"Why did you do that to , Joseph?"
The question landed between them like a heavy stone.
Joseph’s body visibly stiffened. His shoulders, which had already been tense since he entered the office, seed to lock even tighter. His eyes flickered with guilt almost imdiately. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to speak, to explain everything at once, but no words ca out.
Evelyn didn’t rush him.
She simply leaned back against the sofa and waited.
The cream-colored cushions felt soft behind her back, but nothing about the mont felt comfortable.
Her arms rested on the armrest, one hand loosely folded over the other. However, the faint tightening of her fingers betrayed the storm quietly building inside her.
The silence stretched for several long seconds.
Joseph lowered his head slightly. His fingers tightened together, pressing against each other as if he needed to hold onto sothing.
When he finally spoke, his voice sounded unsteady. "I’m sorry, Eve... truly sorry..."
His eyes were red, as if the weight of his sha had been sitting on his chest for a very long ti.
Evelyn stared at him without blinking. "Sorry for what?" she asked calmly.
Her voice was quiet, almost gentle. But her gaze was icy and intense. She acted like she didn’t understand.
Even though she already knew what Joseph had done years ago, she still wanted to hear the confession directly from him. She wanted him to say it clearly, without hiding behind excuses or silence.
Joseph hesitated.
For a mont, he looked as though he were carefully weighing sothing in his mind—whether to tell the truth completely or to remain silent.
Though deep inside, he already suspected that Axel had told her everything.
"Eve," Joseph finally spoke again.
This ti, he no longer addressed her formally as Mrs. Knight. The familiar na slipped out naturally, as it had countless tis before.
"You already know everything from Axel, right?" His eyes searched her face.
Waiting.
But Evelyn didn’t answer. She simply stared back at him with a deadpan expression that revealed nothing.
Joseph swallowed quietly.
"I know what I did to you that ti was wrong," he continued slowly. "But, Eve..."
His voice trembled slightly as his eyes lifted again to et hers.
"You should know that I did that not because I wanted to hurt you... but because I love you."
Evelyn’s hand clenched into a tight fist. The sudden pressure of her nails against her palm hurt slightly, but she welcod the sensation. It helped her stay silent.
She didn’t interrupt him.
She wanted to hear every word.
"I wanted you to finally see as a man, Eve," Joseph continued. "Not just as a work colleague. That’s why I planned to do that to you."
His voice beca quieter. "I hoped... after that night we would be—"
Joseph stopped mid-sentence. He couldn’t continue.
Because the expression on Evelyn’s face had completely changed. Her eyes burned with fury now.
She still hadn’t spoken a single word, but the anger in her gaze was so sharp it felt like a blade pointed directly at him.
Joseph felt his chest tighten painfully. "Please forgive , Eve," he said quietly.
That was all he could say.
Then, as if suddenly rembering sothing, he reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
"And... I need to give you this."
He took out a white envelope and placed it on the coffee table between them. With a slow motion, he pushed it toward her.
Evelyn didn’t pick it up. She simply stared at it for a mont before lifting her eyes back to him.
"What is it?"
Joseph forced a faint smile. "That’s my resignation letter."
For the first ti since the conversation began, Evelyn’s expression shifted slightly.
"You resign?"
"Yes." Joseph nodded slowly. "This is sothing I need to do because I know you must not be comfortable working with ."
His smile remained calm, but inside his chest, sothing twisted painfully.
He didn’t want to leave Walters Group. This company had been his life for years.
But Axel had forced him to make this decision. And Joseph knew Axel was right.
This was the best choice for Evelyn.
And maybe... the only way for him to pay for what he had done.
Finally, Evelyn reached forward and picked up the envelope. She opened it and quickly scanned its contents.
The letter was simple and direct: Joseph Carter officially resigned from his position.
After a brief read, Evelyn folded the paper again and placed it back on the table.
"Seems okay. I accept this."
Joseph blinked. He was clearly taken aback.
He hadn’t expected her to accept it so quickly... and without asking anything else.
For so reason, his chest suddenly felt sore.
Before he could say anything, Evelyn spoke again.
"Because you no longer work here," she said calmly, "I want you to sell your company shares to ."
Joseph froze.
"Don’t worry about the price," Evelyn continued. "I’ll buy it at a premium price. More than anyone would pay."
Joseph stared at her. For a mont, he didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.
The situation felt strangely familiar. A strong sense of déjà vu washed over him.
Because that was exactly what Axel had said to him before.
’Damn! How could they say the sa thing?’ The thought made him feel both amused and slightly bitter.
"It seems Axel didn’t tell you everything," Joseph said with a faint smile.
Evelyn’s eyes widened slightly.
"What do you an?"
"I already sold my shares to him," Joseph replied calmly. "Well... to be honest, he forced to sell them, and there was no way I could refuse it."
Evelyn looked genuinely surprised.
"So now," Joseph continued quietly, "since you’ve accepted my resignation... I no longer have any connection with this company, not even a share."
He slowly stood up.
"And... As I promised Axel, I won’t appear before you again from now on."
Joseph gave her a small, respectful nod.
Then he turned and walked toward the door.
His expression remained calm while he was still inside the office.
But the mont he stepped out and the door closed behind him, the calm mask slowly disappeared.
His face darkened slightly.
’Goodbye, Eve... And forgive .’
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