Alexander resud pacing, his mind spinning with possibilities.
The thought of his son secretly marrying the daughter of the man he despised most was like salt in an old wound.
"Unbelievable," Alexander muttered. "He ignored all my calls, avoided coming ho, and now this? He’s made look like a fool in front of everyone."
Maxi stood, smoothing his suit jacket.
"Well, at least now you know. Uncle, I should get going before traffic gets worse."
Alexander barely noticed that Maxi had walked to the doorway. He was already reaching for his phone.
At the door, Max paused and looked back, his tone lightly teasing. "Oh, Uncle, don’t yell too hard at him. Or you’ll see that Evelyn has more control over him than you do. And that he cares more for her than for you or your interest."
"Get out!" Alexander snapped, though a muscle in his jaw twitched in annoyance.
Chuckling, Maxi left the room, clearly satisfied with the chaos he had stirred.
The mont he was alone in the room, Alexander dropped back into his chair and exhaled sharply.
For a few seconds, he said nothing, his glare fixed on the phone in his hand.
Then, with a deep breath, he tapped Axel’s number and pressed "call."
As the phone rang, he muttered to himself, "You’d better have a damn good explanation for this, son."
But after the ring ended, Axel didn’t pick up the call.
Angrily, he slamd it to the floor.
...
The Valley.
The phone finally stopped vibrating, leaving only the soft chatter of Oliver and Evelyn in the distance.
Axel exhaled, sliding the phone back into his pocket as if doing so could silence the weight behind it.
For a mont, he just stood there, watching Evelyn and their son, Oliver, from the backyard terrace.
The little boy was laughing as he chased bubbles that floated lazily in the morning light. At the sa ti, Evelyn stood nearby, her smile warm and unguarded.
Her laughter mingled with Oliver’s... light, lodic, the kind of sound that pulled Axel’s mood back from the edge.
However, when Axel was about to join them, the phone buzzed again.
He paused mid-step, jaw tightening. It wasn’t a call this ti; it was just a text ssage. He didn’t need to check the screen to know who it was from.
His father, Alexander Knight.
Axel briefly considered ignoring it. His father had likely already seen the morning headlines.
He could imagine his father’s expression right now: brows furrowed, lips pressed in disappointnt, muttering about family honor and legacy. He had no intention of letting that ruin his morning.
Nevertheless, his curiosity wins. He unlocked the screen and read the ssage.
"Axel, whatever the dia writes or says out there, you should know, you can’t marry EVELYN WALTERS!"
Axel let out a slow, humorless chuckle.
The irony almost made him laugh.
’Can’t marry her?’
That ship had sailed long ago. He wasn’t just married to her; he had a son with her, a bright, mischievous little boy now running around with a bubble wand.
He leaned against the terrace railing, the sunlight catching the sharp angles of his face.
His father’s words echoed in his mind.
What was it about the Walters that made his father react in this way?
He didn’t know the whole story, only fragnts of it. He rembered his grandfather once telling him that Alexander Knight and William Walters had once been friends.
Whatever tore them apart had left scars deep enough to poison generations.
Axel had never cared enough to dig deeper. He’d followed his father’s wishes for years, steering clear of the Walters Group in business and personal dealings.
But then Evelyn had co along... and everything changed.
He sighed, pocketing the phone again. He wasn’t going to let his father control his life anymore.
Then, just as he was about to walk toward his wife and son, the phone buzzed again.
"This is related to your mother. Co ho!"
Axel froze. His eyes darkened as he stared at the ssage, rereading it over and over.
His mother.
His heart gave an involuntary twist. His mother was the one topic that could shake his composure.
He frowned, thumb hovering over the screen. His instincts told him to ignore the text. Yet sothing crossed his mind. And he typed a quick reply.
"How did you know I married Evelyn?"
The mont he pressed send, unease began to grow inside him.
His marriage to Evelyn was a well-guarded secret. Only a handful of people knew: his grandparents, Collins, Joseph, Jackson, and Evelyn’s closest circle. Even most of the staff were unaware of the details.
He had personally ordered Collins to wipe any trace of their marriage from public records and dia outlets.
Not even the press could connect Evelyn Walters, the poised, intelligent heiress of the Walters Group, with Axel Knight, the enigmatic head of Apex Holding.
So, how had his father found out?
The phone buzzed again. He looked down.
"Co ho. I’ll explain to you why you can’t marry her."
Axel’s jaw tightened. The ssage didn’t answer his question. It only deepened his irritation.
He clenched the phone in his hand until his knuckles turned white. The familiar pulse of anger flared in his chest, but before it could consu him, a sound pulled him back.
Evelyn’s laughter.
He looked up. She was walking toward him, the sunlight catching in her hair.
Her loose white blouse fluttered in the morning breeze, and Oliver trailed behind her, still holding his bubble wand, his face glowing with joy.
"Axel," she called softly. "Are you going to the office now?"
Her voice had a warmth that instantly lted his tension. He exhaled and straightened, his expression softening.
"Hmm," he humd in response, the word heavy but straightforward with affection.
Evelyn raised a brow, smiling. "That’s your answer?"
He smirked slightly and opened his arms. "Co here."
She walked closer, her playful smile fading into sothing more tender.
When she reached him, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. Her familiar scent and the warmth of her body pressed against him grounded him in a way nothing else could.
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