11 I Need Your Help
“I’ve found her… I’ve found Evelyn Walters.” 1
Silence.
Dn frowned, pulling the phone away from his car to check the screen.
The call was still connected. Odd. He pressed the phone back and tried again to speak, this time louder, “Boss… can you hear me?<i>” </i>
Finally, Axel’s voice could be heard from the other side, “Are you trying to joke with me, Dn?”
Axel’s tone was cold enough to make Dn shiver. “That’s not funny.”
The tension feels heavier than before.
“B–Boss…”
“Stop spewing nonsense,” Axel snapped, his voice rising. “And get back here. Now!”
Royal Apex Hotel.
Dn slipped his key card into the lock and stepped into the presidential suite, quietly closing the door behind him.
The sound of the ocean filtered through the half–open balcony doors, waves crashing in azy rhythm against the shore.
The scent of rich espresso drifted through the air, and there was Axel Knight, already dressed to perfection in a charcoal suit that
probably cost more than Dn’s entire year’s sry.
Axel stood near the balcony, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his coffee cup with effortless poise. 3
He didn’t look at Dn at first; instead, he stared out at the blue horizon like a man surveying an empire.
When his gaze finally shifted, itnded on Dn with all the subtlety of a knife. Axel’s lips curved into a dry, mocking smile.
“Well,” Axel said with a smirk, “…look who’s decided to crawl back. Tell me, Dn, did you have a wild encounter with a hurricane on your
way here, or do you just like to look like hell when we’ve got a meeting in thirty minutes?”
Dn nced down at his untidy slim–fit shirt and crooked tie, realizing just how disheveled he lookedpared to his boss.
He straightened quickly but didn’t let himself flinch under Axel’s stare.
I’m sorry, boss. I came straight here because… because I found her
Axel didn’t react. He took another sip of his coffee before answering with calm andposed annoyance. “Found who?”
“Evelyn Walters, Dn said carefully, almost in a whisper, as if saying the name too loud might break the fragile reality of it.
The silence that followed was sharp.
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111 Need Your Help
Axel didn’t move, didn’t blink, didn’t even set down his cup.
After another dozen seconds finally passed, Axel turned toward him, his expression unreadable.
“You’re joking?
Dn shook his head. But Axel didn’t believe him.
“For God’s sake, Dn! Tell me you didn’te barging into my suite, half–dressed and drinking cheap coffee, to throw that name
around like you want to humor me?”
“Axel, this is not a joke…” Dn firmly answered. It’s rare for him to call Axel by his name; he only does so when he has no choice but to
speak to his best friend, not his boss. “I saw her… just now before I called you.”
Axel frowned as he saw how serious Dn was now.
Still, it’s hard for him to believe it. A light chuckle escaped his lips, but there was no humor in it.
He shook his head and ced the coffee cup on the ss table with a soft click. His eyes stayed fixed on Dn.
“Do you know how many leads we’ve tracked in thest four years? How many times have people sworn they saw her, only to find out it
was just smoke and mirrors? And now you expect me to believe that Evelyn Walters magically appears to hand you your morningtte?” 2
Dn’s eyes widen slightly as he asks, “Yes, Boss… she is the one who gave me thistte. How do you know?”
Axel’s brows rose. He gave a slow, incredulous shake of his head.
“That’s the best you’ve got? You vanish for half the morning, and youe back telling me Evelyn Walters is suddenly a barista?”
“Not just a barista,” Dn said carefully, hands sped behind his back in his usual posture of deference. “She was working at a café.
She… looked different, but it was her. Same eyes. Same face. And when she saw me, I could tell she recognized me too.”
Is he telling the truth?‘ Axel stared at him for a long moment, his jaw tightening.
“Do you have any idea what it’s like to search for someone, Dn? For years, to tear apart cities, burn through investigators, and still
“Yes, Boss Dn let out a long, deep sigh. “I’ve been with you the whole time.”
That response gave Axel pause. His eyes narrowed.
“So let me get this straight,” Axel said slowly, the sarcasm returning to coat his words.
Dn’s eyebrow furrowed, but he said nothing, simply listening to what Axel was about to say.
Tour years of <b>failure</b>. And just as I decide to let go of her ghost, you wander off to get a coffee, then BAAM! You see the woman whose
very name I vow to forget. And she was serving muffins and foaming milk to make you atte like she never disappeared from the face of
the earth
“Wow! Boss… How do you know? Well, <b>boss</b>. That pretty much sums up what I’m trying to tell you” Dn repeated, firmer this time but
still respectful
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11 I Need Your Help
Axel let out a dryugh, shaking his head.
“God, if you’re wrong about this…” His voice dropped to a near whisper, deadly calm. “If you’re wrong, Dn, I’ll make you pour coffee for
the rest of your life. No boardrooms. No meetings. Just aprons and name tags. Do you understand me?”
Dn nodded once.
“I get it, Boss. He hesitated, then added in a low voice, “But I’m a hundred percent sure I’m right.”
Something flickered in Axel’s eyes, an emotion too quick to pin down before he masked it with another smirk. He straightened his cuffs
and picked up his watch from the table.
“Well then,” he said smoothly, slipping it on, “let’s see if the universe really does have that twisted sense of humor.” 1
Dn exhaled in relief, though he kept his posture stiff. He knew Axel wasn’t convinced yet, but he also knew his boss well enough to recognize the truth: Axel Knight was going to see Evelyn Walters with his own eyes.
They took the car.
A few minutester, the vehicle slowed and came to a stop in front of the Beach Side Café.
Axel leaned back against the seat, his sharp eyes narrowing as he asked, “Does she work at this café?”
Before Dn could answer, the door of the café swung open.
Axel’s world stopped.
A woman stepped out. At first nce, he thought it was just someone with a familiar face.
But the longer he looked, the tighter his chest felt. Her hair, once long and flowing, was now shoulder–length, framing features that had
matured and hardened over time, but he recognized her.
Evelyn Walters.
No doubt.
His pulse hammered, but nothing could have prepared him for what came next.
She wasn’t alone.
In her arms, she carried a child.
Axel’s sharp gaze instantly caught the dark stains spreading across her clothes.
Blood.
“Boss<b>… </b>she has a son. And he’s injured.”
Dn’s voice snapped Axel out of his frozen trance, but the words struck harder than any blow could.
Without thinking, Azel pushed the door open and stepped out, his long strides eating up the distance between them.
And then, her eyes lifted to his.
08 47
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111 Need Your Help
For a heartbeat, the world went silent.
Her gaze was ssy, rimmed with unshed tears; her face was pale, as if every ounce of strength had been drained from her.
He had imagined this moment a thousand times; what he would say, how he would confront her. But not like this. Never like <b>this</b>. 1
“A–Axel…?” Her voice cracked, trembling on the edge of despair. She stopped in front of him, clutching the small boy in her arms as if she
could shield him from the world.
“I need your help, Axel…” Her lips tremble. “Oliver… he… he’s injured. Please… help me.” 2
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Sara Lili
<strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.