"Excuse me?" Stella asked.
"Sharp tongue. No filter. Always suspicious." His smirk widened. "And for the record, locking the door was for confidentiality. You’d be shocked how many ears this floor has."
"Oh, don’t worry, I’m already shocked enough for the day," She smiled.
He chuckled, then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Evelyn trusts you. That’s enough for me. You’ll be attending the meeting with your mother. Keep a low profile, listen carefully, and don’t let anyone know you’re involved in this."
"Right," Stella muttered. "Keep secrets, smile in public, and pretend I don’t know anything. Easy."
"Good."
Joseph closed the laptop and stood. "One more thing, Stella."
She raised a brow. "What now? You’re not going to hand me a spy gadget, are you?"
"Tempting. But no." He laughs. "You just need to agree to whatever I say in the meeting."
Stella can’t help but laugh, looking at how serious he was now, "You’re making this feel like a crime thriller."
"Don’t blame me. It’s your sis who makes a rule."
She says nothing more about the arrangement. But as she walked toward the door, before she reached the door, she turned back. "By the way, Jo..."
He glanced at her. "Yes?"
"Don’t fall for my sister. She’s married."
Joseph paused for half a second, just enough for Stella to see the flicker in his expression, before he smiled faintly.
"Noted. Thanks, Stella..."
"See you in two days, sir..." She waved and left.
...
The Valley.
After the video call ended, Evelyn pushed back her chair. She stood, stretching lightly before walking toward the coffee maker in the corner.
The rich aroma of roasted Sumatra Coffee beans filled the air as she poured the steamed milk, humming quietly to herself.
Her mood was rare: satisfied, amused, even a bit dangerous.
She stirred her latte, smiling faintly as she imagined the chaos already unfolding back in the city.
"Lana Scott... William Walters... the day has come when you’ve finally met your match."
Their reputation would end. The Walters family would turn on each other. The company would take a heavy hit.
And she would finally watch justice burn from a distance.
Oscar had warned her, of course. "If this gets out, it’ll cause trouble, Eve. Big trouble."
She knew that. She just didn’t care anymore.
"William Walters! Now you finally get to taste what I felt for four damn years..." Her words were interrupted when her phone buzzed.
Evelyn sighed as she returned to her desk. But when she saw the caller ID, her expression softened.
"Axel," she whispered, a smile tugging at her lips.
She swiped to answer. "Hi Axel..."
"Eve," his deep voice echoed from the other end, steady yet hurried. "Are you okay?"
That made her laugh.
"I’m fine. Why do you sound like something’s wrong?"
"The internet," he said flatly. "It’s blowing up. Walters Group, Lana Scott, your father... they’re all over the news. Someone leaked them to the media."
"Ah." She smirked, taking a slow sip of her latte. "That would be me."
"...You?" His tone shifted instantly... Mixed with disbelief and impressed amusement. "Wait, you leaked all that?"
"Mm-hmm."
A pause.
Then a low whistle from the other side of the line.
"So, you finally decided to pull the trigger," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
Evelyn smiled faintly. She could almost picture the way his eyes would gleam when he said that; half proud, half teasing.
Axel had always been more direct than she was.
He’d wanted her to fight back. Ever since the day they met in Willowcrest, he offered his hand. There have been many times.
He’d once said, "I can destroy him for you, Eve. Just say the word. I’ll send him our wedding picture. I’ll burn down the Walters name myself."
But she had always refused.
She didn’t want her revenge to come from Axel’s power. She wanted to do it her way.
Now, though, after everything Lana had done to Stella, she realized she couldn’t hold back anymore.
"Yeah," she admitted, curling her fingers around her phone. "I didn’t want to drag the entire family into this, Axel. But after what Lana pulled on Stella... she left me no choice."
There was a short silence on the other end, then Axel’s voice dropped lower.
"Wait," he said slowly, "so... what happened in Grayenfall... It’s connected to Lewis Harrison?"
Evelyn froze.
"...Hmm?" she replied, trying to sound innocent.
"Eve," his tone sharpened. "You were behind that, weren’t you? The leaks, the sudden investigation, the fall of Lewis Harrison?"
Evelyn shut her eyes for a second, mentally slapping herself.
’Great. Smooth, Evelyn. You’re supposed to keep things quiet, not hand him the evidence.’
Her grip on the cup tightened.
"Evelyn," Axel said again, his voice gentler now. "Tell me the truth."
Her lips pressed together.
She couldn’t tell him. Not this part.
Not that Oscar had been the hacker who dug into Harrison’s shady dealings, or that the information came through an illegal network that could easily be traced back to them.
She took a deep breath, forcing a small, casual laugh.
"Axel, I think you’re overthinking this."
"I don’t think I am," he countered.
Her mind raced. She needed an exit... fast.
"...Oliver," she said suddenly, glancing toward the window as if her son were actually outside. "I think I heard him calling me. I should check on him."
"Eve..."
"Axel," she interrupted softly, her tone playful. "Let’s not talk about that matter this early, huh!?"
He sighed on the other end, but she could hear the slight smile in his voice. "You always do that."
"Do what?" she teased.
"Switch the subject just as I start to get to the truth about what worries you."
She grinned. "Or...Maybe I just like keeping you guessing, Mr. Knight..."
That earned her a low chuckle. "Fine. I’ll let you have it your way. At least for now."
"Thank you..."
"But listen," he continued, his voice turning serious again. "If you need help with this Walters mess, don’t hesitate to ask me. You don’t have to handle everything alone, Evelyn. You know you can count on me."
Her chest warms at his words. He always utters her name as if it were something precious.
"I know," she said quietly. "Thank you, Axel. I appreciate it. I really am. If I need help, you’ll be the first person I call."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
He chuckled softly. "Alright then. Go check on Oliver. See you soon..."
When the call ended, Evelyn exhaled slowly.