The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover-Chapter 449: Relief

Inside the office, Evelyn remained seated. Her eyes were still fixed on the door long after Joseph had left.

The room had suddenly become very quiet.

Slowly, the tension left her shoulders. A deep breath escaped her lips.

For a long moment, she didn’t move. Memories quietly drifted through her mind.

Joseph had once been more than just a colleague. He had been her mentor. Her closest partner at work.

Someone she trusted.

Someone she laughed with during late-night meetings, someone who had taught her how to read complicated reports.

Someone who had once patiently explained the strange politics inside the company.

Someone who helped her take her revenge on William Walters and Lana Scott.

And now... he was gone.

A strange sadness settled in her chest.

She had lost many things over the years.

But losing a friend like that still hurts.

"Idiot... you are so stupid, Jo!" she muttered softly under her breath.

Then she sighed.

But along with the sadness, there was something else.

Relief.

A quiet but undeniable sense of relief.

Now that Joseph had resigned, she no longer felt burdened by the decision to take over Walters Group.

Before this, the thought of replacing him as the company’s acting leader and working in the same building had always felt complicated.

But now...

There was no conflict. No complicated feelings tied to the position.

Joseph was no longer the acting CEO. He was no longer the COO. And he no longer held shares in the company.

Everything was clean and clear.

Evelyn slowly stood up from the sofa. She walked toward the large window behind the CEO’s desk.

From the top floor, the city stretched endlessly before her. Tall buildings stood proudly under the bright morning sun. Cars moved like small streams along the streets far below.

The view was powerful, just as the company she now controlled.

A slow smile appeared on her lips.

Five years.

For the past five years, her life had been very different.

She had spent her days being a mother. A wife.

Her world had revolved around family, children, and home.

And she loved it.

But today...

Something inside her had awakened again. The professional side of Evelyn. The woman who once dominated in the company and made decisions for her team without hesitation.

Her eyes sparkled slightly.

"Alright," she murmured softly.

Her shoulders straightened.

Her posture changed completely.

Confidence returned to her movements.

"Let’s start working, Eve!"

Today was her first day as the CEO of Walters Group. And she intended to bring the company to even greater success.

The thought filled her with excitement.

Evelyn walked around the desk and sat down in the CEO’s chair for the first time.

It felt... perfect.

She leaned back slightly and smiled.

"Five years away from the office," she muttered to herself. "But I’m back now..."

Then she picked up the phone on the desk, ready to call her new assistant.

...

Evelyn didn’t realize how quickly the day had passed until the soft light outside her office window began to change.

The bright afternoon sun had slowly turned warmer, painting the tall buildings across the city with shades of gold.

Evelyn was still sitting behind her large desk, surrounded by documents, reports, and her tablet.

Her first day back at Walters Group had been far from relaxing.

Meetings, briefings, and endless updates had filled every hour since morning. Several department heads had come to greet her, others came to report current projects, and the finance department had practically buried her in charts and numbers.

Strangely enough, she enjoyed every detail they threw at her.

A faint smile appeared on her face as she closed another file.

It felt good to be back.

But despite her enthusiasm for work, Evelyn knew she could not stay any longer.

She glanced at the clock on the wall.

3:56 PM.

Evelyn sighed softly.

"I guess that’s it for today," she murmured to herself.

No matter how much work still waited on her desk, she was still a mother and a wife. And more importantly, she had made a promise to someone at home.

Oliver had demanded—very seriously—that she return home before the sky turned dark.

And Evelyn knew very well that breaking a promise to her son was far more terrifying than facing an angry client.

So she packed her things, organized the remaining documents neatly, and stood up from her chair.

"I’ll deal with you tomorrow," she said to the pile of files as if they could hear her.

Then she left the office.

A few minutes later, Evelyn walked out of the Walters Group building.

She expected to see the familiar black car and Ryan, her driver, waiting near the entrance.

But what surprised her was that the car waiting for her was Axel’s, and she saw him sitting inside it.

"Hubby, I thought you were still working in your office..."

Inside, Axel sat in the same seat he had occupied that morning. He looked relaxed, as if he had been waiting there for quite some time.

Evelyn slid into the car beside him and began fastening her seatbelt.

Axel didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he waited patiently until she finished buckling it. Only then did he reach out and take her hand. His fingers gently wrapped around hers, squeezing them softly.

"I come to make sure my wife isn’t looking stressed the moment she leaves her office," he said calmly.

Evelyn couldn’t help smiling at his words.

"Hubby," she said, turning to him with amusement, "do I look like someone who enjoys stress?"

Axel tilted his head slightly and looked straight into her eyes. "No, of course not," he replied seriously. Then his lips curved into a teasing smile. "You look gorgeous and pretty as usual."

Evelyn smiles.

"Oh, please, stop flattering me." She shook her head before glancing toward the front seat.

Liam was driving the car smoothly away from the Walters Group building.

"We are heading home, right?" she asked cautiously. Her voice carried a hint of worry.