"Axel Knight, do you love me?"
The temperature in the room suddenly dropped below zero.
’Do you love me?’ The words echoed in Axel’s head like a foreign language.
He suddenly had the absurd urge to laugh as he heard the word "love."
Of all the ridiculous things this woman could ask, she chose that? His brows furrowed, as though the word itself was an insult.
"Love?"
"Yes. Love." Evelyn’s voice was softer now, though a tiny, nervous smile tugged at her lips. "You keep insisting that our marriage be made public. And you keep saying it’s real..." She trailed off, suddenly aware of how ridiculous she sounded now.
Evelyn’s lips slightly curved into a faint smile, the kind of smile that made Axel suspicious. He narrowed his eyes.
He knew that she wasn’t done yet. She was dangling him over a cliff just to see him sweat.
After a few more seconds, Axel leaned back casually, but his gaze was sharp on her. "Yeah. So?"
Her heart raced, but she forced herself to meet his eyes. "So... I’m asking if you love me."
For a long moment, silence stretched between them.
Axel’s jaw tightened. He feels Evelyn had just asked him to hand over a vital organ. How ridiculous!
"Evelyn," he said finally, his tone sharp, "...love doesn’t exist in my dictionary. So, you ask the wrong person."
Evelyn was speechless. She tried not to laugh, but it escaped anyway, a small, almost helpless giggle.
"Well, of course it doesn’t. You probably burned that page years ago. Right, Mr. Knight?"
Axel shot his glare, and she quickly raised her hands in surrender.
She continued her words, "Come on, Axel... don’t look at me like that. I’m not mocking you. I’m just," she hesitated, biting her lip. "...trying to figure out what this means for me. For Oliver. For us."
Her honesty softened his sharp gaze.
"Evelyn, I don’t believe in love. And my answer is... I don’t love you. Sorry if I disappointed you..."
Axel let the words hang in the air, his voice calm, almost casual. But his eyes? His eyes didn’t match that tone. They held her, sharp and steady, like he was waiting for her reaction.
Evelyn’s playful smile faltered. She hadn’t expected him to just drop it like that, blunt and brutal. For a second, she felt embarrassed, as if he’d slapped her with words.
But then, slowly, a smile tugging at his lips, he added, "If you really want me to love you, I’ll try. I’ll learn. Just be patient with me... because I’ve never truly felt that way before."
She suddenly lost her words, saw how serious his expression was now, and how casually he said those words.
’Wait! What? He didn’t believe in love, but he was willing to "learn"? And he asked me to wait? Was he joking? Trying to act cool? Unbelievable!’
Before Evelyn could even decide how to respond, his voice cut in again, smooth and commanding.
"For me, I only believe in keeping what’s mine. You. Oliver. That’s not negotiable. So, to answer your question again, our marriage wasn’t based on love. And I believe you already knew I didn’t love you. Unless..."
Axel hesitated, slightly frowning, with his sharp gaze unchanged.
Her heartbeat races.
"Unless what?" she asked carefully, trying not to sound too nervous or too curious.
Alex didn’t respond right away. He just looked at her face, his eyes moving over her blushing cheeks, noticing how her lashes flickered quickly in nervous fluttering.
"Unless..." he finally said, lips curling into a slow, dangerous smirk, "... you’re the one who loves me, Evelyn?"
"Cough! Cough!"
Evelyn nearly choked on her own spit. She slapped a hand against her chest, glaring at him like he’d just committed a crime.
Her mind screamed. ’Excuse me?! Did he just...? How did he...? Gosh! Heaven, please strike him with your heavenly lightning, please...’
Axel chuckled, low and amused, clearly enjoying her shocked expression.
"You are? Wow, this is shocking for me to know that Evelyn..." His smile stretched wider, like he’d just won something.
Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she could feel it. Ugh. Just his look alone was enough to tell her what he was thinking: ’See? I caught you. You love me, Evelyn!’
She wanted to scream at him, deny it, throw something, anything, to wipe that proud expression off his face.
But when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. Her lips refused to move, betraying her completely.
’What the hell? Who loves you? Not me!’ she shouted silently, shaking her head in frustration.
"Alright, Evelyn, no need to deny it if you’re shy. I get it..." He nodded, like he was granting her mercy.
"I’m not!" she snapped, finally finding her voice.
"Good," he said smoothly, his tone far too satisfied for her liking. "Here’s the deal... If you want me to love you, then you have to teach me how... Deal?"
Her jaw dropped again.
’What the heck...? Why am I suddenly the one insisting now?!’
Evelyn groaned internally, feeling like she’d stepped into a trap she’d set for herself. One small tease and now, bam! She was the one cornered.
Trying to play it off, Evelyn forced a nervous laugh.
"Axel, you know, most people would just say ’yes’ or ’no.’ But with you, everything has to sound like a business contract."
He tilted his head, amused. "Well, maybe. But at least with me, you’ll never doubt where you stand."
Her chest tightened, not from fear, but from the weight of his certainty. He wasn’t romantic, not even close. But, there was something in his voice, something so sure and possessive, that it made her stomach flutter against her will.
"Fine," Evelyn turned her gaze away from him. Her lips betrayed her, curling into a reluctant smile. "Not love... but something close enough." She whispered those last words so softly that only she could hear them.
Because if Axel caught even a hint of what she really meant, he’d twist it again.
And then she’d be stuck here all night, arguing, digging herself deeper while he smiled like the devil who already owned her soul.
Evelyn stole a glance at him. Of course, he was still smiling, proud, infuriatingly gorgeous.
Her heart thudded hard against her chest.
’Damn it! This man is going to be the death of me...’
And yet...
She couldn’t run away! Not now, not later.