24 Axel Knight , Do You Love Me ? 24 Axel Knight , Do You Love Me ? " He's three now , " Axel continued . His voice was calm . 1 " That means , soon , he'll be in school . Tell me , Evelyn ... how do you expect to enroll him without a father's name on his record ? " He added . The weight of his words snapped her , leaving her breathless . Shame rose hot in her chest , her hands trembling in her lap . For the first time , Evelyn felt anger , not at Axel , but at herself . At her blindness . At her selfishness . Axel's jaw tightened , his voice rising as he continued , " Those children at school will mock him . Do you think it's normal for Oliver to suffer that kind of cruelty ? Do you think I could ever accept that ? " His gaze darkened , anger dancing in his eyes . " I can't , Evelyn . Just the thought of it makes me furious . " Evelyn completely agreed with Axel . For the sake of Oliver , she was willing . She would give up her pride , bend her rules , even risk her sanity if it meant protecting her son's future . But she wasn't going to surrender without at least setting a few conditions with him . " I'll do it ," she said softly , steadying her trembling hands on her lap . " But I have a request before we finalize our marriage ." Axel straightened his back . A part of him expected her to demand something dramatic , some ironclad contract with clauses and signatures , a legal safeguard against his power . He waited . But Evelyn wasn't that predictable . Instead , she met his gaze with a quiet seriousness . " Please give me a year . I want to stay in this town for now , as I still have some matters to settle before I can leave . And , my status as your wife remains a secret ." She paused , her tone softening as though negotiating with a lion . " Once our marriage is legally recognized , I'm willing to move with you . But , just so you know , I can't stay in the capital . Somewhere nearby ... close enough , but not inside . " Axel's expression changed . A confused flash crosses his eyes . " Why can't you stay and live in the capital ? " Evelyn hesitated , her lips curling into a faint , bitter smile . She had kept this secret long enough . " Because of my father ," she finally responded . " I signed an agreement with him ... part of the condition when he disowned me from Walters . I'm not allowed to return to the capital for the rest of my life . So .... I can't return there ." The words struck Axel like a bolt of lightning , causing his composure to break for the first time that evening . " What ? Did he really own this country ? Why the hell does he make you sign that ? " Evelyn smiled faintly , watching his disbelief with amusement . " Surprised ? " FINES 1/3 < 24 Axel Knight , Do You Love Me ? " William Walters banned you from the entire capital ? " Axel's tone was low , dangerous , his sharp jaw tightening . Evelyn laughed bitterly , shaking her head . " Well , don't ask me . Mr. Knight . If you're so curious , ask the mighty William Walters himself . I'm not related to him anymore and I don't know anything about him ... Her teasing only deepened the color in his face , though his expression quickly shifted back to his usual icy calm . His gaze softened on her , and when he spoke again , it was with quiet certainty . " Don't worry about him . Believe me , he didn't own Elaris ! And Evelyn , once you become my legal wife , he won't be able to harm you . " The words sent Evelyn's heart racing . Again . She hated how easily he could stir her . " A - Axel ... " she stammered , her chest tightening . " Even if we marry on paper , I want to stay hidden . Unknown to the public . I don't want .... " Her words trailed off , her throat tightening . She couldn't bring herself to finish . Instead , she only looked at him , her wide eyes reflecting all her unspoken fears . Axel's gaze stayed on her , clearly showing he didn't like her words . The idea of hiding her directly challenged his pride . He wanted the world to know she belonged to him . And of course , he wanted William Walters to see that he married his cast - out daughter . Maybe that old man will die from shock . " You don't want anyone to know we're married ? " he asked , sounding surprised . " Why not ? " " Because I want my life to stay peaceful . If the media finds out , if your enemy finds out , my life will be chaos . Paparazzi hunting me down . women glaring daggers at me because I ' stole ' their perfect Mr. Knight ... I don't need an army of angry women clawing at my back . " For a moment , Axel simply stared at her , then , unexpectedly , he laughed . The low , amused sound filled the air , catching Evelyn off guard . I'm serious , Axel ! " She glared at him . 7 know ? His smirk lingered as his eyes burned into her . " But Evelyn ... I don't want a shadow marriage . I don't want a fake marriage . I want a real wife . My actual woman . The mother of my son ." Her cheeks feel hot , and her throat tightens . No man had ever spoken to her like this ; so direct , so genuine , so absolute . Dangerous . That was what Axel Knight was . Manly , arrogant , and terrifyingly dangerous . And yet her heart skipped anyway . God help me . I can't turn back now . He has me in his grip ! For a brief moment , she slipped into her thoughts , completely forgetting the sharp - eyed predator in front of her who was still studying her every reaction . " What are you thinking about that made your face so red ? " Axel asked suddenly , his voice teasing . " Oh ... wait . Did you think about our one - night stand ? " Evelyn's eyes widened . 24 Axel Knight , Do You Love Me ? " I did not ! " she snapped , glaring at him , though her voice was shaking . " How could you even assume that ? " His lips curved in a faint smile . " Why not ? Don't be shy . We're not strangers , Evelyn . We've already done that , and we have a three - year - old son to prove it . Don't forget . " Her mouth opened , but no words came . She had not been thinking about that , but now , thanks to him , the memory crashed into her ; his heat , his touch , the wild night that changed her entire life . And the more she tried not to think about it , the more her mind betrayed her . Axel continued to savor the storm of emotions flickering across her face . He liked seeing her flustered . It was a rare sight . Her pulse quickened , her lips pressed tightly shut . She refused to give him the satisfaction of admitting anything . But inside , she was drowning . She hated him for it . She hated herself for letting him get under her skin . And worst of all , she hated how much she didn't hate it at all . And , Without warning , her mouth betrayed her hesitation as she asked , " Axel Knight , do you love me ? " 66 Thank you so much for the Golden Ticket & Power Stones . Please continue . We need to raise the rank to give this book more opportunities . Xoxo ^ . Comment Post your first comment ! Vote 14 PurpleLight Creators ' Thoughts Fandom