Evelyn was utterly shocked to see the article.
[Evelyn Walters Caught Walking with a Handso Man]
[Who Is the Mystery Gentleman Beside the Elegant Heiress?]
[Secret Romance? Evelyn Walters Seen Smiling Lovingly at Unknown Man Outside Restaurant]
[Internet in Chaos as Evelyn’s ’Boyfriend’ Photo Goes Viral]
"Unbelievable! How did they manage to take a picture of us?"
Evelyn muttered, scrolling through her phone as the car glided through the city streets. Her brows knitted together in disbelief.
"Was soone hiding behind a tree or what?"
She swiped through the endless sea of photos on the gossip sites, each one accompanied by a ridiculous caption.
[Evelyn Walters Spotted With a Handso Mystery Man! Who Is He?]
[CEO’s Wife? Or Secret Boyfriend? Evelyn’s Flirty Smile Says It All!]
Her mouth instantly ford an "O".
"What the heck!? Flirty smile? I was squinting against the sun!"
Evelyn shook her head, speechless.
But when she accidentally scrolled down to the comnts section, that was when genuine regret kicked in.
"They look cute together!"
"Please tell he’s her new man? The chemistry is insane!"
"Can soone be a detective? Find out who that guy is! We need to know who he is!"
Evelyn slapped her forehead, her laugh half-choked.
"Heaven help . Are they... shipping us now? Axel might burn the internet to ashes if he sees this."
She quickly considered calling Oscar to clean up the ss. Delete photos, bury headlines, erase the existence of the so-called "handso mystery man."
But before she could, her phone started ringing.
The na ’Hubby’ flashed on the screen.
"Oh no," she whispered, clutching her phone like it might explode. "Has he read them already?"
Her heart raced.
She hesitated for two seconds, then composed her voice before answering. "Hey, Axel," she greeted, too cheerfully.
"Where are you right now?" His deep voice was calm.
Evelyn swallowed nervously.
"Uh... on my way ho. Just finished eting Stella," she said quickly, forcing a smile he couldn’t even see.
Before he could ask anything else, she continued, "Oh, and guess what? Grandma and Grandpa are also there. I didn’t even know about it. I’m so shocked when I saw them."
"Your grandparents?" His tone softened imdiately. "That’s... good, isn’t it?"
"It is," Evelyn said softly. "I didn’t think I’d see them this soon, but they were so kind. And I told them about Oliver. Now, they want to et him..."
As if he knew her emotion, Axel gently said, "Eve, I hope you’re alright and forgive them..."
Evelyn smiled faintly before she answered him.
"I didn’t hate my grandma and Grandpa. I could understand their reason. They didn’t even know what really happened that ti."
A soft chuckle escaped her lips before she continued, "They were abroad when William Walters kicked out of the family...and when they arrived, I had already vanished. Hiding in Willowcrest."
"Still, I’m proud of you. You didn’t cry, did you?"
"I didn’t," she said defensively, then sighed. "Okay, maybe a little. But only because Grandma cried first."
Axel chuckled. "You’re terrible at hiding emotions."
"Excuse ?" she said, pretending to be offended.
"Yes, Mrs. Knight. I said you’re soft."
"Soft? You an ’emotionally intelligent’."
"Sure, whatever helps you sleep tonight, my love."
Evelyn giggled and finally relaxed, but her calm was quickly replaced when he casually asked, "Eve, by the way, have you seen the news?"
The temperature inside the car feels as if it has fallen below freezing.
Evelyn’s smile faltered.
"...Y-Yes," she admitted slowly.
"And?"
She hesitated, then sighed. "Don’t be jealous, Axel. Netizens are just being ridiculous. They’re shipping with Liam now."
"Shipping?" he repeated, his tone dangerously flat.
"As in... fanfiction type of shipping," she explained quickly. "You know, when fans start imagining things for their idol—"
"Oh, I know," he said dryly. "And now my wife apparently has a fan-assigned boyfriend. Great."
Evelyn nearly chuckled at his jealous tone.
"Co on, it’s not like anyone believes it."
"You an, except for the thousands of comnts calling him your ’handso mystery man’? Yeah, totally harmless," he muttered.
She couldn’t help it; she laughed harder. "Axel, are you actually jealous?"
"I’m not jealous," he said too fast.
"Really?"
"I’m just... disappointed in the public’s taste. How dare they!?"
"You are..." Evelyn teased.
"Liam? Seriously? If they’re going to fantasize, they should at least pick soone in my league," Axel continued, his voice perfectly flat, straight to the point but laced with mock irritation.
Evelyn can’t help but laugh.
"You sound like a man who just lost an online popularity contest."
"I could buy every gossip site on that list," he grumbled.
"You wouldn’t dare."
"Watch ."
Her laughter softened. "Axel, it’s just internet noise. Let them talk. It’ll fade soon."
There was silence for a mont before Axel asked more quietly, "Do you think... we should just announce it?"
Evelyn’s smile faded slightly. "Announce? You an our marriage?"
"Yeah." His voice was serious now. "At least that way, no one would dare link you to anyone else."
She hesitated. "So of our people already know, and so does my family. But... I’m not ready for the whole world to know yet."
"I understand," he said softly. "I don’t want to push you."
She smiled, touched by his tone. "Thank you."
But what she didn’t know was that Axel had his own reasons to wait.
Things were happening beneath the surface: business rivalries, secret deals, the sudden reappearance of Maxi Knight and his alliance with the Martinez family.
Now wasn’t the ti to expose his personal life to the vultures circling his empire.
So he said, "Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of the news. Just... stay off the comnts section, alright?"
"Gladly," she sighed. "My heart can’t take another ’Team Liam’ comnt."
He chuckled. "Good girl. I’ll see you at ho."
When the call ended, Evelyn finally leaned back against the seat, exhaling deeply. That had gone better than she expected.
...
Before long,
The car reached the house and stopped directly in front of the main door.
"Is there a problem?"
Liam finally asked from the driver’s seat, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.
"Boss Axel called earlier. He sounded... sharp. And why call my na a few tis, ma’am?"
Evelyn smiled faintly, "Oh, Liam... you’re in deep trouble."
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