The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover-Chapter 359: A Sudden Change of Plans

As soon as they entered Axel’s home office, the door clicked shut behind them, sealing off the quiet hum of the house.

Axel didn’t bother sitting immediately. He leaned against his desk, arms folding across his chest as his sharp eyes slid toward his best friend.

"Man," he said casually, "are you sure you don’t want to spend time with her?"

Dylan was speechless for only half a second.

But Axel had known him long enough to catch even the slightest crack in his armor.

Dylan smiled bitterly. He knew that tone. Whenever Axel called him "man", it meant only one thing.

Teasing season had officially begun.

He cleared his throat. "Boss, come on... I came for work, not to meet her," he replied, then walked to the leather sofa and sat down without waiting for permission.

Axel finally walked toward the seating area and took the single sofa opposite Dylan, one leg crossing over the other. His expression was calm, but the amusement dancing in his eyes betrayed him.

"Tell me," Axel said, voice light, "you and Stella are dating now?"

Dylan nearly choked on air.

"D–Dating?" he stammered, waving both hands as if swatting invisible flies. "Of course not." The nervousness in his voice completely betrayed him.

Axel stayed silent for a moment. Then he shook his head slowly, a rare smile forming on his lips. "So," he concluded, "you haven’t confessed yet."

Dylan’s soul briefly left his body. He straightened his posture immediately, forcing his expression into professional neutrality, the kind he wore when following Axel in board meetings or negotiations.

"Axel," Dylan said firmly, "let’s not discuss my personal life." His tone was polite. Calm. But desperate enough to make Axel’s smile widen.

"Alright, alright." Axel lifted his hands in surrender. "I’m just concerned for my sister-in-law’s happiness. Very responsible of me, don’t you think?"

Dylan gave him a flat look. "Truly noble. Saint Axel Knight."

Axel laughed quietly, then nodded toward Dylan’s bag. "You brought the file?"

Grateful for the change of topic, Dylan exhaled and opened his bag. He pulled out several stacks of documents and placed them neatly on the coffee table. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Everything you asked for," Dylan reported. "Financial movements, cross-border accounts, and company affiliations. It’s all there."

Axel leaned forward, scanning the top page briefly, his teasing expression fading into the sharp, calculating calm that made men twice his size nervous.

"Good work," Axel said simply.

Dylan relaxed slightly, though his mind betrayed him with one fleeting image—Stella’s flushed cheeks, her nervous smile, the way her eyes had dimmed for just a second earlier that night.

He shook the thought away quickly. He came here for work, after all.

And if his heart disagreed... Well, that was a problem for another night.

Finally, after struggling to distract himself from Stella’s lingering image in his mind, Dylan succeeded. He focused on the documents, the figures, the schedules. For a brief moment, he almost forgot the way Stella’s voice sounded when she said his name.

Almost.

Because Axel’s following sentence shattered that fragile peace in his mind.

"Dylan, I can’t make the business trip tomorrow. You’ll be replacing me, along with Archy."

Axel sighed, rubbing his temple as he continued explaining the technical details of the trip: the financial decision and the contract he needed to finalize before agreeing. His tone was steady, as if canceling a long-awaited business trip was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

As if he were used to moments like this, Dylan took out his iPad and began typing notes, his fingers moving automatically. Years of working as Axel’s head secretary had trained him to adapt to sudden chaos without blinking.

Still, his mind stumbled over one fact.

This trip had been planned for months. Even that morning, Axel had been excited, saying they would fly tomorrow night.

After a while, they finally finished discussing the new arrangement. Silence settled in the room, heavy and thoughtful.

However, Dylan could not contain his curiosity any longer.

"Axel," he said carefully, "may I know why you suddenly canceled this business trip?"

Axel leaned back against the sofa, his eyes drifting toward the standing lamp in the corner. For a moment, he did not answer. Instead, his wife’s worried expression flashed through his mind. Evelyn’s soft voice. She had an unusual request that he must treat it carefully. The fear she tried so hard to hide.

He had wanted to ignore it. He did not even know why she said such a thing. But seeing her that worried had unsettled him more than any business risk ever could.

Dylan noticed his silence and frowned slightly. "Is Evelyn still feeling unwell?" he asked. Concern colored his tone. He had seen how exhausted she had been lately.

Axel turned his gaze toward him and shook his head.

"No. My wife is fine," Axel said. Then, as if brushing away the heaviness, he added carelessly, "But she asked me to stay. I am an obliging husband. I listen to my wife."

Dylan stared at him.

Then, he slowly shook his head.

"Truly inspiring," Dylan said dryly. "A powerful CEO, brought to his knees by a single sentence from his wife."

Axel laughed under his breath. "Exactly. Fear the woman, not the market."

Dylan allowed himself a small smile. At least Axel seemed calm. If there was real danger, Axel would not be joking. That eased his mind slightly.

He checked the time on his iPad and stood. "Alright. It’s already midnight. I need to go home and contact Archy about the sudden trip."

"Sure," Axel replied, standing as well. He walked toward his desk, but before Dylan could leave, Axel called out, "Dylan."

Dylan paused and turned. "Yes?"

"You can stay here tonight," Axel said calmly. "I will ask Jimmy to prepare the guest room for you. So you can meet Stella—"

"No, man," Dylan cut in instantly, his words firing faster than a gunshot. If he allowed Axel to finish, there would be no escape from the teasing.

Axel chuckled, clearly entertained. "Fine. Drive safely."

Dylan did not wait for another word. He headed straight for the door, his steps just a little too fast for a man who claimed he had nothing to hide.

Axel watched him go, shaking his head in amusement.