The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover-Chapter 441: The Truth Is Really Shocking

"Axel, you haven’t told me who that man is," Evelyn asked, her curiosity returning now that her heartbeat had finally calmed. "And how are you handling the gossip news out there?"

For a brief second, Axel’s expression soured.

It was subtle. Quick.

But she saw it.

His jaw tightened almost invisibly before he regained his usual calm composure.

"Eve," he said slowly, "before I tell you who that man is, I need to ask you something."

Her eyes flickered at once. Again? Why did he always answer her questions with questions?

A faint unease curled in her chest. "Why am I suddenly worried about your question?" she asked honestly, her tone half-teasing, half anxious.

Axel smiled gently. He reached up and brushed his thumb along her cheek in a soft, reassuring touch.

"Don’t worry, my wife," he murmured. "I’m not about to confess another shocking secret."

"That’s not comforting."

He chuckled softly.

"This is only to make sure you understand what really happened that night," he continued carefully. "The night we first met."

He paused, watching her reaction.

Evelyn’s brows pulled together slightly as she started to recall that night: The New Year’s banquet. The hotel. The first time, she spent the wild night with him.

"Hmm," she said slowly. "Go on."

When he saw that she looked more composed, Axel finally asked, "Do you think you were drugged that night?"

The question struck her like a splash of ice-cold water. "What?"

For a moment, she simply stared at him.

Drugged?

She had never considered it. She only remembered that everything felt strange. Her body had been warm, her mind heavy. She had assumed it was the alcohol.

"I didn’t think about it," she admitted. "But you know my alcohol tolerance is very low. Half a glass makes me dizzy. A full glass could make me pass out."

Axel nodded.

"I know. You told me before."

He smiled faintly, gently playing with a strand of her soft hair. The movement was slow, almost absentminded.

But then—

His gaze changed.

The warmth faded.

Something colder replaced it.

"That night," he said quietly, "someone drugged you."

The air in the room seemed to shift.

Evelyn’s heart skipped. She felt a chill run down her spine.

He continued, "That’s why your mind felt fuzzy. That’s why you couldn’t think clearly. It wasn’t just alcohol."

Her hands instinctively grabbed his arms.

"Why?" Evelyn demanded, shock clear in her voice. "Who would dare drug me on an occasion like that?"

Axel’s jaw tightened again. His earlier calm expression was gone, replaced by something darker.

"It was not random," he said quietly.

Her fingers curled gently around his arm. "Axel, who is that person?"

He drew in a slow breath, as if steadying himself.

"The man Harper claims is the father of that child, the man who also put a drug in your drink that night," he began carefully, "is Joseph Carter."

Evelyn blinked. For a second, she truly thought she had misheard him.

"Jo-Joseph Carter?" she repeated softly. "You mean the Joseph Carter I know? The current CEO of Walters Group?"

"Yes," Axel answered. "Him."

The name lingered heavily in the air. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Joseph Carter.

The man she trusted.

The man who had guided her through complicated matters at Walters Group. The one who had always spoken politely, offered advice calmly, and acted protective whenever business pressure grew too heavy.

Her mind raced, but her logic refused to cooperate.

’How could Joseph? Of all people. He had been kind. Steady. Supportive...’

As much as she tried to believe Axel, something inside her resisted.

Before she could question further, Axel continued.

"That night," he said coldly, "Joseph planned to drug you and lure you into the bedroom he had already prepared. He expected you to sleep with him."

Evelyn’s breathing turned shallow.

"But the universe disrupted his plan," Axel added. "Harper, who was supposed to be in my room, ended up in Joseph’s. And you walked into mine."

Her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

"H-How could he..." she whispered, her voice trembling. Her hand clenched tightly without her realizing it. "It’s impossible. He has been kind and honest with me all this time. Why would he do that? Are you sure about it?"

Axel’s gaze softened slightly when he saw the hurt in her expression.

"He admitted it."

The words struck harder than anything else.

Evelyn’s hand flew to her mouth to stop herself from gasping too loudly. The truth felt sharp, cutting through her chest in a way she had not expected.

Joseph admitted it.

The man she believed she could rely on.

The one she trusted to help her carry responsibility at Walters Group.

Was all of that just an illusion?

Her eyes grew glossy, not from weakness but from the sting of betrayal.

"I trusted him," she said quietly. "I thought... I thought he respected me."

Axel said nothing.

"He gave me advice. He encouraged me. He acted like he wanted to see me succeed." Her voice tightened. "Was that all fake?"

Axel reached for her hand gently. "Not everything was fake. But his feelings were twisted."

Evelyn let out a shaky breath. Anger slowly mixed with her sadness.

"He tried to trap me," she said, her voice hardening. "He tried to ruin me."

"Yes."

"And if that plan succeeded..." She could not even finish the sentence.

Axel’s jaw clenched. "It didn’t."

Silence filled the room for a moment as she tried to steady herself.

After a while, when her breathing finally slowed, she asked again, her tone steadier but colder.

"So he admitted he tried to trap me into sleeping with him?"

"Hm," Axel nodded. "That was his plan. But he failed, of course."

He paused before continuing.

"I also realized that Harper Cooper had her own hidden agenda. She tried to drug my drink as well. She intended to carry my child."

Evelyn froze. Then she asked, "What do you mean?"

Axel gave her a small, almost embarrassed look.

"Well, I told you before. I never planned to have a serious relationship with any woman I slept with."