The past few weeks had been exhausting for Evelyn.
Too many things had happened in such a short ti—gossip spreading across the internet, family mbers calling nonstop, and the endless speculation about Axel and Harper Cooper.
It had been chaotic, frustrating, and at tis even humiliating.
But finally, sothing good had co out of it.
The legal action Axel took had worked exactly as he promised.
The false news about him having an illegitimate son was no longer a hot topic.
Most of the articles had disappeared from the internet, and the remaining ones were buried so deeply that no one cared about them anymore.
Netizens who once shouted loudly online suddenly beca very quiet after Axel’s lawyers issued their warnings.
Peace had finally returned.
Over the past few weeks, Evelyn spent most of her ti quietly at ho. She worked remotely, reviewed company docunts, visited relatives during the weekends, and enjoyed the rare calm with her family.
And now—
February had arrived.
Which ant the day had finally co.
Today was the day she would officially return to the Walters Group and take over the company after five long years.
Strangely, Evelyn did not feel nervous about the job itself.
What made her uneasy was sothing else.
She was about to et Joseph Carter for the first ti since learning the truth about what he had done years ago.
Since the mont Axel revealed everything, Evelyn had imagined eting him countless tis in her mind. In those imagined conversations, she had hundreds of questions prepared for Joseph.
Why did he do it?
Why betray her trust?
Why try to trap her that way?
But now that the day had finally arrived, all those questions seed to fade strangely into the background. Instead of clarity, she only felt a strange mixture of frustration and uneasiness.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice beside her.
"Why does my wife look so distressed?" Axel asked casually. "Are you nervous about going back to work?"
Evelyn blinked slightly and turned her gaze away from the scenery outside the car window.
Only then did she look at him.
Axel was sitting comfortably beside her in the back seat, an iPad resting on his lap. He looked completely relaxed, as if today were just another ordinary day.
His warm hand was holding hers loosely.
That simple touch eased so of the tension in her chest.
"Is it that obvious?" Evelyn asked with a faint, slightly forced smile.
Axel squeezed her hand gently.
"It’s very obvious," he replied calmly before leaning a little closer to her. "So tell ... are you worried about taking over the company, or about eting Joseph?"
Evelyn sighed quietly.
Of course, he knew.
"The latter," she admitted.
For a mont, the car fell silent.
Outside the window, the city moved busily through the morning traffic, while inside the vehicle, the atmosphere remained calm.
After a short pause, Axel spoke again.
"Do you want to accompany you?" he asked casually. "I can stop by and—"
"No."
Evelyn interrupted him imdiately.
Her quick answer made Axel raise an eyebrow.
"I can deal with him," she added.
"Really?" Axel tilted his head slightly so he could see her face more clearly.
When he saw her nod, a small smile appeared on his lips.
"Then why do you still look nervous?"
Evelyn did not answer right away.
Instead, she sighed again and turned her head to look out the window. The passing buildings blurred slightly as the car moved forward.
Deep inside, she already felt grateful.
Axel had originally planned to make sure Joseph never appeared in her life again. In fact, he had even considered forcing Joseph to leave the Walters Group entirely.
But in the end, he allowed her to handle the matter herself.
After a few seconds, Evelyn finally turned back to him.
Her expression was calm, but her words were not.
"I’m just worried I might use violence once I see him," she said seriously.
Axel blinked in surprise to hear her words.
Evelyn continued with a straight face. "I an... I might punch his face," she added. "Or break his knee."
For two seconds, Axel stared at her. Then he burst out laughing.
The sound filled the quiet car.
Even Liam, who drove the car, could not stop the corner of his mouth from twitching slightly as he focused on the road ahead.
Axel leaned back against the seat, still chuckling.
"My wife is terrifying," he said between laughs.
Evelyn rolled her eyes. "I’m serious."
"That’s exactly what makes it funny," Axel replied.
Then he gently squeezed her hand again and looked at her with a softer expression.
"Just rember," he said calmly, "if you genuinely break his knee, you don’t have to worry about legal paperwork—I will take care of it. So, my wife can do whatever she wants..."
Evelyn can’t help but laugh.
"Alright," she said. "Maybe I’ll just slap him instead... so my husband doesn’t have to bother dealing with such a stupid man."
This ti, even Liam quietly coughed in the driver’s seat, clearly trying not to laugh.
The car continued moving steadily toward the Walters Group headquarters. At the sa ti, the tension in Evelyn’s heart slowly eased under Axel’s amused gaze.
When the car finally slowed and stopped in front of the Walters Group building, Evelyn’s calm expression slowly faded.
Her eyes moved toward the entrance.
Several n were already standing there.
All are mbers of the Board of Directors of the Walters Group.
Among them was her uncle, Jason Walters, who stood with his usual serious posture.
But Evelyn’s gaze did not stop on him. Instead, it moved slightly to the side. And landed on Joseph Carter. He stood a few steps behind Jason, dressed neatly in a dark suit, but there was sothing tense about the way he held himself. His shoulders looked stiff, and his eyes briefly looked at her car before quickly shifting away.
The calm she had maintained during the entire ride suddenly cracked. A small wave of tension—and sothing sharp and boiling—rose in her chest.
Axel noticed it imdiately.
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