<h4>Chapter 431: Confrontation (2)</h4>


    “How long have you known my wife?”


    Axel’s voice was calm, yet the weight behind the question was unmistakable. It was not casual curiosity. It was not a polite conversation. The words carried a sharp edge that immediately altered the atmosphere between them.


    Joseph was stunned.


    The question clearly caught him off guard. Of all the things he had anticipated when Axel Knight summoned him to a private dinner right afternding, this had not been one of them. For a brief second, confusion flickered across his face before he quickly gathered himself.


    “More than ten years ago,” Joseph replied, clearing his throat slightly. “We worked together back then.”


    Axel said nothing. He did not nod. He did not acknowledge the answer. He simply continued to stare.


    The silence stretched across the table, heavy and oppressive.


    Joseph felt it almost immediately… Axel’s sharp gaze, cold and unwavering, carried an intensity that made even aposed man like Joseph uneasy. There was something deeply unsettling about being observed so thoroughly without exnation.


    Then Axel spoke again.


    “Do you like her?”


    The questionnded without warning.


    Axel’s tone remained cold, but this time the anger burning within his eyes was impossible to hide. It shed there openly, sharp and dangerous, shattering whatever fragile calm had existed moments earlier.


    Joseph’s eyes widened.


    Shock spread across his face, followed quickly by disbelief. For a moment, he genuinely seemed unable to process what he had just heard. The sudden shift in conversation made no sense to him.


    “Mr. Knight, why—”


    “Answer me. Honestly.”


    Axel’s interruption was immediate and firm, leaving no space for Joseph to dodge.


    Joseph fell silent. His gaze lingered on Axel, confusion now mixing with something closer to difort.


    The question itself was strange, but the intensity behind it was far more rming. This was no longer a professional meeting. This was no longer about business.


    This felt personal.


    Joseph hesitated. And that hesitation did not escape Axel’s notice.


    Axel’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly as he studied the man across from him. He did not need verbal confirmation. Joseph’s reaction—the widening eyes, the brief panic, the visible struggle to respond—it was more than enough.


    As a man, Axel could understand admiration.


    Because he knew Evelyn was beautiful. Intelligent. Strong-willed. Any man with eyes and sense would find himself drawn to her. Joseph, working closely with Evelyn for years, made such feelings entirely unsurprising.


    That was not what enraged Axel.


    What burned inside him now was something far darker. This bastard, Joseph Carter, several years ago… At a g dinner, he carefully crafted a scheme. A terrible scheme.


    Collins’ investigation echoed relentlessly in Axel’s mind, each detail sharpening his fury. This man had not merely admired Evelyn. He had plotted. Manipted. Drugged her drink. Stripped away her rity, her judgment, her ability to think and resist. And he will trap her into having sex with him andpletely own her without her concern.


    Axel’s fingers curled slowly beneath the table.


    Although Evelyn had eventually entered his room that night — a fact he himself could never fully justify without difort — the difference remained undeniable.


    Axel had never nned that Evelyn would end up in his bed that night, but Joseph had.


    ’Joseph,’ Axel roared silently within his thoughts, his gaze hardening, ’you were courting death the moment you had that idea.’


    Outwardly, however, Axel remainedposed.


    Still.


    Watching.


    Waiting.


    Because the truth still had one final chance.


    If Joseph answered honestly, Axel was prepared — reluctantly — to show restraint. A light punishment. Something measured. Something survivable.


    But dishonesty… Axel’s eyes darkened dangerously. That would demand something else entirely.


    Seconds slipped by in suffocating silence.


    Joseph shifted slightly in his chair, the difort now evident despite his efforts to remain calm. Axel’s unrelenting stare felt less like observation and more like pressure, like an invisible force tightening steadily around him.


    Finally, Joseph spoke.


    “Mr. Knight,” he said cautiously, his voice steady yet edged with confusion, “what exactly do you mean by that question?”


    Axel did not respond. His cold gaze never wavered. The message was painfully clear. No more questions. Only answers.


    Joseph swallowed subtly.


    Axel leaned back slightly, his voice low, almost reflective, yet carrying unmistakable tension.


    “So… you like her.” The statement sounded less like a question and more like a conclusion already reached.


    Joseph’sposure was shattered. His eyes wavered. For the first time that evening, genuine panic flickered openly across his face.


    “No. No, sir,” Joseph replied quickly, the denial tumbling out with visible urgency. “I never liked her.”


    Axel’s fingers tightened violently beneath the table. A storm of fury exploded behind his calm expression.


    ’Wrong answer, you bastard.’ The words thundered inside his mind.


    Every muscle in Axel’s body tensed as restraint became a physical battle. The urge to rise from his chair, to unleash the punch Joseph so richly deserved, surged through him with dangerous force.


    But he did not move. Not yet. His eyes burned with a terrifying calm.


    After several suffocating seconds of silence, Joseph finally broke it.


    “Sir,” he spoke again, his voice steadier now, the earlier hesitation gone. There was even a trace of confidence in the way he straightened his shoulders. “If you asked me toe here just to discuss my feelings toward Evelyn, I already answered honestly. I never loved her.”


    Axel nodded slowly.


    “Very good…”


    The faint movement of Axel’s head was apanied by a cold smile that did not reach his eyes. His gaze remained locked on Joseph with an intensity that made the air feel heavier.


    “Now,” Axel continued calmly, “I know what kind of man you are, Joseph Carter.”


    Joseph frowned. Confusion shed across his face again. The statement sounded less like an observation and more like a verdict, and he clearly did not like its tone.


    “Mr. Knight, I don’t understand what you—”


    Before he could finish, Axel casually slid an envelope across the table.


    The thin packet glided smoothly over the polished surface before stopping directly in front of Joseph, who visibly stiffened at the sudden gesture.


    “Open it,” Axel said tly. “Then you will understand why I invited you to this dinner.”


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    <strong>Olivia Harris</strong> is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.