At Apex Tower.
Dylan Hill stared at his desktop like it had just insulted his intelligence.
The headline blaring across the screen looked like something out of a poorly written soap opera.
[William Walters banished his daughter, Evelyn Walters, from the family!]
[What could be the reason behind Evelyn Walters' dramatic exit from the Walters legacy?]
[The beautiful heiress Evelyn Walters: now officially broke and abandoned.]
"What the hell happened here?"
Dylan muttered, blinking like maybe the words would rearrange themselves into something less scandalous.
But nothing happened.
He leaned back in his chair, his mind drifting back to that morning when Evelyn Walters quietly slipped out of Axel's presidential suite.
What happened that morning was not something he could boast about, not even to his boss, Axel Knight.
But now, seeing Evelyn's name trending like a celebrity divorce, the dots practically begged to be connected.
"Did she do something to piss off her dad that bad? Wait... did William Walters find out she slept with Axel?"
Just saying it out loud gave Dylan a full-body shiver.
Suddenly, in panic mode, he shot up from his chair, stormed out of his office, and made his way to Axel Knight's office.
Two gentle, polite knocks. That's all he dared.
"Come in," came Axel's voice, cool and clipped.
Dylan stepped in and found Axel neck-deep in paperwork, not even sparing him a glance. The man was clearly married to his work.
Still, Dylan hesitated; anything involving the Walters had a fifty-fifty chance of ending with some unpleasant things being thrown at his head.
He positioned himself a few steps away from the desk, just in case.
"Boss, it's me. Are you busy?"
Dylan asked, all polite and harmless on the outside, screaming internally on the inside.
Axel didn't even look up.
"What kind of question is that, Dylan?" he replied, tone dry enough to make Dylan feel nervous.
"I mean... remember a few weeks ago? After the New Year's party?" Dylan tried, inching closer to the danger zone.
Axel paused just long enough to sign a document, then finally glanced up to meet Dylan's panicked expression.
"Should I remember something?" he asked, one eyebrow twitching in mild irritation, the sign that someone was about to regret something.
Dylan pondered for a moment, weighing whether now was the right time to bring it up.
Or… should he take Axel to a bar and casually drop the bomb over whiskey and peanuts?
He was confused. Completely blank.
Not a single bright idea in sight, until Axel's voice sliced through his internal crisis like a chainsaw.
"Damn it, Dylan, you're just wasting my time," Axel snapped, eyes back on the document. "You can leave now. I've got a mountain of paperwork you begged me to sign, and here you are... hovering like a confused intern."
Dylan sighed internally. So much for perfect timing.
"Boss, what I mean is... do you even know who you slept with on New Year's Eve?"
That got Axel's attention.
He stopped mid-signature, put the pen down with unnecessary drama, and leaned back in his chair like he was settling to hear more Dylan wanted to say.
"Why? Did someone show up claiming they've got my secret lovechild?" Axel asked lazily, letting out a dry chuckle at his own joke.
Naturally, he brushed the idea off. Everyone he slept with took the pill. That was the unspoken rule. No pills, no thrills.
But Dylan's face turned ghost-white. His blood drained even faster as a thought crossed his mind.
'Did Evelyn really get pregnant after sleeping with Boss Axel? Is that why her father disowned her?'
Axel narrowed his eyes.
"Why do you look like your girlfriend just caught you cheating?" he asked playfully.
"B-Boss... the woman you slept with that night... she wasn't the supermodel the company just signed," Dylan stammered, his voice trembling.
Axel's brow furrowed even further. He tried digging through the hazy, alcohol-soaked memories of that night.
Of course, he remembered the party. He remembered the whiskey. But the woman? Nope. His brain served up a blank slate.
"Who was she?"
Dylan swallowed.
"The first daughter of William Walters—"
"Cough! Cough!"
Axel coughed violently, his face turning red and eyes wide with shock. He never thought that woman would end up in his bed.
"Dylan, if you're trying to tell me you no longer want to work for me, just say it. No need to make a joke this ridiculous..."
"Boss, I'm being honest with you, and without any ill intention. That morning, when I went to your presidential suite, she was the one who answered the door. She looked rushed—barely had her shoes on—and bolted like she was terrified you'd catch her."
Dylan was desperately trying to convince Axel to believe him, but deep down, he knew how insane it sounded.
Honestly, he'd been just as stunned as Axel when he saw Evelyn Walters coming out of that room.
...
Axel didn't say a word.
He stood from his seat and walked toward the glass wall behind his desk, eyes scanning the traffic-laden street below.
His mind reeled back to that morning, the one time he didn't see the woman he'd slept with. When he woke up, Dylan was the only one in the room.
Something had changed in him after that day. He hadn't slept with another woman since. He thought that because he was too busy with work.
But now? He understood. That woman had left an impact on him. Even if the memories were a blur, the feeling stayed deeply in his mind.
And every woman who came after, throwing themselves at him? Boring. Flat. Like watching a movie in black and white after seeing a glimpse of color.
'Why her? Out of all the women... more outstanding, more attractive, wealthier, why her?'
After what felt like an eternity, Axel finally turned to face Dylan, who was still standing behind him.
"Why are you only telling me now? Did she come knocking and say she's pregnant or something?"
Dylan shook his head.
He walked toward Axel's desk, silent, and typed something on the computer.
A few clicks later, he turned the screen toward him.
"Boss, you need to read the news about her… her father kicked her out of the family."
Dylan's words hit like thunder, tearing through Axel's mind.
"What? Why did that old man kick her out?"
"I don't know, boss. But… do you want me to investigate?"
Axel pondered for a moment before replying, "I'm not interested in their family drama…" he said casually, waving his hand like he asked Dylan to leave him alone.
But just as Dylan turned to leave the room, Axel called him back.
"Yes, boss? Is there something you need me to do?"
"Find out whether she's carrying my child or not. It'd be a real pain if she's using that as an excuse to chase after me," Axel said, deadpan, like this sort of thing happened to him.
A smirk tugged at Dylan's lips as he nodded.
"Yes, sir… Consider it done."