Axel froze for a beat before forcing a nervous smile.
"Yes. Just a little."
Her brow arched.
"And you still drove home?"
That one caught him off guard. He hadn’t expected that to be her concern.
"Eve, relax... I didn’t drive on the public street," he said quickly, "Only within our property area. Also, I’m using some of the off-road ones, too."
Evelyn slightly shook her head, clearly unconvinced.
"You’re unbelievable, Axel. You think the rules don’t apply just because the property’s yours?"
He chuckled softly, his tone teasing. "Exactly. I own the road, no one can arrest me, right?"
Before she could speak, he quickly said, "Well, technically, no one is passing the street, so I’m safe."
Axel laughs nervously, worried his wife will keep sulking.
"Not funny. What if you hit a wild deer or a bear?" she said seriously, though her lips twitched into a faint smile despite her best effort.
Axel held his laugh inwardly, hearing her hilarious words. He leaned closer, lowering his voice, "Then you’ll have to punish me later."
Her cheeks warmed instantly, and she turned toward the hallway, pretending to ignore him.
"You’d better wash up before dinner, Mr. Knight. Or your smart son will ask about it..."
"Yes, ma’am," he said with a grin, watching her walk inside.
As Axel stepped inside, the warmth of the house wrapped around him.
The faint sound of Oliver’s laughter came from the living room, followed by Oscar’s voice.
He didn’t join them. He hurried to the master bedroom to clean up.
But as he headed to the bedroom, his mind flickered back to Ethan’s words and the photos that no longer existed: Maxime and the Martinez family.
The fire might have burned the evidence, but the truth was still alive somewhere in the city.
Axel glanced once more toward the hallway where Evelyn had disappeared, then whispered to himself, ’No one’s touching my family.’
Then, he rushed to the master bedroom.
...
Three days later.
Three days had passed since Oliver’s fourth birthday, and the house had finally returned to its usual rhythm.
Evelyn’s mornings started early again, the scent of freshly brewed coffee filling her office as she scrolled through her work emails.
Between work, she made sure to accompany her son to his lessons.
Oliver was now enrolled in piano and horse-riding classes.
Every day, his schedule seemed fuller than hers.
She often laughed at the irony. Her four-year-old was already busier than most adults.
It wasn’t just about talent; Axel wanted their son to grow into someone capable, disciplined, and ready to inherit the empire one day.
Evelyn sometimes teased that Oliver was being "groomed like a little CEO."
But deep down, she admired her husband’s foresight.
Axel himself had become busier these days. He left after breakfast and only returned home at night for dinner.
Yet, no matter how exhausted he looked, he always spent at least half an hour with their son before bed.
Reading him stories or listening to him play a few hesitant piano notes, or talking about his horse and pony.
Those moments were what Evelyn cherished most.
But today wasn’t like other days.
Evelyn had something else planned.
A lunch meeting with her sister, Stella.
It wasn’t just another meal together. She had a surprise for her, one that had been hard to keep secret all week.

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