Axel's gaze softened, but there was a shadow behind his eyes, something unreadable, something tense.
He didn't respond right away.
Instead, he brushed his thumb gently along her jawline, as though trying to soothe her before saying something she wouldn't want to hear.
"I'll tell you," he said at last, his voice low and careful.
Her stomach tightened. "Axel…"
"Eve," he interrupted quietly, his tone steady but weighted with unspoken emotion. "Last night, I overheard your conversation in your office. I would be lying to you and to myself if I thought what I overheard didn't bug me."
The world seems to be spinning around her.
"That's why I asked if you had a secret I didn't know about."
Evelyn's heart skipped. Her mind flashed back to her slightly open office door and the call with Oscar.
'Oh my God. He heard me asking Oscar to investigate his cousin. Wait… how much did he actually hear?'
