.

Evelyn stiffened.

From the corner of her eye, Evelyn saw him, her father-in-law, Alexander Knight. He appears tall, severe, and imposing.

Alexander Knight’s commanding presence naturally caused everyone, including Evelyn, to straighten their spines.

He didn’t glance at Evelyn at all; instead, he warmly greeted Amanda, then sat down beside her.

Evelyn kept her back straight, trying to look calm even as her pulse raced. She could feel his presence like a shadow crawling over her skin.

She didn’t dare turn her head. Her eyes only focus on the Maxime coffin sitting in front, waiting to be buried.

But then—

Evelyn had barely calmed down when she heard Alexander’s voice… meant to be a whisper but painfully clear in the quiet hall, enough to make her heart tighten.

“Why did Evelyn Walters come here? With Axel?” Alexander Knight’s tone was low but sharp enough to slice through Evelyn’s last bit of composure.

Her heart feels like it’s dropped. Just like that, she feels all the air vanish from her lungs.

Only four people in the Knight family knew about her and Axel.

Now Maxime was gone… That left three.

Axel’s grandparents and Amanda.

Definitely not Alexander Knight. Judging by his tone, he either had no idea or tried to ignore her existence as Axel’s wife. And she prayed it stayed that way.

Her hand tightened on her lap, knuckles turned white as she stared straight ahead. She tried to tune them out, to pretend she didn’t hear anything.

But Alexander Knight’s voice was deep, thick, and impossible to ignore.

“Why don’t you seem bothered by her being here, dear?” he murmured again. “Have you forgotten about that bastard? What he does—”

“Stop it!” Amanda snapped, her voice trembling even as she matched his volume. “Please, not today, Alex… Today is Maxime’s funeral.”

But the words still cut like a cold blade in Evelyn’s ears.

Instantly, the memory of the long-buried dispute between her father and Alexander surfaced. It feels sharp and hazy at the same time.

She had never known the exact cause of their deep hatred.

Neither Axel ever spoke of it again, as if the past were something they’d buried alive and refused to dig up.

And because her bond with Axel’s grandparents, especially Amanda, grew so naturally… she had almost forgotten about it.

But Alexander apparently had not.

“Is she really married to Axel? No way! It’s impossible… Axel only plays with her, right? He does that to make me angry, right? Tell me—”

“Alex!” Amanda’s tone hardened. Her eyes sharpened as she looked at Alexander Knight, her voice trembling. “I will be very angry with you if you continue this topic. Drop it.”

Evelyn swallowed. Her spine stiffened. She wished, more than anything, that she hadn’t sat next to Amanda and heard their conversation.

She wished she could just vanish into thin air like mist and get away from the weight pressing on her chest.

Because she didn’t need to see Alexander’s face to feel his displeasure, his cold, observant gaze drilled into the side of her head.

Like he was dissecting her, pulling apart every piece of her existence and judging each one.

Then a soft, fragile warmth wrapped around her fingers.

Eleanor.

Sitting on Evelyn’s other side, Axel’s grandmother gently placed her hand over Evelyn’s and gave it a light squeeze.

Evelyn turned, and the old woman leaned closer, her eyes full of concern.

“My dear,” Eleanor whispered, “breathe. You look as though you’re about to pass out. And I cannot have my granddaughter-in-law fainting in front of those dreadful reporters.”

Evelyn tried to smile, but, of course, it never reached her eyes.

Eleanor, ever the optimist, attempted to lighten the mood further.

“Besides, if you faint, Alex will probably blame me for not taking care of you. And I quite like my peaceful life, thank you.”

It was meant to be humorous, but humor only worked when your lungs actually functioned.

Still, Evelyn appreciated it, even though it did absolutely nothing to steady her heart.

Her gaze drifted anxiously across the hall, searching, desperate for an anchor. And then she found him. Her husband. Axel.

Standing several rows away, conversing with a man. But his eyes were fixed directly on her.

As if he could hear the way her pulse hammered from across the room. As if he could sense every emotion she tried so hard to hide.

The moment his eyes met hers, the pressure in her chest loosened. Just a little. Enough to inhale properly again.

Axel shifted his attention to the man beside him, clearly excusing himself.

But when that man turned, and Evelyn saw his face… Her entire body froze.

Finley Morgan!

Her breath caught mid-air. Her heart squeezed so tightly she felt lightheaded.

‘Finley Morgan? He’s here?’ she whispered in shock.

Of course, he would be. Henry Knight had political, military, and business ties spanning decades. High-profile figures would naturally show up.

But knowing that didn’t make it less terrifying.

Because Finley Morgan wasn’t just a powerful politician.

He was her client.

A presidential candidate she had assisted, indirectly, through her encrypted work as Lexxy, the anonymous data analyst buried behind Oscar’s unbreakable cyber firewall.

No one knew her real identity.

No one could connect Evelyn Walters to Lexxy, the ghost behind the screen who unearthed political skeletons and wiped digital footprints clean.

Still, fear crawled across her skin.

‘Relax. He doesn’t know you. He only knows Lexxy.’ She repeated it silently.

But the panic along her spine refused to disappear completely.

Evelyn forced herself to tear her gaze away from Finley before he drew suspicion. She looked back at Axel, her one point of calm.

He was already walking toward her.

The tension in her shoulders eased automatically.

“Eve, come…” he said softly when he reached her, his voice deep but gentle. He extended his hand to her. “Let’s sit over there.”