They stood like that for a while, the golden afternoon light spilling through the open door.
It felt peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Then, suddenly, Axel’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
He reluctantly pulled away and checked the message.
His jaw tightened slightly, though his expression remained composed.
Evelyn caught it instantly.
"What is it?" she asked quietly.
Axel slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Nothing serious," he said with a calm smile. "I just need to step out for a moment. A friend wants to meet."
"Now?" she asked, a little surprised.
He nodded. "It won’t take long. I’ll be back before dinner."
Evelyn searched his face, sensing there was more to it than he was saying, but she didn’t press.
She trusted him.
"Alright," she said finally. "Be careful."
Axel smiled, brushing her cheek lightly with his hand. "Always."
He leaned down, kissing her softly before walking out the door.
Evelyn stood there for a while, watching him leave, the sound of his car fading down the driveway.
She sighed quietly, the calm of the afternoon returning once more.
...
After Axel left, Evelyn chose to distract herself with a short nap, hoping to keep her thoughts from wandering and causing her a headache.
However, her step halted when she found Oscar lounging in the living room, a half-empty glass of lemonade in his hand, looking as if he had always belonged there.
"Come sit, Boss..." he said lazily, pointing to the sofa across from him. "You look like you just wrestled with the ghost of party planning. Why do you look so distressed?"
Evelyn managed a soft laugh and took the seat opposite him. "Close enough. But that’s not why I sit here..."
Oscar raised an eyebrow. "That tone sounds dangerous."
She didn’t answer him right away, but made sure no one was around them at that moment to hear what they would say.
Then her eyes return to him, "Axel knows I’ve been investigating Maxime Knight."
His relaxed smile faltered for half a second.
"Wait. What? How did he find out?"
"He overheard us," she admitted quietly. "That day, I asked you to report on Maxime. He must have caught a few words."
Oscar blinked, then leaned back with a sigh.
"Well, that’s... unfortunate. Did he ask questions?"
Evelyn nodded.
"Of course. And I couldn’t lie to him. I told him everything."
Oscar’s jaw dropped slightly, then he chuckled in disbelief.
"W-What the hell, Eve? You told everything?"
"Yes. No. I mean, only about Maxime. Not about you..." She rubbed her temples. "So, of course, he wasn’t suspicious of you."
A relieved smile slowly appeared on his lips before he whistled softly.
"You’re brave. Most wives would pretend they were Googling his family just for fun."
Evelyn gave him a dry look. "Oscar—"
"Alright, alright," he said, "So, what happened after you confessed?"
"He didn’t get mad," Evelyn said. "He just said... ’My wife... You don’t have to worry about Maxime Knight.’"
She continued, her tone lowering, "But, Oscar... I feel uneasy. Because he asks me about the person I talk to. About you. But when I said I can’t tell him and asked for his understanding, he agreed right away. Still, I feel uneasy."
Oscar’s eyes are narrowing slightly.
"You’re worried he’ll dig deeper and find out about me and your other work?"
"Exactly." Evelyn’s voice slightly rose before she lowered it again to a whisper, "If he finds out who I really was, or that I’m still connected to the network, he might—"
"Relax," Oscar cut in, his usual humor fading as his voice turned calm and steady. "Your identity is safe. I covered every track. No one will link you to your job, not even Axel Knight."
Evelyn stared at him for a moment, as if testing the certainty in his eyes.
Seeing how composed he was, her shoulders finally loosened. "You’re sure?"
"Absolutely." He took another sip of lemonade. "I’m practically a magician, remember? I make digital ghosts vanish."
Her lips twitched with a small smile. "You sound too confident. That worries me."
Oscar smirked.
"Confidence is what separates hackers from amateurs."
But then his tone shifted once more, and his gaze grew sharper. "However... there’s something unusual about Axel’s friend, Collins..."
"Collins? Why?"
"Yes. That man, he feels... familiar," Oscar said, choosing his words carefully. "Like me."
Evelyn frowned.
"You mean he’s a hacker too?"
"Maybe. I just get that from how he talked to me." He shrugs.
Her brows drew together. "And you think he’s Axel’s hackers?"
"I can’t confirm that yet." Oscar’s tone grew quieter. "But whoever he is, he’s skilled. I’d think... I might know him under his code name."
Evelyn exhaled slowly.
"Well, to be honest, this is my first time meeting him in person. He seemed polite. Quiet, even. I didn’t sense anything unusual."
Oscar chuckled dryly.
"That’s the thing about people like us. We hide the chaos behind nice smiles."
"That’s comforting," she muttered sarcastically.
He grinned. "Hey, at least I warned you."
Evelyn shook her head before saying, "Oscar, if you think you could sense him, you should think he could do that to you, too. Well, I know he could. And it’s not a problem for me. It’s about time my husband knows your true identity."
Oscar’s composed expression slowly faded, but later his calmness returned.
Their conversation drifted after that, lighter but thoughtful.
Evelyn asked about his upcoming projects, while Oscar teased her about how "married life made her too soft."
She threw a pillow at him in retaliation, which he dodged with an exaggerated wince.
Eventually, when the laughter faded, Oscar sighed.
"Eve, there’s something I need to tell you."
Her smile dimmed. "That tone never means good news."
"I’m flying back home tomorrow morning," he said.
Evelyn froze.
"Tomorrow? That soon?"
"Yeah. The team needs me back. There’s an operation I can’t postpone. Besides, you’ve got your husband and kid here. You’ll survive without me."
She laughed softly. "Oscar, thank you..."
"For what?"
"For everything you have done for me and Oliver. I really appreciate it."
"Oh, come on, Eve! Don’t make me cry now. Or Axel will tease me if he sees me crying!" he said playfully, smiling.