The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover - Chapter 285

Chapter 285: I Want Evelyn Walters’ Life!
Axel and Evelyn had tried to escape Andrew Knight’s house the moment their sudden family meeting ended.

But the combined persistence of Eleanor and Andrew was a force much more potent than any enemy Axel might have faced outside.

The grandparents insisted, commanded, and emotionally blackmailed them into staying for lunch.

So there they were, surviving the first-ever full-family Knight lunch, minus Henry and his family, until dessert ended.

Plates were cleared, laughter had softened the earlier tension, and even Evelyn’s nerves had settled now that no one was interrogating her like she was an undercover spy infiltrating the Knight family.

By the time they managed to stand up from the dining table, Eleanor’s eyes were already suspiciously glossy; half emotion, half refusal to let them leave. Thankfully, Axel had one secret weapon.

Oliver.

His chubby and smart son, with too much charm and too little awareness of the power he held over his great-grandparents.

“Grandma, Grandpa,” Axel said with a perfectly timed sigh, as if this were a heavy confession, “we really have to head home. Oliver is waiting, and you know how he gets when we’re late. He’s been crawling to the door every five minutes.”

“Yes, Grandma… We already promised him that we would be home before lunch. But we’re stuck here,” Evelyn added.

Eleanor gasped as someone had just reported a national emergency. “Oh no, my baby boy must be worried.”

“Terribly,” Axel added, smoothly.

Andrew instantly straightened, already reaching for the doorway, “Axel, Eve, hurry… You can’t make Oliver wait.”

And just like that, their release was approved.

Outside, Axel and Evelyn were escorted all the way to the car by Eleanor, Amanda, and even Alexander, who walked behind them like a silent bodyguard.

The goodbye stretched so long it could’ve qualified as another meal.

Evelyn smiled, genuinely lighter now. “Thank you, Grandma… Grandpa… for lunch.”

“It won’t be the last,” Eleanor said immediately, her hand wrapped firmly around Evelyn’s arm as if she planned to drag her back inside at any moment. “Next time, you have to bring Oliver here. We’ll make something he likes.”

“And something you like too,” Amanda added warmly, her gaze fixed on Evelyn. “You hardly ate. Was it the food? Should I cook next time?”

“I totally agree with Eleanor… bringing Oliver here sounds like a wonderful idea!” Amanda also added.

Before Evelyn could say something, Axel slid in with another strategic distraction. “Mother, Grandma, why don’t you both come to our house tomorrow? Oliver already misses you.”

Eleanor lit up. Amanda clapped softly, delighted. “We’ll go,” they said in unison, before they laughed together.

Andrew nodded approvingly. “I’ll join. He should spend time with all of us.”

Alexander said nothing. He merely stood there, gaze landing on Evelyn. It wasn’t warm, not yet.

But the icy sharpness from earlier had thawed into something neutral… tolerable. Acceptance? It could be a tiny fraction of it.

At least Alexander no longer looked like she was one wrong step away from being escorted out by security. He gave a curt nod and let them go.

Axel opened the car door for her.

The gate finally closed behind them as their car rolled down the driveway of the Knight residence, leaving behind the grand estate, the lingering tension, and the overwhelming Knight-family energy.

Evelyn let out a long breath. “I survived.”

Axel smirked. “They’re not that scary.”

“You say that because they’re your family. I walked in feeling like I was meeting a royal council that might execute me if I made the wrong facial expression.”

“You did fine,” Axel assured, his tone warm. “You even made Uncle Erick laugh. That’s a miracle. He doesn’t enjoy laughing. He only smirks at things he disapproves of and spends the rest of the time judging people quietly.”

Evelyn laughed, leaning her head back.

“Honestly… it felt good. At the beginning, I thought they hated me. But they accepted me. Even your father wasn’t cold anymore. For a moment, I thought he might even smile at me.”

Axel shook his head slightly, “He doesn’t smile. That was probably just him stretching his jaw.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “Oh, stop it. Well, I could see your father trying to accept me.”

Axel laughed softly as he held her hand.

“Axel, I’m happy. Really. Seeing all of them, your whole family, together like that… it felt like stepping into a real home.”

Axel glanced at her, “Eve, it is your home.”

“Even with Alexander staring at me like he’s measuring the weight of my soul?”

“Well, that’s what he always does. And he does that to everyone.”

Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh, feeling the final bits of tension in her heart melt away. It was such a relief and brought a big smile to her face.

As the car carried them away, she turned to Axel and whispered, “Thank you… for bringing me into your family.”

Axel reached over, resting his hand on her cheek as he said, “Thank you, Eve… for surviving them.”

She says nothing but smiles.

…

At the same time, at the Luxury penthouse. The entire living room looked like the cover of a luxury magazine.

However, suddenly, the crash of a crystal vase echoed through the penthouse, sharp and ringing like shattered ice. Pieces scattered across the marble floor, glittering under the soft golden lights.

Natalie Martinez stood in the middle, her cheeks burning with anger as she looked at the tablet in her hand.

The man sitting across from her flinched at the sound but did not dare speak. He watched his boss with the careful stillness of someone who understood her temper all too well.

“How dare this ugly woman steal Axel from me?” Natalie hissed.

Her voice sliced through the room. She didn’t look at her assistant, only glared at the glowing screen.

“Evelyn Walter. You are not pretty at all. You are not as rich as I am. How could Axel be interested in you? You must trap him, right?”

A vicious curse burst from her mouth. Her grip tightened.

Then she hurled the tablet at the floor.

The pitiful table hit the marble with a loud crack, causing the screen to break instantly before it skidded to a stop near the broken vase.

Her assistant swallowed hard. He had seen her angry, but this was something else entirely.

Natalie slowly lifted her gaze to him. Her eyes were bloodshot, wild with jealousy and humiliation.

For a moment, the only sound in the penthouse was her uneven breathing.

“I want Evelyn Walters’ life,” she said. Her voice dropped to a cold, terrifying calm, the kind that made the man’s stomach knot.

He nodded, not because he agreed, but because refusing her was never an option.