The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover (Evelyn and Axel) novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176: When the Fans Decide to Ship You!

Evelyn was utterly shocked to see the article.

[Evelyn Walters Caught Walking with a Handsome 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 someone 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 Handsome Mystery Man! Who Is He?]

[CEO’s Wife? Or Secret Boyfriend? Evelyn’s Flirty Smile Says It All!]

Her mouth instantly formed 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 comments section, that was when genuine regret kicked in.

"They look cute together!"

"Please tell me he’s her new man? The chemistry is insane!"

"Can someone 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 me. 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 mess. Delete photos, bury headlines, erase the existence of the so-called "handsome mystery man."

But before she could, her phone started ringing.

The name ’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 home. Just finished meeting 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 immediately. "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 meet 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 time."

A soft chuckle escaped her lips before she continued, "They were abroad when William Walters kicked me 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 me?" she said, pretending to be offended.

"Yes, Mrs. Knight. I said you’re soft."

"Soft? You mean ’emotionally intelligent’."

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep tonight, my love."

She hesitated, then sighed. "Don’t be jealous, Axel. Netizens are just being ridiculous. They’re shipping me with Liam now."

"As in... fanfiction type of shipping," she explained quickly. "You know, when fans start imagining things for their idol—"

"You mean, except for the thousands of comments calling him your ’handsome mystery man’? Yeah, totally harmless," he muttered.

"I’m not jealous," he said too fast.

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